PCC launches £100,000 Stay Safe Online Fund

Today (July 31st), supported with £100,000 worth of funding from my Stay Safe Online Fund, we launched Suffolk’s Stay Safe Online campaign aimed at keeping our young people safe from digital threats.
Together with the Constabulary, Suffolk County Council, Suffolk Community Foundation, the University of Suffolk and the East Anglian Daily Times we are committed to doing all we can to encourage our young people to stay safe online.
Charities and community groups who work with young people can apply for grants of up to £10,000 through the Stay Safe Online fund.
Keeping Suffolk’s young safe online is a real issue of serious concern. We’ve had lots of reports about grooming and violence being incited online, which is unacceptable. We must work together with charities to protect young people through the campaign and make people aware what is happening. These threats need to be tackled now.
I personally find it extremely sad to hear that reports of grooming and violence in the county’s digital community has shot up in recent years. The Chief Constable and I are very concerned about this, and have pledged to do all we can to protect young people in the county.
We launched the campaign at the Community Foundation on July 28th and are encouraging everyone to follow the campaign’s progress using the hashtag #StaySafeOnline on social media.
Later this month, on August 21st at 3.30pm, we are staging a funding workshop at the University of Suffolk for those interested in applying for Stay Safe Online grants. If you know of an organisation working with young people please encourage them to take a look at the Community Foundation website to see if meet the criteria for the funding. I’m particularly seeking applications from organisations working in partnership with schools and hard to reach groups.
Fuller detail of the fund is available at suffolkcf.org.uk/grants/suffolk-police-crime-commissioners-stay-safe-online-fund or call the Suffolk Community Foundation’s grants team on 01473 602602.