Online Safeguarding Policy
Future Asset, part of Didasko Education Company Limited
Online Safeguarding Policy
June 2023
Introduction
Future Asset, part of Didasko Education Company Limited, WeWe”) are committed to protecting the young people who use our services. The purpose of this policy is to inform users, teachers, educators, parents, and volunteers about the principles that guide our approach to child protection when using online video conferencing platforms.
Online Event Format and Content
Future Asset (Didasko Education Company Limited) uses online communications platforms suitable to the audience to provide online events, workshops and meetings between school students and volunteers. Students and other participants are invited via email to sign into the online platform meeting using a link. Events and meetings are not accessible without this link.
Online workshops and events are attended by a limited number of students, teachers, careers advisers and volunteers working in, or retired from, the financial sector. These participants are identified by the Future Asset team in partnership with our network of schools and colleges in Scotland.
In these sessions, any of the following things may happen:
- Members of the Future Asset team of staff and volunteers the Host/s”) will host the events, introduce speakers, and manage Q&A sessions. Volunteers will be appropriately screened and / or supervised and will abide by our Code of Conduct for Adults.
- Students will be encouraged to contribute and ask questions via live chat functions, in which their messages will be visible to the rest of the attendees. They will also be able to send private messages to the Host/s.
- Students will also be able to talk using their computer or device’s microphone, both to the host and to all other students attending.
- Students’ video and audio feeds will be visible to the rest of the workshop attendees unless audio is muted (which can be controlled by the student or the host) or their video is stopped (which can be controlled by the student).
- Hosts may share their screen with the workshop attendees at any time to show presentations or video content. They can also send files (e.g. presentation slides or activity sheets) via the live chat function, which students can open on their computers.
- Groups of students may be separated into virtual breakout rooms” for discussion around a certain topic. Within these groups they will be able to communicate with each other via video, audio, and text chat. Hosts are also able to enter and leave these groups, as well as call students back to the main session at any time.
- The platforms’ online pollingpolling” and Jamboard” features might be used to ask multiple choice questions to gauge participants’ thoughts on a range of subjects. The responses are anonymised.
Child Protection and Safeguarding Measures
The following measures will be used in all sessions to ensure that young people are protected while taking part in our workshops: - Inappropriate or abusive behaviour by students, staff, volunteers, or any other workshop participants, will not be tolerated and the offending person will be immediately removed from the session.
- Either one Future Asset (Didasko Education Company Limited) Host will hold a valid membership of PVG scheme, or, in the event of Future Asset volunteers without a PVG scheme membership acting as a Host, a teacher must be present on the online meeting.
- At no point will students find themselves in one-on-one conversation with any single volunteer or another student. Other students or staff members (Hosts or Co-Hosts) will always be present.
- We believe that being able to see one another helps our sessions feel more interactive and personal. It also enables students to gain work related experience and skills for operating in business style meetings. However, we respect that some students may wish to turn their video and / or audio feeds off during the workshop, or parts of it.
- Students should find a quiet, comfortable place to sit while attending the session, and we appreciate that in many cases this may be the student’s bedroom. If there is anything in the background that they would be more comfortable not showing on screen for any reason, they are free to blur the background or use ““Virtual Background” features. This will allow them to use a computer-generated image as their backdrop for the duration of the workshop.
- Students will be advised that they should not take screenshots or photographs of their screens on their smartphones or devices. Any relevant presentations or worksheets will be provided in digital format.
Behaviour
Future Asset (Didasko Education Company Limited)’s commitment to protecting the young people in our online events, workshops and meetings includes protecting students from others who may seek to engage in abusive or inappropriate behaviour. We are aware that online platforms offering video and audio functionality are open to abuse, and we have a zero-tolerance policy to abusive or inappropriate behaviour. The following activities are considered abusive or inappropriate and will result in banning from all future online or in-person events.
- Posting abusive or inappropriate messages in public chat
- Sending abusive or inappropriate messages to the host or other participants via live chat
- Using abusive, insulting, or offensive language over voice call
- Sharing inappropriate images via chat or as a virtual background
- Attempting to address or contact other students or staff outside of the workshop
Reporting an Incident
At Future Asset (Didasko Education Company Limited) we want all students to feel that they are in a safe, comfortable, and professional environment when taking part in any of our events, including those held online. If any student, teacher, parent, staff member or volunteer feels that anything has taken place such as those detailed above, they should contact us directly at info@futureasset.org.uk
We will respond to all messages within three working days and, if necessary, involve the relevant authorities as soon as possible.
Further Information
There are several resources available dealing with online safety for young people, and we would suggest in the first instance that students speak to their school or college directly.
We would also recommend consulting the UK Safer Internnet Hotline.
NSPCC Helpline
0808 800 5000
Contacts
Nominated Child Protection Lead
Name: Helen Bradley
Email: helen@futureasset.org.uk
Phone: (+44) 7932 072 840
Nominated Board Member with responsibility for Child Protection
Name: Tony Foster
Email: tony@didaskoeducation.org
We are committed to reviewing our policy and good practice annually.
This policy was last reviewed on: 5 June 2023
Future Asset is supported by asset management and financial services firms in Scotland who are committed to informing young women about opportunities and improving diversity in the sector.
Future Asset is a division of Didasko Education Company Limited www.didaskoeducation.org Company registration Number: 352872 Scottish Charity Number: SC040205