Thank you for your interest in the Online Safety Youth Taskforce. Applications have now closed.
A huge thank you to every young person that applied to join the group, we can’t wait to read your applications and learn more about you. We'll be back in touch with everyone who applied by mid-February 2024. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us at [email protected]
Thank you!
What is the Online Safety Youth Taskforce?
The Online Safety Youth Taskforce will be a group of 15 young people from across the UK aged between 13-16 years old. The Youth Taskforce will be able to share their views and ideas on issues that young people face online today, and advise the NSPCC and wider online safety sector on what matters most to them.
This will involve lots of fun projects and experiences. There will be opportunities to travel across the country to take part in residentials, meetings, and workshops, all related to the online world and keeping young people safe.
What's involved?
As a member of the Online Safety Youth Taskforce you will share your views and ideas with key decision-makers at the NSPCC, and industry leaders within the online world. This will include:
- meeting decision-makers, attending events and taking part in workshops to explore all aspects of online safety for children and young people.
- receiving training in campaigning, public speaking and teamwork.
- having the chance to travel, meet new people, and attend a weekend residential event.
For all the details of the Youth Taskforce download our PDF.
Who can apply?
Anyone in the UK can apply - we want young people from a diverse range of backgrounds to be part of the Online Safety Youth Taskforce. You do not need experience of taking part in an advisory group before, or of volunteering for the NSPCC. We will be giving you lots of support, information, and training so that you feel confident and happy to take part.
I'm interested, how do I apply?
Thank you for showing interest in the Online Safety Youth Taskforce. Applications have now closed. A huge thank you to every young person that applied to join the Youth Taskforce.
What if I need additional support with applying?
We’re always here to help. Send a message to [email protected] and we can have a chat to make sure that you have all the support you need to apply.
For more information about the Online Safety Youth Taskforce, download our PDF.
Want to apply in Welsh?
For full details and information about the Online Safety Youth Taskforce download our Welsh PDF for young people.
For full details and information about the Online Safety Youth Taskforce download our Welsh PDF for parents and carers.
Information for parents and carers
What will my child be asked to do?
- Attend all online and face-to-face meetings, including in-person residential events. The majority of meetings will be held virtually on a monthly basis, during the early evening and lasting no more than 2 hours.
- Take every opportunity to advise the NSPCC and the wider online safety sector on the issues that affect children and young people online.
- Work collaboratively with the other Youth Taskforce members to direct the NSPCC's work to amplify the voices and experiences of children and young people to help keep them safer online.
- Meet with online industry leaders and decision makers within the NSPCC to raise awareness and shape the online world.
We want to reassure all parents and carers that the young people will always be fully supported in these projects and would never be expected to take part in discussions they don’t feel comfortable with.
For more detailed information about the Online Safety Youth Taskforce, download our PDF.
What does it cost?
The NSPCC will cover the cost of travel, accommodation and reasonable expenses for regional and national meetings. What we will cover will be shared with you in advance of attending a meeting.
What are the next steps?
Thank you for showing interest in the Online Safety Youth Taskforce. Applications have now closed. A huge thank you to every young person that applied to join the Youth Taskforce.
If you have further questions, please email [email protected].
For more detailed information about the Online Safety Youth Taskforce, download our PDF.
Frequently Asked Questions
It will be the responsibility of parent/carers to get young people to and from venues (expenses will be covered by the NSPCC).
If it’s a day event then a member of the NSPCC team will always be present.
If the event requires an overnight stay, then your child will stay in a vetted venue with either yourself or NSPCC staff also staying on site. All expenses (accommodation and travel) will be covered by the NSPCC.
You will need access to a tablet or laptop. If you don’t have access to one of these don’t worry, email [email protected] and let us know what your needs are and we can chat with you further.
The residential weekend will be a fun experience, where you will have the opportunity to travel and meet other members of the Online Safety Youth Taskforce and NSPCC staff in-person. You will be working together on key activities to provide ground-breaking solutions to online safety issues.
We understand that some of you may have anxieties around staying in an unfamiliar place. NSPCC staff will always be there to support you and we can talk through any worries that you, or your parents/carers, may have.
We know that some of you may have specific needs that may make it difficult to join in a full residential. We will work with you to make sure that wherever possible you will have the opportunity to participate in a way that meets your individual needs. For example, it may be that you can attend for the day but not stay overnight.
The residential will not cost anything, we will provide all accommodation, travel, and meals. This include parents' travel and accommodation if your child is unable to travel on their own.
When you apply we will ask for some information about you, and your parent or carer. This helps us ensure we have a diverse and well represented Online Safety Youth Taskforce. It also enables us to contact you with any updates around your application.
The reason we ask for your:
- Name – so we can know who you are.
- Pronouns – so we know how to refer to you.
- Gender, sexuality and ethnicity – we monitor our engagement with protected characteristics as part of our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion commitments.
- Age/DoB - to ensure you are the right age to apply to the Online Safety Youth Taskforce.
- County – monitoring of geographical spread.
- Country – to ensure we reach all 4 nations of the United Kingdom. Also, to ensure those who apply live within the United Kingdom.
- Email address/contact number – so we can get in contact with you about your application and invite you to interview if successful.
- Health conditions/neurodivergence/additional needs/disability – to ensure we are responsive to your needs, and as part of our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion monitoring.
- Preferred language – so we know how to communicate with you more effectively.
- Relationship with young person – so we know that the person signing consent for you to take part in the Youth Taskforce has parental responsibility for you and we can speak to them if needed.
How we ensure the safety and protection of young people on the Youth Taskforce
We are committed to the protection of children and young people, and to the creation of a working culture where children and young people are valued and safeguarded. That means that all our staff are expected to work to our child protection policy and procedures. To create a safe environment for children and staff where poor practice is challenged, we make sure that all staff:
- have references taken to verify staff suitability
- are DBS checked if they are the key staff working directly with children and young people
- are supervised and supported in their work
- work to our child protection procedures which are reviewed and updated as necessary
- are trained in child protection at a level appropriate to their work situation
- are able to raise concerns about poor or dangerous practice through the NSPCC’s child protection procedures and whistleblowing policy.
- all our events and online activities are fully risk assessed. We also ensure that insurance details are obtained and verified for any external venues that we use.
For further information, download our safeguarding policy.
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