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)

Child Safety Online

A practical new guide has been produced for providers of social media and interactive services to encourage businesses to think about “safety by design” to help make their platforms safer for children and young people under 18. It is based around six principles, namely: Content, Parental Controls, Dealing with Abuse/Misuse, Child Abuse or Illegal Contact, Privacy and Control, and Education and Awareness. Advice and industry examples of good practice are used to build on these principles.

Webinar: Child Protection

Webinar: Keeping children safe online

Led by the NSPCC's Child Protection in Sport Unit, this free webinar takes place
on 18 March 2016 at 11am. 

Register to attend

Child Protection

The NSPCC has recently published new reports on sexual abuse: 'Getting Help' highlights the expectations and experiences of children and young people about receiving therapeutic services following sexual abuse; 'Letting the Future In' is an independent evaluation of the NSPCC's therapeutic intervention service for children who have been sexually abused; 'Someone to Lean On'  is a guide created by NSPCC practitioners who deliver the programme for mental health and social care practitioners.

An article published in the Guardian outlines what the government has in mind for child protection; they have also launched a consultation on plans to protect children from seeing pornographic material online.

Duty of Care for Excluded Children

Campaigners of the School Exclusion Project are urging the government to hold headteachers to account for their duty of care towards pupils they have excluded "to ensure that such children are in practice met by a parent, guardian or approved carer".

Care Quality Commission

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has launched a six month partnership with NSPCC's ChildLine as part of its commitment to listen to and act on young people's experiences of health and social care. This latest 'tell us about your care' partnership is one of seven CQC projects currently running with national organisations that are in a unique position to reach and be reached, by people who may choose to discuss concerns about the way they are receiving health and adult social care or to identify examples of best practice.

Established in 2009, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) is an executive non-departmental public body of the Department of Health, which aims to regulate and inspect health and social care services in England. 

The CQC website offers a variety of resources for both providers and the public. Various handbooks and publications cover aspects of care such as child safeguarding, end of life, mental health and neonatal care.

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. 

Update: School Inspection

The March edition of the School Inspection Update has been published, discussing inspection of school and academy sixth forms; there are various links within the document for further reading and statistics on topics such as online safety, teaching assistants, workload, performance tables and more. Handbooks for school inspectors can be found here.

The UK Safer Internet Centre have declared today to be 'Safer Internet Day' here in the UK,  to help promote the safe, responsible and positive use of digital technology for children and young people. To help support the public, their website provides useful e-safety tips and resources, such as education packs for schools, advice for parents, carers and teachers, a hotline in case of any serious issues that cause concern and there is also a separate helpline dedicated to young people. Find out more about their youth film here.

A supporting TV channel, SID TV, has also been launched today; in the first episode, the presenters talk about being kind online and what being a good friend online means.

Ofsted Policy on Safeguarding

Ofsted's policy "Safeguarding children and young people and young vulnerable adults" is now available online; it aims to provide guidance for all members of Ofsted's workforce, who may come across concerns in this area. The policy and procedure for responding to concerns, when these have been identified, are also included in the document.