Last Updated on 4th November 2025
Your Monthly Newsletter
*Please note that some words have been altered in this email for filtering purposes to ensure you receive important information*
🤗 Welcome to our October Round Up! 👋
Welcome back. We hope you had a refreshing and restful half-term break. As everyone settles back into routine, let’s make sure our focus remains sharp on protecting the young people in our care from digital risks and challenges. This edition features our major new PSNI partnership to strengthen online safety, a fun and informative ‘Scareable’, alongside key advice for World Mental Health Day and upcoming training on navigating the risks of pornography. Don’t miss out on essential resources and the latest news! Find all the information you need inside to help ensure a safe and positive digital environment.
👮PSNI Partnership Announcement 🤝
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and INEQE Safeguarding Group have launched a key strategic partnership to directly address the increasing number of online s3xual offences impacting young people.
This initiative is focused on empowering frontline PSNI officers with the knowledge and tools they need to better protect children from digital harm. Officers are receiving expert training and access to specialised resources on issues like gr0oming, $extortion, and image sharing through the Safer Schools NI Teach Hub.
“We can’t expect our children and young people to navigate the digital world alone.This partnership will help officers feel confident and equipped to talk to them about the risks they face online—in a way that is age-appropriate, empathetic and impactful.”
– Jim Gamble,
QPM, CEO of INEQE
🧛 Spooky Scareable 😧
“Horror” isn’t just for the movie theatres anymore; It can be accessed on many platforms today, including video games and social media. Make sure the young people in your life are protected and supported by checking out our shareable, ‘Handle with Scare’: Understanding Horror’s Influence on Young People‘, available to you in the Teach Hub and in the link below. Learn how to spot the signs that the children in your care are in need of your support and facilitate necessary conversations around fear and safe viewing.
🕵️ Decoding 6-7 🤷
“Six Seven” is sweeping classrooms worldwide, it’s even been named Dictionary.com’s 2025 Word of the Year! But what’s it all about?
Check out our ‘Decoding Digital’ resource: a current, user-friendly online dictionary that explains digital language, acronyms, and emojis. Stay informed and help keep the children and young people in your care safer.
Access it through your Safer Schools app under Online Safety and Safeguarding Resources, or download it today via the Teach Hub.
💚 World Mental Health Day 💚
The 10th October was World Mental Health Day, but the need for support and awareness doesn’t stop there.
A recent study found that 2 in 5 (40%) people had experienced mental ill health in Northern Ireland. (HSC NI)
Find out what you can do: through Safer Schools NI, you have access to an abundance of resources to help you navigate how to support and understand young people who struggle with poor mental health. All teaching professionals have access to the Professional Development section of the app, make sure to take the course on Mental Health Awareness and take the digital test to assess your knowledge.
🧑🏫 Training 🏋️♂️
This month our training team covered two well-attended webinars, Masculinity, Misogyny, Incels, and S3xtortion. We have just one session left this year!
Don’t miss out on our live session on P0rnography and S3xual Development. This course addresses the growing issue of p0rnography accessibility and its risks to young people.
You’ll explore how modern explicit content and access methods have changed, impacting adolescent development and relationships. The session covers common age verification workarounds and the role of social media in heightened exposure. You’ll leave with practical tools and informed strategies to safeguard against p0rnography-related issues in a sensitive and effective manner.
📰 Latest News Stories 🗞️
🔒 ‘Stricter regulations’ needed when signing up online, Stormont told – Young people in Northern Ireland have urged Stormont to implement stricter online sign-up regulations to prevent abusers and bullies from easily creating fake, anonymous accounts that facilitate grooming and exposure to inappropriate content.
⚖️ Abuser first person jailed under Online Safety Act – A vile online groomer was sentenced to 20 years in prison after becoming the first person in the UK to be convicted and jailed under the new Online Safety Act for the specific crime of encouraging a child to self-harm.
🛍️ Scammers using AI to lure shoppers to fake businesses – Scammers are leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) to quickly create highly convincing, identical fake shopping websites and deepfake promotions that effectively lure shoppers and steal personal or financial data on an unprecedented scale.
🔞 ChatGPT will soon allow erotica for verified adults, says OpenAI boss – The announcement broke that the company will soon allow ChatGPT to generate erotica for age-verified adult users, fulfilling the principle of “treat adult users like adults” after implementing new safety tools
