Safety & safeguarding
Online doesn’t have to mean anonymous.
Private sessions. Known participants. Trained Guides.
FriendWorX is an Australian, non-clinical friendship and social connection service supporting young people aged 8–17 in small, facilitated online groups. Managed gaming identities, controlled participation, checked Australian Guides and approved shared activities work together as layers of safeguards.
Register InterestMore than adult supervision
Several layers work together
No single control can eliminate online or interpersonal risk. FriendWorX combines people, identity, access, environment, activity, guidance, visibility and response controls to make every reasonable effort to provide a safer, controlled online environment.
Participants use FriendWorX-managed gaming identities rather than their normal personal profiles. Sessions involve known people instead of anonymous public matchmaking, and access is restricted around scheduled participation where platform controls allow.
Managed identities
Young people don’t bring their personal gaming profile into FriendWorX.
FriendWorX controls the usernames and accounts used within the service. This separation helps reduce unnecessary exposure of a participant’s personal gaming identity and creates clearer boundaries between FriendWorX participation and their personal online activity.
Because the identities are FriendWorX-managed, the organisation has greater control over who can participate and can change, suspend or remove access when required.
Small, known groups
Known people rather than anonymous public matchmaking
Groups normally include up to four young people plus a Guide.
FriendWorX sessions are intended to take place in controlled environments involving the expected, age-appropriate participants and Guide. Unapproved people should not simply join a session.
Small groups make it easier for participants to become familiar with one another, give everyone more opportunity to take part and help Guides notice inclusion and group dynamics. Repeated interaction also gives relationships time to develop.
Controlled access
Access when it is needed
Where platform controls allow, access is restricted to approved periods around scheduled sessions for both participants and Guides. Tight access windows are intended to reduce unnecessary access and opportunities for out-of-session contact.
Australian-based Guides
Checked, trained and there to facilitate connection
FriendWorX Guides are Australian-based adults. They are required to hold a Working with Children Check and have a police check, and they complete FriendWorX training before assignment.
FriendWorX recruits people interested in supporting young people, including some who may be studying or developing careers in teaching, nursing, community services, peer work, youth work, social work or case management. This interest or study does not mean every Guide holds a qualification in those fields.
Their FriendWorX role is social facilitation: supporting inclusion, participation and positive group dynamics.
Activities are part of the design
We choose activities that bring young people together.
Conversation is easier when conversation isn’t the activity.
Games and activities are not selected simply because they are popular. Approved activities provide something to do together and can encourage young people to cooperate, create, explore, solve problems, communicate and share experiences.
FriendWorX uses activities so direct participant-versus-participant competition and winning or losing are not the focus. This does not mean every activity contains no competitive mechanic—the goal is to keep connection, rather than gaming performance, at the centre.
Behaviour, privacy & boundaries
Safety includes how people treat one another
FriendWorX establishes clear expectations that support a welcoming group culture. Guides remain involved and can respond when behaviour affects another participant or the group.
Respect & inclusion
Participants are expected to communicate respectfully, treat others fairly and help keep the group inclusive.
Personal information
Managed usernames, separation from personal profiles and controlled groups reduce the need to expose unnecessary personal information. Participants are expected to respect one another’s privacy.
Recording & streaming
Sessions are not intended to become content for participants or Guides to record, publicly stream, broadcast or post to social media.
Parent & carer visibility
Participation should not feel opaque
FriendWorX is designed to maintain appropriate parent and carer visibility. Families should be able to understand when participation occurs, what FriendWorX is trying to support, how their young person is progressing and when relevant concerns need to be communicated.
This visibility supports informed involvement without turning group time into surveillance.
When something isn’t right
We design for safety, remain involved and can act
Safeguards cannot eliminate every interpersonal or online risk. When a concern arises, FriendWorX can respond according to the circumstances.
- Guide intervention
- Reviewing participation
- Changing access
- Suspending access
- Removing access
- Communicating with parents or carers where appropriate
The layered model
Eight connected layers of safer participation
Safety is not a single feature. These layers reinforce one another throughout the FriendWorX experience.
- Who
- Known, age-appropriate participants and checked Australian Guides.
- Identity
- FriendWorX-managed identities rather than personal gaming profiles.
- Access
- Controlled windows around scheduled participation where platforms allow.
- Environment
- Small, controlled groups rather than anonymous public matchmaking.
- Activity
- Approved shared activities chosen to support cooperation and connection.
- Guidance
- An adult Guide supports inclusion, boundaries and group dynamics.
- Visibility
- Parents and carers remain appropriately informed.
- Response
- FriendWorX retains control and can respond when concerns arise.
Learn more or take the next step
A supported way to begin connecting
Registering interest allows FriendWorX to learn more about your young person and discuss possible next steps. It does not guarantee placement or remove every online risk.
See how Discovery works