Parent Zone
Parent Zone Local is a service in your area. It has expert guides and videos to help families feel confident and capable in the digital age.
Parent Zone
Practice Week 2022!
If you missed out, don't worry! We have all of the slides used in the presentations from our Practice Week available by clicking the button below.
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MCM Toolkit
Middlesbrough Children Matter: Our Children’s Services ID
This is our identity for Middlesbrough Children’s Services which we would like to share with everyone in our town so you too can show how much Middlesbrough Children matter means to you too!
Media
In Middlesbrough Children’s Services, we pride ourselves on participation. Listening to our children and the influence they bring matters so much to us. Here you will find media from those people who work hard to help and support our children in Middlesbrough and our children and young people too.
Information for young people in our care and care leavers
Middlesbrough Children’s Services are always there for the young people who are in our care and have spent time in our care. Further down on this page, you will find 9 useful pocket sized pieces of useful information taken from our Leaving Care Offer – this way you can find what you really need. If you’d like to speak to us call 01642 354100.
Middlesbrough’s Local Offer
The Local Offer is where we have brought together useful information for children, young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and their families. It is here to help you find information, advice and guidance about the types of services and support available to you in Middlesbrough and other areas close by.
Digiwise - Elevating young peoples’ voices in digital resilience’ Co-designing digital policy
Digiwise is Middlesbrough's part of the Nominet Digital REACH programme, a series of 10 interlinked national projects aiming to make children looked after safer in online spaces and to improve their digital lives.
Nominet’s research highlights that for children and young people in care, life brings more challenges than it does for their peers. Children in care are disproportionately vulnerable to online risks. Our project will work to improve the online safety of children in our care, aiming to bring significant improvements to the lives of young people in care, their digital access and help them become more resilient and at less risk of harm.
Want to know more? Find more information on Nominet's website here!
You can also read our very own Louisa's blog here for more information!
The Digital Pledge was created in consultation with care experienced young people, using various based setting scenarios within care homes, we asked young people how they would like access and discuss online harms. Our pledge is a promise to young people to help keep them safe in online spaces. We aim to equipping young people with the resilience skills to learn and reflect from their experiences online and have easy access to support and resources when required.
See our online safety resources here!UKCIS Digital Passport - Department of Culture, Media and Sport backed tool
The UKCIS Digital Passport is a new innovative communication tool to help children and young people with care experience to explore their online lives and help keep them safe in online spaces.
What you will find in the passport?
The Digital Passport has three parts which should all be used together with support from carers.
- Digital Passport: An introduction
- Digital Passport: For adults, professionals and carers
- Digital Passport: For children and young people
“Talking regularly about digital activities and digital lives with a trusted adult is a key way to help keep children and young people safe from risks outside of the home and in online spaces” The passport provides structure and resources to support you in having those conversations with young people that you work with.
Find resources and documents here!
Send me a pic? Resources for professionals
Send me a pic? Is an education resource on the consensual and non-consensual sharing of nude images among young people.
It's designed for use with young people aged 11-14.
Send me a pic? starts a positive, supportive dialogue with young people around nude image sharing, at an age where research shows they are becoming aware of, and affected by, such issues.
Send me a pic? helps young people:
• identify healthy and unhealthy relationship behaviours
• explore the positive role technology can play in relationships
• identify and respond to manipulation, pressure and coercion
• critique harmful social norms around nude image sharing in groups
• identify ways young people can support their peers, and
• develop the skills, knowledge and confidence to seek help if they need it.
Toolkit for 11-18's
The 11 – 18 toolkit contains activities suitable for use in schools, youth work and other educational settings.
It is a comprehensive guidance for delivering the activities safely and effectively in youth work settings. The toolkit aims to:
• Develop confident, healthy approaches to sex, relationships and the internet.
• Identify any negative behaviour young people may encounter, and respond with resilience.
• Know where they can access advice and guidance on these issues, in their own time.
• Know where to go for help if they ever feel worried or threatened online or in a relationship.
Foster carers and professionals online resources
Talking regularly about digital activities and digital lives with a trusted adult or carer is a key way to help keep children and young people stay safer from risks outside of the home and in online spaces.
Young people tell us that they would like their foster carers to have regular conversations with us about how to stay safe online. That’s why we have created an online professionals advice resource and interactive resource for foster carers to learn about online topics.
That’s why Nominet REACH partner The Fostering Network have developed the Fostering Digital Skills CPD programme.
This course has been designed to equip foster carers with the skills, knowledge and confidence to guide children and young people in their care through the digital world.
The four course modules build on the skills and knowledge foster carers already have and show how they can support their child’s safety, confidence and competence online. The course was co-created with help of care experienced young people and foster carers from across the UK.
Access the FREE programme hereOnline safety handbook - Foster care and supported lodgings
This guidance handbook has been designed to provide foster carers and support staff with a comprehensive insight into the key considerations when managing online access for children and young people in their care.
Using the most up to date research and resources, it aims to equip carers with the knowledge and tools to confidently help them navigate the online world and equip them with key strategies to help engage young people in their care in regular conversation starters.
Online safety handbook
Digital parenting
Parents are the best people to talk with young people about keeping them safe online, by making the most of regular conversations and setting healthy online habits makes them more likely to recognise when they are exposed to harms and know where to go and what to do when something goes wrong.
This pack has been created for parents, carers, and professionals to help support children and young people navigate the online world.
Middlesbrough’s digital model follows strong evidence-based research from a range of sources. We want every child to get the most out of technology, to embrace being online enjoying a happy, resilient and safe digital life where they flourish into excellent digital citizens!
Digital parenting
Information for Staff: Journey of a Child
This document will give you an overview of the potential routes a child or young person will travel through when we have concerns about them. If you are a member of staff for Middlesbrough Council, you will be able to click on this document and will be able to view policies/procedures/toolkits via hyperlinks that may be of use to you in your practice.
See The Journey HereExpress your wishes and feelings with NYAS
The National Youth Advocacy Service are not part of Middlesbrough Children’s Services. They are a company with advocates who really listen. They empower children to express their wishes and feelings and will help you be actively involved in decisions that affect your life.
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