Academies

Research by the London School of Economics has found that the conversion of primary schools into academies has not improved pupils' results. The results of primary schools converted to academies, were studied by the authors who saw no improvement compared with similar schools that converted later. This comes in the wake of the Government's U-turn on their Bill to force all state schools in England to become academies. 

Child Neglect

Research, Policy and Planning, the Journal of the Social Services Research Group, have published a special issue on child neglect; it is freely available online, articles are listed here:

• Research, policy and practice across a devolved United Kingdom – an overview of the field. 

• Noticing and helping neglected children in Scotland: ‘... sometimes it’s just too hard to talk...’. 

• Tackling child neglect: key developments in Wales. 

• Child neglect: policy, response and developments in England.

• Childhood neglect – the Northern Ireland experience.

Education Update

The Government has now decided to scrap the Education Bill introduced earlier this year; many were relieved that state schools will not be forced to become academies by 2022. Parts of the bill expected to survive include the proposed revamp of initial teacher training and an overhaul of the National College for Teaching and Leadership.

The DfE has also been busy with two other bills: the children and social work bill and the higher education and research bill; there is also the technical and further education bill which will have its second reading debate next Monday.  Also expected from Justine Greening, new education secretary, are proposals on extending grammar schools in the 'Schools that Work for Everyone' consultation to be published early next year.

In the meantime, authorities are concerned about the planned cuts of £600m from the education services grant awarded to councils and academies. 

Updates EY Compliance Handbook

OFSTED have made some minor updates to the Early Years Compliance Handbook including the summary of changes; the updates relate to the action taken by Ofsted when a childminder or childcare provider does not comply with regulations. The full handbook can be viewed here.

Sugar Tax

Further to the campaign for a tax on soft drinks in an attempt to combat the rise in childhood obesity, a report has been published by WHO which declares that taxing sugary drinks can lower consumption and reduce obesity, type 2 diabetes and tooth decay.

Improving lives

The Government has launched a Green Paper, 'Improving Lives': a consultation on disability, health and work. They are seeking views from all sections of the community eg. employers, health care professionals, family as well as those living with long-term health conditions, in order to better understand the range of conditions and the circumstances faced by this group. The consultation is now open until Friday 17th February 2017.

Children's Homes

New updates have been added to the Memorandum of Understanding between Ofsted and DfE: 'Secure Children's Homes'; it outlines working arrangements between the DfE and Ofsted, to ensure that children’s homes offer safe, good quality care to children.

Safeguarding

Safeguarding is always a popular topic so here are some sources of information that might help. Let's begin with the Chimat website; their Knowledge Hub provides a link to the Safeguarding Children Training Directory  and a list of  key organisations and sources of safeguarding information.   

The DfE website offers resources on various aspects of safeguarding children and young people, whether at home or in an education setting; there is also a list of related publications available. 

A couple of new reports have been published: 'Time to Listen' sets out how collaborative working can help tackle child sexual exploitation. 'Children in need of help or protection,' published by the National Audit Office, this suggests that the DfE has not yet succeeded in their attempt to improve the quality of child protection services delivered by local authorities.

During an online resources teaching session yesterday, a student spotted a particular article which she said was exactly what she needed for an assignment! I thought I would share it here - simply search for 'Completing Your SEF - Safeguarding' in Teaching Times (E-Resources - Athens) :0)

EU Gangs 2nd Annual Conference - Thurs 9th June 16

Mapping user experiences of the EHC process

A recent report, commissioned by the DfE, examines the experiences of children, young people and families involved in the EHC process and their satisfaction with the Education, Health and Care (EHC) process for children and young people with SEND. 

It also explores the extent to which the approaches employed to capture user feedback in the course of the study, could help others gather user satisfaction and make improvements to their service. 

Regional Schools Commissioners

Eight Regional Schools Commissioners (RSCs) were appointed in September 2014 to oversee the growing numbers of academies in England and have since become increasingly prominent. In fact, their roles are likely to expand to include decision-making in tackling poor performing local authority (LA) maintained schools as well as coasting schools. 

Further to the Government's report laying out plans to turn all maintained schools into academies by 2022, research by the Local Government Association (LGA) found that 86% of council-maintained schools are now rated 'good' or 'outstanding' by Ofsted, compared with 82% of academies. They also found that 'inadequate' council-maintained schools are more likely to improve if they stay with their local authority, rather than being forced to convert to an academy.

Children leaving care

Considerable research has been conducted into the area of children returning home following a period in care. The government has set out guidelines on improving practice in respect of children who leave care to return home. This article offers advice on helping children re-settle back into their homes and the risks posed to these children is addressed by the NSPCC here.

Mental Health update

The Department for Education has announced plans to help young people set up online advice networks and workshops so that they can offer peer support on mental health issues.

A recent issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry included a supplement in which the editors make the case for a transformation of mental health care for young people based on early intervention and a priority focus on emerging adulthood.

