The eSafety Commissioner as launched a new digital toolkit to provide schools across Australia with the resources to help prevent and respond to online safety issues.
Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts, Paul Fletcher said the Commissioner’s toolkit would provide practical support to teachers.
“We know students are accessing the internet through multiple devices – both at home and at school – which provides valuable educational and social benefits, but can also result in issues such as cyberbullying, inappropriate sharing of images or even grooming by online predators,” Mr Fletcher said.
“These situations require proactive and informed management by teachers, school administrators, and parents and carers.”
He said the eSafety Toolkit for Schools had four key themes – Prepare, Engage, Education and Respond – and included more than 25 individual resources for teachers and school administrators on how to respond to online safety incidents.
‘The Toolkit compiles independent expert advice providing a range of guidance and practical tips,” Mr Fletcher said.
“Like most aspects of raising children, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach,” he said.
“I’m confident there are important insights for all school communities to take away to help keep students safe online.”
In a statement, the eSafety Commissioner’s office said the toolkit would support schools to create safer online environments for students.
“The Toolkit is flexible in its design so that schools can tailor how they use it, based on the needs of their community,” it said.
“This means that no matter which school a student attends, or what stage the school is at in its online safety journey, they will have the tools to help keep safe online.”
It said the toolkit had been developed in response to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, and the Bullying and Cyberbullying Senior Education Officials Working Group.
The Toolkit can be accessed at this PS News link.
