Online Safety and Other Safeguarding Topics
As a wider school community, we are committed to supporting each other in promoting online safety and wellbeing for our young people. CFS is linked in with a number of networks to share regularly updated information and guidance with parents and students.
The Liverpool Local Authority has asked all schools to share the following guide for parents about online hate, extremism, and fake news; as children are online more than ever, due to the pandemic.
We would like to recommend the use of a child-friendly and safe search engine Squiggle
This search engine can replace the use of Google when carrying out research, especially for children Y6 and below. The sites offered by it are more accessible in terms of language and content and are safer too in terms of avoiding inappropriate or unwanted content.
The Safeguarding Resource Hub is comprehensive
online safety site with an area for children, young people, parents and teachers:
The Lily-Jo Project is a Christian organisation that we have worked with in the recent past. They have some good information and help on common mental health issues including:
depression, anxiety, self-harm, eating disorders, childhood trauma, self-esteem, and grief.
The BBC has launched a new app to help the wellbeing
of young people whilst online and encourage more thoughtful communication. https://www.bbc.com/ownit/take-control/own-it-app
Being Bullied? Five things you need to do RIGHT NOW!
The Carers Trust website provides information about young carers. This is someone aged 25 and under who cares for a friend or family member who, due to illness, disability, a mental health problem or an addiction, cannot cope without their support.
https://carers.org/about-caring/about-young-carers
Further information is available on the Barnardo's website.
https://www.barnardos.org.uk/what-we-do/services/action-young-carers-liverpool
We would like to recommend the Parent Zone and Internet Matters websites for parents whose children who are using social media. They gives up-to-date information about various social media platforms, with advice about helping our children to use them safely and responsibly:
https://www.internetmatters.org/parental-controls/social-media/
NSPCC Helpline
Following disclosures made to the social media campaign #everyonesinvited, which parents are likely to be aware of from national news outlets over the past few months, the NSPCC has opened a new helpline which schools have been asked to circulate within their community. The helpline number is: 0800 136 663 or email help@nspcc.org.uk
Online Hoaxes
Following some recent online hoaxes and 'scare stories' doing the rounds, here is a link to a poster that schools are encouraged to share with families. It advises against sharing any scare-stories that emerge online, even if you are trying to alert or warn others against them, as this can inadvertently add momentum to hoax stories.
Protect Young Minds
We would like to recommend a really useful organisation called Protect Young Minds www.protectyoungminds.org They provide support to parents (and schools) in teaching children and young people how to handle online content, especially inappropriate images. With the unavoidable rise in internet use over the past 15 months, children have become yet more likely to be exposed to unwanted and inappropriate videos or images online. Protect Young Minds has some really sound blogs, strategies and advice, and is free to sign up to. They have also produced an excellent book for parents to read with children (two versions available for different ages) called Good Picture Bad Pictures. We have already recommended this book via emails and parent forums to year 5 & 6 parents, but wanted to recommend it for other year groups too. We will be using their 'Brain Defense' course with some of our classes in the near future. They are a Christian organisation and we have found their blogs and advice to be very sensible and helpful indeed.
Commonsense Media
An organisation that reviews films, TV and games. You may not agree with all the conclusions but it gives parents an insight in to the content and background of many popular and older material
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/
If you have any questions about the above information, please do get in touch.