Schools e-Safety Policy
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- Why write an e-safety policy?
- What is e-safety?
- How do I use the policy template and online generator?
- Statement of authority
- Responsibilities of school staff
- Routes to e-safety - primary pupils
- Routes to e-safety – secondary pupils
- e-Safety for vulnerable children and young people
- Response to an incident of concern
- School responsibilities
- Use of Social Media Tools as a school or establishment
Response to an incident of concern
Internet technologies and electronic communications provide children and young people with opportunities to broaden their learning experiences and develop creativity in and out of school. However, it is also important to consider the risks associated with the way these technologies can be used.
An e-Safety Policy should recognise and seek to develop the skills that children and young people need when communicating and using these technologies properly, while keeping safe and secure, and acting with respect for others.
These risks to e-Safety are caused by people acting inappropriately or even illegally. Any potential issue must be dealt with at a personal level. Teachers are the first line of defence; their observation of behaviour is essential in recognising concerns about pupils and in developing trust so that issues are reported. Incidents will vary from the prank or unconsidered action to illegal activity.
This section will help staff determine what action they can take and when to report an incident of concern to the school Designated Child Protection Co-ordinator or the e-Safety Officer. Matters can then be handed over to the Children’s Safeguards Service or the Police if that becomes necessary.
What does electronic communication include?
- Internet collaboration tools: social networking sites and web-logs (blogs)
- Internet research: websites, search engines and web browsers
- Mobile phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs)
- Internet communications: email and IM (Instant messaging)
- Webcams and videoconferencing
- Online gaming
What are the risks?
The risks that can be posed to young people and adults when online have been identified by the EUKids online project, which was later referenced in paragraph 1.3 of Dr Tanya Byron in “Safer Children in a Digital World” (2008).
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Byron Review (2008): http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/byronreview
How do we respond?
The Children’s Safeguards Unit have worked with the County e-Safety Officer to provide guidance should you be concerned about Internet use by a child, young person or member of staff.
The “Responding to an incident Flowchart” illustrates a suggested approach to managing an incident of concern. This diagram should not be used in isolation and the Children's Safeguards Unit can provide supporting documents to assist schools when responding to incidents.
General guidance following an incident
- Record incidents in the e-Safety incident log and other relevant areas e.g. Bullying or Child protection log.
- Ensure all appropriate staff are informed e.g. Senior Leadership Team, e-Safety Coordinator, Designated Child Protection Coordinator, ICT Coordinator/Manager, Chair of Governors etc.
- After any investigations are completed it is essential to debrief, indentify lessons learnt and implement any changes required.
- If at any time you are unsure how to proceed, then contact your Area Children’s Officer for Child Protection or the County e-Safety Officer.
For additional guidance or contact information please see the Children's Safeguards Unit or e-Safety website:
www.kenttrustweb.org.uk?safeguards or www.kenttrustweb.org.uk?esafety
Responding to an Incident: Police procedures
Where there is cause for concern or fear that illegal activity has taken place or is taking place involving the use of computer equipment, schools should determine the level of response necessary for the offence disclosed. The decision to involve Police should be made as soon as possible, after contacting the Children Safeguard Team or e-Safety officer, if the offence is deemed to be out of the remit of the school to deal with.
Where it is determined that an offence has been committed and that a police investigation is warranted, all measures to preserve evidence should be undertaken.
If an Officer decides that equipment needs to be seized, then they will need to determine if the equipment is networked. If in doubt as to whether the server should be seized or not, officers should seek advice from the Police Digital Forensic Unit, as seizure of the server will have a significant impact on the school. It is essential that schools are aware of this possibility and they should ensure that measures are in place to enable the school’s computer network to continue functioning should this situation arise.
In cases where a suspect picture or photograph is discovered it should also be borne in mind that a person could be guilty of the offence to ‘Make’ and ‘Distribute’ if they print or forward the image. There is a defence in law for these circumstances — in some cases, it may still be necessary for that person, or others (for example a person to whom an accidental find is reported), to knowingly “make” another copy of the photograph or pseudo-photograph in order that it will be reported to the authorities, and clearly it is desirable that they should be able to do so without fear of prosecution. Digital or printed copies of indecent images of children will be seized.
In all cases a detailed statement may be obtained to assist those who investigate the offence. The following information may be included in the statement:
- The identity of any material witnesses;
- The name of the Internet service provider (ISP) or mobile telephone service provider in the case of images received through a telephone;
- If known, the web address, name of the chat room or online group through which the image was found or received;
- Any passwords or other procedure required to gain access to the website
- If known, the identity of the person who sent the image;
- In the case of email, the sender’s email address or the screen name used by the sender while in a chat room;
- The reason for any delay in reporting the incident to the police (to assist investigators).
In the case of offences involving mobile telephones, the likelihood is that issues will in the main be resolved by the school. Should an incident arise which is deemed to be of a serious nature and necessitates criminal investigation it may require the seizure of the telephone.
The Safer Schools Partnership police officer responsible for the school should also be informed of any incident so that progress of any ongoing investigation can be monitored by them, and fed back to the school.
Page last updated: 06/05/2010
