Overview
Safeguarding children and young people online is essential and it is a core part of safeguarding, it should not be looked at in isolation or as a lesser area of concern. Instead, online safety, e-safety or internet safety must be seen as a constant, yet moving theme, supported by policy, training and it must be embedded within a whole school (including early years) culture of safeguarding and child protection.
As governors, trustees and governance professionals we have a vital role in building a culture of safeguarding that includes online safety. We can ensure that our schools and settings are well trained to be able to support and protect the children and young people in our schools in all areas of online safety. We must also ensure that we do not downplay these risks and their potential negative impact on children’s lives and outcomes.
There are four broad areas of online safety risk (Keeping Children Safe in Education):
- content – being exposed to illegal, inappropriate, or harmful content, for example: pornography, fake news, racism, misogyny, self-harm, suicide, anti-Semitism, radicalisation, and extremism.
- contact – being subjected to harmful online interaction with other users; for example: peer to peer pressure, commercial advertising and adults posing as children or young adults with the intention to groom or exploit them for sexual, criminal, financial or other purposes.
- conduct – online behaviour that increases the likelihood of, or causes, harm; for example, making, sending and receiving explicit images (e.g. consensual and non-consensual sharing of nudes and semi-nudes and/or pornography, sharing other explicit images and online bullying.
- commerce – risks such as online gambling, inappropriate advertising, phishing and or financial scams.
Governance Conversation
Join us on the 2nd February 2023 for an online Governance Conversation on Online Safety, RSHE and Data Protection, the event is free for all to attend. Reserve your place.
“Governing bodies and proprietors should ensure online safety is a running and interrelated theme whilst devising and implementing their whole school or college approach to safeguarding and related policies and procedures.
DfE – Keeping Children Safe in Education
This will include considering how online safety is reflected as required in all relevant policies and considering online safety whilst planning the curriculum, any teacher training, the role and responsibilities of the designated safeguarding lead (and deputies) and any parental engagement.”
Online Safety in Schools – Questions for Governors
The UK Council for Internet Safety (UKIS) Education Working Group looks at five key areas to support the implementation of this statutory expectation in schools:
- Policies
- Does the school/college have up to date policies that address online safety, mobile and smart technology, social media and acceptable use of technology in place?
- How does the school/college assess that policies are clear, understood and respected by all children and staff?
- Support and reporting mechanisms
- What mechanisms does the school/college have in place to support pupils/students, staff and parents facing online safety issues?
- Staff training
- How do you ensure that all staff receive appropriate, relevant and regularly updated online safety training?
- Teaching and learning
- Describe how your school/college provides the learning required to educate children and young people to build knowledge, skills and confidence with regard to online safety. This will include learning contained within the statutory (September 2020) RSHE, the Computing curriculum, Citizenship and other subjects where relevant.
- Whole school community engagement and education
- How does the school/college engage and educate parents and the whole school/college community with online safety?
Essential reading, key guidance and helpful websites
Education for a Connected World
The UK Council for Internet Safety (UKCIS) has published a framework to equip children and young people for digital life. Education for a Connected World.
It focuses specifically on eight different aspects of online education:
- Self-image and Identity
- Online relationships
- Online reputation
- Online bullying
- Managing online information
- Health, wellbeing and lifestyle
- Privacy and security
- Copyright and ownership
Statutory duties
When the word ‘must’ is used it means this is a statutory requirement, when the word ‘should’ is used, governing boards (proprietor for academies and independent schools) ‘must’ have regard for statutory guidance. The current government statutory guidance for safeguarding which includes online safety is Keeping Children Safe in Education.
Keeping Children Safe in Education – online safety
The guidance and its revisions are important for all in governance, whether in academies or maintained schools, it should be read and followed. For those in governance it is key to understand how the expectations of schools can be supported by their role as strategic leaders. We have outlined below some of the ‘must’ and ‘should’ areas for boards so that we can all work together and have an active role in keeping children and young people safe online, not just while they are in our schools. Remember – all governors and trustees must read Keeping Children Safe in Education and all revisions in full.
- Governing bodies and proprietors should ensure an appropriate senior member of staff, from the school or college leadership team, is appointed to the role of designated safeguarding lead. The designated safeguarding lead should take lead responsibility for safeguarding and child protection (including online safety).
- The role carries a significant level of responsibility and the postholder should be given the additional time, funding, training, resources, and support needed to carry out the role effectively.
- Any deputy (or deputies) should be trained to the same standard as the designated safeguarding lead.
- Governing bodies and proprietors should ensure that all staff undergo safeguarding and child protection training (including online safety) at induction. The training should be regularly updated. Induction and training should be in line with any advice from the safeguarding partners.
- All staff should receive regular safeguarding and child protection updates, including online safety as required, and at least annually, to continue to provide them with relevant skills and knowledge to safeguard children effectively.
- Identifying a member of the governing body to lead on attendance matters and ensuring that there is a named senior manager to lead on attendance.
- Governing bodies and proprietors should ensure that children are taught about how to keep themselves and others safe, including online. It should be recognised that effective education will be tailored to the specific needs and vulnerabilities of individual children, including children who are victims of abuse, and children with special educational needs or disabilities.
- Governing bodies and proprietors should ensure online safety is a running and interrelated theme whilst devising and implementing their whole school or college approach to safeguarding and related policies and procedures. This will include considering how online safety is reflected as required in all relevant policies and considering online safety whilst planning the curriculum, any teacher training, the role and responsibilities of the designated safeguarding lead (and deputies) and any parental engagement.
- Technology, and risks and harms related to it, evolve, and change rapidly. Schools and colleges should consider carrying out an annual review of their approach to online safety, supported by an annual risk assessment that considers and reflects the risks their children face.
- Schools and colleges should recognise that sexual violence and sexual harassment occurring online (either in isolation or in connection with face-to-face incidents) can introduce a number of complex factors. Amongst other things, this can include widespread abuse or harm across a number of social media platforms that leads to repeat victimisation
Online safety policy
An effective, clearly understood and robustly implemented safeguarding and child protection policy should include the school or college’s approach to online safety. In Norfolk the model safeguarding policy which schools adapt to suit their context includes the following references to online safety:
- All staff are aware that technology is a significant component in many safeguarding and wellbeing issues. Children are at risk of abuse online as well as face to face. We understand that in many cases abuse will take place concurrently via online channels and in daily life. We know that children can also abuse other children online.
- As part of the requirement for staff to undergo regular updated safeguarding training, online safety training is also delivered.
- More details can be found in our policies on Online Safety and Mobile and Smart Technology which consider the 4Cs, content, contact, conduct and commerce.
- We carry out an annual review of our approach to online safety, supported by a risk assessment (on at least an annual basis) that considers and reflects the risks that children face in our setting. We also communication with parents and carers to reinforce the importance of children being safe online.
Final word
Safeguarding children and young people online must be seen in the same way that we see face to face risks, it is the world that the children and young people in our schools live in. However, it is important to not see the digital world as a negative place, it is full of opportunities and it has become an essential and integrated part of all of our lives. The challenges are different and complex, overlapping seamlessly into our schools, workplaces, communities and homes.
The breadth of online safety can feel daunting to governors, especially when the need to get it right is so important. Remember you are not alone, NGN alongside the many organisations that we have highlighted on this page are there to provide the support needed. Reach out to us and join our events; raise online safety at meetings; ensure that your board training is up to date and that your school or setting is embedding a culture of online safety as part of Keeping Children Safe in Education.
