This chapter sets the foundation for the rest of the book. We begin with a brief discussion of risk, risk of harm, protective factors and resilience culminating in a definition of holistic safeguarding. This is followed by a discussion of online risks, and a presentation of the 10 C's risk and resilience typologies and the 10 C's psycho-socio-ecological model, for a structured and holistic assessment of online risks and their integration into the assessment triangle, and to offer a systematic and comprehensive approach to the safeguarding of children and young people, and their families and carers. The terminology and the model introduced in this chapter is used throughout the book for analysing various types of online risks and challenges.

Exploring risks, harm, protective factors and resilience

Although the term ‘risk’ has often been used negatively and as synonymous to danger or harm, technically speaking risk is a probability of a given outcome, either positive or negative, based on a given set of conditions. In other words, risk is a marker that is correlated with, and in statistically based case scenarios, causes, a given outcome. Therefore, throughout this book we use the term ‘risk’ to reflect the probability of both positive and negative outcomes. Where we use the term ‘protective factor’ in combination with ‘risk’, this is simply to emphasise the role of protective factors and they are not intended as opposites.

The relationship between risk and outcome may be a direct/positive correlation (an increase in risk increases the outcome – for example, increased internet use increases the possibility of the child being exposed to age-inappropriate content), or an inverse/negative correlation (an increase in risk decreases the outcome – for example, increased bullying, leading to decreased social participation). It is worth mentioning that both harm and protection are outcomes, and when situated in a given context can present as risk of harm (RoH) or a protective factor (PF) respectively. It is important to note that risks are always relative to the person-in-context (that is, risks are in relation to a given person in a given context), and that often children's concerns and notion of risk are different from adults’. Therefore, any identification or assessment of risks, needs, protective factors or resilience should be done in co-production with children and young people and their families.