FAQs
Please contact us if you have any questions that are not answered below.
If you have already subscribed to the Childnet Digital Leaders Programme and have a question relating to running the programme or are experiencing a technical issue, then please use the contact form within the Digital Leaders platform or via our Get In Touch page.
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What content is included in the online training?
The training for both primary and secondary platforms will provide:
- Video and interactive content with information and advice on the online safety issues that young people face today, as well as tips on how they can engage and educate their wider peer community.
- The primary platform has been designed with Key Stage 2 students in mind and encompasses the messages taught with our SMART rules – childnet.com/young-people/primary.
- The secondary platform has been designed with Key Stage 3 students in mind and covers more complex topics such as digital democracy, fake news and how to respond to the concerns of younger children.
- Although the training has been designed with these ages in mind, it can be used and adapted for other ages.
Find out more on our How it works page.
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How much time commitment is needed from the students and from the educational setting?
We recommend that the Digital Leaders spend around 30 minutes a week on their activities to help them maximise the potential impact of the programme within their educational setting. They could meet up at lunch, after school or in form time. Digital Leaders should be able to complete their training within 2-3 months and then they have the rest of the year to deliver impactful activities in your school and community, as well as working through Team Achievement modules, so that they can continue to gain points and badges for their school on the online platform.
Your school should allocate a member of staff to oversee this programme and meet regularly with the students. We’ll stay in touch throughout the year to make sure that you are happy with how things are progressing.
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What kind of devices will our Digital Leaders need and how many?
The training platform is accessible on desktops, laptops, and tablets. Digital Leaders will each require access to individual devices when they meet, and you can find more information in the Requirements of the Childnet Digital Leaders Programme.
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Do the Childnet Digital Leaders have to be from certain year groups?
Your team of Digital Leaders can be from one year group or several. Although the training has been developed with Key Stage 2 in mind for the primary platform, and Key Stage 3 for the secondary platform, the programme is not limited to particular year groups and there are training modules to suit all age groups.
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When can we start the programme?
You can enrol in the programme at any point in the academic year. We then give you up to three months to recruit your team of Digital Leaders. Your subscription start date begins once you have uploaded your Digital Leader team to the online platform, or after the three month period, whichever is sooner.
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Is there a limit to how many Digital Leaders we can have?
We recommend that schools/organisations recruit 8-10 Digital Leaders. We have found that this is the most effective number for creating a close knit team who can organise a range of activities and progress through the programme over the year. We are open and flexible to you recruiting a larger team of Digital Leaders if you feel this would be more suitable to your needs.
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Would this programme work in non-school settings?
Yes! We would be very happy to talk to you about how this programme can work in a non-school setting. We have a variety of non-schools enrolled including libraries and county councils and would love to see the programme used in many different settings.
Please get in touch with us to talk through how the programme could potentially work in your setting.
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Is the secondary platform suitable for sixth form students?
Presently we don’t have a programme designed specifically for sixth form students. The secondary online training modules have been designed with Key Stage 3 in mind, however, the peer-to-peer learning element of the programme can be adapted and expanded upon to suit the needs of 16+ students.
For example, the students attend regular meetings which can provide the space for older students to discuss the more mature themes of the module topics.
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We are a primary and secondary school, can we get one subscription?
Unfortunately not. There are two separate platforms for primary and secondary aged children, and these cannot be combined as the content and functionality differs. If your school would like to train both primary and secondary students then this will require two separate subscriptions. Some schools sign up to the secondary platform and then those qualified Digital Leaders will train their peers in lower year groups.
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Do you have a platform suitable for students with special educational needs and disability (SEND)?
We do not currently have a specific online platform for students with SEND however we are working on making our platform more inclusive.
We do have some SEND schools subscribed to the programme who find it works very well in their settings. It is completely up to you as to whether you feel the primary or secondary platform is suitable for your setting, no matter what stage your setting is. Please register your interest to get access to a guest login and explore a taster of the platform. Please feel free to get in contact with us to discuss these options further as we would love to hear from SEND schools and work with them to make our programme more inclusive.
We can also give you access to the guest login to try out the platform for yourself.
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We are an international school, can we sign up?
