Issue 38 - Summer 2012 - Wigan Council

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Protecting children from the perils of the WebPartnerscast thesafety ‘Net’WHEN Jenny met anew boyfriend atschool, she thought itwas the real thing.Five weeks into therelationship and everythingwas fine, they spent lots oftime together and when theywere apart they sent eachother lots of texts.The mobile phone was agreat way of staying in touch –it was something that just theyshared, that no-one else couldsee.So when 15 year-old Jennydecided to send an intimatephotograph of herself to herboyfriend’s phone, sheintended it for his eyes only.But a few weeks later wheninevitably the flame ofteenage infatuation began towane, Jenny was in for ashock.After breaking up, Jenny’sex-boyfriend decided to sharehis ‘special’ photo with hisfriends. Pretty soon it was allaround school.The embarrassment was toomuch for the young girl to bear.She was forced to take timeoff at a crucial moment in herschool career. With examslooming large it could haveserious consequences for herfuture plans.But that wasn’t all becauseonce the photo had beenshared; it just kept going. Soonit was on the internet andfacebook and what started outas a secret moment suddenlyhad a global audience…Jenny may not be the younggirl’s real name but thetraumatic events that unfoldedare and worryingly it’s thekind of tale that’s becomingincreasingly commonplace.In Wigan, the council andother partners who make upthe Wigan SafeguardingChildren Board (WSCB), aretrying to protect children andyoung people from the darkerside of internet and mobilephone use.The board’s businessmanager, Kath Vereycken,says: “Cases such as this areon the increase and theconsequences can be muchworse.“Abuse over the internetand social networking sitesand mobile phones is on theincrease.”The Wigan team iscommitted to tackling thescourge of child sexualexploitation and it’s a sign ofthe times that almost half ofall the cases they deal withnow involve a link with theweb, phones and socialnetworking.“Many of the cases we dealwith involve young peoplebeing ‘groomed’ online,” saysKath. “Using internet chatrooms and social networkingsites they think they aretalking to people of their ownage. Often the person they aretalking with will suggest theymeet up and it’s only whenthey do the young personrealises that the other personis much older than them andthey really only have oneintention.”The mobile phone version ofgrooming has earned the nickname ‘sexting’ – which givesyou an indication of what it’sall about.“Groomers can be verypatient and sometimes mayhave communicated withtheir intended victim formonths before arranging tomeet up,” says Kath.“They know all about thedifferent websites and chatrooms and use the sameinternet slang andabbreviations that youngpeople do.“They can send gifts andtry to make the young personfeel special.“When we find evidence ofthis we work to support theyoung person and we will nothesitate to prosecute thosewho prey on young peoplebut we believe the key tostopping this lies witheducating children and theirparents about the potentialdangers and how to takeprecautions.”FIND OUT MORE:There are a number of usefulwebsites that can provide moreinformation on all aspects ofinternet safety. A good startingplace is the police online SafetyCentre: www.ceop.police.uk/safety-centreA good site for parents andcarers is: www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents/For tips on how to tackle cyber(or online) bullying visit WiganLeisure and Culture Trust’s LincOnline pages:www.wlct.org/WLCT/youngpeople/bullying-top-tips-to-beatcyber-bullies.htmlPARENTS: what you can doINTERNET and mobile phone safety covers manythings – bullying, contact from strangers,inappropriate or illegal images and websites.“Whatever the risk may be, it is important thatyou understand how your child uses the internet,”said Kath Vereycken.“The technology may seem daunting becausethings move so quickly but a few common-senseguidelines can really help.”ASK: Take an interest in your child’s internet use. Askthem about the websites they use and what socialactivity they are engaged in. You can then visit these sitesand spaces on your own to find out more about them.PRIVACY PLEASE: The Internet is a very publicglobal market-place, so photos you post on socialsites like Facebook can easily be copied and pastedelsewhere. Sites like this come with privacy settingsthat prevent anyone from seeing your content, get toknow them and encourage your child to use them.FRIENDS: People don’t always tell the truth onlineand can create fake identities. It is important thatchildren understand this and learn not to trust virtualfriends in the same way they would their actual friends.PARENTAL CONTROLS: Web browsers, mobilephones and games consoles all come with controlsthat prevent children viewing inappropriate content.These are often easy to set up but if you need helpcontact your internet provider.TALK: Tell your child it’s ok to talk about what theysee online or on their phone. By making it easy forthem to communicate they are more likely to let youknow if they have any concerns.16 BOROUGH LIFE Summer 2012
