- Free ‘Helping You Online' guide will be available as a
printed booklet and a digital download
- Latest initiative from the LCR Digital Inclusion Network and
Combined Authority which aims to support 10,000 residents by 2028
- Booklet brings together for the first time all the latest
guidance in an accessible format
A comprehensive new guide has been created to help people across
the Liverpool City Region build digital confidence, develop new
skills and explore the internet.
Featuring a range of themes – from device setup to digital
healthcare – the free booklet is the latest initiative from the
Liverpool City Region Digital Inclusion Network. It brings
together, for the first time, all the current guidance and
support in an accessible format.
The 84-page Helping You Online guide is available as a printed
booklet in most libraries and community venues and is also free
to download.
It will help new and existing users make the most of their
digital devices and explains in simple terms how to get started
online. There is also information on how to access healthcare,
apply for jobs, manage money, avoid scams and understand
misinformation.
The guide has been published to coincide with End Digital Poverty
Day, which highlights the barriers to education, employment and
social inclusion for those without digital access. Around 15% of
adults and 20% of children across the UK live in digital poverty,
with an estimated 127,000 residents offline in the city
region.
Cllr , Liverpool City Region
Portfolio Holder for Innovation, said:
“So much of life is takes place online these days but for all
the rich possibilities of the internet, too many remain in
digital poverty.
“Digital inclusion is about giving people the tools to
transform their lives – access to jobs, education, healthcare,
and the ability to stay connected with their loved
ones.
“This new guide complements the work we have already done to
provide free devices, data and training – it provides everything
you need to know all in one place and will make a real difference
in our communities.”
The Combined Authority (CA) set up the Digital Inclusion Network
to bridge a digital divide which has left 25% of adults in the
city region without the essential digital skills needed to
navigate modern life.
It brings together more than 250 partner organisations across
local authorities, and the voluntary, community and business
sectors. The Network has helped design the step-by-step guide,
which collates all the areas of support currently available
online into one offline, printed booklet.
This builds on the Combined Authority's commitment to tackle
digital exclusion and support 10,000 residents by
2028.
Previous programmes have included the industry-led Digital
Inclusion Initiative, with Lloyds Bank, Assurant, Vodafone and
FRC Group, which supported over 5,400 individuals with a free
tablet, connectivity and training between August 2023 and May
2025.
Over £1.4m in UK Shared Prosperity (UKSPF) Funding has been
provided as part of the Digital Connectivity Grants Programme,
supporting improvements in over 170 Voluntary Sector Digital
Inclusion Hubs.
Earlier this year the CA became one of the first authorities to
sign the Government's IT Reuse for Good Charter, committing to
recycle devices. Since 2024, more than 800 computers, laptops and
monitors have been donated through the Good Things Foundation's
National Devicebank.
More information is available at libraries and community venues.
Anyone with an internet connection, can download the booklet at:
www.helpingyouonline.co.uk
