Taking internet safety and awareness of county lines seriously
To coincide with Internet Safety Week earlier this year, the children living at Church View proactively decided to complete several activities to raise their awareness of staying safe online and safe from organised crime.
Reflecting on Internet Safety Week, the children embarked on gathering information on bullying, and safe use of social media and the internet. They safely searched the internet and other relevant and appropriate sources, interpreting all the information they found to make posters, and select pictures, infographics and articles to create a colourful display.
Working alongside staff, the children also successfully completed an e-learning course on county lines, which helped them to understand more about the ways in which serious crime is organised and children are exploited. They also produced a factsheet to highlight key information on county lines, and received a certificate to recognise their achievement.
Members of the staff team were all impressed with how the young people engaged with and enjoyed the activities, and how they demonstrated what they’d learnt. Especially when one of the young people commented they would later be checking the suitability of the apps and security of their sibling’s phone!
Staff will use the striking and colourful display throughout the year as a reminder to all the children of the messages they themselves identified about staying safe online and off.
