Online Safety Policy Template & Guidance - Updated for Sept 2017

[elsiegee40]

As detailed in the blog of Kent's eSafety Officer, Rebecca Avery, aka @esafety_officer here:

Updated Kent Online Safety Policy Template and Guidance #esafety | Kent Online Safety Blog

 

The Education Safeguarding Team have updated the Kent Online Safety policy template and supporting guidance for September 2017.

 

Educational settings need to ensure that appropriate action has been taken to help protect staff, children, young people and the wider community online; an online safety policy can help set out these actions as well as procedures to follow. Education leaders and managers must also decide on the right balance for their community regarding controlling access to the internet and technology, setting rules and boundaries, and educating their community about responsible use and Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSLs) will need to recognise the online world when implementing their safeguarding responsibilities.

 

The Kent Online Safety policy template is provided as a basis to enable educational settings to create an appropriate policy. Within the template, content written in green requires leaders, managers and DSLs to consider their own practice and amend as appropriate. Leaders, managers and DSLs may need to work with other members of the community, for example curriculum leads and technical staff to ensure the policy is up-to-date and fit for purpose. For simplicity, the terms ‘school’ or ‘pupils’ may appear within the template, but we stress that it is relevant and appropriate for other educational settings.

 

The updated 2017 online safety policy template is supported with: “How to write an Online Safety Policy: Guidance for Leaders, Managers and Designated Safeguarding Leads”. This document seeks to enable leaders and managers to explore policy decisions and to implement actions which best suit the needs of their community. It is recommended that leaders, managers and DSLs access this guidance before using the policy template.

• How to write an online safety policy; Guidance for Leaders, Managers and Designated Safeguarding Leads
  
• Kent Educational Settings Online Safety Policy Template: September 2017
  

Updates within the template and guidance include:

• Reordered layout
  
• Updated content regarding social media
  
• Updated content regarding the use of mobile phones and personal devices
  
• Updated information regarding local and national guidance, contacts and resources
  
• Updated suggested procedures regarding online safety concerns, including sexting and cyberbullying
  
• ‘How to respond to an online safety concern’ flowchart
  Also available as a separate document
  

To support educational settings to review their current practice and action plan for the future, the Kent Online Safety self-review tools have also been updated:

• Online Safety Self-Evaluation Tool: Early Years
  
• Online Safety Self-Evaluation Tool: Schools
  

Kent educational settings can consult with Rebecca Avery, Education Safeguarding Adviser (Online Protection) and/or Ashley Assiter, e-Safety Development Officer, to discuss policies and procedures in relation to online safety responsibilities.

Edited September 18, 2017 by elsiegee40