Internet safety for children and young people: national action plan

Summary of Actions

1.The Scottish Government will work to ensure children and young people are supported to build their own resilience online.

2.Through their Digital Learning and Teaching Programme, Education Scotland will support local authorities in implementing the new Technologies Curriculum guidance, which has a specific focus on digital literacy.

3.Education Scotland will ensure inspectors are aware of the expectation to deliver education that encourages innovation, confidence and responsibility in the use of technologies and staying safe online.

4.The Scottish Government and Education Scotland will work with the South West Grid for Learning to promote and update the 360 degree safe tool.

5.Education Scotland will work with Digital Schools Awards Scotland to develop a link to relevant resources on internet safety for children and young people.

6.The Scottish Government will consider what resources are available within youth work organisations on internet safety and whether more can be done to build on and amplify good practice, for consistency, with resources available across Scotland.

7.The Scottish Government will consider the findings of the Youth Commission in future policy development. Working with partners, the Scottish Government will promote the principles of the movement to inform citizens of the 5rights.

8.The Scottish Government will continue to engage with disabled people's organisations across Scotland to better understand the needs of disabled children and young people in the online world in order to ensure the most effective training, information and support is in place.

9.The Scottish Government will work closely with Parent Zone International who are planning to deliver an internet safety summit in Scotland in 2017.

10.The Scottish Government will engage with parent and carers organisations across Scotland to host a series of events aimed at empowering parents and carers to support their children's online activity.

11.The Scottish Government will work in partnership with third sector organisations, Police Scotland, the NHS and Education Scotland to produce guidance to support professionals working with children and young people on digital citizenship.

12.Child Protection Committees Scotland will explore whether there are opportunities to take a more co-ordinated approach to child internet safety in order to further progress learning and raise greater awareness of information, support and training that is available.

13.The Scottish Government will continue to participate in the Executive Board of the UK Council for Child Internet Safety ( UKCCIS) to ensure Scotland effectively contributes towards improving internet safety in Scotland within the UK environment.

14.The Scottish Government will work with digital media providers and industry to ensure parents, carers and families, as well as children and young people, have access to appropriate information and support.

15.The Scottish Government will engage with the UK Government as it develops the age verification provisions within the Digital Economy Bill.

16.The Scottish Government will work in partnership with the UK Safer Internet Centre to promote Safer Internet Day in Scotland.

17.The Scottish Government will work with the South West Grid for Learning to deliver further Online Safety Live events across Scotland.

18.The Scottish Government will work with the Marie Collins Foundation to pilot the CLICK: Path to Protection training module in Scotland, which is targeted at all professionals charged with safeguarding children who have been sexually abused and exploited online.

19.The Scottish Government will work with NHS Education for Scotland to ensure that online abuse is reflected within their National Trauma Training Framework for professionals.

20.The Scottish Government will engage with the University of Edinburgh, and Stop it Now! Scotland, as they undertake research on deterrents to viewing online indecent images of children.

21.Police Scotland will develop a Standard Operating Procedure for online abuse.

22.The Scottish Government will work closely with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service in the delivery of a summit on Sexual Offending and Young People in June 2017.

23. Where appropriate, the Scottish Government and its partners will work to ensure that children and young people in Scotland are provided with the opportunity to input into the delivery of this action plan.