Work is proceeding on the permanent alliance of the Police Youth Education Service and the Internet Safety Group (ISG). From the perspective of ISG, this may be the single most important development for the Group since the launch of the Internet Safety Kit in March,2000. The 140+ officers of the Police Youth Education Service will soon be delivering Internet safety education across New Zealand.
A key ISG message has always been that Internet safety should be considered fundamental child safety instruction, as important as road and water safety education. With the Police Youth Education Service delivering messages about safety on the Internet and with mobile phones, the goal of national grassroots education about these important issues will be achieved with added effectiveness and efficiency.
This alliance will be announced later in the year. In the meantime, the ISG has prepared a guide for all of the officers on basic Internet safety issues. A generic version of the guide will soon be posted on www.netsafe.org.nz to be used by anyone charged with the safety of children and young people, including Trustees.
This month the ISG begins a series of regional training sessions for Police education officers. By the end of the year, every officer will have attended this training. The training will cover two main areas:
·an understanding of the risks of communication technologies for young people and how to educate different age groups about those risks
·how officers can assist schools with use of the Internet Safety Kit, including the recommended documents and procedures.
For Trustees, this means there will be a local resource for advice and assistance in both educating children and parents and in establishing a safe Internet learning environment. Internet safety will be fully integrated into both the Police Keeping Ourselves Safe programme and the Kia Kaha (anti-bullying programme). All new editions of the printed materials for these programmes will include Internet and mobile phone safety issues. In fact, a pamphlet for parents is being created now as a new part of the Keeping Ourselves Safe materials. The Internet Safety Group will be using this pamphlet when we go out and speak to parent groups (which we do with some frequency).
For Trustees, this ISG-Police Youth Education Service alliance offers excellent additional support and resources when Internet safety is introduced into classroom instruction at the start of a school year. While classroom teachers are getting ICT training to better utilise the Internet in their subject instruction, they will also be learning more about the Internet environment and its risks first-hand. The Police education officer can be an additional resource for teachers in this process of learning more about the Internet themselves, and translating it into classroom teaching. Police education officers can also be a very helpful resource for school Trustees and administrators and provide valuable assistance when schools host Parent Information Evenings, as suggested in the Internet Safety Kit.
Liz Butterfield is Director of the Internet Safety Group. She can be reached at queries@netsafe.org.nz
