A teachers guide to engaging parents and carers in online safety

Engaging with parents and carers about online safety is a crucial part of safeguarding learners. Many parents and carers are aware they need to support their children, but don’t know where to start. Schools can help by raising awareness of online safety issues and provide practical steps and advice. It is important to do this in a way that fits with people’s busy lives and also draws interest from those parents and carers who may be harder to reach.

Here are some key tips on how to do this, from the Model Church in Wales school in Carmarthen, an Online Safety Mark accredited school.

• Create and distribute online safety top tips. What are the key messages about online safety you want to communicate to parents and carers? Set these out in a document that you can then circulate and send home. The Keeping safe online Zone offers a range of resources that will help you do this. Consider using visual aids to make the information more accessible, for example to highlight the age restrictions for social media platforms that learners might be using. You can also direct parents and carers to the parent’s and carers resources on the Keeping safe online Zone on Hwb and other helpful websites such as Common Sense Media, or NSPCC Net Aware.
• Take advantage of social media. If your school has Facebook or Twitter accounts, consider posting your online safety top tips there. Many parents and carers regularly use social media so this can be a great way to reach them. Posting regularly about online safety will also keep it at the forefront of people’s minds.
• Promote online safety at school events. You can set up a stand promoting important key messages at school events such as parent and carer evenings, Christmas fairs or PTA events. Distribute handouts that parents and carers can take home, and be prepared to answer any questions they may have. If your school has assigned ‘Digital Champions’, invite them to participate – some parents or carers may be more open to receiving information from a learner rather than a member of staff.
• Be creative in how you deliver your message. This can be an ideal opportunity to get learners involved in conveying your online safety messages to parents and carers. Consider creating an online safety school rap or video that you can share on your school website or social media pages. This engages your school community and conveys your key messages in an entertaining, accessible way.
• Get school/parent and carer bodies involved. If your school has a parent and carer council, PTA or other parent and carer association, ask them to get involved. They can help identify the ongoing needs of parents and carers so you can tailor what you communicate and how, in a way that is most relevant to them. They can also organise events about online safety and may want to consider inviting your School Policy Liaison Officer to come and deliver an online safety presentation talk, specifically for parents and carers.
• Measure the impact of your efforts. It is important to establish how effective your communication strategy is. Consider distributing paper and/or digital questionnaires for parents and carers to complete. You will benefit from the feedback, and the questionnaires can also get parents and carers thinking more about online safety issues.

You can find more information and a wide range of bilingual online safety resources on the Hwb Keeping safe online Zone.