The East Riding Safeguarding Children Board (ERSCB) is supporting national Safer Internet Day, which takes place on Tuesday 7 February 2017.
The event, which has the theme “Be the change; Unite for a better internet” is aimed at promoting the safe, responsible and positive use of digital technology for children and young people.
The East Riding Safeguarding Children Board is committed to raising awareness of both the positive and negative aspects of online and digital technology. In order to achieve this, the Board has a specific online safety group, which has developed a multi-agency online safety strategy.
A procedures and guidance document has been produced to assist services and organisations in ensuring children and young people are kept safe online from a range of issues, including sexual exploitation, bullying – including cyber and prejudice-based bullying – radicalism and extremism, substance misuse, self harm and eating disorders.
One East Riding school joining the global Safer Internet Day campaign is St Anne’s School and Sixth Form College at Welton. The special school will be involved in a range of activities throughout the week of February 6 – 10 in which all its students will be taking part.
St Anne’s, which has registered as an official supporter of the campaign, will be holding lessons and assemblies which will focus on using the internet safely. Students will watch video clips to help them to understand how to stay safe on the internet and avoid harming themselves or others. They will also take part in a colouring competition and designing a poster to promote safer internet use.
Bron Sanders, independent chair of the East Riding Safeguarding Children Board, said:
“Safer Internet Day offers the opportunity to highlight positive uses of technology and to explore the role we all play in helping to create a better and safer online community.
“It calls upon young people, parents, carers, teachers, social workers, law enforcement, companies, policy makers and others to join together in helping to create a better internet.”
Geoff Ogden MBE, chair of governors at St Anne’s School and Sixth Form College, and chair of the ERSCB online safety sub-group, said:
“The internet is a tremendous force for good, used safely.
“We are encouraging children and young people, supported by their parents, to become digital citizens by developing skills and knowledge to use digital technologies in a responsible, appropriate and safe way. I am delighted that both the ERSCB and the students and staff at St Anne’s are so actively supporting the national Safer Internet programme.”
Sharron O’Keefe, computing lead at St Anne’s, added:
“Child safety is extremely important for us at St Anne’s and that includes online safety. It is important for us to let our pupils know that the internet is great but that they need to be careful which sites they use and to know who can help them if they don’t like things online”.
For more information, visit www.saferinternetday.org.uk
If you have any concerns about a young person’s safety, please ring the Early Help and Safeguarding Hub on 01482 395500.
