Safety Rocks Autumn Newsletter 2013 Tel: 01273 411613 www.safety-net.org.uk ; www.safetynetkids.org.uk www.facebook.com/safetynetbrighton www.twitter.com/SafetyNetBTN
Working Together to Keep Children Safe Stay Safe Online The internet is an exciting place that gives lots of opportunities for children and young people. However for some this can mean being picked on, teased, having rumours spread or attracting unwanted attention. As a parent you need to be aware of the risks and the ways you can safely support your child to explore their online environment.
Welcome to Safety Rocks Safety Net’s newsletter to help keep children and young people safer in Brighton & Hove
Parents Week 21st - 27th October “Make One Change” Parenting can be a tough but rewarding job. During Parents’ Week in October, the theme is ‘Make One Change’. Often changing things for the better happens by taking small steps. Here’s what some other parents have said:
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Research says that children want to talk about online safety, so it’s important to find opportunities to have conversations with them
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Ask your children to teach you – they can help keep you up to date
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Explore your internet provider’s Parental Controls. These are often easy to use and are a great start. Ask for help if you need it
Useful resources for parents:
“Take more family meals together to sit down and talk about the day” “I am going to read to my child every night, no matter how busy I am” “Spend less time on the computer so I can have more one to one time with my daughter”
www.commonsensemedia.org reviews for parents of common games and apps
What one change could YOU make to improve your family life? Let us know on Facebook
www.saferinternet.org.uk/advice-and-resources/parentsand-carers/parental-controls tells you how to apply parental controls with the big 4 providers
Positive Parenting workshops coming to a school near you…contact your school for details: St Peter’s, “Hassle-free Mornings and other stressful situations”, Tues 5th November St. John the Baptist, “Dealing with Disobedience”, Tues 12th November Patcham Junior “Dealing with Disobedience” Tues 19th November Whitehawk Primary, “Managing Misbehaviour”, Tuesday 3rd December
www.vodafone.com/content/parents digital parenting checklists of information on how to keep your children safe online
www.thinkuknow.co.uk advice and tips for children, young people and parents/carers
Safety Net and Anti-Bullying Week Nov 18 – 22nd Safety Net will be out and about in Brighton and Hove schools in the run up to Anti Bullying Week with activities and assemblies based around this year’s theme;
“The Future is Ours, Safe, Fun and Connected.” Ways to get involved: 1) Follow Safety Net’s Top Tips for online safety; Care what you share - pictures and information posted online stay there indefinitely, even apps like Snapchat allow screen shots to be taken Be kind online –think about what you post or forward on. Online actions can be hurtful to others and once sent out digitally cannot be removed Can you depend on your online “Friends”? Think about what makes a good friend. Online “friends” may not be as reliable or trustworthy as people we know face to face 2) Ask if your school is taking part in our CyberSafety Survey for Key Stage 2 children 3) Watch out for Safety Net’s bright yellow wrist bands with the slogan “Stay Safe in Cyber Space”. 50p from each sale will go directly towards supporting our anti bullying work in local schools 4) If your school is taking part in a non- school uniform or a dress up day to mark Anti Bullying Week, please encourage your child to join in 5) Read our cyber bullying flyers in your child’s book bag
For info contact; den.mccartney@safety-net.org.uk
If your child needs help and support: Speak to your school. Ask about the support available and ask to see their Anti-Bullying Policy Children can get support from a Beat Bullying Mentor. Go to www.beatbullying.org and they will put you in touch with someone either in school or online via their chat and messaging services Ask your school about attending a Safety Net SNAP session to learn about assertiveness, standing up for yourself and keeping yourself safe Let your child know that if they see something that worries or upsets them online, they can talk to you, trusted adults or report it using the online report buttons
Playground Buddies Top Tips for mobile phone safety Playground Buddies from St Andrew’s Primary and Patcham Juniors School came together at the Buddy Forum to discuss tips for mobile phone safety. We agreed that there are very positive things about mobiles including; learning new things, fun games and staying connected with people we care about. We also felt that it’s important that we stay safe while being connected. Staying safe on a mobile phone is like staying safe at home, school and in the community – some of the things our parents tell us about staying safe in these places are the same as staying safe on our mobiles. “Don’t answer the door to someone you don’t know” becomes don’t answer calls or text messages from people you don’t know. “Don’t go with a stranger no matter what they say” becomes don’t meet anyone in person that you met online. People aren’t necessarily who they say they are. We also decided that these were important: Put a password in your phone – if you lose it whatever is on your phone could become public. Don’t text any photos of yourself – “once it’s out, it’s out” Don’t give your phone number out to people you don’t know well And this is the toppest of all tips Talk to a trusted adult if you receive any text or phone call that worries or frightens you – talking about it is very helpful. If not someone at home, try an adult you trust at school. Keep the text or telephone number – you may need it later for information.
Seasonal Safety Tips!
Stranger Danger?
With the night’s drawing in, older children may be out and about in the dark, make sure they stay safe by; Wearing something bright to be seen at night Travelling in groups, and sticking to lit areas Letting you know, where they are going, who they are with, when they will be back Keeping trick or treats on the doorstep; don’t go into houses of people you don’t know Going to an organised activity in your area for Halloween or Bonfire night. For safety tips visit http://www.bonfire-nightsafety.co.uk/ For more information about activities for children visit these web-sites: www.childfriendlybrighton.co.uk www.kidsinbrighton.co.uk
Teaching children about “stranger danger” is a tricky topic to get right for a number of reasons.
