Bridging the e-safety gap for looked-after children

Friday, December 04, 2009

Robert Fitzgerald, children's services product manager of OLM Systems, raises the issue of e-safety for looked-after children and the lack of mandatory requirements in place

Recently it has hit the headlines that councils are failing to adequately brief foster carers about the children they are expecting them to look after, with the result that councils are potentially endangering both the carers and their families. The latest high profile cases demonstrate how crucial it is that carers are not left in the dark when it comes to background information about placed children. In one recent case it emerged that the council failed to provide the carers with history of the foster child's background, and tragically that child went on to abuse the family's own son and daughter.

Whilst it is clear that the information flow between local authorities and their foster carers needs to be improved, we also need to ensure that a child, once placed, has adequate protection within the home, especially from the less desirable aspects of the internet. Again, whilst there is extensive training for carers in protecting looked-after children, there are often little more than a few guidelines about internet safety, leaving too much room for potential situations of inappropriate contact across the internet to arise.

Unfortunately, there is no mandatory requirement for computer monitoring solutions, which is naturally a cause for great concern. When a child is placed in a children's home or in foster care, they will undoubtedly have access to modern technologies. Whilst this presents a myriad of opportunities, it also presents danger, and with over 60,000 children in care throughout the UK, many of whom have already suffered abuse, this group needs protection.

"Today's digital generation has a wealth of opportunities to exploit through the application of ICT, within the school environment and at home. However, although technology opens countless doors for children and young people, there are also aspects that can prove a significant risk. These dangers range from students accessing inappropriate internet sites to the threat of cyberbullying, and in its most extreme form, predator grooming," declares Derek Allen, managing director at Securus, an organisation that provides computer monitoring solutions to the public sector explains.

Technologies should be embraced, rather than restricted, and children should be encouraged to be as creative as possible with the technology that is available in every aspect of their lives. Many young people are understandably adventurous; they love to push the boundaries, but they are still hugely vulnerable which sometimes means they unintentionally put themselves at risk. For looked-after children this may be of particular relevance given the reasons for which they were taken into care in the first place.

Young people are of course not the only users of technology or social networking sites for instance; carers who use this form of communication may also be susceptible to risks. Therefore having e-safety measures in place safeguards not only the children, but the carers from possible false allegations, but how can this all be managed?

There are of course solutions that can be implemented to ensure e-safety, which are currently optional, not mandatory.

Education and training is however imperative and technological solutions alone cannot be relied on to address e-safety issues. Allen says: "In reflection of the growing emphasis placed on e-safety, it has never been more important to better equip carers to both understand the issues and educate young people within their care. Without question, e-safety must be a high priority for every children's home and foster care home across the UK."

Although ultimately the safety of foster children is the responsibility of the local authority, it requires the efforts of everyone involved. Safeguarding young people in both the real and virtual world is part of the duty of care that applies to everyone working with young people. E-safety is not as some may believe, an ICT issue, it is in fact a child safety issue.