Safeguarding young people's digital lives — the four Cs of online risk, grooming at online speed, image sharing and the law, sextortion, bullying and harmful content, balancing rights with risks in every setting including supported living, practical safeguards that work, and staff digital conduct.
What this course covers
- Describe the four categories of online risk: content, contact, conduct and contract
- Recognise online grooming, image pressure and sextortion, and respond without shame
- Apply the law on under-18 imagery correctly, including to self-generated images
- Balance young people's digital rights with protection, proportionately by age and setting
- Respond to online concerns without contaminating evidence, and keep staff conduct clean
What's in each section
Online Safety & Digital Safeguarding runs across 12 sections, each ending in a quick knowledge check:
- Digital Lives Are Real Lives
- The Four Cs of Online Risk
- Online Grooming
- Images and the Law
- Sextortion and Image Crises
- Bullying, Pile-Ons and Harmful Content
- Games, Money and the Contract Layer
- Rights, Risks and Proportionality
- Safeguards That Actually Work
- When Staff See Something
- Staff Digital Conduct
- Building Digital Resilience
How much does Online Safety & Digital Safeguarding training cost?
£3.99 per person on Care2Learn, with no minimum order and no subscription. If your team needs a full training matrix rather than one course, a subscription from £1.99 per learner per month covers every course in the catalogue — see the 2026 price comparison.
Who needs it
Everyone who supports young people with phones in their pockets — which is every children's home, supported accommodation and supported living service — plus the managers who set digital expectations and respond when something goes wrong. Completion is recorded with the date taken and the date it is next due, so it appears correctly on your training matrix and can be evidenced at inspection.
What the learner receives
A certificate in their own name carrying our CPD Member badge (The CPD Certification Service), showing the completion date and the renewal date a year later, downloadable at any time. The record belongs to the learner, not just the employer — it travels with them rather than sitting in one provider's system.
Related courses
Providers usually assign these alongside Online Safety & Digital Safeguarding.
- Anti-Bullying — 40 min online, £3.99 per person
- Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) — 45 min online, £3.99 per person
- Data Protection & GDPR — 40 min online, £3.99 per person
- Professional Boundaries & Safer Working Practice — 45 min online, £3.99 per person
You can also browse the full catalogue, or read about the Care Certificate for staff new to care.
Frequently asked questions
How long does Online Safety & Digital Safeguarding training take?
About 45 min of e‑learning, across 12 sections with 14 assessment questions. Learners can stop and resume at any point, and it works on a phone.
What does Online Safety & Digital Safeguarding training cover?
By the end of the course a learner should be able to describe the four categories of online risk: content, contact, conduct and contract; recognise online grooming, image pressure and sextortion, and respond without shame; apply the law on under-18 imagery correctly, including to self-generated images. The full list of learning outcomes is set out above.
Is Online Safety & Digital Safeguarding CPD Aligned, and how is it assessed?
Yes — it is CPD Aligned, and the certificate carries our CPD Member badge. The assessment is multiple choice with a pass mark of 70%; attempts are recorded and learners can retake it. Renewal is set at 12 months from the completion date, so the course reappears on your training matrix when it is due.
Does it cover staff conduct online as well as young people's risks?
Yes — both sides. Alongside grooming, image sharing, sextortion and harmful content, it covers the digital boundaries expected of staff: no personal-account contact with young people, and what to do when a young person makes contact anyway. Report Remove and CEOP reporting are covered.
Does this count towards the Care Certificate?
No — this is a standalone course rather than one of the Care Certificate standards. The Care Certificate is available as its own guided course for staff who are new to care.
Start Online Safety & Digital Safeguarding today
£3.99 per person pay-as-you-go — buy it for yourself, or put your whole team on a subscription from £1.99 per learner a month.
Buy this course — £3.99 Add to your team