Care experienced young people to benefit from recycled council mobile phones

27 November 2019

Care experienced young people are to be provided with surplus staff mobile phones from Aberdeen City Council following a request made by them to the city’s Champions Board which brings together care experienced young people with multiple public partners who have corporate parenting responsibilities.

The phones became surplus to requirements following a recent upgrade and the council’s Integrated Children and Family Services team have been working with their IT colleagues to clear data and make the devices usable again.

Graeme Simpson, Chief Officer: “As corporate parents, our aim is to reduce inequalities by closing the attainment and wellbeing gaps between our care experienced young people and their peers so they can all have the best possible start in life.

“We are proud to be able to provide around 20 phones through this imaginative initiative which helps our young people stay in touch with their support networks, be safer and enjoy the benefits that many other people take for granted. This initiative is a positive example of early intervention which is a key strategic priority for the Council as set out in the LOIP.”

The project is supported by the multi-agency approach to corporate parenting across the city and Peter Melrose, Development Officer, Participation and Engagement, Who Cares? Scotland who works in tandem with the council said: “Care experienced people face many challenges, and when their phones break or are lost, they are easily isolated. They asked for old unused phones to use, and it’s great to see Corporate Parents work together so quickly to get that done”.

Tiffany Burnett, children’s rights development officer, added ‘I’m really pleased to see our Corporate Parents understanding why this is important to us and the difficulties we can face. Knowing we have a mobile phone bank is a good way to tackle isolation and another way to continue to build trust and faith in each other’.

Photograph shows: Left to right: Peter Melrose (Development Officer - Who Cares Scotland), David Bartlett (Aberdeen City Council I.T Analyst0 Tiffany Burnett (Aberdeen City Council Children's Rights Development Officer)