Online Safety Policy

At Winston’s Place Day Nursery, we recognise the growth of the internet and digital technology and the advantages this can bring to learning, communication and development. However, we are also fully aware of the risks it can pose and are committed to safeguarding children, staff and families from harm when using technology, in line with the EYFS safeguarding and welfare requirements.

We refer to 'Safeguarding children and protecting professionals in early years settings: online safety considerations’ and other national safeguarding guidance to inform and support this policy.

The Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) has overall responsible for online safety concerns, and all concerns must be reported to them immediately in line with our Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy.

The use of technology has become a significant component of many safeguarding issues including child sexual exploitation, online grooming, radicalisation, cyberbullying and sexual predation, with digital platforms often providing the means by which harm occurs.

The breadth of issues included within online safety is considerable, but can be categorised into three areas of risk:
• Content: being exposed to illegal, inappropriate or harmful material; for example, pornography, fake news, racist or radical and extremist views
• Contact: being subjected to harmful online interaction with other users; for example commercial advertising as well as adults posing as children or young adults, and
• Conduct: personal online behaviour that increases the likelihood of, or causes, harm; for example making, sending and receiving explicit images, or online bullying.

Within the nursery we aim to keep children, staff and parents safe online. Our safety measures include:
• Ensuring we have appropriate antivirus software on all devices and update them regularly
• Ensuring content blockers and filters are on all our devices, e.g. computers, laptops, tablets and any mobile devices
• Ensuring all devices are password protected and have screen locks. Practitioners are reminded to use complex strong passwords, keep them safe and secure, change them regularly and not to write them down
• Providing secure storage of all nursery devices at the end of each day
• Ensuring no social media or messaging apps are installed on nursery devices
• Reviewing all apps or games downloaded onto devices ensuring they are age and content appropriate
• Using only nursery devices to record and /or photograph children in the setting
• Ensuring that staff do not use personal electronic devices with imaging and sharing capabilities, including mobile phones, smart watches and cameras
• Reporting emails with inappropriate content to the internet watch foundation (IWF www.iwf.org.uk)
• Teaching children how to stay safe online and report any concerns they have
• Ensuring children are supervised when using internet connected devices
• Not permitting staff or visitors private access to the nursery Wi-Fi
• Talking to children about ‘stranger danger’ and deciding who is a stranger and who is not; comparing people in real life situations to online ‘friends’
• We encourage staff and families to complete a free online safety briefing, which can be found at https://moodle.ndna.org.uk/
• Staff modelling safe practice when using technology with children and ensuring all staff abide by an acceptable use policy such as instructing staff to use the nursery IT equipment for matters relating to the children and their education and care only. No personal use will be tolerated (see Acceptable internet use policy)
• Monitoring children’s screen time to ensure they remain safe online and have access to material that promotes their development. We ensure that their screen time is within an acceptable level and is integrated within their programme of learning
• Being aware of the need to manage our digital reputation, including the appropriateness of information and content that is posted online, both professionally and personally. This is continually monitored by the setting’s management
• Ensuring all electronic communications between staff and parents is professional and takes place via the official nursery communication channels, e.g. the setting’s email addresses, digital apps and telephone numbers. This is to protect staff, children and parents
• Signposting parents to appropriate sources of support regarding online safety at home

If any concerns arise relating to online safety, then we will follow our Safeguarding children and child protection policy and report all online safety concerns to the DSL.

The DSL will make sure that:
• All staff know how to report a problem and when to escalate a concern, including the process for external referral
• All concerns are logged, assessed and actioned in accordance with the nursery’s safeguarding procedures
• Parents are offered support to help them talk about online safety with their children using appropriate resources
• Parents are signposted to appropriate sources of support regarding online safety at home and are fully supported to understand how to report an online safety concern
• Staff have access to information and guidance for supporting online safety, both personally and professionally
• Under no circumstances should any member of staff, either at work or in any other place, make, deliberately download, possess, or distribute material they know to be illegal, for example child sexual abuse material.


Cyber Security

This policy should be read in conjunction with the Data protection and confidentiality policy, Acceptable internet use policy and GDPR privacy notice.

Good cyber security is essential to protect the personal and sensitive data we hold about children and families, in line with the Data Protection Act 2018 and UK GDPR. We are aware that cyber criminals will target any type of business including childcare and ensure all staff are aware of the value of the information we hold in terms of criminal activity e.g. scam emails. All staff are reminded to follow all the procedures above including backing up sensitive data, using strong passwords and never share login details.

To prevent any attempts of a data breach, staff must not open suspicious emails or messages, including those claiming to relate to password resets, compensation, deliveries or device scamming.

Staff are asked to report these to the manager as soon as possible and these will be reported through the NCSC Suspicious email reporting service at report@phishing.gov.uk.