Yes – international schools are able to sign up to the Childnet Digital Leaders Programme if they are English speaking and follow the UK curriculum. We have a growing number of international Digital Leader schools- take a look at the Digital Leaders map on the Impact and reach page to find out more!
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Can I preview the platform before subscribing?
Yes – we have a free guest login with a couple of example modules so that you can have a taster of the functionality of the online platform. Please sign up for access to the guest login here.
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Are the student’s personal details safe?
We take the privacy of all our Digital Leaders very seriously and we only use personal information of staff and students for specific reasons necessary for the platform. Please see our Privacy Policy.
When sending consent forms you should follow your school or organisation’s GDPR compliance rules, we suggest sending consent forms using email attachments which are password protected.
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How much does it cost to join the programme?
It costs £600 (+VAT) to join the Childnet Digital Leaders Programme for 1 year.
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How do I enrol in the programme?
Once you’re certain that this is something your organisation has the capacity and budget for, you can enrol by filling in this form.
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What is the Childnet Digital Leaders Programme?
The Childnet Digital Leaders Programme aims to empower children and young people to champion online safety within their schools and to educate their peers, parents, carers and teachers about staying safe online.
By working through the online modules, Digital Leaders will become ‘Qualified’ and then will be able to lead offline activities in their schools or community, acting as role models and increasing awareness about the online risks facing young people today.
The Childnet Digital Leaders Programme is a great opportunity for students to be involved in online safety education, develop their confidence to help their peers with online safety issues and be more conscious of their own digital footprint and actions online.
There are many leadership opportunities associated with the programme and lots of Digital Leaders share their knowledge in school by holding assemblies or after school sessions for parents.
The programme also links Digital Leader schools across the UK, giving young people opportunities to attend national events and receive school visits from the Childnet Digital Leaders team.
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Why do I need to give emergency contact details?
Childnet are committed to the highest standards of safeguarding children and young people in all areas, especially online.
While it is unlikely that issues or a disclosure will be expressed on the platform we want to ensure that any potential safeguarding issues can be recognised and managed quickly, with the wellbeing of the child as the driving force behind any action we take.
The online platform is moderated by the Childnet team. To ensure that children are suitably safeguarded we need to be able to take appropriate action if a child ever expresses that they are in danger, at risk of harm or if we are concerned about a child. Such an issue could present itself at any time and our first point of contact would likely be the school. If an issue is brought to our attention, the school are unreachable and it requires immediate action, we must ensure that we have the correct contact information to address this issue.
As the platform also allows children to contact a member of the Childnet team directly (through the ‘Contact’ tab) there is always the possibility that a disclosure may be made to us, and this too may require immediate action.
Please contact us here if you have any further questions.
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Do I need to give media consent for my child?
The programme has quite a high public profile and has been featured on television news and in several newspapers and magazines. Previously, interviews with Digital Leaders have been broadcast by Sky, BBC and Facebook.
Giving media consent for your child is optional. Please be assured that if you don’t agree for us to use media featuring your child, then this will not at all hinder their involvement in the programme. Please also see our Privacy Policy for more information about media consent.
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Will the programme interfere with my child’s school work or take up their time out of school?
We recommend that the Digital Leaders spend around an hour a week on their activities to help them maximise the potential impact of the programme. We recommend to schools that their Digital Leaders meet up at lunch, after school or in form time with a designated member of staff. It is up to a school’s staff to decide when is best for the Digital Leaders to meet, and there is no reason that this should interfere with their other educational commitments. Digital Leaders should be able to complete their training within 2-3 months and then they have the rest of the year to deliver impactful activities in their school and community.
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Will my child be safe on the Community section of the platform?
The Community section of the platform allows Digital Leaders to post and respond to questions from within the international Digital Leader community. The Community feature has been created to empower young people to discuss online safety in a safe environment and to positively inspire their peers.
The online platform is moderated by Childnet and if anything is posted on the Community that is inappropriate or not related to the Childnet Digital Leaders Programme it will be removed and the school will be contacted.
To ensure that children are safeguarded we will take appropriate action if a child ever expresses on the platform that they are in danger, at risk of harm, or if we are concerned about the way a child is using the Community feature. Such an issue could present itself at any time. In this event, our first point of contact would be the school. However, if an issue is brought to our attention outside of school hours and requires immediate action, we will contact the parent or carer.
