Safe and Connected: Supporting online safety for children and young people in care

Feb 2025

Written by Janise Mitchell

This practice guide is designed to strengthen the capacity of staff in out-of-home care services to actively support and promote the online safety of children and young people in their care. It aims to empower staff supporting children, young people, and their carers to:

  • Gain a clear understanding of the online environments that children and young people in out-of-home care engage in.
  • Recognise and address the unique vulnerabilities faced by children and young people with developmental trauma when navigating the digital world.
  • Build confidence and readiness to support online safety with children and young people.
  • Understand their responsibilities in adhering to established guidelines and policies for online interactions with children and young people.

This practice guide was developed to address growing concerns about online safety for children and young people, particularly those in out-of-home care. The project was funded by eSafety, reflecting a shared commitment to ensuring all children and young people are safe and supported in digital environments.

We would love to hear if you have the practice guide useful. To share your feedback please complete this short survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/onlinesafe

Safe and Connected: Supporting online safety for children and young people in care

You may be interested in:

Bringing Up Great Kids – Parenting After Family Violence Program
Bringing Up Great Kids – Parenting After Family Violence Program
Women and their children are traumatised by the experience of family violence. It terrifies them. It destabilises the foundations of their world. It undermines the strengths of their relationships. It...
Read more
9 plain english principles of trauma-informed care
9 plain english principles of trauma-informed care
The trauma literature can be overwhelming. Its basis in neuroscience offers incredible insights into its impact. But it also is challenging to decipher and make relevant to the ways in...
Read more
Ethical dilemmas in child protection practice: a tale of two stories
Ethical dilemmas in child protection practice: a tale of two stories
Decision-making in child protection is complex. There are so many decisions that are made on a daily basis, often made in the context of competing priorities, increased productivity pressures, and...
Read more