Surrey FA team up with the Breck Foundation for a CPD on Online Safety
On Wednesday 18th October we will be joined by the Breck Foundation for an online workshop focused on how to keep children and vulnerable people safe online.
As the UK Government seeks to pass the Online Safety Bill to legislate social media companies to take responsibility for harmful and illegal content online and make it safer for users - particularly children - to experience the internet, we are looking to educate football volunteers about how they can keep their young people safe.
New records show that 34,000 online grooming crimes have been reported over the last six years, with an 84% increase in crimes over the last four years. Citing data from 42 UK police forces, the NSPCC has reported that 6,350 offences related to sexual communication with a child were recorded last year, a rise of 82% since the offence was introduced in 2017-18.
The data shows that 73% of the crimes involved Snapchat or Meta-linked websites, with 5,500 offences taking place against children of primary school age. Welfare Officers, coaches, club officials, parents, carers, and volunteers all have a responsibility to safeguard children and vulnerable people within the football environment and this session will help equip you to take appropriate actions to support and protect them online.
The workshop will be delivered by the Breck Foundation, a charity founded in 2014 after 14-year-old Surrey schoolboy Breck Bednar was tragically groomed and murdered by someone he met online. The foundation aims to empower the digital generation to be safe and smart online by educating and empowering children, raising awareness, and increasing knowledge among adults with safeguarding responsibilities and engaging government, businesses, and agencies in campaigning for improvement in online safety policies.
The session will include:
• Breck’s Story
• Scrapping the stereotypes. Who or what is a groomer, and what are the types of grooming your child may be exposed to?
• How to have that awkward trusted adult-child conversation, gaining trust and sharing your concerns about online safety
• Where to find help and other useful organisations
• A showing of Breck’s Last Game
Session details:
Date: Wednesday 18th October 2023
Venue: Online (Zoom)
Time: 7pm start (expected to end around 8.30pm)
Price: Free
Sign up and confirm your place by following the link below.
If you have any safeguarding concerns or questions about this session, please contact our safeguarding team at Safeguarding@SurreyFA.com.