ITV is backing Safer Internet Day with fun interactive activities for children, and practical advice for parents, carers and teachers. ITV has teamed up with Childnet International to make a childfriendly internet safety series accessible for the first time in British Sign Language on www.signedstories.com. In the first chapter of The Adventures of Kara, Winston and the SMART Crew, available from Tuesday February 9, children are shown the consequences of opening an attachment from an unknown sender. Other chapters to be added throughout 2010 will include what children should do if strangers contact them, or if they are bullied online. Malcolm Wright, Managing Director ITV SignPost said: "I agree with Insafe, the organisation behind Safer Internet Day, that young people need to be empowered to manage their online identity and to learn how to stay safe online. "We're delighted to offer Signed Stories as a free platform for accessible safety information. The message will reach hundreds of thousands of children across the world." The section for Parents, Carers and Teachers will also carry brand new content - practical advice on the simple steps they can take to protect their children online, and links to free resources to reinforce the messages. The Adventures of Kara, Winston and the SMART Crew The internet safety series was created by Childnet International, and is supported by the government's technology agency Becta, the Department for Children, Schools and Families, the UK Council for Child Internet Safety and the Training and Development Agency for Schools. Designed especially for children to enjoy, it includes a real life SMART Crew who guide the cartoon characters in their quest and help them make smart online decisions. Click www.signedstories.com/world/openhouse/ to be taken to the Open House story zone for The Adventures of Kara, Winston and the SMART Crew, and other great stories. Signed Stories ITV Signed Stories is an award-winning website which was created to encourage deaf children to read and enjoy stories. Since its launch in 2009, the website's popularity has spread across the world, to hearing children, those with special educational needs and to children learning English as a second language. "The website is spreading virally as teachers and parents promote it through their own networks," said Malcolm Wright, Managing Director of ITV SignPost. "It's clear that some schools - like the Western Academy in Beijing - are using it to teach English as a second language. What started out as a venture targeted at deaf children is morphing into a fun educational resource used by everyone. The joy of the Internet is the unexpected way in which content is used and valued." www.signedstories.com was developed by a team of deaf and hearing professionals at ITV SignPost, a centre of excellence for on-screen access services. It was developed as a response to figures from the National Deaf Children's Society which found that only a third of deaf children achieve five GCSE grades A-C compared with 60% of hearing children - poor literacy is blamed for the growing achievement gap. The website is supported by twelve major UK publishers, some of the best-loved authors and illustrators and a host of stage, screen, sporting and literary icons.
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