Providing support and consultancy on

Online Safety 

Training and signposting for Schools, Parents, Businesses and

​Professionals. 

(Multi Agencies)

Recent news

Parents and the new 'Childrens law' what does it mean for you?
Although it has always been the case concern has risen on how large online companies data mine their customers. This particularly concerns many adults when children are often at the forefront of this data mining and selling within the online world. Baroness Kidron, working with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Information Commissioners Officer here in the UK has formulated new law around how providers should act in their collection and use of childrens data online. First brought into action on 2/9/2020 the Govt has given businesses and others 12 months to understand and act upon the new regulations which come into force tomorrow. 
This is what it means for parents.....From the Information Commissioners office
  The Children’s Code: what is it?

You may start to notice changes to how children access or use certain websites, apps, games or online products. This is because, as of 2 September 2021, online services need to start following a set of standards when using children’s data. These standards known as the Children’s Code.
Websites and products affected by the code need to provide additional layers of protection for children’s data. This might involve restricting or removing certain features to children if they’re under 18. Some of the things you might see are:

• privacy settings being automatically set to very high;
• children and their parents/carers being given more control of the privacy settings;
• non-essential location tracking being switched off;
• children no longer being ‘nudged’ by sites through notifications to lower their privacy settings; and
• clearer and more accessible tools being in place to help children exercise their data protection rights (including parental consent tools).

These changes should result in a more positive experience for children online. For example, not having location tracking on may reduce unwanted friend recommendations from people that your child doesn’t know. It should also mean that people your child isn’t friends with shouldn’t be able to see their profile.
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This may take some of the worries away from parents but does not absolve them of their responsibility to keep talking to their children. It still holds true for me that you may not need to know everything your child does online but you still need to be very much aware of behaviour changes or their worries about and relating to their online life. The only real way to do this is by regular conversation, no matter how short, and checks that everything is ok and a willingness to listen when it seems it is not. 
I see some real positives in this law and the effort to balance the power of the large online companies like Facebook and Tiktok with the need to show respect and a duty of care for our children cannot be bad. I look forward to seeing the impact and how the companies adapt to the new codes.   

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What do Ofsted look for?

Mental health online

On Online safeguarding during an inspection?

What policies do I need?

and where can I find up to date templates?

and how does it affect my students? ​

Online staff indiscretion

Should I be concerned about it?

Independent schools​  - facing broader issues that require tailored, contextual approaches.  

The voice of young people                -

Reflecting conversations with young people back to schools. Allow your students to take an anonymous online questionnaire and find out what they really do and think about online lives.  

“If television's a babysitter, the Internet is a drunk librarian who won't shut up.” 
― Dorothy Gambrell, Cat and Girl Volume I
“We refuse to turn off our computers, turn off our phone, log off Facebook, and just sit in silence, because in those moments we might actually have to face up to who we really are.” 
― Jefferson Bethke, 
“Can we go back to using Facebook for what it was originally for - looking up exes to see how fat they got?” 
― Bill Maher

Understanding and tackling Internet issues.  

Understanding the complex issues the Internet has brought to modern society can be daunting in both Professional and personal life. The constant legal changes, media stories, Government requirements and Internet 'scares' can add to already heavy workloads for professionals. There however is plenty of support out there to educate and enable students and staff to understand and deal positively with online safeguarding and mental health issues. AE Consultancy Ltd offers a wide breadth of support through training presentations, tools, policy structures and access to a broad range of (often free) resources. Quality assured through experience and www.aacoss.org   

Training/awareness sessions as described below can be tailored to your needs or that of your organisation. They are based on half day/full day costings. Please feel free to contact us for further detail.  

• Staff awareness
• Parents evenings
• Multi agency - scenario based discussions and support
• Fostering and Adoption Agency support
• Conferences
• Students sessions Yrs 4 and upwards. 
• Tailored sessions to your audience