About the organisation
The Irish Safer Internet Centre vision is a positive and inclusive digital world where children are safe and protected.
The Irish SIC is a partnership of four leading organisations (Hotline.ie, ISPCC, National Parents Council and Webwise) with a mission to make the Internet a better place for children and young people, under the co-ordination of the Department of Justice, Cybercrime Division.
The consortium was appointed over a decade ago by the European Commission as the Safer Internet Centre in Ireland, and is one of 31 Safer Internet Centres in Europe and an integral part of the INSAFE-INHOPE network.
The project partners are:
Webwise.ie: This is part of Oide Technology in Education in the Department of Education. It deals with awareness raising, develops materials and programmes for schools and runs the annual event for Safer Internet Day in Ireland
Hotline.ie: The Internet Service Providers’ Association of Ireland (ISPAI) operates the hotline, the service which allows the public to report suspected illegal content or activities found on the internet
ISPCC: The Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC) operates the helpline (Childline), which provides services on a 24/7 basis where children affected by issues encountered on the internet may turn for advice and guidance.
NPC: The National Parents Council Primary operates the parent/adult helpline, a dedicated helpline to deal with issues relating to internet safety, including cyberbullying. The NPC also provides parents with training courses, both online and face to face.
Awareness centre
Webwise is the Irish Internet Safety Awareness Centre funded by the Department of Education and co-funded by the European Commission. Webwise promotes safer, better internet use through awareness raising and education initiatives targeting teachers, children, young people and parents. Webwise develops and disseminates resources that help teachers integrate digital citizenship and online safety into teaching and learning in their schools. Webwise also provides information, advice, and tools to parents to support their engagement in their children’s online lives. With the help of the Webwise Youth Advisory Panel, Webwise develops youth-oriented awareness raising resources and training programmes that promote digital citizenship and address topics such as online wellbeing, cyberbullying and more.
Helpline
The Irish Safer Internet Centre (SIC) has two helplines.
The Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC) operates the child helpline on a 24/7/365 basis. Childline by ISPCC is a free, private and confidential service where children and young people can talk about anything via phone, webchat and public message board. Childline.ie allows children the space to explore content on a variety of topics. The ISPCC uses its helpline insights to inform its policy positions on online safety-related matters to advocate for better policies, laws and services.
The NPC was established in 1985. The NPC Helpline is a national confidential service for parents, in existence since 1998. The Bullying Helpline is an extension of the existing NPC Helpline. It is aimed mainly at parents and other adults and operates from 10am to 4pm and is contactable via email: helpline@npc.ie or webchat on www.npc.ie or by phone Tel: 01 8874477.
Opening hours:
Childline by ISPCC is available 24/6/365 via phone (1800 66 66 66) and childline.ie ISPCC is available Monday to Friday 09:00-17:30 via 01 234 2000.
ISPCC’s parent/adult support line is available Monday to Friday 09:00-13:00 via 01 234 2000.
For all queries: email info@ispcc.ie .
Hotline
Hotline.ie is Ireland’s national service for reporting illegal content online, particularly child sexual abuse
material, and is part of a global network of hotlines combatting illegal internet activity. The organisation
works closely with law enforcement, the tech industry, and international partners to ensure harmful content is
removed quickly, while also safeguarding the anonymity of those who report it. Hotline.ie’s mission is to
make the internet a safer place for everyone by disrupting criminal content at its source and offering a
confidential reporting channel for the public. You can learn more or submit a report via their official website.
Opening hours:
The office is open Monday to Friday, 9:00-16:30 Irish Standard Time, however the web-reporting form is
available 24/7 at www.hotline.ie/report.
Please contact us on +353 1 2945281 if your query is in relation to submitting a report or on a report already
submitted. This is an answering service, and your query will be responded to. Alternatively, please ONLY
use report@hotline.ie if you find the web-reporting form(s) unsuitable to you.
Youth participation
The Webwise Youth Advisory Panel
The Webwise Youth Advisory Panel is made up of 30 second-level students from across Ireland. It gives teens a platform to share and speak up about their use, priorities and concerns when it comes to the internet, social media and technology. The aim of the Webwise Youth Panel is to give teens the opportunity to share views and opinions at a national and European level on matters such as awareness campaigns, online safety resources and/or legislation, and give young people a real say on the issues that affect them.
The Webwise Youth Panel offers many benefits and opportunities including:
- Development of leadership and communication skills Have your voice heard on issues that are important to you
- Participation in the creation and development of internet safety programmes and resources
- Participate in global campaigns including Safer Internet Day
- Panellists will receive training from the Webwise team
- Opportunity to meet and work with students across Ireland on internet safety campaigns
- Opportunity to take part in National and European Online Safety events
Read more here.
