Online Safety Live – What has been the impact?
Online Safety Lives are regarded as the UK’s largest online safety professional development programme for the children’s workforce to protect all children! Find out what impact the events have and why they are so important in this latest blog.
A big reason why the UK Safer Internet Centre is so widely regarded as leaders in online safety, is because we offer some of the most informative and engaging online safety training throughout the UK. Ever since 2013, we have travelled far and wide delivering the latest in online safety, from current trends, to updates about legislation along with changes to safeguarding policies, we have always stayed on top of what’s relevant and important. To show how important the information is, the OSLs are regarded as the UK’s largest online safety professional development programme for the children’s workforce!
Our work has seen us attend over 470 venues with over 21,000 attendees throughout the years. Presentations are presented in partnership across the devolved national Governments
- Northern Ireland – Education Authority NI
- Scotland – Scottish Government
- Wales – Welsh Government
The map below shows all our events we’ve held.
Each training session is specifically aimed at professionals who work with children in the UK which is not just limited to teachers. Our sessions have been attended by
- Police officers
- Foster carers
- Social workers
- Youth club staff
- Healthcare workers
Each profession requires their own means to support children in their own way, allowing us to tailor training for everyone’s needs. Each session is free and is packed with 2 hours of information, advice, guidance and support, together with the chance for questions throughout.
It doesn’t stop there. The aim is to give everyone the inspiration and confidence to find out more about how they can better support the children they work with. Everyone is provided with an online resource area with presentation materials and associated links to enable delegates to access further information relevant to them afterwards.
What has been the impact?
The feedback has been exceptional, with many attendees returning for yearly sessions along with testimonials explaining how much the training helped them:
‘A fantastic event, very engaging and thought provoking. It certainly made me realise that as an adult working young people I must find the time, amongst a busy curriculum, to empower and support children in their decisions when using social media and the internet.’ – Karen, Hedworth Lane Primary, Tyne and Wear
‘I had no idea that there was so much information and guidance available to help professionals, parents and young people navigate their way through using the internet safely. The event was really helpful and it is very comforting to know where to go to get up to date help and advice when necessary. Thank you.’ – Marni, Whitley Bay High School, North Tyneside
From the session feedback we’ve received over the years, the following has been gathered:
- The overall majority of attendees felt better equipped to protect children, users and their organisation.
- The overall majority of attendees felt the sessions were likely to educate and empower young people to stay safe online.
- The overall majority of attendees would share the guidance and information with colleagues.
- Many attendees said they would be likely to use a UKSIC helpline.
The ‘UK’ in the ‘UK Safer Internet centre’ is really important to us. During Covid19, the sessions will temporarily continue virtually until we can return to the venues, school halls, theatres and community centres across the 4 nations.
The UK Safer Internet Centre works each year to bring online safety to everyone throughout the UK and our training sessions remain a vital part. To find out more: