CCPAS - Press Release

CCPAS Press Release

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09 December 2009

CCPAS ONLY CHRISTIAN ORGANISATION OUT OF 14 CHOSEN TO EXHIBIT AT GOVERNMENT-SPONSORED CHILD PROTECTION SUMMIT ADDRESSED BY GORDON BROWN

The Churches’ Child Protection Advisory Service (CCPAS) was the only Christian organisation out of the fourteen selected to exhibit internet safety materials at the UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS) conference earlier this week. The conference was addressed by both Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Secretary of State for Education, Ed Balls.

The UKCCIS was set up by the government and reports direct to the Prime Minister. The summit launched the Government’s first-ever Child Internet Safety Strategy under the slogan ‘Zip it, Block it, Flag it’.

What is effectively a new ‘Green Cross Code’ for internet safety has been developed by the Council of the UKCCIS. The Council is an unprecedented collaboration of government departments, leading communication providers such as Microsoft, Google and Facebook, child protection agencies, charities including the NSPCC and Childnet International and trades unions. Deputy CEO Simon Bass represents CCPAS on the UKCCIS Council.

The UKCCIS also published new research showing that 18% of young people had come across harmful or inappropriate content online. 33% of the children polled said their parents don’t really know what they do on the internet.

David Pearson, Executive Director of CCPAS, commented: “We are well aware of the dangers posed by the internet to children, as well as the feelings of helplessness many parents face as they try to get to grips with the fast-changing technologies that their children find so fascinating.

“The internet is a most wonderful resource – but only if it is used safely. When it is not, it poses some of biggest safeguarding challenges we face today.

“A keynote objective endorsed by the PM at the summit was: ‘Creating a safer online environment: we will work together to make sure that children are less likely to come across or to get access to things online that are not suitable for them’.

“CCPAS wholeheartedly agrees with this. However, we believe that this can only be done successfully if internet safety issues are addressed as part of a broader safeguarding strategy. We are therefore committed to continuing to produce a range of materials which will help children, youth workers and parents use the internet responsibly”.

Media Enquiries: Iain Taylor
Taylor Communications
01732 461060 or 07979 914217
taylor.comm@tiscali.co.uk

NOTES TO EDITORS:

CCPAS is an independent Christian charity providing professional child protection advice and support across church denominations and organisations throughout the UK.
CCPAS was established in 1977. It assists churches, organisations, social services and other child care agencies as well as individual children and families by:

helping churches and other organisations adopt safe practice in order to protect children from abuse – and youth workers from the possibility of false allegations
advising on individual cases, giving ongoing help to leaders and others.
training across the UK and providing “in-house” training and other resources
acting as external consultants to denominational/organisational child protection advisors
counselling individual adults or children about past or present abuse.