ONLINE HARM RESPONSE SCORECARDWhen a child tells you what happened online, will you know what to do?
Images, messages and platforms bring decisions your usual procedures may not cover: what to say, what to record, what to preserve, what not to view, how to legally record the child’s account, and when to refer. Every one of those decisions may be scrutinised later. This private 5-minute self-check shows where your practice is solid and what to strengthen first.
Free and private · 5 minutes · For DSLs, social workers and safeguarding professionals
The moment a child first tells you is the moment that matters most. Readiness is what turns that moment into safety.
Five dimensions of being ready
Your answers build a picture across the areas that matter when online exposure meets real life.
Same Impact, Different Screen
Recognising that what a child watches can affect their body and nervous system, not just their feelings.
Know What to Say, Know What to Do
Having research-guided words for the moment a child first tells you, and a clear sense of your next step.
Make It Fit Your System
Knowing exactly where a disclosure gets recorded and how it fits the categories in your setting.
Close the Gap Before They Ask
Being confident to explain to a parent why this matters, without frightening them.
Research Meets Real Life
Turning what the evidence says into calm, practical responses on shift, in the moment.
Three quiet steps to clarity
- 1
Answer 20 questions
Honest, low-pressure prompts about noticing, responding, and recording. No right answers to perform.
- 2
See where you stand
Get your readiness across all five dimensions, with a clear Low, Medium, or High picture.
- 3
Know your next move
Leave with a grounded sense of what to strengthen in the next 90 days.
Grounded in the work of Catherine Knibbs
Catherine Knibbs is a clinical and academic researcher, psychotherapist, and author specialising in online harms, cybertrauma, and the impact of digital media on children. Her work translates what the research says about screens, trauma, and the developing nervous system into calm, practical guidance for the adults who support children.
Children don't just see harmful content. Their bodies carry it. The adults around them need the words and the confidence to respond when a child first tells you.
Questions people ask first
Find out how ready you really are
Five minutes now can change the moment that matters most later.