If you have young children remember the importance of fire guards to prevent burns. If you are on benefits we may be able to supply one at low cost.
Firstly, children have a difficult time understanding what a “stranger” is. If they’ve seen someone before at their school or in their neighbourhood they may not think of them as a stranger. Secondly, it is very common for children to think that a stranger looks scary or mean. In a recent survey the majority of children aged 5 - 8 thought this. However, it is worth remembering that abductions by strangers are still quite rare; most children are hurt by someone they know. In an emergency it may be that a “stranger “could be the only person available to help.
Positive SAFETY TIPS: Teach children never to go off with ANYONE without asking you first Be sure you know where your children are and when they are supposed to return home. Make sure they let you know if their plans change Know who your children’s friends’ are, where they live and how to get in touch with them People who DO mean things don’t necessarily LOOK mean – they often act friendly and offer nice things. Make your children aware of tricks adults could play Use role-playing and “what if?” scenarios to practice with your children what to do and how to respond in different situations
Look out for the Annual Safety Net calendar – Safety Super Heroes During Child Safety Week this year we asked children to nominate their Safety Super Heroes which is the theme of this year’s calendar. We received hundreds of entries, many of which will be featured in the calendar. The message for this year is: “Keeping Children safe is everyone’s responsibility”. Calendars will be distributed in December via Children’s Centre’s and local Primary Schools. Did you know that Brighton & Hove has a Local Safeguarding Children’s Board (LSCB) that has overall responsibility for making sure that children and young people in its area are safe? Find out more at www.brightonandhovelscb.org.uk
Plan ahead - discuss with your children safe people they could go to in an emergency or safe places, such as a library, police station or shop.
Have a code word that only you and your child know: anyone else picking them up should use the code
Teach children and young people to pay attention to their surroundings and listen to their instincts or early warning signs
Let your children know to tell you if anyone makes them feel uncomfortable or scared, even if it’s someone they know Remember, younger children need some adult supervision at all times. However, as children get older, it is important they learn and practice skills for independence, such as making safer choices
Dylan’s Story
Safety Rocks Graffiti Project This year Safety Net has delivered Personal Safety Sessions to 619 Year 6 students in schools across Brighton and Hove. The sessions have fun activities and information to prepare children to keep safer when out and about. Children also told us about safety worries in their area or neighbourhood. This information was passed on to adults who could do something about their concerns, like Local Action Teams or councillors. This work has seen many successes such as, illegal graffiti being removed; a licensing review for premises selling high strength alcohol; and children’s voices being represented at the City Council’s “20mph for Safer Streets” consultation. Safety Net also got permission to display “Safety Rocks” messages on the green electrical boxes that are often targeted for illegal graffiti. See if you can find one in your area! So far they are in; Whitehawk, Preston Park, Kemp Town, the London Road and more will be coming soon. Post on our Facebook or Twitter page if you spot one! ☺ STOP PRESS!!! During the half term holiday, we will be working with teenagers to design a large scale graffiti image to raise awareness of Cyber Bullying. The image will be located in the centre of town to launch Anti-Bullying week in November, so keep an eye out and spread the word if you see it!
I joined Safety Net when I was 8. I have had a few bad experiences in my life including being bullied for 5 years. Safety Net taught me how to cope with bullying and how to cope with stress without taking it out on my family. The first thing I ever did with Safety Net was make a video with my friends to get the graffiti removed from the park by our school. This was done and loads of new equipment was added and now kids love going there. Because of me being bullied Safety Net asked me to join SNAP, which is the Safety Net Assertiveness Project. It was a huge help as I learnt many different techniques like coping strategies and self-defence techniques. I now go to different SNAP groups who have people who were bullied like me and help teach the strategies I was taught and they love it, we have lots of fun. As a part of the Children's Board, I help show the staff at Safety Net how to make things child friendly and it definitely helps us all. I also helped make leaflets for a method called Stop, Think, Go and helped with things on the website. At school I also used to stand up and tell people about Safety Net and why they should join, I have also explained what Safety Net is to other people like visiting adults and very important people like MP’s and people from the council. Last year we had a Safety ball, this was great fun and we all dressed up like really crazy bugs. I helped present the work of Safety Net to over 150 people including children from lots of schools and even the mayor was there and I got to shake his hand. I have also done stuff on the radio, like telling my personal story, and what has helped me, this was awesome. But the most important thing I did was when the Blatchington Mill reporters came and recorded me telling my story. They put it on their school website and I was also on the Children in Need website. I also got a present which was a Pudsey bear teddy. Before I joined Safety Net I was really quiet and shy and I didn't have many close friends, but since I joined I've been a completely different person. I have loads of friends and am much more confident and most important I'm happy. Dylan Nicholls aged 12
Safety Net needs YOU! As a registered charity, Safety Net depends on people just like you. Please give what you can to help keep children safe. You can donate instantly and securely via our website at www.safety-net.org.uk/supportus/donateonline or by Text Message to SNet41(space), followed by the amount, e.g. SNet41 £10 and send to 70070 THANK YOU! Safety Net, Manor Offices, Emmaus, Drove Road, Portslade, BN41 2PA. Tel: 01273 411613
Registered Charity No. 1108772