Children affected by domestic abuse

The Home Office has announced an £8m fund to support children who have been affected by domestic abuse. The announcement highlights the work of the NSPCC’s Domestic Abuse, Recovering Together (DART™) programme which enables children and their mothers to talk to each other about the domestic abuse they have experienced, learn to communicate and rebuild their relationship. The NSPCC delivers the programme in three areas and has also trained 15 other organisations to provide the service in their areas. The NSPCC is looking to work with other organisations who want to take on the service, so that more children and families can benefit from it.

Source: Home Office Date: 21 July 2018

Further information: Children affected by domestic abuse fund: prospectus (PDF)

Domestic abuse, recovering together (DART)

Source: CASPAR

Home alone during the summer holidays

The NSPCC has released figures from its helpline looking at calls from people worried that young children had been left at home unsupervised by a parent or carer during the summer holidays. Figures show that 849 referrals were made to the police during August 2017 by the helpline, a third of which were for children aged 5 or under. The NSPCC website includes tips and a tool to help parents and carers decide whether or not to leave their on their own for the first time this summer.

Source: NSPCC: Concern over young children left home alone for the summer holidaysDate: 19 July 2018

Further information: Is my child ready to be left alone? (PDF)

Source: CASPAR

NSPCC tool: Is my child ready to be left home alone?

Delayed Statutory Relationships and Sex Education

The government was to bring in statutory RSE from September 2019, but the education secretary, Damian Hinds, has informed the Education Select Committee that this will not now be the case. Hinds says that it will be ‘available’ from 2019 and ‘probably compulsory from 2020’. Could this be a U-turn?

The Sex Education Forum has been shaping policy and practice on RSE and have written an article on their blog, ‘Waiting is frustrating though, so what can you do in the meantime?’. The article sets out three things schools can continue to do to improve the quality of RSE in schools.

Read the article here: http://www.sexeducationforum.org.uk/news/blog/tired-waiting

Reporting safeguarding incidents

Ofsted has published guidance on how local authorities should report a serious incident of child abuse or neglect, or the death of a child who is looked after. From 29 June 2018 local authorities in England must notify the national Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel within 5 working days of becoming aware of a serious incident. Local authorities should also report incidents to the relevant local safeguarding children board (LSCB) at the same time as notifying the panel. Notifications can be made online using the online form for notifications of serious childcare incident for local authorities. Children’s social care providers should use the separate notification form for adoption support agencies, children’s homes, independent fostering agencies, residential family centres, and secure children’s homes.

Source: Ofsted Date: 29 June 2018 / CASPAR

Further information: Notification of serious childcare incident for local authorities

Children’s social care providers notification form

Sex and relationships education: Wales

Welsh education secretary Kirsty Williams has announced changes to Sex and Relationships Education (SRE) in Wales. Children aged from five to 16 will be taught Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) as a statutory part of Wales’ new curriculum which will be in place from 2022, and will place an emphasis on forming and maintaining healthy, happy and fulfilling relationships. New guidance, due to be published, will include advice on how to teach a range of topics including: education for LGBTQI pupils (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex); and issues of sexual consent and prevention of violence against women.

Source: Welsh Government Date: 22 May 2018 / CASPAR

Further information: BBC

Nearly a third of children being referred to specialist mental health services by their schools are being denied treatment, an investigation has found.

A Freedom of Information request to NHS Trusts in England by the NSPCC found schools seeking professional help for pupils from NHS child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) made 123,713 referrals since 2014/15.

Overall the number of referrals has increased each year since 2014/15, reaching 34,757 in 2017/18 – the equivalent of 183 every school day.

CYPNow Full Story click here

Female genital mutilation clinical handbook

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has published a clinical handbook on the care of girls and women living with female genital mutilation (FGM). The Handbook offers advice on how to: communicate effectively and sensitively with girls who have developed health issues due to FGM; work with patients and families to prevent the practice of FGM; and identify when and where to refer patients who need additional support and care.

Source: WHO  Date: 01 May 2018

Further information: Care of girls & women living with female genital mutilation: a clinical handbook (PDF)

Mental health in schools and colleges

The Department for Education (DfE) has published a report looking at how schools and colleges incorporate teaching about mental health into the academic curriculum. Findings from case study research in 36 schools, colleges and other educational institutions across England provide examples of the range of activities used to deliver support for mental health provided in schools and colleges.

Source: DfE  Date: 08 May 2018 / CASPAR

Further information: Supporting mental health in schools and colleges: pen portraits of provision (PDF)

Number of adoptions

The Department for Education (DfE) has published quarterly statistics on the performance of the adoption system in England. The number of children waiting to be adopted has increased by 7% from 2,320 in 31 December 2016, to 2,470 children at 31 March 2017. 27% of those children waiting at 31 March 2017 had been waiting 18 months or more.

Source: DfE  Date: 08 May 2018 / CASPAR

Further information: Adoption leadership board headline measures and business intelligence: quarter 4 2016 to 2017 update (PDF)

Accessible language for social workers

Community Care highlights the need for social workers and health and social care professionals to be mindful of the language they use when speaking with families and children. Key suggestions include: referring to family members by their names; avoiding using LAC when referring to a looked after child, or FC when talking about a foster carer; referring to where a child lives as their home, rather than a placement or unit; and considering the language used when compiling reports or during meetings, as parents often do not have experience of specialist terms and acronyms.

Source: Community Care  Date: 10 May 2018