NELSON STREET CHURCH
Youth E-Safety Acceptable Use Policy
DATE
1. Our Commitment to E-Safety
HTB and HTB Youth are committed to taking all necessary steps to ensure the youth ministry is E-safety aware and competent.
E-Safety is the collective term for safeguarding involving the use of mobile phones, computers (including laptops, netbooks, tablets) and other electronic devices including games consoles, to communicate and access the internet, emails, text messages, instant messaging, social networking sites and other social media. [1]
It is necessary to be aware that those who wish to abuse young people often start with electronic communications and then attempt to lure young people into an unprotected face to face meeting.
2. Introductory Information
Today safeguarding embraces interaction online as well as traditional offline communications. We should be teaching young people how to stay safe online as well as offline and we need to be informed in order to help young people to navigate the online environment using new digital technologies and social media safely.
Vulnerable people can find it easier to communicate via email rather than talking face-to-face. They may therefore share more personal or sensitive information about themselves or someone else than if talking one-to-one. General advice and support may be offered by email but no more – counselling must be carried out by those qualified to do so.
Messaging
This is a well-used method of communication amongst children and young people – 33% of 7-8 year olds have a mobile phone rising to 90% of 11-16 year olds; messages can be sent anywhere and at any time and an immediate response can be received.
This form of communication is, however, difficult to monitor; youth team using this method of communication must be accountable for what is said. Full time youth staff youth worker are supplied with a work mobile phone.
‘Sexting’ (the act of sending sexually explicit messages or photographs, primarily between mobile phones) has become a concern amongst young people and adult leaders should remain vigilant and report any instances of this immediately, including it in their teaching /curriculum wherever possible. Once made public the ‘sexts’ are very difficult to remove. Apart from causing acute embarrassment and distress, such actions may lead to far more serious consequences.
Facetime/Skype/ Zoom – PODS
Not always can we meet with young people face to face especially if they are boarding or for other circumstances, that stop us from being able to see young people. We know that young people want to stay connected, known and need community to thrive. This platform is to stay connected with each other and God, this is why we have taken PODS on these forms of communication.
The purpose is to still have that interaction which is different from WhatsApp/DM to see each other face to face using the different apps. Volunteers are aware of the appropriate level of communication and behavior conduct with young people i.e. dress code, vocab, banter, etc.
We know that through these forms of communication it is difficult to monitor, which means that we want to make sure that leaders pair up and stay gender specific with two or three other young people. We ask that Volunteers log their ePODS to our excel sheet which gives staff team info about their contact and in case of a concern staff team can contact leaders.
Social media sites
Social media sites and forms of electronic communication such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Instant Messenger, are constantly evolving. It is important for youth staff and volunteer team to keep in touch with how young people are communicating and to use these new forms when appropriate and having applied the principles below. In particular, youth volunteers should always consider accountability and whether the form of electronic communication they use can be traced. For this reason, Snapchat, for example, would be inappropriate, or disappearing images through DM on intsagram. If a youth worker is in doubt about the suitability of a form of communication, he/should always ask those leading the team.
Cyber bullying
Cyber bullying is no different from ordinary bullying except the child in question uses digital technologies to bully another. If an adult bullies a child however, it is defined as cyber-stalking and is taken even more seriously. Cyber bullying may involve the use of visual images, texts, phone calls and hits on social networking profiles.
Online Grooming
Someone making contact with a child with the motive of preparing them for sexual abuse either online or offline. Someone who grooms a child is breaking the law.
3. The Scope of This Policy
This HTB Youth E-Safety Acceptable Use Policy is intended to inform and equip HTB Youth Staff, Volunteers and Parents on the acceptable use of online and social media forms. This policy aims to:
· Empower HTB Youth staff and youth team volunteers to use social media and online contact as a tool for communication and the transfer of information;
· Empower HTB Youth staff and youth team volunteers to model good practice in their own online;
· Equip HTB Youth staff and youth team volunteers to use social media and related tools in an appropriate and effective manner;
· Keep HTB staff, youth team volunteers and youth safe in online usage.
This policy is intended to be followed in conjunction with HTB’s Safeguarding Policy.
4. Key Principles for HTB Youth Staff and Youth team volunteers
· You are a role model to young people, modelling how to behave through social media to youth. It is part of how you disciple young people. Consider: How can you demonstrate a Christ-like life online? What uses or behaviours reflect this?
DO
General
· Be sure to use a style which will suit the needs of the whole group.
· Keep texting and messaging to appropriate times of day - after 8am and before 9pm (or one hour after a youth session has finished if after 9pm).
· When signing off messages, use a friendly but not over-familiar or personal tone.
· Use ‘x’ or ‘Xx’ or similar smiley faces if a young person of your own gender has initiated this practice, but DO NOT initiate this yourself or exceed this – the maximum we would ever send would be ‘Xx’.
· ‘Think before you post’- once the information is out there is it very difficult, if not impossible to remove. Encourage your small group to do ‘Think before they post’, too.
· Set up a whatsapp group to message the whole group at once (ensure any not on the group still get the info)
Social media
· Use social media: it’s a great way of communicating with young people.