Safer Internet Day Ambassador Programme
Webwise runs a peer-led training programme involving teens from across Ireland. The SID Ambassador
Programme was designed and led by Webwise Youth Panellists. It encourages and supports post-primary
students to address the issue of cyberbullying and other areas in internet safety by leading awarenessraising campaigns in their clubs, schools, and communities. Webwise provides training to the youth ambassadors to empower them to lead safer internet campaigns in their schools. The aim is to make Safer Internet Day a success in communities and schools across Ireland.
Read more here.
How can you get involved?
Children and young people can get involved in the work of the Safer Internet Centre by:
- Joining the Youth Panel
- Participating in the SID Ambassador Training Programme
- Participating in workshops
- Contributing to focus groups and surveys
- Testing resources
Key successes
Since 2008, the Irish Safer Internet Centre partners share skills and expertise to identify emerging online threats, take direct action against them through the delivery of bespoke evidence-based services, resources and programmes, whilst providing support to children, young people, parents, teachers, with an end-to-end approach.
From July 2022-June 2024; 76,000+ reports were received by the hotline, 9,000+ educators participated in online safety training, 43,000 online safety resources were disseminated to schools and parents across Ireland and over 400,000 people participated in Safer Internet Day. The children’s helpline received over 450,000 visits to their centre online hub; Childline.ie, 3,800+ contacts to the helpline were related to online safety/bullying and the helpline had a campaign reach of 26 million. Finally, the parent helpline provided training to 3,600+ parents and received 3,500 calls to the parent helpline. Over 200,000 children, young people, educators, parents and other participated in Safer Internet Day 2024.
Key partners/supporters
The Safer Internet Centre Ireland (SIC IE) has established a broad collaboration with representatives from
academic institutions, industry, governmental bodies and law enforcement who meet regularly and exchange
expertise. Many of those partners belong to the Irish SIC Advisory Group.
Key partners/supporters:
- Coimisiún na Meán
- Department of Justice
- Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
- Department of Education
- Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth
- An Garda Síochána
- Brian O’Neill - Emeritus Professor, TU Dublin
- Oide
- Media Literacy Ireland
- DCU Ant-Bullying Centre
- Office of the Data Protection Commissioner
- Ombudsman for Children
- Tusla
The work of the Irish SIC is supported by an Advisory Group made up of members of the Irish SIC,
Government Departments and relevant agencies. Members include:
- Coimisiún na Meán
- Department of Justice
- Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
- Department of Education
- Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth
- Department of Enterprise
- An Garda Síochána
- Brian O’Neill - Emeritus Professor, TU Dublin
- Tusla
About the organisation
The Irish Safer Internet Centre vision is a positive and inclusive digital world where children are safe and protected.
The Irish SIC is a partnership of four leading organisations (Hotline.ie, ISPCC, National Parents Council and Webwise) with a mission to make the Internet a better place for children and young people, under the co-ordination of the Department of Justice, Cybercrime Division.
The consortium was appointed over a decade ago by the European Commission as the Safer Internet Centre in Ireland, and is one of 31 Safer Internet Centres in Europe and an integral part of the INSAFE-INHOPE network.
The project partners are:
Webwise.ie: This is part of Oide Technology in Education in the Department of Education. It deals with awareness raising, develops materials and programmes for schools and runs the annual event for Safer Internet Day in Ireland
Hotline.ie: The Internet Service Providers’ Association of Ireland (ISPAI) operates the hotline, the service which allows the public to report suspected illegal content or activities found on the internet
ISPCC: The Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC) operates the helpline (Childline), which provides services on a 24/7 basis where children affected by issues encountered on the internet may turn for advice and guidance.
NPC: The National Parents Council Primary operates the parent/adult helpline, a dedicated helpline to deal with issues relating to internet safety, including cyberbullying. The NPC also provides parents with training courses, both online and face to face.
Awareness centre
Webwise is the Irish Internet Safety Awareness Centre funded by the Department of Education and co-funded by the European Commission. Webwise promotes safer, better internet use through awareness raising and education initiatives targeting teachers, children, young people and parents. Webwise develops and disseminates resources that help teachers integrate digital citizenship and online safety into teaching and learning in their schools. Webwise also provides information, advice, and tools to parents to support their engagement in their children’s online lives. With the help of the Webwise Youth Advisory Panel, Webwise develops youth-oriented awareness raising resources and training programmes that promote digital citizenship and address topics such as online wellbeing, cyberbullying and more.
Helpline
The Irish Safer Internet Centre (SIC) has two helplines.
The Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC) operates the child helpline on a 24/7/365 basis. Childline by ISPCC is a free, private and confidential service where children and young people can talk about anything via phone, webchat and public message board. Childline.ie allows children the space to explore content on a variety of topics. The ISPCC uses its helpline insights to inform its policy positions on online safety-related matters to advocate for better policies, laws and services.