Please note that if your child is a primary Digital Leader, the Community feature on the platform can be activated or deactivated. This is decided by the school.
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Are my child’s personal details safe?
We take the privacy of all our Digital Leaders very seriously and we only use personal information of students for specific reasons necessary for the platform. Please see our Privacy Policy here.
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Is there anything I will need to do?
We require a signed parental consent form for all children to take part in the Childnet Digital Leaders Programme. Parents and carers can choose to sign the media consent form (see FAQ ‘Do I need to give media consent for my child?’). During the programme we do not require parents to be involved in any way as the programme will be facilitated by a designated member of staff.
We do encourage children to discuss what they are learning during their training with their parents or carers. Once students have finished their training they are ready to share their knowledge within their community, and we encourage parents and carers to be open minded to learning from their children about online safety.
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How can I reset a student's password if they forget it?
If a student forgets their password, they can hit the ‘Forgot Password?’ button underneath the ‘Log In’ button on the log in page.
As a Group Leader, you can also reset their password if you click the ‘Edit students account’ button on the home page. From there, click ‘List Users’. Hover over the user you want to update and the ‘edit’ button will appear which you can click. Scroll to the ‘Send Reset Link’ button and the student will receive a link prompting them to reset their password.
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How can I change a student's email address or name on the platform?
As a Group Leader, you can change their details if you click the ‘Edit students account’ button on the home page of the platform. From there, click ‘List Users’. Hover over the user you want to update and the ‘edit’ button will appear underneath which you can click. Scroll to the details which you want to change. Make sure to scroll to the very bottom of the page and click ‘Update User’ to save changes.
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How can my students log in if they don't have school email addresses?
Secondary Digital Leaders will need a school email address in order to access the programme.
We understand that some primary schools do not use email. If this is the case Digital Leaders would log in via the Group Leader’s profile. They will have individual profiles they can access by first logging in to the Group Leader’s profile and then selecting their name.
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Can I disable Community access?
The Community page is where Digital Leaders can communicate with other Digital Leaders subscribed to the programme. Primary Digital Leaders can only communicate with others on the primary platform and secondary Digital Leaders can only communicate with others on the secondary platform.
Group Leaders on the primary platform have the option to enable or disable this for the group. There is no option to enable or disable this on the secondary platform and is always automatically enabled.
You have the option to enable or disable for individuals in the group on the ‘Edit students accounts’ page.
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I have completed the module but it is not coming up as completed. What is the issue?
At the end of the module, ensure students are hitting the button ‘Finish’ and wait for the green ‘Course is completed’ message to appear. They need to do this in order for the module to be completed on the platform and for the students to gain their badge.
If you have done this and it is still not coming up as completed, please contact [email protected] so we can investigate this further.
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Is it possible to get a paper version of the consent form instead of a digital version?
If a parent/carer is unable to access the digital version, here is a pdf version of the consent form which you can download and print for them. Once it is filled in and signed, please send a scanned copy back to us and we will upload that student to the platform.
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How do I remove inactive Digital Leaders?
If there are Digital Leaders in your group that are no longer taking part in the programme and you would like them removed, please contact [email protected] so we can remove them for you.
We always advise that settings let us know as soon as Digital Leaders are no longer taking part.
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I subscribed to the guest platform but didn't have time to look at it in that period. Would it be possible to extend that login?
If you did not have time to look at the trial platform during the two week period, please contact us [email protected] and we will get back to you.
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Can I track students' progress on the platform?
Yes, when logged into the platform you can click on the ‘Edit students accounts’ button on the home screen. There you can ‘Export progress’ and download an Excel file which shows which modules the Digital Leaders in your group have completed and the date on which they completed them.
As a Group Leader, you can also switch to your Digital Leaders’ profiles if you want to see how an individual is progressing.
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Why aren't students receiving emails from Childnet?
Oftentimes, schools will have emails from external addresses blocked for safeguarding purposes. In order for your students to receive emails from Childnet and to get set up on the platform, you may need to whitelist the [email protected] email address.
Please share this Requirements of the Platform document with your I.T. support to pre-empt any technical issues with getting your students set up on the platform.
If your I.T. support has implemented these measures and your students are still unable to access the platform, please contact [email protected] so we can investigate further.