Certainly a lot of measures have already been taken over past years. It might be time for reflecting on the past experience in the field to come up with more sophisticated solutions to nascent problems, as well as corrective measures. This 5th policy brief in the Insight series looks at this level of policy making and gives an overview of current actions taken by Ministries of Education in Europe. Moreover, services that are offered by national or regional school networks complement the picture. The last part of the brief gives practice insights from recent European surveys in the field.

EUN’s newest advance into the world of Internet safety is Insafe, a two-year project launched in November 2004. This initiative is co-funded by the European Commission, and will provide a growing pan-European community (currently comprising 14 national nodes) with a means to exchange Internet safety information and interface with other interested parties.

EUN functions as a coordinating node providing visibility and cohesion to these efforts, and acts as a one-stop shop for Internet safety resources. National offices will receive regular training in areas such as public relations and emerging awareness issues. The community will be accessible through a multilingual portal to be launched in early February 2005, with a full-scale version online from May. This gateway will provide pertinent news and Internet safety information and resources for the general public as well as a password-controlled specialist community offering a repository for best practice, forums and knowledge-building tools. Through the creation of the Insafe community, EUN harnesses the power of national expertise and initiatives to empower parents and educators to help their children explore the Internet in a safe, stimulating environment.

Read the full policy brief