087 Claudia Megele Online Safety

The internet can be a dangerous place and protecting the vulnerable from those who prey on them is becoming more and more important. Claudia is an expert on digital engagement and online safeguarding. She is co-chair of the Principal Social Workers’ national network. She is a fellow of National Institute of Health Research NIHR and Head of Service within a local authority. She is the founder of “Social Work and Media” Network (@SWSCmedia) which was the first open access social work community offering weekly open debate about social work and social care topics. She is also the founder of “Mental Health Chat” @MHChat community and was the first social work lecturer to embed social media as a required part of academic curricula in a social work qualifying programmes. Claudia has advised and led various boards including as: member of the advisory board of the National Children’s Bureau (NCB), Trustee of Mind, and the Chair and Vice-Chair of Tower Hamlets Police and Community Safety Board. Over the past 14 years she has researched social media technologies and their impact and has published her work ranging from Theorizing Twitter Chat to studying the effect of social media on relationships, identity and empathy, to her book on Safeguarding Children and Young People Online. Claudia was selected as one of the 50 most influential higher education (HE) professionals using social media by JISC and as one of the top 10 most engaged power women on LinkedIn UK by LinkedIn. The combination of Claudia’s academic, research, practice, and leadership experience offer her a unique and in-depth expertise in social media technologies and their impact.   There’s another Reach Out Speak Out Safeguarding Conference in Leeds on 14th March. I’m very pleased to be a speaker again. Have a look…  http://tinyurl.com/y99xqy5f My thanks as always to Alba Digital Media for their technical support.