The NPC was established in 1985. The NPC Helpline is a national confidential service for parents, in existence since 1998. The Bullying Helpline is an extension of the existing NPC Helpline. It is aimed mainly at parents and other adults and operates from 10am to 4pm and is contactable via email: helpline@npc.ie or webchat on www.npc.ie or by phone Tel: 01 8874477.
Opening hours:
Childline by ISPCC is available 24/6/365 via phone (1800 66 66 66) and childline.ie ISPCC is available Monday to Friday 09:00-17:30 via 01 234 2000.
ISPCC’s parent/adult support line is available Monday to Friday 09:00-13:00 via 01 234 2000.
For all queries: email info@ispcc.ie .
Hotline
Hotline.ie is Ireland’s national service for reporting illegal content online, particularly child sexual abuse
material, and is part of a global network of hotlines combatting illegal internet activity. The organisation
works closely with law enforcement, the tech industry, and international partners to ensure harmful content is
removed quickly, while also safeguarding the anonymity of those who report it. Hotline.ie’s mission is to
make the internet a safer place for everyone by disrupting criminal content at its source and offering a
confidential reporting channel for the public. You can learn more or submit a report via their official website.
Opening hours:
The office is open Monday to Friday, 9:00-16:30 Irish Standard Time, however the web-reporting form is
available 24/7 at www.hotline.ie/report.
Please contact us on +353 1 2945281 if your query is in relation to submitting a report or on a report already
submitted. This is an answering service, and your query will be responded to. Alternatively, please ONLY
use report@hotline.ie if you find the web-reporting form(s) unsuitable to you.
Youth participation
The Webwise Youth Advisory Panel
The Webwise Youth Advisory Panel is made up of 30 second-level students from across Ireland. It gives teens a platform to share and speak up about their use, priorities and concerns when it comes to the internet, social media and technology. The aim of the Webwise Youth Panel is to give teens the opportunity to share views and opinions at a national and European level on matters such as awareness campaigns, online safety resources and/or legislation, and give young people a real say on the issues that affect them.
The Webwise Youth Panel offers many benefits and opportunities including:
- Development of leadership and communication skills Have your voice heard on issues that are important to you
- Participation in the creation and development of internet safety programmes and resources
- Participate in global campaigns including Safer Internet Day
- Panellists will receive training from the Webwise team
- Opportunity to meet and work with students across Ireland on internet safety campaigns
- Opportunity to take part in National and European Online Safety events
Read more here.
Safer Internet Day Ambassador Programme
Webwise runs a peer-led training programme involving teens from across Ireland. The SID Ambassador
Programme was designed and led by Webwise Youth Panellists. It encourages and supports post-primary
students to address the issue of cyberbullying and other areas in internet safety by leading awarenessraising campaigns in their clubs, schools, and communities. Webwise provides training to the youth ambassadors to empower them to lead safer internet campaigns in their schools. The aim is to make Safer Internet Day a success in communities and schools across Ireland.
Read more here.
How can you get involved?
Children and young people can get involved in the work of the Safer Internet Centre by:
- Joining the Youth Panel
- Participating in the SID Ambassador Training Programme
- Participating in workshops
- Contributing to focus groups and surveys
- Testing resources
Key successes
Since 2008, the Irish Safer Internet Centre partners share skills and expertise to identify emerging online threats, take direct action against them through the delivery of bespoke evidence-based services, resources and programmes, whilst providing support to children, young people, parents, teachers, with an end-to-end approach.
From July 2022-June 2024; 76,000+ reports were received by the hotline, 9,000+ educators participated in online safety training, 43,000 online safety resources were disseminated to schools and parents across Ireland and over 400,000 people participated in Safer Internet Day. The children’s helpline received over 450,000 visits to their centre online hub; Childline.ie, 3,800+ contacts to the helpline were related to online safety/bullying and the helpline had a campaign reach of 26 million. Finally, the parent helpline provided training to 3,600+ parents and received 3,500 calls to the parent helpline. Over 200,000 children, young people, educators, parents and other participated in Safer Internet Day 2024.
Key partners/supporters
The Safer Internet Centre Ireland (SIC IE) has established a broad collaboration with representatives from
academic institutions, industry, governmental bodies and law enforcement who meet regularly and exchange
expertise. Many of those partners belong to the Irish SIC Advisory Group.
Key partners/supporters:
- Coimisiún na Meán
- Department of Justice
- Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
- Department of Education
- Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth
- An Garda Síochána
- Brian O’Neill - Emeritus Professor, TU Dublin
- Oide
- Media Literacy Ireland
- DCU Ant-Bullying Centre
- Office of the Data Protection Commissioner
- Ombudsman for Children
- Tusla
The work of the Irish SIC is supported by an Advisory Group made up of members of the Irish SIC,
Government Departments and relevant agencies. Members include:
- Coimisiún na Meán
- Department of Justice
- Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
- Department of Education
- Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth
- Department of Enterprise
- An Garda Síochána
- Brian O’Neill - Emeritus Professor, TU Dublin
- Tusla
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