HOME LEARNING
Developed across the Humberside Police Force area, Not in our community is a leading campaign that helps young people protect themselves and friends against grooming leading to sexual and criminal exploitation.
We work with professionals and survivors to share real life stories in a way that helps prevent this happening to other young people.
To help with home learning during the COVID-19 social distancing measures, we have adapted the most relevant Not in our community film resources. The learning objectives for all resources include: different types of grooming and exploitation, how to spot the warning signs in the lives of people you know and how to get help.
Each recommended short film is accompanied by session questions and activities and can be done individually, in pairs or as a small group. All films contain content that some viewers might find distressing. Supervising adults are encouraged to view content in advance of showing to a child and to use the resource provided to guide the discussions that should always follow afterwards.
These resources have been designed for young people to work through with the support of a parent or carer although some students may be comfortable working on these independently.
NIOC Connect is a broader resource for sessions within an education setting. Take a look at NIOC Connect here.
Home Learning Resources
Instructions on how to use these resources.
1 – Watch the film.
2 – Download the session plan, read the questions and talk through or write down the answers.
3 – Use the suggested answers / hints section if required.
4 – If you can, discuss the issues raised in the film so that you understand the signs and how to get help.
Lucas’s Story
A film about online grooming and sexual exploitation. Suggested session time 30 to 60 minutes.
Suitable for viewers aged 11+
Alfie’s Story
A 3-part series about County Lines child criminal exploitation. Suggested session time is 3 sessions x 30 minutes.
Suitable for viewers aged 11+
Becky’s Story
A short film about a girl groomed online during the COVID 19 lockdown. Suggested time 30 to 60 minutes.
Suitable for viewers 11+
Control
A 2-part series about sexual exploitation and County Lines child criminal exploitation. Suggested session time is 2 sessions x 30 to 60 minutes. Suitable for viewers aged 15+
Heightened grooming and exploitation risks during COVID-19 can include
- Abusers using online grooming tactics on young people who might be bored and spending more time online. Abusers know how to gain trust and meet the unmet needs of young people from all backgrounds.
- Young people can be sexually exploited by being manipulated into sharing sexual imagery or performing sexual acts by abusers who can then go on to control and blackmail them into doing more.
- Organised criminal groups can control and manipulate young people into moving drugs, money and other illegal activity through grooming and child criminal exploitation behaviours.
What else can you do to protect your child?
Being aware of how abusers control victims, the warning signs and knowing where to get support will help parents and young people protect themselves against risks.
Practical things you can do to help include:
- Being aware of the apps and games your children are downloading and taking an interest in. This can be done by asking them to tell you about it and asking if it is something they play with friends or meet new people on.
- Explore parental controls, settings and software designed to help keep your child safe (see further online safety resources below for a link.)
- Remind children of what they learnt about stranger danger, e.g. not speaking to a stranger they met on the street or letting them in the home. Teach them to see approaches from strangers on their phone/device in the same way.
- Show your child it’s ok to talk to you about this – talk to them. Put scenarios to them; what would you do if someone you didn’t know but had said “hi” to you on a game and then sent you a friend request? What would you do if a friend of a friend messages you on WhatsApp?
- Encourage them to identify risks and suspicious behaviour they might have seen or heard about. Not in our community is collecting and sharing insights from young people via their Instagram and Facebook accounts about what to look out for.
In addition to the resource available above, information is also available nationally;
The Government has created a hub of support for parents and carers to help keep children safe online.
This covers topics including: child sexual abuse, radicalisation, sexting (youth-produced sexual imagery), cyberbullying, age-inappropriate content and parental controls, suicide content and support for children.
Thinkuknow is an education programme from the National Crime Agency’s CEOP Command.
Thinkuknow have created a page to support parents during COVID-19. Each fortnight they release new #OnlineSafetyAtHome activity packs with simple 15 minute activities you can do with your child to support their online safety.
https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents/Support-tools/home-activity-worksheets/
The NSPCC have a page that provides tips and advice for parents and carers focused on needs throughout COVID-19 and that has a section on online safety;
https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/coronavirus-advice-suppport-children-families-parents/
The NGO End Violence Against Children has teamed up with technology companies – including Microsoft, Facebook, Google, Twitter, Roblox and Snapchat – to develop a campaign to help keep children safe online during Covid-19. Further information, materials and links are available here: www.end-violence.org/safeonlinecovid
If viewers feel that they or someone they know is at risk of exploitation help is available now. Please check out the get help page
Many further resources are available at NIOC Connect
You can follow Not in our community for all new resources and help from our community sharing the warning signs of grooming at Facebook, Instagram and YouTube
