APA News
Dear Parents and Carers,
As a nominated Student Protection Contact at St Saviour's Primary, I was invited to participate recently in a Student Protection Conference run by the Queensland Catholic Education Commission. The importance of student protection in schools can never be underestimated, particulary in today's technological world.
Several resources were shared on the day for schools and also parents. One fantastic site that is accessible to all parents is that of the E-Safety Commissioner which can be located at https://www.esafety.gov.au/
This website offers many resources for parents including:
- Free webinars for parents and carers to learn the latest strategies for keeping children safe online
- Information on the 'Big Issues' including cyberbullying, pornography, time online, online gaming and unwanted contact by strangers
- The E-Safety Guide - Want to know about the latest apps, games and social media that your child is using? The eSafety Guide includes important advice about their safety features, including how to use the settings to report online abuse and protect personal information
- Skills and advice around online safety, good habits, hard to have conversations, privacy and creating a family tech agreement
- Several parent videos and information sheets on topics such as app checklists for parents, getting started with parental controls and helping kids thrive online
Another tip for parents is to remind your child that they always need to have 5 trusted adults that they can talk to if they feel unsafe when online or otherwise. This is also known as their Safety Network and can be represented by their hand. The idea is that if they feel the first person in their network did not listen or act or is unavailable, they move to the next person and the next person, until someone listens.
Students at St Saviour's Primary may like to include their teacher and/or a designated Student Protection Contact in their safety network. A reminder of the School Student Protection contacts is included below.
Please feel free to contact me via email on sam.hannant@twb.catholic.edu.au or by phoning the school if you have any questions regarding student protection at St Saviour's Primary.
Sam Hannant
APA