The BBC has published a news story exploring the 20 recommendations that were set out by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) in October 2022. The Inquiry investigated abuse in churches, schools, custodial institutions and other settings. The news story looks at what progress has been made. Proposals included: a mandatory duty for people working with children to report child abuse; improvements to data collection, analysis and use; the creation of Child Protection Authorities for England and Wales; and calls for platform providers to pre-screen material for child sexual abuse images. The Government says it is committed to all the recommendations.

Read the news story: The 20 child abuse inquiry proposals – what has happened so far?

The Home Office has published a statement made by the Home Secretary to Parliament outlining the Government’s commitment to tackling grooming and child sexual abuse. The statement discusses recommendations from the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) and commits to setting up a victims and survivors panel to help shape new proposals and plans on child sexual abuse and exploitation. It confirms that the Government will act on three key IICSA recommendations: making it an offence to fail to report or to cover up child sexual abuse, with professional and criminal sanctions; legislating to make grooming an aggravating factor in the sentencing of child sexual offences; and making reforms related to the information and evidence gathered on child sexual abuse and exploitation, including a new performance framework for policing.

Read the statement: Tackling child sexual abuse

The Department for Education (DfE) has published a press release on the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill being debated in Parliament. The press release outlines how the new measures in the Bill will help protect children and young people from exploitation, grooming and abuse. The Children’s Charities Coalition, made up of five charities including the NSPCC, has published a response to the Bill. The response outlines the need for the Bill and welcomes the child protection measures it sets out. 

Read the DfE press release: Children’s bill to keep children safe from exploitation 
Read the Children’s Charities Coalition response: CEOs from the Children’s Charities Coalition respond to The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill

On 16th September 2024, Ofsted updated both the School Inspection Handbookand the School Monitoring Handbook so that these key documents are in line with the announcements following Ofsted’s big listen. 

The London Grid for Learning is aiming to make official documentation easier for a wider array of people. Their hard work has resulted in the translation of KCSIE 2024 Part I into: Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Gujarati, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Romanian, Somali, Spanish, Ukrainian and Urdu. You can see the results of this excellent project, by following the link below: 

https://lgfl.net/safeguarding/kcsietranslate

Government pushes ahead with reform agenda by scrapping single headline Ofsted judgements for schools with immediate effect.

Single headline grades for schools will be scrapped with immediate effect to boost school standards and increase transparency for parents, the government has announced today.

Reductive single headline grades fail to provide a fair and accurate assessment of overall school performance across a range of areas and are supported by a minority of parents and teachers. 

The change delivers on the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and demonstrates the Prime Minister’s commitment to improve the life chances of young people across the country.

full details

Proposed changes in the draft 2024 guidance

Keeping children safe in education 2024 sets out proposed changes to the current guidance. Changes will come into force following the publication of the final version expected in September 2024.

click here for the full version

Every moment in school counts and days missed add up quickly. Evidence shows that pupils who have good attendance enjoy better wellbeing and school performance than those who don’t. 

The school day is split into two sessions – one session counts as a morning or afternoon spent in school. There are only a few occasions where a child is allowed to miss school, such as illness or where the school has given permission because of an exceptional circumstance. 

However, if your child misses school without a good reason, local councils and schools can intervene and you may be issued a fine. 

full story

Community Care has published an article on the provision of advocacy support for parents involved in child protection processes in England. The article discusses research findings on parents’ experiences of the child protection system exploring issues such as the ‘trauma’ of child protection conferences; fear and mistrust of professionals; and parental exclusion and disengagement. The article calls for every parent to be given the opportunity to engage with advocacy services before a child protection conference takes place.

Read the article: ‘Why parents in the child protection system need advocacy’

Source: Community Care 

The Modern Slavery and Human Rights Policy and Evidence Centre has published research on the internal trafficking and exploitation of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in England and Wales. The research involved interviews with parents/carers of children with SEND who had experienced exploitation; multi-agency focus groups in local authorities; and analysis of relevant law, policy and guidance. Findings highlight: little recognition in national safeguarding or modern slavery policy of the increased vulnerability and risk of being exploited for children and young people with SEND; missed opportunities for early intervention and disrupting patterns of exploitation; and the importance of engagement with education services in keeping children with SEND safe from exploitation.

Read the report: Gaps in policies and services put children with SEND at risk of exploitation