Digital Champions consent form

Dear Parent/Carer,

We are delighted that your child is applying for the Childnet Digital Leaders Digital Champions! We just wanted to write to you to explain what the group is and what will be expected of your child if their application is successful.

Who are the Digital Champions and what do they do?

They represent our entire Digital Leader community from across the UK and collaborate with other Digital Leaders outside of their school.
They provide advice to the UK Government, tech organisations, and schools on how to keep young people safe online.
They contribute to our regional and national events.
They have exclusive first-hand access and contribute to the development of the programme.

So far, the Digital Champions have...

Played a major role in celebrating Safer Internet Day including participating in the event itself and developing education materials and the theme.
Made appearances on national news and radio platforms such as BBC and ITV.
Met with Members of Parliament at the Houses of Parliament to discuss the online safety needs and desires of young people.
Conducted an interview with a government minister regarding their efforts to enhance online safety for young people.
Participated in the Safer Internet Forum in Brussels, collaborating with other young individuals from various European countries.
Provided training to European networks focused on keeping young people safe online.
Engaged in consultations with major tech and social media organisations.
Advocated for online safety within their schools and wider communities.

PLEASE NOTE: Students must be 13 or over to apply for the role of Digital Champions.

What sort of commitment is involved?

This opportunity requires a 1-year commitment from December 2023 - November 2024. Throughout this year, we will need one video call per month as well as some additional participation work. We estimate that this additional work will not exceed 6 hours a month. Digital Champions may be asked to participate in other opportunities, such as media opportunities and large-scale events. These opportunities may require a longer time commitment and involve travel and overnight stays. Expenses incurred by Digital Champions, such as travel and accommodation, will be reimbursed by Childnet.

What will my child get out of being a Digital Champion?

It’s our hope that the Champions get a lot out of this opportunity and use it as a meaningful learning experience to further their knowledge of online safety and be role models to all Digital Leaders. We will give them support to make the most of their time as a Digital Champion. And have fun too!

Communication

In order to lighten the load for teachers and enable more effective and efficient communication between Childnet and the Digital Champions, we use an online platform called Google Classroom.

What is Google Classroom?

Google Classroom is a free online platform, accessed by a web browser. It is very trusted by schools and is used in classrooms all over the world. It enables teachers to assign work, set quizzes and communicate directly with their class. Discussion can also be held on the platform but students cannot directly message each other.

How will Childnet use Google Classroom to contact my child?

The Childnet Digital Leaders team will use Google Classroom to set work, request feedback and communicate other participation opportunities to the Digital Champions. We will primarily use the ‘Stream’ section (much like a Facebook wall) to do this. The Childnet Google Classroom account is set up using the [email protected] email address – this is an inbox administered by the whole of the Digital Leaders team and so will not include any personal information that encourages 1:1 communication, such as personal email addresses. Google Classroom notifications are also sent to this inbox. Any communication that is received from any young people directly to one member of staff that requires a response will be responded to with the [email protected] email and teacher or parent copied in, along with the request to use Google Classroom where possible. If we do need to contact a Champion over email, this will be sent as above; using the [email protected] email address, copying in a teacher or parent.

We request your consent for your child to use this platform as a way for us to directly communicate with them. Please read the Google Terms of Service and if you are happy with them, please sign on the next page. Please also see our own Privacy Policy which states how we share Digital Leaders information with external organisations. Once completed, we will hold this consent form on our records for the duration of the young person’s remit as a Digital Champion. Please sign the Parent/Carer consent and Media consent forms on the next page to give Childnet consent for your child’s participation in the group.

Our commitment to you

We take privacy and safety very seriously, and if you would like more information on the Childnet Digital Leaders Programme please visit our parents/carers FAQ page. If you would like to discuss anything further, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the Childnet Digital Leaders team on 020 7639 6967 or [email protected].

Yours sincerely,

The Childnet Digital Leaders team

PLEASE NOTE: Parent/Carer consent is mandatory for your child to be able to participate in the Digital Champions group. Please make sure to press SUBMIT at the bottom of the page.

Details:

Child’s first name*

Child’s surname*

Child’s school email address

School name*

If your child has any health or accessibility issues (e.g. vision/hearing impairment, allergies, dyslexia) please feel free to tell us more about these in the box below. Please be aware these optional disclosures will only be shared with the members of the team who work directly with your child and will have no bearing on the success of their application.

