I read a really interesting article recently that stated that a third of youth worker's felt they are not trained to sufficiently to deal with the online risks children face. If you want to read it for yourself you can follow this link here.

During the current COVID-19 pandemic there has been an increased use of digital devices to ensure children and young people can have access to their supportive networks outside of the home environment including access to face to face meetings with professionals, family members and friends. As we know there is an increased risk when any child or young person has access to digital devices. 

As part of the Homes2inspire's strategy, it was agreed that all staff would be upskilled to recognise these potential risks, and to support children who are actively online. This strategy consisted of all Home Managers and Deputy Managers completing a comprehensive online safety course delivered online by the NSPCC. This was then cascaded to all staff who work directly with children along with reflective work has been completed to ensure staff have an increased knowledge of this risks and how-to best support children and young people when online. 

Feedback from staff has been really positive on this training and we are already seeing improvements in our practice linked directly to it.

Alice Morley - Learning and Development Manager