Actually useful eSafety accreditations / organisations vs terrible ones.

[pete]

For my sins I'm on the eSafety committee here. I, either directly or via the DSL, get an endless stream of "why not sign up for our random scheme to keep kids safe and you'll get a shiny badge" communications.

 

They're all regurgitating the same bumpf and there's a small amount giving what I (with my "works in IT" hat on) would label advice of questionable accuracy/utility.

 

Is there a list of "eSafety accreditations from people that don't have their pants on their head and aren't just trying to make a quick profit" anywhere? My DSL is less cynical than I and likes to sign up for All The Things.

[elsiegee40]

@esafety_officer can give you chapter and verse on this. The SWGfL stuff (from them not via a third party) is worth a look.

[smidsy]

SWGfL do a good e-safety tool called 360safe which helps you evaluate your current e-safety practices across 28 points. I have been using this across the last couple of years to develop our E-Safety awareness and procedures in the school. It has a lot of good links to policy templates / other websites that can help save term when searching for info and writing policies.

 

https://360safe.org.uk/

[esafety_officer]

There isn't a list as such I'm afraid! And yes, there are some very dated and inaccurate messages/contents out there. Equally there is some excellent providers, the difficulty as you say is working out which is which (especially if colleagues don't have sufficient training or understanding to differentiate).

 

To be honest kids usually suss out who is and isn't credible much quicker than adults do, which of course makes them question the understanding of their setting in the first place..... If the content is free it may be worth trailing it with some students for their views etc. first. If not, then it doesn't hurt to ask for preview materials etc. so you can make an informed decision.

 

I frequently get questions by school about external companies and consultants who offer a range of online safety training and resources. I also have providers asking me to promote them to schools! I have to remain impartial due to the nature of my role and as such I tell my schools that I can't recommend one external provider above other and I tell providers that schools need to decide which tool/speaker/package best meets their own community needs. However if I am aware of services, such as through feedback through other schools or my own experiences and use (some providers have given me demo accounts etc.), then I will share (keeping information confidential as required) their anonymised views and opinions or indeed my own perspective, when approached, so as to help schools to make informed decisions.

 

It's very difficult to say which ones are any good to be honest as I (and other similar LA staff or grids etc.) can't always quality assess their content. To be fair, some of them are excellent and some are very out-of-date and inaccurate so I would suggest schools undertake research to source other opinions - I wouldn't just go from reports that providers give you (they are unlikely to share negative feedback!) so maybe speak to other local schools, your LA or other national organisations for other views. Word of mouth and personal recommendations is often undervalued.

 

One concern I often have (especially for staff training) is that external providers often may not know the localised policy and procedures regarding safeguarding and child protection (some do and are excellent) which means schools may be at risk of breaching their statutory safeguarding duties. One example is a school which bought an online e-Learning system for their staff training but it didn't cover how staff can make referrals locally. Here in Kent we don't use the same systems as other LAs and that meant children (and indeed staff) were at significant risk.

 

One of the best approaches is to develop internal resources rather than reliance on external providers for example using students to educate other students, parents or staff. That's not to say that external providers and speakers don't have a time and place (for example to highlight a particular message or approach) however if used on their own, then they won't be enough to meet the requirements. I typically would suggest external providers should be used to compliment school's own internal training and education approaches and schools check that external support has had appropriate and up-to-date training (e.g. have they accessed CEOP training or any other similar national or local training) which would enable them to provide appropriate education to your staff/students.

 

There are some nationally acknowledged organisations and resources such as Think U Know, Childnet, SWGfL, UK Safer Internet Centre, BBC etc. which are excellent and are useful as a starting point. We also link to a range of materials on our website and you may find your own LA has such links available, if not then feel free to use mine.

 

I am aware that there may be additional guidance at some point for schools/settings who are looking at hiring external consultants or providers regarding online safety. I'll share it on here when it becomes available.

 

Happy if anyone wants to email me etc.

Edited June 8, 2016 by esafety_officer