Parents Cafe » Child Care

How to Keep Your Child Safe on the Internet

admin — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 08:51:05 +0000

This been provided by BullGuard Internet Security who provide an all in one antivirus and internet security solution.

There are a number of things you can do to help keep your child safe when they go on the internet, and to prevent them from seeing content which is of an adult nature.

Learn to Surf for Yourself
If you don’t know what’s out there, it is going to be difficult for you to know how best to protect your child, so get yourself onto the internet and learn how it works for yourself. There are plenty of adult education classes available around the country where you can take lessons if you aren’t sure where to begin.

Parental Controls
Set in place parental controls on all equipment that can be connected to the internet. This means that you lock out any sites that you do not wish your child to see, and create rules that control which sites they can gain access to according to its content. Some ISP’s also offer child safety measures so it’s always worth asking what they provide.

Take Control
Put the computer in a family room where its screen is visible to you. Set up passwords so that your child cannot access the internet when you are not there, and learn to use the ‘history’ on the computer to see what sites your child is accessing when they do surf the internet.

Get Your Child Involved
Kids generally react better to rules if they understand why they are in place, so involve your child. Explain to them that the internet has content that is suitable for everyone and some that isn’t. Talk to them about safety on the internet just as you would talk to them about safety in the street. Let them know that certain things are ok and certain things are not, and help them to understand that the boundaries you set are there to keep them safe.

Personal Information
Explain to your child why it is important to keep personal information safe, and why they shouldn’t share details about themselves with strangers. They should be aware that personal information that they give out can be used to for unlawful reasons which could involve the police if the wrong person steals and uses this information.

Make sure they understand that they must not:

Give out personal information such as name, address, phone numbers, passwords, pin numbers and bank details.
Arrange to meet an online friend without your full knowledge, permission and/ or presence.
Register with any websites without your permission
Give any indication of their age, name, sex or other personal information in their screen name or online persona.
Upload or download anything from the internet without your permission including pictures.

Teach Them to Tell You
If your child ever comes across anything which; they don’t understand, frightens or worries them, or; if they are bullied online, if anyone says anything that is inappropriate or tries to get them to do anything you’ve said they shouldn’t then they should tell you immediately. Make sure that they are not afraid of your reaction, and let them know that you understand sometimes people come across things accidentally and they won’t be the ones in trouble.

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NSPCC say spending cuts leading to child welfare crisis

Alan — Wed, 19 May 2010 09:50:50 +0000

Yet another surge of shock and dismay hit the British population this week after a woman in Bexleyheath was convicted of murdering her son. The child was less than two years old, and had suffered what appeared to be continuous abuse.

The mother, Collette Harris, repeatedly excused his injuries, to doctors and to child welfare agencies, as due to his clumsiness or banging his head on the crib. Only after the child died, in December of 2008, did the extent and nature of the injuries become known and acknowledged.

The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) and Action for Children are two of the organizations lobbying for more efficient and far-reaching action on the part of the new coalition government.

Their concern is partly due to the spending cuts that have been proposed as a means of reducing the national debt. Some of these cuts would be in the realm of children’s benefits, presumably including those directed towards prevention of abuse.

NSPCC is hoping to get the government to establish some form of cross-departmental structure or a specific department in the Cabinet to deal specifically with child abuse. Head of campaigns and public affairs and NSPCC, Diana Sutton, said that child services must be a priority and funds should be made available regardless of spending cuts.

Of utmost importance is the prevention of abuse, rather than trying to “pick up the pieces” after the fact. This approach, says Helen Donohoe of Action for Children, would be much more effective in the long term. Ms Donohoe believes that early intervention through working with families is the best means of reducing if not eliminating the abuse of children.

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Childcare costs going up much faster than inflation

Alan — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 06:14:45 +0000

A new report published by the Daycare Trust found that nursery placement costs for children that are over the age of two have increased by double the rate of inflation over the course of 2009, and that on average childcare costs half the gross earnings of most parents who work full time in England.

The findings of the national childcare charity also show that even though the recession has decreased the earning power of many people, nursery fees have increased by about five percent with most parents spending around £4,500 every year for childcare. The situation is even worse in London where parents on average spend about £11,000 per year or about £212 per week for 25 hours of nursery use.

Other areas in England also saw large increases in the cost of childcare with Yorkshire and the East Midlands reporting an increase of about 24% and Humber showing an increase of about 13%.

According to the charity, the results show how parents are struggling as they face pay cuts, retention, and hour reduction at the same time they face rising childcare costs.

Chief executive of the Daycare Trust, Alison Garnham, stated that the figures are shocking to see and that the government should extend the promise of free nursery care to all children in the country that are over the age of two.

Currently, only children over three qualify for government funded childcare for 12.5 hours although in the future this will be increased to 15 hours per week.

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