Online safety

Online Safety is an essential area of safeguarding for any organisation that works with children and adults at risk.The online spaces where your community interacts are as much your responsibility as the physical spaces.

You also need to be ready to recognise and respond when a child or adult at risk is being harmed online elsewhere in their lives. 

Key safeguarding responsibilities in online safety include:

• Identifying and managing the risks associated with your online activities.
• Having clear policies and procedures that cover online activity.
• Working safely online so people don’t experience harm through any online interactions with your organisation.
• Providing clear reporting pathways for anyone who is experiencing online harm and abuse.
• Providing safeguarding training for staff and volunteers that highlights various types of online harm and abuse, so they can identify signs and indicators and respond to concerns.
• Safe use and storage of personal data.

Online safeguarding risks can be grouped into four different categories: 

• Content: Exposure to illegal, inappropriate, or harmful material 
• Contact: Being subjected to harmful online interaction with other users 
• Conduct: Online behaviour that increases the likelihood of, or causes, harm 
• Commerce: Exposure to financial harm and abuse online

Your organisation needs to assess how these risks could be encountered through your activities and interactions and put measures in place to reduce these risks. 

For example by: 

• Using secure internet connections and filters to block harmful content 
• Having codes of conduct in place for staff and volunteers about online communications 
• Having codes of conduct or agreements for online communities e.g. youth WhatsApp group 
• Having designated people responsible for monitoring and maintaining social media accounts 
• Having clear guidelines about communicating with children and adults at risk 
• Having clear guidelines about taking and sharing photos and videos online 
• Ensuring everyone in your community knows how and when to report safeguarding concerns 
• Sharing information and raising awareness with community members about online harms and online safety as appropriate 

Suggested Training: Online Safety - thirtyone:eight Training