If there is something worrying you, there is always someone at St. Joseph's who can help you. 

You can always speak to a trusted adult here and they will do all that they can to help you to find the right people to support you. 

St. Joseph's has people who are DSLs (Designated Safeguarding Leads). They have extra training on how to keep everyone safe. 

Our DSLs are:

Safeguarding Children 

Keeping Children Safe Week

From the week beginning 17th June we will be completing a number of sessions with the children with the aim teaching children how they can keep themselves safe. These lessons will follow on from the KIDSAFE lessons which were taught in September and other 'Keeping Children Safe' lessons taught in different parts of the curriculum such as in computing.

We regularly review our curriculum and the lessons taught will be related very much to areas we feel would benefit our children in school the most. Below I have outlined the lessons the children will be taught and included links to the NSPCC site where the short videos we will use in the lessons can be found.

KIDSAFE – all children – sessions are always age appropriate

Children in all classes will receive their follow-up KIDSAFE lessons from Miss Walsh and Miss Bailey. The KIDSAFE programme covers the same areas in each class but the content is very much tailored to the age of the children. In KIDSAFE lessons the children will learn about ‘yucky feelings’. This is to enable the children to recognise themselves when something is not right. The lessons focus upon how they can deal with certain situations and who they can talk to. The sessions cover:

• Trusted adults
• Cyberbullying
• Mum and dad are arguing
• Keeping secrets
• Private places
• Appropriate content

NSPCC ‘PANTS’

This lesson will complement the KIDSAFE lessons where the children learn about the importance of privacy and their private parts. (All classes)

https://www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/keeping-children-safe/underwear-rule/

Bullying/Online bullying:  

The children in class 3 and 4 will learn about the impact online bullying can have on individuals, how easily it can start and how they can stop it. (Class 3 and 4)

Children in class 1 and 2 will learn about how to be a good friend and stand up for those children who are left out.

Online Safety 

Click on the links below for help on ‘How to stay safe online’

www.thinkuknow.co.uk

www.getsafeonline.org

www.ceop.police.uk

'App aware’

The children will rate apps and games on their suitability for children examining the potential risk of viewing violence, inappropriate content or the risk of online bullying. (Class 3 and 4)

https://www.o2.co.uk/help/online-safety# 

‘Share Aware’

The children will learn again about the risks and the precautions they must take when online. (Class 2, 3 and 4)

https://www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/keeping-children-safe/share-aware/

NSPCC WARNING OVER ONLINE GAME FORTNITE

The multiplayer action survival game, Fortnite: Battle Royale, has received a lot of media coverage recently due to growing popularity amongst children – and also emerging safety concerns. We’ve pulled together some information about the game and how to keep your children safe while playing it.

Players can currently play Fortnite: Battle Royale on a PC, Mac, Xbox, and PlayStation or download it from the App Store. Use of the game has grown rapidly amongst children and young people since the launch of the mobile game in March 2018. As of 2nd May, the app version is only available on iOS but an Android release is expected shortly. The game involves 100 players fighting each other in real time to be the final survivor. 

What features and risks are there on Fortnite?

Fortnite: Battle Royale has several features that can be fun, but there are also risks. These include:

• Players can add friends in the mobile game if they have an account with Epic, the game’s developer. Friends can be added by username in the game’s main menu.
• There is a chat feature in the game that allows users to contact each other using voice or text. You can disable voice chat in the game by selecting the 3 lines in the top right of the screen, select the settings icon, choose the ‘Audio’ tab at the top of the screen and go to the ‘Voice Chat’ option, where you can select ‘Off’. 
• There is cartoon violence in the game. You can use a variety of weapons to kill other players, such as guns and axes. 
• There are in-app purchases, which can become expensive. 
• Players can be reported to the Player Support team if you are concerned about activity or behaviour.
   

Age ratings

Here are the recommended age ratings for the game:

• Epic Games: Fortnite Battle Royale says it does not direct the game to children under the age of 13 in the UK. 
• The PEGI rating for this game is 12 years old. However, PEGI does not take chat features into consideration when rating games. You can find out more about age ratings here.
• The App Store says that users must be 12+ to play. 
   

Follow our TEAM tips to help keep your child safe online when playing online games:

• Talk to your child regularly about what they are doing online and how to stay safe. Let them know they can come to you or another trusted adult if they’re feeling worried or upset by anything they have seen. You can use our conversation starters to support you when starting these conversations. 
• Explore your child’s online activities with your child. Understand why they like using them and make sure they know what they can do to keep themselves safe.
• Agree your own rules as a family when using sites, apps and games. You can use our Family Agreement template to help you get started.
• Manage your technology and use the settings available to keep your child safe.
   

If you’d like advice and support about keeping your children safe online, call our free O2 NSPCC Online Safety Helpline on 0808 800 5002. 

Alternatively, you can make a face-to-face appointment with an O2 Guru in store - you don’t even have to be an O2 customer. O2 Gurus can help you set up parental controls, such as privacy settings, on any device.

Finally, you can visit our online games page to find out more about the risks of online gaming, and how to keep your child safe.

Monthly Online Safety Newsletter