Business event back for third yearGOOD business is where you find it. And thisautumn the best place to find more than 100good local businesses will be the WiganBusiness Expo Twenty12.Wigan’s biggest gathering of localentrepreneurial talent is back for a third yearand will take centre stage at the DW Stadiumon Friday October 12.The event, which runs from 8am until 3pm,offers access to some of the best business-brainsin the North west through a programme ofseminars.There will be a chance to get connected withbuyers from big companies and organisations –BRIGHT FUTURE: Janetand Derek Green ofDOC Solar at theWigan Business Expo.It worked for us!WHEN it comes to home grown businesssuccess stories DOC Solar andElectrical is a shining example.The company supplies and installs energysavingsolar panels to homes and businessesacross the region. The firm began life in 2010and has installed more than 100 solar panelunits.The company, which has recently movedinto new premises at Wigan’s CricketStreet Business Park, exhibited at theBusiness Expo for the first time lastyear.DOC’s Solar’s Director ofBusiness Development Janet Greensays: “The response at last year’sexpo was tremendous. We willdefinitely be exhibiting again thisyear and hope to make many morecontacts this year.”As a result of last year’s event DOCincluding Wigan Council. New to this year’sevent is Meet the Experts – which offers aface-to-face encounter with some of the topminds in the fields of finance, procurement,legal, health and safety and creative.Wigan Council’s deputy leader Cllr DavidMolyneux says: “Wigan has a thriving businesscommunity with a loyal local customer base inspite of today’s difficult economic climate.“Since it was launched in 2010, the Expo hasprovided an excellent platform for boroughbusiness to network, showcase their servicesand has helped raise Wigan’s profile as one ofthe key business locations in the region.”made new contacts and generated new business.The company is now looking forward to a brightfuture.“We are offering our customers a range ofnew renewable technologies,” says Janet. “Wehave also opened our own Education Centrewhere you can learn all about the benefits ofinstalling renewable energytechnologies.”■ If you would like to showcaseTo keep up with all thelatest Expo developmentsplease join us on Facebook(facebook.com/wiganbusinessexpo), Twitter(@wiganexpo) and LinkedIn(Search ‘Wigan Business Expo’).You can also visit the event’sofficial site at www.wiganbusinessexpo.co.ukStands forthe event canbe booked at:www.wiganbusinessexpo.co.ukyour business and exhibit atthe Expo, packages areavailable from just £300.The cost will coverfurniture, access to powerand Wi-Fi, as well as yourcompany logo on publicitymaterial and theopportunity to attend anetworking event onThursday October 11.Caringservicehelps indifficulttimesWIGAN Council haslaunched a newservice to help localpeople through theoften difficult processof bereavement.Tell Us Once is anational initiativethat supports thosewho are recentlybereaved byinforming all thoseagencies that need toknow about thedeath, at the sametime.Previously a personwould have to notifyup to 28 individualorganisations anddepartments aboutthe death. But nowCouncil Tax, theDVLA, the PassportService, ElectoralRegistration andmany more will all beinformed at the sametime.The service isoffered via theRegistrar when adeath is registeredand the council willcontact the necessaryservices anddepartments.Wigan Council’sChief ExecutiveDonna Hall said: “’TellUs Once’ provides asimple, yet invaluableservice to thosegoing throughbereavement.“The new servicereduces contact withthe government tojust one occasion,reliving pressure atone of the mostdifficult times of theirlives.”To find out moreabout this serviceplease visitwww.wigan.gov.ukand search for ‘Tell usOnce’.BOROUGH LIFE Summer 2012 17
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Issue 38 - Summer 2012 - Wigan Council

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