We have always made safeguarding children our highest priority at Connex Education, which is why we’d like to reiterate what NSPCC have bought to light in their recent research in regards to internet safety, and how we can keep children safe online.

According to a poll by child safety experts, only one in five (19%) of mothers and fathers with youngsters aged 8 – 13 are frequently discussing how to stay safe online with their children.

Find out what we have done to make safeguarding our highest priority

It has been suggested by the NSPCC that parents should be prioritising internet security discussions with their children, just as they would with road safety.

There have been increasing talks with regards to internet safety for young people over the last couple of years, which is why O2 has teamed up with NSPCC for their ‘Be Share Aware’ campaign, to help parents to tackle talks with their children regarding the web.

In an interview with Radio City, Claire Lilley, head of child online safety at the NSPCC, said: “Parents are the first point of call for a child when it comes to staying safe in real life and this is no different when it comes to their online life.

Talking to your child and exploring their online world with them is the best way to keep them safe, but it can be hard to keep up to speed with the internet and some topics can feel more difficult than others”

A report into the role and influence of images and videos in young people’s digital lives also suggested that almost a quarter of young people (23%) say they don’t know how to control who can see what they post on social media, with only half (51%) saying that they always think about what personal information they could be sharing before they post a photo or video online.

Of course, tackling the issue may be easier for some than others. There could be a number of reasons why you may not feel confident advising young people on internet safety, whether it’s down to a lack of knowledge or being unaware of the dangers yourself. This is totally fine, but you should still seek to find advice that you can relay back to your children.

NSPCC has provided three essential tips to help start the conversation:

1. Look at websites and apps together with your child and talk about any concerns you have about them e.g. Facebook

2. Ask your child questions about what they know about staying safe online e.g. what they are doing and what they should be doing

3. Talk about personal information and what should and should not be shared online

You can also click here to download and print a family agreement about online safety, to help your children understand what behaviour is appropriate. This is also a good way of agreeing that they should come to you if they have any concerns or become worried about something they see or do.

If you would like more information on keeping children safe online, visit the UK Safer Internet Centre today. They provide plenty of family-friendly resources on how you can educate yourself and young people surrounding the issue.

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Safer Internet Day 2017 is here, and the global campaign is going strong once again.

This year, the UK Safer Internet Centre is encouraging all to ‘Be the Change: Unite for a better internet’, and we want to echo that message to our teachers and schools today.

As with last year, we wanted to make sure we got involved with Safer Internet Day – it’s a great opportunity for all to come together to educate young people to use technology in a safe and positive way. We have always promised to keep safeguarding as our highest priority, which is why we support this cause so heavily.

Over the last couple of decades, we have seen the internet develop into something particularly masterful, which has resulted in it being used by adults and children alike.

Unfortunately, with the plethora of websites and apps available, each one now requires a certain level of understanding, especially if we’re hoping to understand how and who we (and our children) are interacting with.

It is becoming increasingly simple for young people to become exposed to a wide variety of material online. While inspiring children about the positive use of technology is great, we must also highlight the risks, and educate them on how to use the internet safely, and wisely.

The internet is an impressive resource and everyone should be able to be themselves online – but children may not be as aware as we are of the dangers.

In order to help them with this, we have to help create a kinder internet. It’s important to help them learn that hateful comments online, for example, are unacceptable, and that they should be reported to an adult immediately.

This scenario is just one of the many risks, of course.

There are many ways we can help children to understand exactly what they could face online. Here’s a few outlined from the UK Safer Internet Centre, the official hosts of Safer Internet Day – we thought these were pretty important:

1. Have a conversation with your child/children

Talk to young people about your concerns of being online – ask them what they would do if someone they didn’t know began talking to them. Mention that they should only chat to people they know online, and more importantly, the people they know in person.

Strangers exist online too, and it doesn’t matter how friendly they have been, they should still understand the danger of speaking to someone they do not know. Express the importance of not sharing personal information or arranging to meet anybody.

2. It’s the behaviour that has to change, not the technology

Talking about online behaviour can be tough, and as the older generation, we can often shy away through lack of knowledge.

Your internet smarts may be lacking, but what you do have, is a breadth of life experience, which is just as important when keeping young people safe online. Focusing on behaviour allows you to draw from your experience to provide support.

