Website: Get Safe Online

Twitter: @lizstantonMBE

Like most, I was never quite sure what I wanted to do for work when I grew up. My two passions in life; horses and helping others. On leaving school in rural Lancashire, I left the reins behind me and started work as a personal assistant to a team of medical professionals. The frustrations felt in the public health service, then, are much the same today –limited staff and resource, stringent budgets, and an ever-growing demand for services. This was the start of my journey in trying to make a difference in society and helping the community become stronger and resilient to the circumstance they faced.

In 1992, my career took a defining turn when I was recruited for the Police Force. Across my 25 year service as an Officer in the Cheshire Constabulary I always sought work with the most vulnerable in the community, to find ways that could make their lives easier in whatever form that may take. Criminalising children and young people was never high on my priorities– I take pride in my approach of giving those that wanted/needed help a choice in turning their lives around within the constraints of the law. This was only possible through partnering with charities and other organisations that shared our vision.

After a decade in the field, I was appointed one of the country’s first Police School Liaison Officers. This provided the opportunity to develop skills and qualifications with regard to work with young people. I am a proud CEOP Ambassador and work closely with a host of other organisations to safeguard young and vulnerable people in the community. I also  played a vital role in developing and implementing the force’s Safer Schools & Young People Partnership model. To this day, the model provides the force a framework to deliver a  consistent and coordinated approach to implementing preventive interventions to communities, schools and other such institutions. The key aim was to help improve the health and well-being of children and young people. It was for this work that I was nominated by the High Sheriff of Cheshire for the Order of the British Empire MBE award, which I gladly received in 2013 and dedicate to my impeccable team and loving family.

In 2017 my career took another change in direction. Whilst now a civilian, providing consultation to private business on safeguarding and online protection, my focus remains the same as ever. Today, I share my vast experiences of over 30 years in the field to provide practical training and education on an array of subjects for communities, educational staff, governors, students and many other organisations and charities that work with young people and their families.  I work with, and on behalf of, a wide variety of organisations including Get Safe Online. I am their senior trainer and Family Protection Manager, responsible for providing technical insight and facilitating training which involves a multi-agency approach in supporting young people and communities online.

We are an association of individuals who specialise in the complex and evolving area of online safety. We are passionate about working with schools and other organisations to deliver impactful online safety education and support to children, young people, professionals and adults of all ages. We combine our knowledge, experience and skillsets working to a specific set of values and a code of conduct which ensures that the child is at the centre of everything we do to help keep children safer online.

Our primary purpose is to ensure the delivery of high quality education, advice and support to all schools around online safety – keeping children safer online.