Thirty-one teachers at Wistaston Church Lane Primary School were the first in the UK to complete a StaySocialSafe course, aimed at educating teachers on the risks and opportunities of using social media at work and at play.

 
James Bancroft, deputy head said, “Our school believes that social networking presents a real opportunity for communicating with parents and the community effectively. We recognise the role that platforms like Facebook and Twitter will play in the lives of our pupils in the future. It is vital that our staff have an understanding of the opportunities social networking presents, and also the potential risks of social media in order to protect themselves and our pupils in the future. StaySocialSafe delivered an outstanding course which trained our staff, who have vastly different experiences of using networking. Our staff feel happy that they can enjoy social networking responsibly and we feel more confident about teaching about the e-Safety issues around the internet.”

 
Participate Ltd launched its StaySocialSafe service in response to growing concerns about how social media is used at work and at play. Social media is truly a revolution in the way we communicate. But already there is evidence that people don’t always understand, how to use it appropriately and the consequences of getting it wrong.

 
A teacher in Hull facing the sack because of comments made on social media

 
A Housing Manager in Trafford demoted and pay cut due to comments made to “friends”

 
Virgin Airways staff sacked for comments made about the company

 

Employees tweeting negative comments about clients by accident on the company twitter handle.

 
Having a social media policy offers some protection but, on its own, it is not enough because social media is such a fundamental shift in human communications.

 
Participate’s StaySocialSafe service has been designed to give people and organisations the confidence to use social media at work and at play without getting themselves or their employer into disrepute (often by accident).

 

The briefing and seminar sessions are designed to ensure that:

 

Staff understand how they should use social media at work and at play

 

Staff know how to manage security settings and behaviour to protect their private lives

 

Organisations do not lose key staff through a lack of understanding of safe behaviour in social media

 

Organisations protect themselves from inappropriate social media broadcasting by staff.

 

More information can be found at www.staysocialsafe.com