Here at NetSupport, we are always at the forefront of best practice when it comes to thinking around safeguarding, privacy by design and how student data is handled.
A core tenet to our thinking always has been the important guidance shared by the Government.
In its recent updates to the Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance, several key changes have been shared and so in this detailed article, we highlight these and what they should mean for your organisation.
The new KCSIE (Keeping Children Safe in Education) 2023 guidance is a significant document and one which should be high on the list of priorities for schools to consider. It comes into effect on September 1st and includes information on all key areas around safeguarding. Particularly:
- the management of safeguarding
- safer recruitment
- how to deal with allegations; and
- violence and sexual harassment.
All staff must receive training on Online Safety
One of the changes in KCSIE 2023 is the requirement for all staff to receive training on online safety. This is a major departure from the previous guidance, which only required DSLs to receive training. The new guidance recognises that all staff play a role in safeguarding children online and that they need to be aware of the risks and how to keep children safe.
The training should cover the following topics:
- the risks of online child sexual abuse and exploitation
- how to identify and report concerns
- how to use the school’s filtering and monitoring systems
- the importance of talking to children about online safety.
The guidance also makes pains to state:
“All staff should receive appropriate safeguarding and child protection training (including online safety which, amongst other things, includes an understanding of the expectations, applicable roles, and responsibilities in relation to filtering and monitoring – see para 141 for further information) at induction. The training should be regularly updated. In addition, all staff should receive safeguarding and child protection (including online safety) updates (for example, via email, e-bulletins, and staff meetings), as required, and at least annually, to continue to provide them with relevant skills and knowledge to safeguard children effectively.”
The designated safeguarding lead (DSL) should take lead responsibility for safeguarding and child protection (including online safety and understanding the filtering and monitoring systems and processes in place). This should be explicit in the role holder’s job description.
They also need to be aware of the latest risks and trends in online safety and be able to provide advice and support to staff, whilst keeping detailed records of who has been trained, on what and when.
The DSL’s responsibilities include:
- overseeing the school’s online safeguarding policies and procedures
- providing training to staff on online safety
- monitoring the school’s filtering and monitoring systems
- investigating concerns about online child sexual abuse and exploitation.
Schools must have a clear online safety policy
The school’s policy on online safety should outline its expectations for staff and pupils in terms of online behaviour and set out the procedures for reporting and investigating concerns. The policy should be reviewed regularly to ensure that it is up to date with the latest risks and trends.
The policy should cover the following topics:
- acceptable online behaviour
- the use of social media
- the use of mobile devices
- the reporting of concerns.
Schools must consider meeting the cyber security standards for schools and colleges
The cyber security standards for schools and colleges provides guidance on how to protect schools from cyber threats, including malware, phishing, and ransomware.
Meeting the standards can help to ensure that schools are more resilient to cyber-attacks and that children’s data is protected.
The standards cover the following areas:
- Filtering and monitoring
- Staff training
- Policies and procedures.
Around record keeping, the government has issued guidance around data processing and data protection which you can access here and here.
What KCSIE 2023 requires
The new KCSIE 2023 guidance sets out several requirements that schools need to meet to protect children online. These include:
- having appropriate filtering and monitoring systems in place
- providing training to all staff on online safety
- having a clear policy on online safety
- considering meeting the cyber security standards for schools and colleges.
Filtering and monitoring systems
Schools need to have appropriate filtering and monitoring systems in place to protect children from harmful content online. These systems should be able to block access to websites and content that is:
- sexually explicit
- violent
- racist
- hateful
- abusive
- illegal.
The filtering and monitoring systems should also be able to track the online activity of pupils and staff so that schools can identify and investigate any concerns.
Staff training
All staff must receive training on online safety so that they are aware of the risks and how to keep children safe. The training should cover the following topics:
- the risks of online child sexual abuse and exploitation
- how to identify and report concerns
- how to use the school’s filtering and monitoring systems
- the importance of talking to children about online safety.
Policies and procedures
The school should have a clear policy on online safety that outlines the school’s expectations for staff and pupils in terms of online behaviour and should also set out the procedures for reporting and investigating concerns. The policy should be reviewed regularly to ensure that it is up to date with the latest risks and trends.
The key takeaways for DSLs and school leaders from KCSIE 2023
The new KCSIE 2023 guidance provides many key takeaways for DSLs and school leaders including:
Online safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility
All staff in the school have a responsibility to safeguard children online. This means being aware of the risks, knowing how to identify and report concerns, and using the school’s filtering and monitoring systems effectively.
Schools need to be proactive
Schools need to be proactive in their approach to online safeguarding. This means having a clear policy in place, providing regular training to staff, and monitoring pupil online activity.
The importance of documentation
It is important to document all online safeguarding incidents. This will help to ensure that concerns are investigated effectively and that lessons are learned from any incidents that occur.
New filtering and monitoring standards
The new filtering and monitoring standards emphasise the need for schools to have a strategic approach to safeguarding. This includes:
- Identifying and assigning roles and responsibilities
The school needs to clearly identify and assign roles and responsibilities for managing filtering and monitoring systems. This will ensure that there is clear accountability for the management of these systems and that everyone involved in the process understands their responsibilities. Whilst the DSL cannot be the Data Protection Officer for a school, it would be expected that they do work together and DSLs have an understanding of the DPO role as many of the areas covered in the update are in line with the DfE’s guidance on Data Protection in Schools.
- Having effective monitoring strategies
The school needs to have effective monitoring strategies in place. This means considering the specific risks that their pupils face online and tailoring their monitoring strategies accordingly. For example, schools that serve many pupils who are vulnerable to online grooming may need to have more sophisticated monitoring systems in place.
- Device monitoring
The school needs to have a clear policy on device monitoring. This policy should set out the circumstances in which devices can be monitored, and the data that can be collected. The policy should also ensure that the data collected is only used for safeguarding purposes (Government guidance).
What does effective monitoring look like?
Effective monitoring should be:
- Regular
The school should monitor pupil online activity regularly. This will help to identify any concerns early on and take action to mitigate the risks.
- Proactive
The school should not just wait for concerns to be raised. They should be proactive in monitoring pupil online activity and looking for potential risks.
- Informed
The school should be informed about the latest risks and trends in online safety. This will help them to identify and monitor the risks that their pupils face.
- Transparent
The school should be transparent about its monitoring practices. This will help to build trust with parents and pupils and ensure that they are aware of the school’s approach to online safeguarding.
Best practice with device monitoring
Device monitoring can be a valuable tool for safeguarding children online. However, it is important to use it in a way that is compliant with data protection laws and respects the privacy of pupils.
Some best practices for device monitoring include:
- only monitoring devices that are owned by the school
- only monitoring devices for safeguarding purposes
- keeping the data collected confidential (Data Processing Guidance and Information and Records Management Guidance)
- providing parents with information about the school’s monitoring practices (School Privacy Notices).
Conclusion
The new KCSIE 2023 guidance provides a comprehensive framework for schools to protect children online. By following the guidance, schools can help to ensure that children are safe online and that they are not exposed to harmful content.
It is important to remember that online safeguarding is a daily endeavour. The risks that children face online are constantly changing, and so schools (and the tools you use to support you) need to be proactive in their approaches to safeguarding.
Schools and the companies you engage with (such as NetSupport) should regularly review their policies and procedures (as we do), and make sure that they are using the latest filtering and monitoring systems.
By taking these steps, we hope that you can help to keep children safe online and ensure that they can enjoy the benefits of the amazing digital world without fear of harm.