Derbyshire police commissioner funds scheme to educate schoolchildren on risks of online exploitation

Independent provider ESafety Training has been awarded the contract to deliver the superhero-themed I-Vengers Digital Leaders scheme across Derbyshire.

The project will run across the county for two years, funded by £70,000 from Police and Crime Commissioner Hardyal Dhindsa and £30,000 from Derbyshire County Council.

Mr Dhindsa said: “The risks of online exploitation are growing. However, we can make a difference by arming children with the knowledge they need to avoid harm.”

He added: “One of the strengths of the project is the way in which it places children at the centre of the solutions and encourages them to use their voice to safeguard their peer group.

“We know young people respond well to other young people and, through the project, we aim to speak in the language and medium favoured by school pupils to ensure important messages are heard.”

The initiative is targeted towards children in years five and six, but will initially deliver online safety training to multi-agency professionals working with children.

When it is rolled out to schools, pupils will be selected as I-Vengers leaders to help deliver key safety messages to their peer group and the adults around them.

Traci Good, director of ESafety Training, said: "The I-vengers programme takes a holistic look at online safety, enabling young people to become peer educators in their schools and giving them the opportunity to educate their parents, carers and teachers.

“Completing tasks that are age-appropriate will allow them to think critically about how they interact with others when using online technologies.”

She added: “By moving away from the traditional ‘scare tactics’ that have sadly become commonplace, we can allow children to become capable and confident online explorers.”

A pilot scheme ran successfully in Chesterfield between in 2018-19, and it is now being rolled out to five other local children’s safeguarding partnerships to ensure a consistent county-wide approach.