• • In online environments and when using technology such as computers, mobile phones or games consoles – online safety  is an essential element of safeguarding children and young people as well as vulnerable adults.
  • Online safety is not about restricting children/young people and vulnerable adults use of technology or banning access as this may compound difficult to manage behaviour; online safety is about focusing on education and raising awareness of the risks and building resilience so that we can all be confident and safer online.
  • To view the NLAFC (North London Foster Carers Councils) online training course aims click the following link: Online safety within fostering households NLAFC Aims . 

• The internet offers exciting benefits and opportunities for everyone, but it can also expose children and vulnerable adults to inappropriate and criminal behaviour. It’s important that we are aware of the risks and know how to appropriately safeguard children and vulnerable adults who go on-line. 
• Some recent NSPCC (2017:14) research shows that ‘technology-assisted harmful sexual behaviour’ only appear to have come from families characterised by significantly higher levels of stability, less trauma and more positive parental relationships than those with dual harmful sexual behaviour and offline harmful sexual behaviour only. Whilst the London Child Protection Procedures (2018: 8.6.2) states that ‘the distribution of child abuse images continues to grow (a recent UK police operation seized over 750,000 images). Research shows that in the UK, over eight million children have access to the internet and a high proportion of these children (1 in 12), have met someone offline who they initially encountered in an online environment’.
• Thus, it’s also important that all users of the internet are aware of the legal consequences of their online actions, both the pros and cons!
• Taking care, being safer and responsible online and offline are an important part of child development and it is essential that all adults are aware and able to discuss this with children and young people as soon as they are online.
• Online safety is an essential component of fostering households family/safer caring policies.
• Parents or carers who regularly expose a child to online content which may pose a risk of harm or  deliberately expose child to illegal content or content online which puts a child at immediate risk of harm would usually be investigated by the police and social services.

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• Fostering Services Regulations (England) 2011: Regulation 13 (3) – Behaviour management and children missing from the parent’s home
• Fostering Services National Minimum Standards 2011, 4.1 – Children’s safety and welfare is promoted in all fostering placements. Children are protected from abuse and other forms of significant harm (e.g. sexual or labour exploitation)
• Fostering Services National Minimum Standards 2011 – Standard 5 – Children Missing from Care
• Fostering Services National Minimum Standards 2011, 12.1 – Children are supported to: a. establish positive and appropriate social and sexual relationships; b. develop positive self-esteem and emotional resilience
• Children’s Act 1989, Guidance and Regulations Volume 4 Fostering Service, Chapter 3 – Ensuring the best for children and young people (paragraph 3.88. to 3.94)
• Sexual Offences Act 2003
• The Children’s Homes and Looked After Children (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2013 (Section 29 (a)
• The Children and Families Act 2014
• (Fostering Services) Training Support and Development Standards (Safeguarding actions specifically related to subsections: 6.1 a, b, 6.2 b, c, d, 6.3 a, b, c, d, e, 6.4 a, b, c, 6.5 a, b, c, d) regarding understanding how to promote good sexual health with children and young people as well as enabling children and young people to develop a positive sexual identity with regard to their sexuality (5.7 a & 5. 7 b)
• Ofsted Framework for Inspecting Independent Fostering Agencies (2014;19) area 46, the incidence of children or young people going missing and/or being at risk of sexual exploitation is monitored rigorously. Adults take action to protect children and to review plans for them where they continue to be at risk

• http://www.londoncp.co.uk/chapters/sg_sex_active_ch.htm
• http://www.mscb.org.uk/pdf/Kent%20and%20Medway%20Procedures%20and%20practice%20guidance%20for%20working%20with%20children%20who%20are%20sexually%20active%202014.pdf
• http://www.westsussexscb.org.uk/parents-carers/sexual-abuse/
• http://www.essexequip.nhs.uk/images/file/Safeguarding%20Guidance%20%20no%203%20working%20with%20sexually%20active%20under%2016s%20cluster%20NEC005%20V%202%20Jul%2012.pdfhttp://www.fosteringresources.co.uk/documents/HEALTHTSDSlinks.pdf
• The NHS choices web site provides useful information and guidance related sex and young people. It covers issues such as boy’s/girls bodies, alcohol and sex, it’s OK to say no, pregnancy tests, peer pressure, am I gay, lesbian or bisexual and much more.
• http://bromleychildcare.proceduresonline.com/pdfs/sexual_health_policy.pdf
• The Children Act 1989 Guidance and Regulations Volume 4, states that ‘the experience of being cared for should also include the sexual education of the young person’. On the one hand, past guidance around sexual health sexual health and children in care, such as the National Children’s Bureau, have suggested that staff and foster carers often feel too shy and embarrassed to talk about sex education with children and young people in public care’. On the other hand, there is also evidence that failure to intervene when a problem is first identified can result in the behaviour escalating.
  Thus, fostering services should ensure that as well providing training around sexual health matters for fostering household members – an effective sex and personal relationships policy is put in place as a means of meeting current foster care standards and providing a clear framework for managing sexual health matters related to children and young people.