· Use social media to make arrangements. Like meeting up as a whole small group from time to time.
· Follow HTB Youth on Instagram and encourage your youth small group to do so. This is a powerful tool and can help hundreds of young people to connect with the ministry of the church. It is also a great way for the youth in outreach to their friends and make it easier for them invite these friends to events.
· Create a small group whatsapp group or instagram group and invite those in your small group to it.
· Make sure your communication is clear and unambiguous. Social media and online communication are best for information rather than conversation. For example, they are for reminders and invitations about what’s going on at Youth. Arrange to meet face to face if conversations start to develop.
· Make sure you’re happy with privacy settings that you have in place.
· Talk with your co-leaders and the Youth staff team about the contact you are having with young people online.
Mobile phone
· Have a password/pass code on your phone. Be aware of who else has access to your phone and what information, such as phone numbers and e-mail addresses, might be accessible.
· Use group texts as a means of passing on information - be sure to use a style which will suit the needs of the whole group.
· Using Facetime/skype/zoom with another leader and young people is acceptable however during the indicated times on this E-safety policy
Encourage safe and healthy use of social media.
· Be prepared to talk about sexting in the wider conversation about relationships. Make it clear to young people that they should not allow themselves to be pressurised into doing anything they do not want to do.
· Explain to young people that they should never pass on images - sharing images could be construed as bullying and they could be breaking the law.
· Explain it is illegal to hold, share or take indecent images of anyone under the age of 18.
· Be open to chat about the missional opportunities of good social media use.
DON’T
· Promise confidentiality.
· Add young people who are not in your direct pastoral remit – keep social media contact to the youth you lead. Exceptions to this can be discussed with the Youth staff team
· Post photos of young people without asking them first.
· Post photos of young people whose parents have stated that they don’t want images of their child being used.
· Tag young people (unless they’ve given you permission). This is their choice not yours.
· Encourage or foster exclusivity in communications either wittingly or unwittingly.
· Get into deep and meaningful chats online or by text – keep online chats to a minimum and arrange a catch up
· Follow young people back on snapchat, allow viewing of public stories if you’re happy but don’t private message share your story personally with HTB youth group members.
· Video call (FaceTime, Google hangout, Skype) alone with a young person
· Write or post anything to a youth (or anyone) that you wouldn’t be happy for others to read. Accountability and responsibility are of paramount importance.
5. Concerns
Communication and behaviour online should be no different from offline and/or in person. If you feel uncomfortable about any communication or behaviour, whether it be online or offline, contact the Head of Youth or the HTB Safeguarding Officer (Currently Andy Goodwin) immediately.
Matters for concern may include:
· What has been said by a young person suggests they are in danger or at risk (NB – you need to take immediate action – see “What to do” below).
· The content of messages/e-mails suggest some form of abuse (NB – you need to report your concerns as soon as possible, within 24 hours at the latest).
· You are concerned by the mental well-being of a young person (again, act quickly)
· The content of what a young person has said online or by text seems inappropriate.
· Inappropriate images of youth or leaders have been shared.
· A young person has become too dependent on you through frequent and extended online, text or face-to-face contact.
· A young people is hiding their emails or texts (could be an indication of online grooming).
· A young person is being contacted by unknown adults or receiving gifts from people they don’t know (could be an indication of online grooming).
· Overuse/ Addiction: In 2008, a leading US psychiatrist Dr Jerald Block suggested that obsessive internet use, including excessive gaming, sexual preoccupations and emailing/texting should be recognised as a clinical disorder.
What to do if you are concerned
If you become concerned about the content of conversations on social network sites, you should take the following actions:
· DO NOT CLOSE DOWN THE CONVERSATION. This will potentially lose any evidence. – Screen shot where possible.
· If you believe a young person to be in danger or at risk, call 999. If you are not sure, seek online advice on the CEOP website http://www.ceop.police.uk/safety-centre
· Inform your stream leader or Head of Youth (Tom Clark – 07790314933) or the HTB Safeguarding Officer (Andy Goodwin 07747768257) immediately.
· Ensure you preserve any ‘paper trails’. If necessary copy and paste any conversations and have these witnessed, signed and dated.
· Save any instant messages or texts that might relate to a cause for concern.
· Seek help and advice – seek help and advice from CEOP (Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre). There may be a button to click on the site you are using. If not, go to http://www.ceop.police.uk/safety-centre .
6. The role of HTB Youth Team in supporting you
We undertake to:
· Help you to work this policy into your relationships with the youth – through training and ongoing conversations.
· Ask you regularly which young people you have contact with online and offline.
· Challenge you, if we feel that something on your social media is inappropriate or doesn’t reflect the Christ-like modelling we are striving for.
· Support you in and through any incidents.
· Revise and update this policy annually.
· Incorporate this policy into the ethos of the youth department.
Created: 05/06/2015 Reviewed: March 2016 Reviewed: March 2017
Reviewed: September 2017 Reviewed: September 2018
Edited: October 2018Reviewed: September 2019
Edited: March 2020
Next Review: September 2020
[1] CCPAS definition of E-Safety, accessed in Youthwork Magazine, Model E-Safety Policy Guide, 2012