“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to
change the world.”
Word Wall Activity:
BIDMAS - True or False
Safer Internet Day
All fun and games? Exploring respect and relationships online
On 8th February, Safer Internet Day 2022 celebrates children and young people’s role in creating a safer internet, whether that is whilst gaming and creating content, or interacting with their friends and peers. Some of the concerns children and young people have raised include the lack of respect people show towards each other, groups ‘ganging up’ against other groups, hate directed at particular groups, particularly LGBT+ users, and misogyny. They say that the apparent lack of consequences for negative behaviour such as meanness, bullying and swearing has an impact on their safety and wellbeing. This year’s theme aims to help all children and young people understand what constitutes respectful behaviour online, and know what to do if they encounter hate or bullying directed at them or someone else.
Sexual Abuse & Sexual Violence Awareness Week 7th - 13th February 2022
Sexual Abuse & Sexual Violence Awareness Week is the UK’s national week to raise awareness of sexual abuse and violence and to provide an opportunity for any organisation or individual to engage in dialogue.
#WakeUpWednesday - Prepare for Safer Internet Day with your free 10 Top Tips for Respect Online
Between chatting and gaming online, scrolling through social media, and streaming music and video, young people are almost constantly connected to the digital world in their free time. Now more so than ever: recent research identified that 77% of youngsters were spending more time online on games and apps than they did before the pandemic.
One immediately obvious issue with that is – as outlined in Ofcom’s Media Use and Attitudes Report 2021 – almost half (45%) of parents have concerns about their child being bullied on the internet. In support of next week’s Safer Internet Day, our two #WakeUpWednesday guides suggest ways that we can all contribute to more respectful, positive relationships with each other online.
What social workers should consider when working with LGTBQ+ people
Inform guide highlights the nature and impact of the discrimination that LGTBQ+ people experience, to improve social workers’ understanding and practice.
Podcast: domestic abuse
NSPCC Learning has released a podcast discussing how the NSPCC Helpline’s new domestic abuse practice advisors support children and families experiencing domestic abuse as part of a three-year project funded by the COVID-19 Support Fund to extend the capacity of the NSPCC Helpline. The podcast discusses: how experiencing domestic abuse can affect children and young people; and how helpline practitioners identify risks around domestic abuse and work with families to safeguard children and young people.
Listen to the podcast: http://email.nspcc.org.uk/c/1h1Duwu3Gti7k3LZPUObv0DS9z
Listen to the podcast on YouTube: http://email.nspcc.org.uk/c/1h1DvemQudkVOHybWq5vlZoD98
Children in care: siblings
The BBC reports on findings from its new documentary looking at the experiences of children in care in the UK who are separated from their siblings. It focuses on the experience of journalist Ashley John-Baptiste who grew up in care believing he was an only child. Responses from almost 75% of the 200 UK councils who responded to a BBC freedom of information (FOI) request show that: nearly half (45%) of sibling groups in care are split up; and more than 12,000 children in care are separated from at least one of their siblings.
International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation - Sunday 6th February 2022
In 2012, the UN General Assembly designated February 6th as the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation, with the aim to amplify and direct the efforts on the elimination of this practice.
Some relevant resources
UK Home Office FGM campaign materials in community languages: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fgm-campaign-materials
FGM Resources (National FGM Centre): http://nationalfgmcentre.org.uk/fgm/fgm-resources/
ForwardUK Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2IStB6Z3Vw
Book: Song of the crocodile (Caroline Lisa): https://www.amazon.co.uk/Song-Crocodile-original-compelling-awareness-ebook/dp/B07V8745T8
Are you familiar with E2EE?
E2EE has been referenced in the media quite often recently, but do you know what it is? Like many acronyms. I realised I knew what it is, although the letters were unfamiliar.
E2EE stands for End-to-End Encryption
End-to-End Encryption keeps our data secure and unreadable along the data pathways. Whether you’re talking about end-to-end encrypted messaging, email, file storage, or anything else, this ensures that no one in the middle can see your private data.
So E2EE is a generally good thing then? It is, except it also means that law enforcement can't access the messages when crime has been committed. In the case of sexual abuse, this may mean that children and young people are not protected and abusers may go free.
Social Media companies are planning to roll-out E2EE across their platforms.
The children's charity, Barnardo’s, say that 'end-to-end encryption could mean that social media platforms will no longer be able to detect cases of child sex abuse on their platforms. It is estimated that around 14 million reports of suspected child sexual abuse could be lost every year.
'In 2020 21.7 million reports of child sexual abuse material were made across social media platforms Facebook alone accounted for a whopping 94% of these reports.'
Further information about the No Place to Hide campaign can be found here: https://noplacetohide.org.uk/
