Keep Your Child Safe
Welcome to the 'Keeping Your Child Safe' page.
We all have a role to play in protecting children and young people. If you feel that something is not quite right or even if you feel that you are not absolutely certain about a suspicion you may have,
please talk to us straight away.
Contact our Designated Safeguarding Leads.
Safeguarding (Key Information menu tab)
Information and Signposts
The following information and links are aimed at parents and carers and offer advice and information on keeping children safe.
Online Safety
Whilst the internet can be a great resource and tool for education, fun, communication and curiosity, it is important to be aware that online activity also contains potential risks such as inappropriate or harmful content, sharing/exposure of personal information and online bullying.
Understanding and discussing with your child what they are doing online is an important role for parents and carers to play. We believe that it is not only important to teach children about online safety at school, but also to support good online practices at home This guide is intended to help you with this. Working together, we aspire to teach our children how to be safe and responsible digital citizens, who make sensible and informed decisions about their actions online.
8 Steps to keep your Child Safe Online [from thinkuknow.co.uk]
1. Explore together: Ask your child to show you their favourite websites and apps and what they do on them. Listen, show interest and encourage them to teach you the basics of the site or app.
2. Chat little and often about online safety: If you’re introducing them to new learning websites and apps while school is closed, take the opportunity to talk to them about how to stay safe on these services and in general. Ask if anything ever worries them while they’re online. Make sure they know that if they ever feel worried, they can get help by talking to you or another adult they trust.
3. Help your child identify trusted adults who can help them if they are worried: This includes you and other adults at home, as well as adults from wider family, school or other support services who they are able to contact at this time. Encourage them to draw a picture or write a list of their trusted adults.
4. Be non-judgemental: Explain that you would never blame them for anything that might happen online, and you will always give them calm, loving support.
5. Supervise their online activity: Keep the devices your child uses in communal areas of the house such as in the living room or kitchen where an adult is able to supervise. Children of this age should not access the internet unsupervised in private spaces, such as alone in a bedroom or bathroom.
6. Talk about how their online actions affect others: If your child is engaging with others online, remind them to consider how someone else might feel before they post or share something. If they are considering sharing a photo/video of somebody else, they should always ask permission first.
7. Use ‘SafeSearch’: Most web search engines will have a ‘SafeSearch’ function, which will allow you to limit the content your child can access whilst online. Look out for the ‘Settings’ button on your web browser homepage, which is often shaped like a small cog.
8. Parental controls: Use the parental controls available on your home broadband and all internet enabled devices in your home.
You can find out more about how to use parental controls by visiting your broadband provider’s website.
Parental controls
Controlling the settings on your child’s device can be a useful tool as part of your strategy to keep them safe. Methods for doing this can vary from device to device. However, if you visit this website you will find pull-down menus for you to select the particular device being used, and in each case a step-by-step guide to applying parental controls is provided, with pictures/screenshots and simple instructions to guide you through the process:
Internet matters. Parental controls
An information sheet about setting up new devices for children is supplied here:
Online Safety tips for setting up new devices for children
Social media resources
Most social media resources have a minimum age for users to sign up which is almost always above the age range of primary school children (13+). However, it is important to be aware of the following:
- No checks are made if children sign up giving false age details claiming to be older, which some children have been known to do.
- Even without setting up a personal user account, many of these resources will still allow anybody to view content created by others – either by installing an app on a device, or by visiting a web page.
- Most of these resources were not originally set up with children in mind (hence the age restrictions for signing up) and so much of the content may be intended for an older audience.
Further information
Information sheets are provided here to inform and to help you have conversations with your children about specific areas of using social media. Sharing images, playing games online, cyber bullying, livestreaming and watching videos are included.
Cyber Security Family Activity Sheet
Sharing Images and Videos Family Activity Sheet
Social Media Family Activity Sheet
Watching Online Videos Family Activity Sheet
Internet Safety
We take E-Safety very seriously at The John Wesley CEM Primary School. For young people, the internet, is an integral part of their everyday lives. At our school, our internet is filtered by. If we feel a site has been accessed through our computers which is not appropriate we can report it to the filter to prevent further access. At home, it is parents responsibility to ensure the internet is filtered. Depending on your internet service provider (ISP) and your anti-virus software, you will have a number of options to filter inappropriate sites and restrict access to chat rooms. Do look at your software guides or contact your provider if you are unsure about these. By simply changing some settings and password protecting them you can have more confidence that children are not accessing inappropriate sites.
Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE)
Child Sexual Exploitation, or CSE, is a form of sexual abuse which sees children/young people being manipulated or coerced into sexual activity for receiving ‘something’ such as; gifts, money, food, attention, somewhere to stay etc.
Technology is very often used to groom victims. This may occur through social networking sites and mobile phones with internet access. If you are worried about potential online communication, abuse or grooming, CEOP offer advice, support and the opportunity to report something you are not comfortable with. Click here to make a report.
CSE has gained a large amount of media attention over the last year as lots of services involved with children and young people have noticed a big rise in cases involving CSE. Charities such as NSPCC and Barnardos have been campaigning to raise the profile of this form of child abuse. Information regarding CSE can be found here on their websites below:
Child Criminal Exploitation (CCE)
Child criminal exploitation is the manipulation, coercion and control of children and young people to commit crimes usually for the benefit of other abusive adult's or peers.
There are many forms of child criminal exploitation. All are extremely harmful to a child and their families both in the immediate and long term. Examples of CCE are making children hold, hide or deliver drugs, money or weapons, to forcing children to steal, harm others or beg. Children can also be exploited in other ways, such as through sexual exploitation. Sometimes a child can be exploited criminally and sexually at the same time.
More information can be found on the NSPCC and Barnardo's websites.
Radicalisation and Extremism
As part of The John Wesley CEM Primary School'’s commitment to safeguarding and child protection we fully support the government’s Prevent Strategy, and take guidance from the Local Education Authority to help build resilience to extremism.
What is the Prevent Strategy?
The Prevent strategy is a government strategy designed to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism.
It:
- responds to the ideological challenge we face from terrorism and aspects of extremism, and the threat we face from those who promote these views
- provides practical help to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism and ensure they are given appropriate advice and support
- works with a wide range of sectors (including education, criminal justice, faith, charities, online and health)
Domestic Violence
Domestic violence and abuse can happen to anyone, yet the problem is often overlooked, excused, or denied. This is especially true when the abuse is psychological, rather than physical. Noticing and acknowledging the signs of an abusive relationship is the first step to ending it. No one should live in fear of the person they love. If you recognise yourself or someone you know in the following warning signs and descriptions of abuse, reach out. There is help available.
External Links
Please check regularly for new resources, information and advice on how parents/carers can keep their young children safe.
https://www.nspcc.org.uk/what-you-can-do/report-abuse/NSPCC - Keeping Children SafeNSPCC - Talk PANTSNSPCC - PANTS Guide for ParentsEducate Against HateKeeping Children Safe in EducationBe Net Aware
https://www.saferinternet.org.uk/
http://www.safetynetkids.org.uk/Ceop educationChildnetOwn it