In 2019–20, we produced six family guides with the following titles.

• A family guide to talking about screen time
• A family guide to talking about pornography
• A family guide to recognising and challenging online bullying
• A family guide to talking about grooming
• A family guide to talking about sexting
• A family guide to talking about radicalisation and extremism

To accompany the family guides we have commissioned the production of a series of six short ‘Starting the conversation’ films for families. The films are aimed at families (including parents, carers, grandparents and extended family) and were based on the information provided from field experts and academic opinion from across the UK. The films will be launched throughout the 2019–20 academic year and compliment the family guides.

• Start the conversation: Let’s talk about screen time
• Start the conversation: Let’s talk about pornography
• Start the conversation: Let’s talk about online bullying
• Start the conversation: Let’s talk about online grooming
• Start the conversation: Let’s talk about sexting
• Start the conversation: Let’s talk about radicalisation and extremism

Action status: Ongoing.

In 2018–19, we continued to fund the ‘A parent’s and carer’s guide to … ’ series and published the following topics.

• A parent and carer’s guide to the benefits and risks of online gaming
• A parent and carer’s guide to new apps, connected toys and platforms
  
• A parent and carer’s guide to social media
• A parent and carer’s guide to the potential impact of the internet on their children’s well-being
• A parent and carer’s guide to talking to your child or teenager about their relationships online

We have committed to continuing this series. It will extend its audience to take into account the important role the extended families play in keeping children safe online. During 2019–20, we will produce six family guides with the following titles.

• A family guide to talking about screen time
• A family guide to talking about pornography
• A family guide to recognising and challenging online bullying
• A family guide to talking about grooming
• A family guide to talking about sexting
• A family guide to talking about radicalisation and extremism

To accompany the family guides we have commissioned the production of a series of six short ‘Starting the conversation’ films for families. The films will be aimed at families (including parents, carers, grandparents and extended family) and will be based on the information provided from field experts and academic opinion from across the UK. The films will be launched throughout the 2019–20 academic year and will focus on the same topics as the family guides.

• Start the conversation: Let’s talk about screen time
• Start the conversation: Let’s talk about pornography
• Start the conversation: Let’s talk about online bullying
• Start the conversation: Let’s talk about online grooming
• Start the conversation: Let’s talk about sexting
• Start the conversation: Let’s talk about radicalisation and extremism

Action status: Ongoing.

Parents and carers play an integral role in ensuring their children are suitably confident and equipped to stay safe online. As part of our digital resilience in education activity, we will continue to develop bilingual guidance to provide parents and carers with an understanding of what their children are exploring in school.

We continue to work with SWGfL to develop and create bilingual guidance on various online safety and cyber resilience issues and topics specifically to support parents and carers in keeping their families safe online.

For the latest guidance, please see our updates from 2019 and 2020.

In March 2020, the ‘Parenting. Give it Time.’ campaign was paused in line with strategic communications advice. The campaign eventually resumed on a week-by-week basis on 6 May 2020 under the new COVID-19 campaign umbrella web page ‘Stay Safe. Stay Positive’ organised to provide support to parents and carers in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact, including the lockdown in the early stages, and spending more time at home with children. Relevant information links from professionals (including links to the online safety resources hosted on Hwb) were collated and organised under these themes, and promoted on social media. Two new resources were created to support the campaign – Stay Safe, Stay Positive: 10 top tips and Stay Safe. Stay Positive: Separation Anxiety. In addition, a well-established parenting support helpline has been enhanced to provide Welsh-speaking call-takers that went live on 29 June 2020. While we are linking to other Welsh Government and professional resources for specific online safety advice, we are also looking at creating a ‘Parenting. Give it Time.’ expert ‘screen time’ film by early 2021, hosted on the website and promoted via our social media channels.

