BodshamOnline Safeguarding
There are many ways parents can help to keep their children safe online:
- Know what your children are doing online and who they are talking to.
- Ask them to teach you to use any applications you have never used.
- Keeping the computer in a family room means that you can share your child’s online experience – and that they are less likely to act inappropriately (i.e. via webcam).
- Help your children to understand that they should never give out personal details to online friends – personal information includes their TikTok ID, email address, mobile number and any pictures of themselves, their family or friends.
- If your child publishes a picture or video online, anyone can change it or share it.
- Remind them that anyone may be looking at their images and one day a future employer could!
- If your child receives spam/junk email and texts, remind them never to believe them, reply to them or use them.
It’s not a good idea for your child to open files that are from people they don’t know. They won’t know what they contain – it could be a virus, or worse – an inappropriate image or film. Help your child to understand that some people lie online and therefore it’s better to keep online mates online. They should never meet up with any strangers without an adult they trust. Always keep communication open for a child to know that it’s never too late to tell someone if something makes them feel uncomfortable.
Please see the links below to our e-safety policy and various pages linking you to a selection of websites that may be useful to you. They are rich in content with useful guidelines and other extremely important and legal information and procedures all parents and pupils should be aware of.
Letter from Mr Newton – recent concerns about children’s online safety in the media
CEOP (Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre)
The child exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) delivers a multi-agency service dedicated to tackling the abuse and exploitation of children in the ‘real world’ and the ‘e-world’. Young people and parents can get support ona range of issues such as viruses, hacking and bullying on-line. They can also report someone who is acting inappropriately.
Think you know
The think U know website is divided into 5 areas:
- 5-7’s
- 8-10 (KS2)
- 11-16 (KS3)
- Parents
- The VGT
CEOP works as part of the Virtual Global Taskforce which is made up of law enforcement agencies, non government organisations and industry from around the world to help protect children from online child abuse and other forms of transitional child sexual exploitation.
The objectives of the VGT are:
- to make the internet a safer place
- to identify, locate and help children at risk
- to hold perpetrators appropriately to account
Reports made to CEOP or VGT through the ‘Report Abuse’ buttons can be answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from around the globe. The report abuse button can be used to report inappropriate or potentially illegal activity towards a child. It can be found on many websites.
Website and hotline where members of the public can report images of child abuse (from anywhere in the world), criminally obscene content hosted in the IK, and criminally racist content hosted in the UK.
A partnership of leading children’s charities who work with the government and child protection agencies to promote public education and prevent child sexual abuse.
A one stop shop for reliable up to date information about online safely.
Accessible information and resources for Parents, Children and Young people:
Leaflet from Kent County Council:
Information leaflet for parents of primary school children
Click on the link for a website with information for parents parentinfo.org