The Mental Health Taskforce has published a report, which takes a strategic approach to improving mental health outcomes and makes recommendations for the NHS. 

Place2Be and NAHT give a picture of primary school counselling provision across the country. They believe that all schools need access to or the ability to host professional mental health services, in order to effectively support children and build their resilience for the future, 

The Institute of Health Visiting is calling on local authorities, to ensure that all health visitors have the training, capacity and support to provide “sufficient advice to all new parents”. They stated that an increased focus on the first two years of a child's life would help the NHS to reduce the impact of maternal depression and other perinatal mental health problems on babies’ mental wellbeing. The responsibility for the commissioning of public health services for under-fives was handed to local authorities last October.

Perinatal and Infant Mental Health

The Child and Maternal Health Observatory (ChiMat) have a page dedicated to Perinatal and Infant Mental Health (PIMH); they have produced an online needs assessment report which discusses mental health issues in pregnancy, the postnatal period as well as in babies and toddlers. Users can also keep up to date with the latest policies and good practice by signing up to their bulletin.

Spending Review 2015

The government presented its Autumn Spending Review on Wednesday - here is a summary of the key points. The outcome for 30-hour childcare is discussed and another report gives an overview of the impact of the review on education funding. On the surface, the NHS have done well, with an extra £8bn a year pledged. However, a focus on patient safety and rising demand mean that hospital trusts are likely to remain in considerable deficit by the end of this financial year. Publicly funded bursaries for student nurses are to be phased out and replaced with student loans. The government's U-turn on tax credits seems to be good news for tax credit claimants - or is it? The small print within the review has been studied closely in this Guardian report. 

HM Treasury have published supporting documents for the review; detailed background on the context and aims of the review is given and the process is explained here.   

On their own terms....

A research study has found that of 500 teachers, only 4% of them would consider imposing staggered terms and more than half said they were not even aware that staggering was an option. Since September, headteachers have had the power to set their own dates for school terms with the hope that this will produce staggered school holiday dates, which could reduce holiday prices for families. The issue was debated in the House of Commons earlier this week when MPs heard that 90% of school heads would welcome advice from the government about what constitutes an “exceptional circumstance”. 

No Fall Back for Body Clocks...

The extra hour in bed as the clocks turn back is always welcomed and a sure sign that Autumn has arrived. On the topic of sleep, a study has shown that the body clocks of those aged between 10 and 55 are not compatible with rising early - it's not natural, hence the reason for using alarm clocks. This has led to a generally sleep deprived society, particularly tough for those aged between 14 and 24. Dr Kelley, who has led the research, has suggested that school days should start at 10am and university at 11am, to better match the circadian rhythms of adolescents and young adults. Teensleep, a project involving randomised trials have been carried out at schools across the UK to look at the outcomes of later starts for pupils - findings will be published in 2018.

A number of schools, including Hampton Court House, have already changed to later start times. The benefits may mean better GCSE grades by improving learning, performance and attainment.

Roundup: Social Work

The Prime Minister announced yesterday that it would be rolling out the Troubled Families programme across the country, to help more vulnerable families. The government have also committed themselves to long term funding for a proposed centre of expertise, which will aim to address and tackle child sexual abuse. The benefits of delivering action services early on have also been discussed in a new report by Action for Children.

These developments come as The College of Social Work (TCSW) closes its doors due to lack of funding from the Government. The membership charity was established following the 'Baby P' case, to become a beacon of best practice for social workers. Useful resources and advice can still be found on the TCSW website, particularly for those wanting to become a social worker and there are a number of best practice case studies also available.

Meanwhile, a number of charities have criticised the government for continuing to outsource children’s social care as Ofsted this week ceased regulation of third-party providers. In March, The Deregulation Act 2015, became law, stating that providers no longer have to register with Ofsted before taking on local authority contracts. Previously, these providers would have had to meet a number of requirements set out by Ofsted including vetting checks, interviews and a visit to the proposed premises. At the moment, there are five independent providers commissioned to provide social care services, but numbers are expected to grow.

A busy week....

It was a busy week in Parliament last week with the state opening and the Queen's Speech which set out the new government's plan for their first year in office; NCB's Anna Feuchtwang gives her analysis of events and how children and young people fared on issues such as child poverty, children's rights and childcare. This NCB briefing provides further information about the Bills that will impact children and young people.

A full list of newly appointed government ministers can be found here. 

Party Policy Guide

Election Day is tomorrow and if you have been left feeling a little 'pledged-out' and perhaps none the wiser, then this might help - CYPNow have published a concise policy guide, which clearly sets out the proposals made by the Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats on key issues for children, young people and families.

The guide covers 14 key areas: careers advice, child health, child poverty, children’s rights, crime and youth justice, early years and childcare, families and parenting, joint working, post-16 learning, public spending, safeguarding and care, schools, welfare, and youth services.