QUESTION...

"One of our specialist colleges is looking to use Skype but wanted some parental controls. Does anyone have any practical experience of this?

Looks as though control is not high on Skype’s agenda. The security page was well hidden

http://www.skype.com/intl/en-gb/security/

How do I block unwanted callers?

You can customise/set Skype to only allow calls from people in your contact list. Select Options from the file menu and then navigate to the Privacy tab. Check the box next to the option “Only allow calls from people in my contact list” and then save the changes.

Will this do the trick? Are there any other routes?"

ANSWER 1

"We have been using Skype with students and parents for 4 years and have had no issues with this. That is the only way to stop unwanted callers, but the flip side is you will only get unwanted callers if you have Skype running constantly or have published your Skype contact details on some social networking site for example. Most users do not have this problem as they only turn Skype on sporadically."

"The other way to attract spam caller’s attention is obviously completing the details and selecting a provocative name as your Skype contact name."

ANSWER 2

"We have also been using Skype successfully for a number of years and the benefits to students with communication difficulties have been enormous."

"It fits very well into our “Low Technology; High Impact” policy.
We only enable it on a limited number of PC’s and only turn it on when needed. This practice also satisfies the Janet AUP."

"We have not experienced any security issues to date. Hope this helps!"

ANSWER 3

"To avoid running Skype permanently, use SMS messages to establish contact before connecting."