Best Practice Framework for Online Safety Education reports
In response to identified gaps in online safety education, eSafety undertook research to support the development of a Framework for online safety education in Australian schools, from K-12.
The Stage 1 report focuses on the rapid review of evidence to assess current understandings of best practice in online safety education.
Key findings from the report:
- Several online safety education frameworks exist but none are comprehensive enough to be adopted as a national standard.
- There is a need for greater efforts to improve the quality of educational programs for children.
- A sound online safety education framework should cover the full range of potential issues, risks and harms that children may encounter, as well as consider the issues of greatest parental concern.
- The framework should be based on concepts found in digital citizenship and social and emotional learning programs, augmented with content addressing common risk and protective factors. This would be underpinned by evidence, guided by principles of effective prevention and delivered in supportive school systems with strong partnerships with other agencies.
- Online safety initiatives, both in Australia and internationally, must be assessed for their effectiveness. This is needed as high-quality prevention initiatives must be underpinned by recent, rigorous and reliable process and outcome evaluations.
The Stage 2 report focuses on consultation about the draft Framework prepared in Stage 1. The draft Framework was tested with a range of key experts and stakeholders, ensuring the final version covers the right elements and actions, so it can be easily implemented in school environments.
The final Best Practice Framework is now available for use. There is also an implementation guide which includes relevant links to the Australian Curriculum, other existing polices and frameworks, eSafety's Toolkit for Schools and our classroom resources.
