Keeping Safe Online- Western Digital Safeguarding Steering Group Page Tiger and Webpage
To celebrate Safer Internet Day 2021 the Western Digital Safeguarding Steering Group of which several members of the Western LPG’s belong to held a series of events. The first online event was well attended by professionals working directly with children and families including social work, education, probation, early years, police, youth services, voluntary and community services and a number of students. Dr Tarsem Singh Cooner, Senior Lecture in Social Work at the University of Birmingham spoke on the title ‘Should I Or Shouldn’t I Look?– Ethical debates about Facebook in safeguarding children’.
Dr Singh Cooner described how social media activities are now having an impact on both social work education and on practice. With the use of break-out rooms participants were able to get together in smaller groups to start to discuss from their own professional codes of practice the ethical questions which are beginning to emerge from online social activities.
The second online event was hosted by Paula Gibson, GamCare ‘The Fading Grey Line Between Gaming and Gambling – The Challenges Facing Parents and Carers and What We Can Do’. Paula addressed youth-facing and family support professionals equipping them with the knowledge, skills and confidence to identify any possible problem gambling behaviour within young people. Importantly, Paula shared how to assist the young person and their family get the help they need.
GamCare provide a range of fully-funded training sessions giving young people the information and advice they need to help them make an informed choice about any gaming and gambling they may do, now or in the future and where to access help if they need it. For further details on the training we provide both to youth-facing professionals as well as to young people, please contact Paula Gibson, Quality & Performance Team Leader for GamCare’s Young People’s Gambling Harm Prevention Programme on paula.gibson@gamcare.org.uk or call 07931 549660.