Emergency contact details:

Parent/Carer contact (to be used in an emergency)

Name*

Relation to child*

Preferred contact number*

Other contact number (optional)

Email address*

Second emergency contact details (optional)

Name

Relation to child

Preferred contact number

Other contact number (optional)

Email address

Consent:

I confirm that:

I give consent for my child to take part in the Childnet Digital Leaders Programme, including accessing the online platform
I agree that my child can be in contact with members of the Childnet team (all DBS cleared; these can be shared with the school on request). This includes monthly video conferencing calls, emails etc.
I give consent for Childnet to securely store information about my child.
I give consent for my child to use Google Classroom in their capacity as a Digital Champion.
I give consent for my child to attend national and regional events, which may include residential stays away from home and will ensure my child will have an adult chaperone when travelling. I understand that if I do not organise an adult to chaperone my child during any such opportunity, my child will not be able to take part
I give consent for Childnet to securely store the contact information given above to be used to contact me in an emergency. For safeguarding purposes, this information will also be shared with the designated school staff member for the programme.

I confirm that I have read and agree to all of the above:

Signature*

I give consent for my child aged 16 or over to travel without an adult chaperone except where overnight stays are required (OPTIONAL, LEAVE BLANK IF NOT APPLICABLE):

Signature

Childnet media consent policy

Childnet exists to “help make the internet a great and safe place for children.” Your child has the unique opportunity to contribute to Childnet’s work. In keeping with our media consent policy to protect children and promote children’s rights, we ask that you carefully review the policy information outlined in this document. If you have questions or concerns about your child’s image being used by Childnet please feel free to contact us on 020 7639 6967 or by email at [email protected].

How are the images used?

We use images in a range of materials to promote Childnet as a whole and also to illustrate particular areas of our work. This includes (but is not limited to) publicity materials such as leaflets, brochures and posters, newspapers, magazine articles, television programmes, social media and publications for the internet. In Childnet’s publications we will never fully identify a young person in conjunction with an image. We may use partial information such as a first name and school/organisation. However, external media organisations (e.g. BBC) may require full name, school and location to be used in conjunction with an image.

Childnet agrees to:

Only use images of young people with the consent of their parent or carer.
Store images and video footage of young people securely.
Use images and video footage of young people as set out on the consent form, and with the aim to further the mission of Childnet in making the internet a great and safe place for children.
Never fully identify a young person in conjunction with an image. We may use partial information such as a first name and school/organisation.
Remove images or footage of young people upon written request by their parent or carer. Online photographs will be removed immediately and printed or published footage will be removed for subsequent print runs and editions.

As the parent or primary carer, you hereby agree to:

Allow Childnet to use and reproduce photographs, images, and video footage of your child as outlined above.
Allow Childnet to securely store images and video footage of your child for future use.

Signature*

Safety and privacy in the Childnet Digital Leaders Programme

We take privacy and safety very seriously and we have set out a clear commitment to your child’s school/organisation and we will communicate this to your child in an easy-to-understand way throughout their training. You may have heard of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR); if you haven’t, it is legislation regarding how personal data can be stored and used and is effective from 25^thMay 2018. This updated Privacy Policy has been written in accordance with GDPR.

Your child will have access to our Childnet Digital Leaders platform, which will be accessed by other digital leaders from across the UK and their teachers/educators. To ensure this platform is a positive and safe place we are putting in place several best practice measures.

Communication on the platform: to ensure that all communication between young people is kind and supportive we will:
- Provide clear Community Rules and Reporting features on the platform
- Childnet and your child’s teacher/educator will play an active role in monitoring communication
- In case of any inappropriate use we have clear procedures

Privacy: We will protect your child’s personal information by:
- Securely storing information
- Only displaying limited information on the platform
- Asking permission before sharing anything a young person has posted on the platform
- Offering children the right to remove any data we store about them
- We will delete your child’s personal information after they have left the programme

Safety: We have the following child protection procedures in place:
- Our staff are all DBS checked, and undergo rigorous recruitment procedures. We have in place clear internal procedures about how and when our staff are able to access the platform or communicate with young people.
- We have a clear process for handling disclosures and will involve your child’s school/organisation immediately in the case of any concerns.

If you have any concerns or questions, please contact Danielle Antha, Project Manager for the Digital Leaders Programme, on 0207 639 6967 or [email protected].

Your child’s responsibilities

As Childnet Digital Leaders, young people have a responsibility to behave in a kind, respectful and supportive way throughout the programme, both in school, online and in other contexts. Please see attached the Ethos and Values of the programme, which your child will receive in their training.

We expect young people to fulfil their responsibility to protect their own and others privacy on the platform by not sharing personal information and to seek support.