Work is currently underway to extend the age ranges for the campaign up to the age of 18 in order to support parents and carers with older children as they go through emotional, mental and physical development, including hormonal changes. The proposed new resources and policies for parents and carers will include additional information about lifestyle, health, education and safety (including online safety), such as sharing online, making friends, bullying, examination stress and the differences in brain development. To ensure accuracy, we will refer to trusted sources of information and work in partnership with our colleagues in other departments to enhance rather than duplicate provision, as well as work closely with the professionals in the field. We expect the expansion to be launched during 2021.

Action status: Ongoing.

We intend to extend the age ranges for ‘Parenting. Give it time.’ up to 18 in order to support parents and carers with older children as they go through emotional and hormonal changes that could ultimately result in changing the dynamics of their relationship.

The proposed new resources and policies for parents and carers will include additional information about lifestyle, health, education and safety (including online safety), such as sharing online, making friends, bullying, examination stress and the differences in brain development. To ensure accuracy, we will refer to trusted sources of information and work in partnership with our colleagues in other departments to enhance rather than duplicate provision, as well as work closely with the professionals in the field.

We will also commission a ‘New Faces’ competition to find four new families with older children, to share their personal experiences of the joys and challenges of raising a young family in the hope that other parents and carers benefit from their stories.

Action status: Ongoing.

Our ‘Parenting. Give it time.’ campaign was launched in November 2015. The campaign promotes positive parenting messages in a number of different ways, including through social and print media, and digital advertising. A dedicated website, Facebook and Instagram pages provide parenting tips, information and advice, and signpost parents and carers to sources of further support. A booklet and a series of information advice sheets on handling common parenting concerns was also provided to parents and carers.

In an informal survey of 1,490 parents of under-fives in Wales in March 2016, more than a quarter listed their child’s use of technology, such as smart phones, computers, tablets and similar devices, as one of their top three parenting concerns.

Screen time refers to time spent in front of a screen watching television or using a computer, tablet or smart phone. Current parenting recommendations are to limit the amount of screen time children have, especially for those aged five and under.

Some of the negative effects of screen use can be offset by parents and carers sharing screen time with their children. Advice for parents and carers provided through the campaign website focuses on how they can integrate digital media into their family life. Specific tips are provided around online safety, age-appropriate content, setting limits, and role-modelling how and when technology is used.

Supplementing the existing suite of governor resources, we funded and produced a further six playlist resources covering key areas of online safety. The titles of the resources that have been published are as follows:

• Online reputation
• Misinformation
• Screen time, technology and mental health
• Online consent
• Illegal and offensive content
• Online hate

In addition to these playlist resources, we published guidance for governors in May 2020 – Five key questions for governing bodies to help challenge their schools and colleges to effectively safeguard their learners. This guidance was adapted from the UK Council for Internet Safety (UKCIS) Education Working Group’s version to fit within a Welsh education context.

In our ongoing commitment to support governors and schools in their safeguarding responsibilities, we have further commissioned the following resources to be produced during 2020–21:

• Fraud, finance and online crime
• Loneliness, social isolation and social media
• Ethical behaviour online
• Impersonation on social media (Coming soon)
• Self-harm and social media (Coming soon)
• Healthy relationships and technology (Coming soon)

Action status: Ongoing.

In 2018–19, we funded the creation of a further six playlist resources for governors covering key areas of online safety. The titles of the resources which have been published are as follows:

• The insta effect: Body image and self-worth in a digital age
• Mental health and the internet
• Darker side of the internet
• Addressing pornography
• Live streaming – Going live on social media
• Privacy and data
  
  

Continuing to increase the number of resources available for governors, during 2019–20 we have commissioned the production of the following resources specifically for governors:

• Online reputation
• Misinformation
• Screen time, technology and mental health
• Online consent
• Illegal and offensive content
• Online hate

Action status: Ongoing.

In recognition of the key role governors play in safeguarding within a school and listening to feedback from stakeholders during 2017–18, we funded the development of resources aimed at governors through our specialist contractor SWGfL to develop bilingual online safety guidance and resources for governors.

The resources for governors mirrored the topics created for learners, parents and carers, and education practitioners and professionals.