UKCIS Vulnerable Users Working Group Members

The Working Group is a collective of expert volunteers working together to keep vulnerable users safe online.

Youthworks

Adrienne is Director of Youthworks Consulting and leads the annual Cybersurvey exploring young people’s online lives, partnering in 2019 with Internet Matters. With Dr Aiman El Asam from the Department of Psychology, University of Kingston she has focused on vulnerable children’s experiences in a digital world since 2017. She is an accredited online safety trainer, member of AACOSS, author of books and reports on online safety and digital life.

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Ofcom

Ofcom’s Making Sense of Media programme aims to help improve the online skills, knowledge and understanding of UK adults and children, through providing robust research and collaboration with relevant stakeholders.

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Samaritans

The Online Harms Advisory Service at Samaritans supports industries with the best practice management of online self-harm and suicide content.

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SWGfL

The Southwest Grid for Learning is a charity dedicated to empowering the safe and secure use of technology globally.

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Online Harms and Cybertrauma

Cath is a Clinical Doctoral Researcher, Consultant, Public Speaker, Author and Child/Adult Trauma Psychotherapist. She writes about and works with cybertrauma and advocates for children’s rights, privacy and digital explorations online. Cath educates professionals about data protection, privacy and cybersecurity issues relating to their practice and is the mental health advisor for Gamersbeatcancer.

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NSPCC

The NSPCC Child Safety Online experts are all ex-practitioners from education, social work and law enforcement. They deliver innovative projects and partner with internal and external groups to help make children safer from abuse online. Their work includes providing advice and information for parents and carers. They also support young people through Childline and support professionals through their Learning website, e-learning courses and consultancy service.

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Barnardo’s

Barnardo’s is a children’s charity that protects and supports children and young people in the UK.

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Mencap

Mencap is a UK charity for people with a learning disability and their families and carers. Mencap’s vision is for the UK to be the best place for people with a learning disability to live happy and healthier lives. It provides direct support, information and advice, and campaigns to make society inclusive and accessible.

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University of East Anglia

Dr Simon P. Hammond is an Applied Psychologist and Lecturer in Education interested in how digital technologies reshape everyday social possibilities for action and the implications of our increasingly online world for our mental health. His work explores how young people, particularly those labelled as vulnerable, experience digital inclusion, resilience, participation and equality.

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Nottingham Trent University

Dr Simpson is a Senior Lecturer in Social Work and Course Leader for MA Advanced Social Work at NTU. Her social work practice background is fostering, which led to her PhD focusing on how children in care use mobile devices and social media to stay in touch with their families. Jennifer has also carried out research spanning social media and social work; child, adult and family social work/services; and higher education CPD for integrated social services workforces.

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BACP

The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy is the professional association for members of the counselling professions in the UK.

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SBNI

The objective of the Safeguarding Board for Northern Ireland (SBNI) is to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people in Northern Ireland by coordinating the work and ensuring the effectiveness of each person or body represented on the SBNI Board.

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NCA-CEOP

The CEOP Education Team is part of the National Crime Agency (NCA) and delivers an education programme to help protect children and young people from online sexual abuse.

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ASCL

The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) is the leading professional association and trade union for all school, college and trust leaders.

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LGfL

The London Grid for Learning provides a filtered broadband connection, network services, a common learning platform, online content and support communities for all schools across London. It operates as a consortium of 33 local education authorities.

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Anti-Bullying Alliance

The Anti-Bullying Alliance (ABA) is a coalition of organisations and individuals that are united against bullying. The Director leads the work of the ABA, supporting its members in all aspects of bullying prevention and response. The ABA also coordinates Anti-Bullying Week each November.

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Parent Zone

Parent Zone is a parenting organisation working to make the online world a safer, more positive place for families and children.

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Disabled Children Child Protection Network

This independent network is based in Scotland and is for practitioners who work with and for disabled children and their families and/ or have responsibilities or special interest in child protection. It aims to provide practical peer support for members to access advice and be a forum to support local and national practice improvement in safeguarding disabled children and supporting their families.

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CSDPR

Dr Buzzi is Director of the Centre for Safeguarding and Digital Practice and Research as well as an author, researcher and leading authority in safeguarding and well-being with emphasis on restorative and trauma-informed approaches, and safeguarding children and young people and vulnerable adults online and offline. Produced with Claudia Megele, his 10 Cs Risk and Resilience Framework offers an approach to safeguarding young people online that is used by several local authorities.

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Childnet

Childnet International is a registered UK charity that aims to make the internet a safe place for children and young people.

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NYAS

The National Youth Advocacy Service (NYAS) is a children’s charity that supports and empowers care-experienced children, young people and adults in vulnerable situations when important decisions are being made about them.

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Stonewall

Founded in London in 1989, Stonewall now works in each nation of the UK and has established partnerships across the globe. They help create transformative change in the lives of LGBTQ+ people through their campaigns, research and change and empowerment programmes. They fight for a world where LGBTQ+ people everywhere can live their lives to the full.

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Action for Children

Action for Children work to deliver safe and happy childhoods. They protect and support children and young people, providing practical and emotional care and support. They ensure their voices are heard, and campaign to bring lasting improvements to their lives. They do this through intervention, prevention and advocacy.

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Catch22

Catch22 designs and delivers services that build resilience and aspiration in people of all ages and within communities across the UK.

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University of Warwick

Dr Roxanne Ellen Bibizadeh is a Research Fellow in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Warwick where she was awarded an ESRC IAA grant for her project ‘Digitally Empowering Young People’. This project aims to gain a greater understanding of young people’s digital experiences and their online safety education. In 2020 she was invited to become a Visiting Research Fellow in the Department of Digital Humanities at King’s College London.

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In addition to the members listed above, the Group’s work is conducted with support from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, the Department for Education, and the Scottish and Welsh Governments.

The Group is chaired by Katie Freeman-Tayler (Head of Policy and Research at Internet Matters) and the secretariat is provided by Rupert Meadows (Policy Manager at Internet Matters).

The UKCIS Vulnerable Users Working Group is a collaboration of specialists volunteering their time to help reduce the likelihood of children with vulnerabilities experiencing harm online.