FCSF Framework

FCSF Framework

Family Cyber Safety Framework v1.0, published 09-Sep-2025

The FCSF is built of three easy-to-remember Steps:

Prepare: set the house rules and determine who is responsible for what, list the people, devices, and accounts to be protected.
Protect: put the everyday protection in place, and notice when something’s wrong.
Respond: follow a short plan when trouble happens, restore your stuff, and improve for next time.

These three steps create a clear path to security: Prepare sets direction, makes assets visible, Protect prevents problems and detects early, and Respond limits damage, restores, and improves.

The framework includes 16 Actions to be performed to achieve these steps. Together, they form an easy-to-teach, repeatable framework that grows with your family.

Prepare

This is the “family constitution” of your digital life. It’s about deciding what you care about, who’s responsible for what, and how decisions get made. In this step you create a “map” of the digital home. You can’t protect what you don’t know exists.

Purpose:

Establish clear house rules so everyone knows boundaries and expectations.
Define who is the “admin” and who can make changes to settings or buy new devices.
List the people, devices, and accounts (assets) you need to protect.
Spot which assets are “critical” (email, bank, school portal).
Track devices and accounts as changes are made.

Importance:
Without this, the family’s security is ad-hoc. Setting simple written rules dramatically reduces mistakes. It also empowers children because they understand what’s allowed and why. Families often forget an old tablet or an unused account, which can be hijacked. By simply listing assets, you make the invisible visible and reduce blind spots.

Activities:

(1) Define Family Cyber Rules – One page of house rules: time online for children, what’s private, define Roles and Permissions, who uses admin and who uses standard accounts.

Review Frequency: Yearly

(2) Create Devices and Accounts list – the list includes Devices that need protection (phones, tablets, PCs, smart TV, router, cameras, game consoles), Account Inventory (emails, banking, socials, gaming, school portals) classified according to their criticality and who uses what (parents, kids, grandparents, visitors).

Review Frequency: Yearly or when a change happens

Examples in Practice:

One-page “Family Cyber Rules.”
Parents make purchases, set router passwords, and app approvals.
Device & Account Inventory Sheet.
Marking accounts as “critical” for priority security.

Protect

This step is about everyday shields - putting locks on digital doors and windows and noticing problems quickly.

Purpose:

Create strong barriers to unauthorized access.
Limit damage if one account or device is compromised.
Keep private data private.
Spot suspicious activity early to prevent major harm.
Give you time to react, lock down accounts, and protect finances or privacy.

Importance:
Most attacks succeed because of weak passwords, outdated software, or open networks. Simple protective habits cut 80%+ of common risks. Families rarely “monitor” their digital life, but early detection often makes the difference between a minor inconvenience and a major problem.

Activities:

(3) Set Strong Sign-in – password manager + unique passphrases + 2-step login on critical accounts (email/bank/social).