Online grooming: guide for governors

Introduction

Online grooming crimes have risen by more than 80% in four years (NSPCC, 2022).

In 2021 to 2022 there were 6,156 Sexual Communication with a Child offences committed across the UK (section 15A Sexual Offences Act 2003), almost 120 offences per week on average (NSPCC, 2022).

The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) found that 1 in 3 webpages of child sexual abuse include girls aged 11 to 13 who have been groomed in their homes via webcams (IWF, 2021).

The IWF received 20,000 reports of self-generated child sexual abuse content in the first half of 2022, compared with just under 12,000 for the same period last year (IWF, 2022).

What is online grooming?

Online grooming is where someone seeks to befriend a child or young person online with the intention of exploiting them. Harm caused by online grooming can include sexual abuse and exploitation to obtain sexually explicit images and videos. Groomers will often attempt to make an emotional connection and build trust with someone with the aim of convincing them to:

have sexual conversations online, by online messenger or text message
send naked images
send sexual videos
meet up in person

Where online grooming happens

There are 6 common places where grooming can happen online.

Social networking websites
Instant messaging and live streaming apps
Photo sharing apps
Chat rooms
Dating apps
Online gaming sites

How online grooming happens

Online groomers will often:

send the child or young person many messages via a range of platforms, for example Instagram, WhatsApp, text messages and chat rooms
insist that conversations are kept secret, asking the child or young person to not tell anyone they are in contact, and convincing their victims they cannot trust their friends or family
try to find out more, such as the location of their victim’s computer or whether their victim is alone to ascertain if they could get caught by parents or carers
send sexual messages – messages may be subtle in nature initially, complimenting the child or young person’s appearance or body and asking questions like ‘have you ever been kissed?’
request personal information such as details about their victim’s location, school or college
blackmail victims, for example if a child or young person has sent images already then groomers may threaten to post the images online or make them available to people the child or young person knows if new images are not sent

These methods may be used simultaneously, which is why children and young people can become victims of sexual grooming in under 20 minutes of conversation (British Science Association, 2016).

Many abusers will use a ‘scattergun approach’ and contact hundreds of children and young people, some of whom respond.

Some abusers will attempt to persuade children and young people to involve other children, either friends or siblings, in the abuse.

Those most at risk of online grooming

While all children are at risk of online abuse, NSPCC research has indicated that certain characteristics make children more vulnerable to online abuse. Young people who are lonely, are unhappy, rely on social media or are extroverted are more likely to have been sent, received or been asked to send sexual messages to an adult. Abusers often target children who have expressed vulnerability online through sharing thoughts and feelings on social media and livestreams.

Grooming can affect any child regardless of their age, other protected characteristics, or socio-economic background. Those who may be particularly at risk include:

children and young people unaware of online risks
those whose online activity is not supervised
children exploring their sexuality and identity online
those with low self-esteem and confidence
children outside of mainstream education
those with additional learning or communication needs, who have an impairment or health condition
disabled young people
looked after children and others known to social services
those who have or are experiencing adverse childhood experiences

The signs of online grooming

Signs a child or young person is being groomed include:

sudden changes in behaviour, such as spending more or less time online
spending more time away or going missing from home, school or college
being secretive, including when using online devices
having unexplained gifts
substance misuse
having a relationship with a much older person
sexual health problems
using sexual language you wouldn’t expect them to know
seeming upset or withdrawn
mental health problems

Children and young people may not feel able to seek help because:

they are unaware they are being groomed
they believe they are in a caring relationship and are worried about endangering it
they may fear what the groomer will do if they speak out
they do not want to get the groomer in trouble
they feel like they are to blame
they are embarrassed

Empowering children and young people

It is important that children and young people can recognise and speak out about grooming and abuse. There are things your school or college can do to help them do this, such as:

teaching about healthy relationships
helping children and young people develop awareness and skills needed to keep safe online
helping children and young people to identify safe people and places they can go to for support

What governors can do

It is important that governors are involved in their school or college’s online safety policy and practice. Most governors will not have direct involvement in incidents but have an important role in understanding the challenges that learners face and how they can be supported.

The guidance ‘Five key questions for governing bodies to help challenge their schools and colleges to effectively safeguard their learners’ is intended to support governing bodies to ensure that good practice around online safety policy and provision is in place in their school or college.

To help support schools and governing bodies to undertake their safeguarding duties the 360 safe Cymru tool is available bilingually through Hwb for all maintained schools in Wales. 360 safe Cymru is an interactive online safety self-evaluation tool and is an excellent way of evaluating the school’s online safety provision and practice.

The tool supports schools to:

review their online safety provision
develop or review their online safety policies
benchmark their provision against good practice and compare with national averages
produce action plans
access a range of relevant resources and example policy templates
collaborate on developing their provision and practice

Governors are encouraged to check that the school has a 360 safe Cymru account and, if they do, when they last used the tool and updated their progress and actions.

Monitoring a school or college’s online safety programme

It is vital that schools and colleges provide children and young people with the skills to stay safe online.

It is essential that staff receive safeguarding training that incorporates online safety.

Governors need to ensure that online safety is present in policies, the role of the designated safeguarding person (DSP), and the curriculum, as well as in work with early careers and trainee teachers, and parental engagement.

The following resources can help governors undertake their safeguarding responsibilities.

Keeping learners safe: A summary version
Online safety for governors – Keeping learners safe module 5 explains what online safety means, as well as the important role governors have when it comes to keeping learners safe.

Online filters

It is important that schools and colleges’ online filters and monitoring systems protect children and young people from harmful content, contact, conduct and commerce.

Web filtering standards – Hwb

Thinking points

Is online safety part of your school or college’s culture?
Do you have evidence of where your policies and procedures refer to online safety and online grooming?
How regularly are the policies and procedures reviewed?
How are the policies and procedures shared with staff, learners and parents and carers?
Do you have acceptable use agreements in place for staff and volunteers, learners, parents and carers and other school or college visitors who need to access the school or college’s IT networks?
How do assemblies, the curriculum and relationships and sexuality education (RSE) lessons support learners’ awareness of online safety?
Are teaching resources about online safety and digital resilience relevant and up to date?
How are children and young people consulted on the impact of online safety issues that are relevant to them?
Are online reporting mechanisms for learners, parents and carers in place, and do all staff know how to respond appropriately to a reported incident?
Is action taken when learners report unacceptable online behaviour or concerns about something they have seen online?
Does your school or college encourage reporting from parents and carers?
How is the importance of online safety reinforced with parents and carers?
Do the DSP and other appropriate staff have a high level of training and expertise in online safety?
How are staff members kept updated about the changing online world?
Is online safety information available in a variety of formats, such as for those with English as an additional language?
How are the needs of vulnerable learners being met?

When and how to report online content to the police

If a governor has any concerns that a child or young person is being groomed they should follow their school or college's procedure and inform the DSP. If a governor has any information to suggest a child or young person is in immediate danger, for example that the child or young person intends to or has gone to meet a possible perpetrator, they should contact the police on 999.

Information and support for children and young people and parents and carers is available from several sources, including:

Helpline: 0808 1000 900

NSPCC Keeping children safe online

Helpline: 0808 800 5000

When and how to report concerns about online grooming or content to social services

If any person has knowledge, concerns or suspicions that a child is suffering, has suffered or is likely to be at risk of harm, it is their responsibility to ensure that the concerns are referred to social services or the police who have statutory duties and powers to make enquiries and intervene when necessary. If you have concerns about a child or young person you should follow your school or college's procedures and inform the DSP.

Further safeguarding information

Wales Safeguarding Procedures

All Wales Practice Guide: Safeguarding children from online abuse