Coronavirus daily round-up: Monday 23 November
Fiona Simpson
Monday, November 23, 2020
The government has announced it will extend its digital connectivity offer to vulnerable young people, including care leavers, until 2021.
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Each day, CYP Now will summarise the key issues affecting the children and families sector as it tackles the effects of the pandemic. The daily update signposts children’s services practitioners and leaders to the latest developments, expert views, advice and resources.
Government extends digital connectivity offer
The government has announced plans to extend its digital connectivity offer to vulnerable young people, including care leavers, until next year.
The package, which includes supplying SIM cards, 4G routers, has been extended until at least January 2021, ministers have said, suggesting it may be extended as far as July next year.
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Related news: Government lays out plan to support care leavers
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Related news: Care leavers at risk of 'digital isolation' as Covid-19 restrictions tighten
Charity donations plummet
Almost a third of people have reduced their charity donations during the coronavirus crisis, new research shows.
Data from IT experts DSA connect finds that 28 per cent of people cut regular charity donations this year compared with just five per cent of people who increased them.
This could lead to a deficit of as much as £140m, researchers have warned.
Young adults lean towards ‘on the job’ learning amid pandemic
Almost half of young people (46 per cent) are reconsidering attending university following Covid - either because getting on the job ladder is perceived as being more important than getting a degree (26 per cent), or because of safety concerns (19 per cent), research from data supplier Quickbooks has found.
A further 61 per cent of 16-to 25-year-olds now feel that learning ‘on-the-job’ is the best way of getting on the careers ladder, the survey shows.
Calls for PPE czar to address supply chain problems
Unite the union is calling for the government’s “PPE czar” to ensure NHS and social care workers are protected from Covid-19 at work.
Unite, which has 100,000 members in the health service, said that the government’s PPE supremo Lord Deighton, appointed in the spring, urgently needs to intervene to sort out the supply chain problems.