Equipping Social Workers and Health Professionals with Online Safety
Vicki Green
Principal Social Worker
South Gloucestershire
The professional task
Professionals working with vulnerable young people and their families, if they are to accurately assess need and develop plans and strategies to improve outcomes and minimise risk, must be able to understand the context in which the children and young people are in living in.
Family and
Environmental factors
CHILD Safeguarding
and
Promoting
welfare
Assessment
The problem
To bridge this gap professionals need:
• Knowledge to increase understanding of the different types behaviours online that may cause harm to children and young people
• Knowledge to enable them to recognise warning signs and identify symptoms
• The language and skills to talk to young people about their online world, behaviours the nature of their relationships
The solution
• Training to build professional confidence
• Practitioners toolkit containing
– Evidence based research and information on impact
– Signs and indicators to consider
– Questions to be asking to identify • whether the online activity of children and young people is putting
them at risk
• whether the online activity of parents/carers has an impact on their parenting capacity
• whether parents/carers are equipped to safeguard their children online
The results of the pilot launch