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Samaritans invited to join UK Council on Child Internet Safety

Date: 16th May 2008

Contact: Claire Duncan / Kate Redway / Anthony Langan

Phone: +44 (0)20 8394 8345

Out of hours press phone: +44 (0)7943 809162

Samaritans invited to join UK Council on Child Internet Safety

Samaritans Public Affairs Manager, Anthony Langan, has been asked to join the UK Council on Child Internet Safety following successful lobbying of Ed Balls, Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families.

The council was a key recommendation by Dr Tanya Byron in her independent review into the potential risks to children from the internet and video games, 'Safer Children in a Digital World' published on 27th March this year.

The Council will provide a forum for government, industry and the third sector to develop and implement a Child Internet Safety Strategy together, advise Government on all aspects of e-safety for children and ensure all of the recommendations made by the Byron Review are included.

Samaritans inclusion in the Council will be an opportunity for the emotional support charity to ensure that the needs or vulnerable people online are at the forefront of any public policy debates on this matter.

Anthony Langan said: “As part of our campaign to make the internet a supportive environment for those in distress and the despair it’s great to be included in the UK Government’s body of experts advising on internet safety. Though the UK Council will focus on children our aim will be to make sure that the government hears the views of Samaritans to consider the wider needs of vulnerable people online.

“Samaritans has yet to hear who will sit on the Executive Committee of the Council but we expect to meet fellow members within a few months to set out an agenda to develop a Child Internet Safety Strategy. Samaritans will be looking to make the internet safer without the need to take actions such as banning, which could potentially increase the stigma of suicide and make sites of concern more illicit and attractive to those who are actually in need of support.”

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Notes to editors

It is the aim of Samaritans to make emotional health a mainstream issue. Samaritans' vision is for a society where fewer people die by suicide because people are able to share feelings of emotional distress openly without fear of being judged. Samaritans believes that offering people the opportunity to be listened to in confidence, and accepted without prejudice, can alleviate despair and suicidal feelings.

Samaritans is a registered charity, founded in 1953, which offers 24-hour confidential emotional support to anyone in emotional distress. The service is offered by 16,800 trained volunteers and is entirely dependent on voluntary support. Across the UK, you can call Samaritans on 08457 90 90 90 (1850 60 90 90 in the Republic of Ireland) email jo@samaritans.org, write to Samaritans at Chris, PO Box 9090, Stirling, FK8 2SA, or if you are deaf or hard of hearing use the single national minicom number 08457 90 91 92. Log on to www.samaritans.org for more information. Calls from BT will be charged at up to 4 pence per minute at all times. A call set-up fee of 3 pence per minute applies to calls from residential lines. Mobile and other providers' charges may vary.