Education Minister makes Statement to Assembly on Sparklebox

The Education Minister, Caitríona Ruane, has submitted a written statement to the Assembly on Sparklebox.

The Minister said: “On 8 February 2010, I made a statement to the Assembly about the Sparklebox Teacher Resource website. At that time, I informed Members that I had concerns about use of the Sparklebox website by schools, as the former owner and operator had been jailed on 8 January 2010 for making and possessing indecent images of children.

“I needed to be assured that responses to the particular situation surrounding Sparklebox were proportionate and timely and therefore I wrote to the Chief Executive of the Western Education and Library Board (WELB) and requested him to investigate the manner in which the situation was handled by C2k and to make recommendations. I also asked my Department to carry out a review to determine if its own internal procedures and protocols were sufficiently robust.

“I have now received both reviews and have reflected on the key issues identified and the recommendations made.”

A number of recommendations were made in the report for C2k, the WELB and the Department of Education, including:

• the relevant bodies in Ireland and Britain should conduct a review of current arrangements for the reporting and flow of information from and to the Regional Broadband Consortia;
• the Department will issue very clear guidance and protocols regarding the use in the classroom of materials and resources which have originated from websites blocked by C2k;
• the need to develop a communications strategy detailing a sensible and practical reporting mechanism for child protection issues to DE; and
• the Western Board will require C2k to review its standard operating and assessment procedures to deal with issues, including child protection issues, which lie outside C2k’s normal escalation processes.

The Minister continued: “I take the view that the Department, and I as Minister, should have been informed at a much earlier date about this issue and about the precautionary measures being taken. We must all learn from this experience and I am making clear my expectation that all education partners will advise the Department immediately when any issue or concern arises on this island.”

In relation to the Department’s handling of the issue, the Minister commented: “The Review Team is satisfied that the structure within the Department for ensuring clarity about roles and responsibilities in safeguarding matters is effective and worked well in the situation. I will respond shortly to the Western Board about its review and I will be taking an active interest in the implementation of all of the recommendations.

“Let me be clear – there is no doubt that ICT provides our young people with wonderful opportunities to learn and to enjoy learning. We must also, however, keep them safe from harm while they learn. For me the key priority will always be the safety and wellbeing of our children and young people, and the support we provide to their teachers and school leaders in working to keep them safe.”

Notes to editors:

1. Media enquiries to the Department of Education Press Office Tel: 028 9127 9207. Out of office hours, contact the Duty Press Officer via pager number 076 99 715 440, and your call will be returned.