Information Hub

Please see the hyperlinked document regarding concerns about the newly released series ‘Squid Game’ – Squid Game – Safeguarding

We work hard to ensure our children are safe in school and out of school.

If anyone, any adult or any child, has any safeguarding concern, including any related to radicalisation they are encouraged to contact one of our safeguarding team:

Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSL) – Phil Holton and Miss Katherine Herbert

Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead (DDSL): Mr Mark Carter-Tufnell

If you have any safeguarding issue but would prefer not to speak to Mr Carter-Tufnell, please contact Mrs Adams (Chair of Governors)  chair.mistleynorman@dcvst.org.

We encourage you to tell us of any concerns you may have about children being safe online. You may also want to use the information on the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) website. https://www.ceop.police.uk/safety-centre/

If we have reasonable cause for concern that a child may be at risk of significant harm, we will refer to social care. This referral can be made with or without us informing parents.

For further information please read our Child Protection policy along with more information which are available at the bottom of this page or contact one of our safeguarding team.

Social media concerns
Find expert advice to make the most of the screen time and help children share safely https://www.internetmatters.org/resources/social-media-advice-hub/social-media-concerns/

At just over 8 minutes in length the e-safety expert, Alan Mackenzie,  discusses the topic of online gaming. He emphasises that whilst to some, gaming just means playing games, but to children it is quite different and there are 2 main reasons for this:

• The majority of children play games for socialisation – their friendship groups.
• A small number of children play games to escape something that is, or has, gone wrong in their lives. In other words, they use games as a coping mechanism.

Click on the link or copy/paste the link into your browser. You will also find some links below the video link that you may find useful.

https://vimeo.com/487627625/3c5538740c

Useful Links:

Gaming Hub – Lots of useful information here: gaming age guides, what you need to know, choosing the best games, setting limits and more:

https://www.internetmatters.org/resources/online-gaming-advice/

Common Sense Media – If your child is asking you about a game and you’re not sure, it’s worth having a look on the Common Sense Media website where you can find advice and opinion about thousands of games.

https://www.commonsensemedia.org/game-reviews

Taming Gaming – this is a brilliant resource for parents, with lots of useful information. The site is owned by a father who is a big gaming enthusiast.

https://www.taminggaming.com/features/Curated+Lists+of+Amazing+Video+Games+that+Parents+Love

Andrew Hall discusses what is commonly called the 3C’s which refers to: Content, Contact and Conduct.

The 3C’s is the easiest way of understanding risk regardless of whether you think you are tech savvy or not.

Click on the link or copy/paste the link into your browser. You will also find some links below the video link that you may find useful.

https://vimeo.com/487627081/883aa4475d

Useful Links:

There is a huge range of risks and concerns online. Below you will find links to some common concerns.

One of the main concerns from parents is related to adult content. Here is a link that will help you to learn a little more, tips to protect your child and how you can deal with it.

https://www.internetmatters.org/issues/online-pornography/

Another concern is related to youth produced sexual images (sometimes called sexting). Here you will find some very useful information. In particular I would recommend reading the document ‘Look at Me’. It is quite long but it gives many useful facts, particularly in relation to vulnerable children.

https://www.internetmatters.org/issues/sexting/