How a place-based approach facilitates a flexible community response to online safety

Key findings

A place-based approach can support a culture of prevention within communities and strengthen online safety education

The focus on being locally led allowed the Together for Childhood teams to respond in real time to the emerging needs of the community. These needs were identified through direct engagement with children, families and local schools.

Interactive, discussion-based delivery facilitates active engagement and shared understanding of children, their caregivers, and teaching staff

Online safety projects should incorporate creative activities that involve discussions between children, their caregivers and teaching staff to make them more interactive and engaging for children.

Resource and capacity constraints faced by children, their caregivers and the wider school may impact on their engagement in online safety sessions

While there was an appetite from schools to deliver online safety education, they often faced significant pressures such as scheduling and resource constraints which limited their capacity to do so. To support engagement, Together for Childhood practitioners offered caregivers flexibility to attend sessions outside school hours and teachers an opportunity to co-deliver sessions to upskill.

Online safety content must be up to date, relatable and clearly connected to children’s digital habits

The content of online safety projects needs to be flexible and evolve with children's digital habits. It must also be relevant to children’s experiences, enhancing their understanding and retention of key safety messages.