Online Safety Committee

To ensure that voluntary, community and statutory partners meet regularly to advise and support the delivery of actions assigned to the SBNI in the NI Executive’s Online Safety Strategy Action Plan.

• Agree a work plan with the SBNI as part of the SBNI business planning process and provide regular reports on the work of the Committee;
• Reflect, represent and promote the voice and views of members’ service users and engagement groups, this includes different groups of children and young people, parents and carers and those who work with them; and to share opportunities to engage with these groups in the delivery of the online safety work stream;
• Play a critical role in maintaining and raising awareness of the child safety online hub repository, ensuring that it is kept up to date with emerging information and resources, including from Committee member organisations;
• Work with NI government, partners and wider UK online safety structures and ensure that members contribute to the UK Council for Internet Safety (UKCIS) resources to ensure the voice of local service users and stakeholders are heard; 
• Educate and empower children and those responsible for their care on online safety messages – this will include identifying, coordinating and raising awareness of existing resources and developing new resources as appropriate;
• Work with partners and stakeholders to identify what age appropriate support and recovery services are available when online safety issues arise, and develop agreed reporting pathways for children and young people, parents/carers and those who work with them to reinforce messaging on where to contact if help is needed; and
• Share available data and insight from own organisations to help establish the scale and nature of online harm in NI and emerging threats, and to help identify data and knowledge gaps.

The group is chaired by a Detective Chief Inspector, PSNI. Membership comprises representatives from the five Health and Social Care Trusts and;

• Council for Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA)
• Education Authority Northern Ireland (EANI)
• Education Authority Northern Ireland (EANI) C2K
• Include Youth
• National Children’s Bureau NI
• National Society for the Prevention Cruelty to Children (NSPCC)
• National Crime Agency (NCA)
• Nexus NI
• NI Anti-Bullying Forum
• Parenting NI
• Police Service Northern Ireland (PSNI)
• Safeguarding Board Northern Ireland (SBNI)
• Voice of Young People In Care (VOYPIC)