You may have seen recent media reports about the re-emergence of online viral challenges. We monitor these closely to make sure our network has the information they need to protect children and young people online. In the last few weeks, we have seen reports of a reappearance of the Blue Whale Challenge.
Since the pandemic, many young people and their parents have reported struggling with their mental health. Mental health charity Young Minds found that 51% of young people in the UK said that the Coronavirus pandemic made their mental health a bit worse 32% said the situation has made their mental health
Do you receive our Safeguarding Alerts? Receive regular updates to help you safeguard children in a digital era. Creative Activity Pack As the lockdown begins to ease, we could all benefit from less screen time, give children in your care the opportunity to get away from
Have you checked your set up? The Family Sharing settings on Apple products are a great way to share music, TV, books or other purchases made on the App store with all the family. The feature allows you to set up ‘Parent’ and ‘Child’ accounts on Apple devices, which means the
“[The] daily routine [for my foster child] was a short walk [and] the rest of the day...was unlimited Fortnite in his room. He speaks of several attempts of strangers trying to contact him via the game.” (Ineqe Safeguarding Group Digital Safeguarding Survey, 2020) The world of gaming continues to evolve with 93% of
With over 30 years’ experience in education leadership, Dawn Hewitson is a Designated Safeguarding Lead and teaches Computer Science and Secondary Education at Edge Hill University. She sat down with us to discuss how to respond to sexting and image sharing. “If a child talks to you about
Do you receive our Safeguarding Alerts? Receive regular updates to help you safeguard children in a digital era. Creative Activity Pack As the lockdown begins to ease, we could all benefit from less screen time, give children in your care the opportunity to get away from
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to present challenges for safeguarding professionals and parents across the UK. We asked you what your concerns are in relation to keeping young people and children in your care safe online during this time. It is clear young people are spending more and more time online, exposing themselves to higher
This week, the government published the update of ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ for September 2020. Due to the onset of Coronavirus, the consultation for this update was suspended in March. They have now published the full update with some key changes. We have highlighted 3 of the main changes you should be aware
Smart speakers have grown in popularity among many households in the UK. Recent research found that over 1-in-5 UK households had a smart speaker as of the end of June 2019. That means that 5.8 million households in the UK now use a smart speaker for things such as listening to music, setting
Do you receive our Safeguarding Alerts? Receive regular updates to help you safeguard children in a digital era. Creative Activity Pack As the lockdown begins to ease, we could all benefit from less screen time, give children in your care the opportunity to get away from
As schools begin to gradually re-open, it is essential that all staff are prepared for potentially sensitive conversations that may take place. With pupils having spent a long time at home and out of school, many teachers have expressed concern about the needs of pupils once they return. It is important that staff feel prepared
How young people tell their ‘story’ through Social Media From a young age, children become immersed in a world of stories, which aid children’s development as it heightens their imagination and exposes them to new language and emotions. These narratives are then used to shape their sense of reality as they grow
Do you receive our Safeguarding Alerts? Receive regular updates to help you safeguard children in a digital era. Creative Activity Pack As the lockdown begins to ease, we could all benefit from less screen time, give children in your care the opportunity to get away from
Do you receive our Safeguarding Alerts? Receive regular updates to help you safeguard children in a digital era. Creative Activity Pack As the lockdown begins to ease, we could all benefit from less screen time, give children in your care the opportunity to get away from
Facebook has launched a new function this week to help users manage the content they have shared on their profile. The new function is described by Facebook as a method “...to make it easy for you to curate your presence on Facebook to more accurately reflect who you are today.” The ‘manage activity’ function
Do you receive our Safeguarding Alerts? Receive regular updates to help you safeguard children in a digital era. Creative Activity Pack As the lockdown begins to ease, we could all benefit from less screen time, give children in your care the opportunity to get away from
How we use screens has changed how we live our lives. They make our education, work and social activities easier, quicker and slicker. As the national lockdown continues, young people will be spending more time indoors which means more screen time. For a while now, we’ve seen debates about screen time pass
This printable pack includes resources such as: A colour-by-numbers for younger children A DIY Filter pack with printable photo props A colourful scavenger hunt that can be used indoors and outdoors & more... Download this printable activity pack to give children in your care the opportunity to get
Do you receive our Safeguarding Alerts? Receive regular updates to help you safeguard children in a digital era. How fostering can transform lives We caught up with two Foster care families in Northern Ireland who were kind enough to tell us how Foster care had changed
It's Mental Health Awareness Week, which means it's the perfect time to check in with ourselves and others. But, it's important we don’t forget, we need to be aware of our mental health every week! That’s why we, at Ineqe Safeguarding Group, have made a Gratitude Journal for young people at home (and young
Do you receive our Safeguarding Alerts? Receive regular updates to help you safeguard children in a digital era. ⚠️Safeguarding Alert ⚠️ Omegle: Talk to Strangers! Platform This dangerous online chat platform has risen in popularity recently. This is what you need to know. Watch Video Alert
The 11th May marked the beginning of Foster Care Fortnight, which celebrates the integral and amazing work carried out by foster carers everywhere. The theme of this year's Foster Care Fortnight is authenticity. At Ineqe Safeguarding Group, we have compiled several resources in the following blog for Foster Care Fortnight which will help parents
Home learning with the young people in your care can feel both incredibly rewarding, and overwhelmingly stressful. Juggling home responsibilities alongside guiding a young person through their learning may seem like an impossible task at times. It’s important to remember that you’re not being asked to replace their teachers. Nobody should expect you to
Key Points Gaming Disorder has been classified as a mental health condition by the World Health Organisation The NHS has launched a service to tackle gaming disorder Gaming Disorder has multiple symptoms including irritation and lack of sleep Young people with pre-existing mental conditions may be more susceptible