3. Look for signs and find ways to intervene

You may be able to spot signs – for example, perhaps your child is glued to their phone? Maybe they’re very easily distracted by their new messaging app – sit down with them for a chat if you have suspicions. This is a good opportunity to discuss the difference between a healthy and unhealthy relationship, which should highlight the potential risks.

4. Develop an interest in what they do

Parents should be aware of what their children are doing or watching online. Be aware that some apps are only meant to be used by children aged 13 and over (including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat), but it’s worth noting that there are currently no strict measures of verifying whether someone is of the required age or not, despite ongoing work to improve age verification.

5. Trust your instincts

If you have concerns, act now. There are a number of places you can rely on for support, including the child’s school, parents, and the police. There are a number of websites online giving advice about online grooming.

6. Do your own research

Learning the basics about an app gives you the tools to understand the potential risks. There are lots of safety and privacy features available that young people may not be aware of.

Create an open and transparent relationship with your children – this way you can openly discuss anything you may be concerned about, and vice versa.

You don’t need to be an expert on the internet to keep young people safe online. But if you’re in need of a little advice, the UK Safer Internet Centre publishes lots of advice and tips on their website regularly to support you, so you can support young people responsibly and positively.

As for today, there are a number of ways in which you can do your bit – join hundreds of schools, youth groups, companies (including ourselves), charities, police services and wider to help inspire a better internet this Safer Internet Day. To find out more, just click here.

As we have said before, at Connex, we take safeguarding very, very seriously. Because we are so concerned about online risks to children we have taken the decision to give all our schools a truly wonderful gift, which will help to educate both schools and young people about the dangers of the internet.

If you would like to hear more about this, please feel free to contact your local branch.

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We are absolutely committed to delivering a 360° approach to safeguarding. We take this very, VERY seriously, so in light of Child Safety Week, we wanted to remind you of everything we’re doing to assure your child’s safety, and how we can help.

There is a growing expectation from the government that the onus is on schools to educate children about online safety. The current Department for Education proposals under consultation says that all schools will be required to ensure that they teach their pupils about Safeguarding. And we have made sure we are in the loop with these expectations too – why? Because we care about this issue very deeply. Below are just a few actions we have put in to place to ensure that only the best and most trusted staff are entering our schools:

Our stringent Safeguarding and Vetting procedures

The first step in safeguarding is preventing those who may wish to harm or abuse them from entering the workforce. That is why every applicant to Connex is pre-screened by a trained and dedicated team before interviews as the first step of eight in our recruitment and selection process.

Our staff completed Safeguarding training – we mean EVERYONE and thats why we’re ensuring that you’re aware of Child Safety Week.

So that we can be sure that we’re offering the best service possible to protect children in school, not only do we insist our staff to complete their safeguarding training before we let them into any of our schools, we make sure each member of staff in our offices completes Safeguarding training, so they are fully aware of the issues at hand and ready to answer any questions you may have.

Our channel partners eCadets, are helping us to help schools

One issue in safeguarding we feel is very important is teaching children how to use the Internet appropriately. The information which can be found online today is unbelievable. In this fast-moving online world, e-safety is the most important new frontier in the crucial responsibility of safeguarding children. It’s also the most difficult to manage effectively…

Nicky Morgan said: “As a parent I’ve seen just what an important role the Internet plays in children’s education. But it can also bring risks, which is why we must do everything we can to help children stay safe online – at school and at home.”

And we just think that makes perfect sense. Many children have access to the Internet via smartphones and tablets, which is not overseen by parents or teachers…

This is why we’re working with our channel partners, eCadets, to offer schools an exciting scheme which empowers pupils to learn to keep themselves safe online. Designed and run by former police officers and education professionals, we think that eCadets is a brilliant way to equip children against threats to themselves and their friends. It is the Nominet Internet Awards Winner for 2014 for making the Internet a safer place.

Safeguarding children and young people is no joke, and we’re very serious about limiting any sort of threat, which is why we go to such great lengths. Each year we decline hundreds of potential candidates who fail to meet the high standards we set.

We are far more stringent than national legislation, but we feel it’s necessary to provide our schools with quality teachers they can trust – they love us for that.

And our teachers and in-office staff love the fact that we invest time in their career by equipping them with the right qualifications. If you’re looking for work, we can help you with your search, and we’ll do all the legwork for you.

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