Young men and self harm
YoungMinds reports on a survey looking at the self harm behaviours of young men. The survey, commissioned by The Mix, Self-Harm UK and Young Minds and carried out by YouGov, finds that: 24% of 16-24-year-old men in the UK have intentionally hurt themselves; and 22% have considered self harm as a way of coping with a difficult situation or emotion.
Source: Young Minds Date: 01 March 2017
Healthy relationships in the school curriculum
The Welsh Education Secretary has announced a new expert group for healthy relationships in the school curriculum. This will be chaired by Emma Renold, Professor of childhood studies at Cardiff University’s School of Social Sciences, and will advise on areas including: improving understanding of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender issues; violence against women; domestic abuse and sexual violence; respect and consent; and sexism and bullying.
Source: Welsh Government Date: 01 March 2017
Child Protection Improvement Programme
The Scottish Government has published a report setting out the key messages from the Child Protection Improvement Programme since it was set up in February 2016. This includes findings from the Child protection systems review. Broader messages which have emerged include: there is a need to focus more on child protection in the wider context of Getting it right for every child (GIRFEC) and not lose sight of the broader agenda of protecting children beyond the specific requirements of the formal child protection system. A national child abuse prevention plan will be developed to consider the wider population of children in need who sit below the threshold of significant harm.
Source: Scottish Government Date: 02 March 2017
Further information: Child protection improvement programme (PDF)
Children and Social Work Bill
The BBC reports that the Department for Education will not be taking forward provisions in the Children and Social Work Bill that would allow councils to apply for exemptions from social care legislation.
Source: BBC Date: 03 March 2017
Further information: Children and Social Work Bill
Relationships education, relationships and sex education, and personal, social, health and economic education
The Department for Education (DfE) has published a policy statement on relationships education in primary schools; relationships and sex education (RSE); and personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE). This explains an amendment to the Children and Social Work Bill which places a duty on the Secretary of State to make relationships education, RSE and PSHE statutory. Draft regulations and guidance for consultation are planned for the autumn of 2017.
Source: DfE Date: 01 March 2017
Further information: Policy statement: relationships education, relationships and sex education, and personal, social, health and economic education (PDF)
Government change on controversial Child Protection opt-out
You may remember that the government had included a controversial clause into the Children and Social Work Bill that would potentially mean local authorities could opt-out of a range of child protection duties for upto six years.
The government has now agreed to ‘scrap’ the clauses from the Bill. You can read more here: Ministers’ U-turn over ‘bonfire of children’s rights’ (BBC)
Plans to “transform” attitudes to mental health, with a focus on children and young people, have been announced by Theresa May.
Additional training for teachers, an extra £15m for community care, and improved support in the workplace were among measures announced by the PM.
Mental health experts said more funding was needed to improve services.
Mrs May’s speech comes as she outlined her plans to use the state to create a “shared society”.
The government says one in four people has a mental disorder at some point in their life, with an annual cost of £105bn.
Figures show young people are affected disproportionately with over half of mental health problems starting by the age of 14 and 75% by 18.
The prime minister said mental health had been “dangerously disregarded” as secondary to physical health and changing that would go “right to the heart of our humanity”.
Source: BBC News
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A Bill described as “a bonfire of child protection rights”, which would let councils opt out of key legal duties to children, is being debated on Tuesday.
The Children and Social Work Bill would let local councils apply to set aside children’s rights and checks on care to try out innovative ways of working.
The government argues it is a bold approach to removing red tape.
But campaigners say allowing councils to opt out of these long-standing duties is risky and unnecessary.
The legal duties affected by the Bill relate to nearly all the social care services children receive from local authorities laid down in numerous acts of Parliament
These include statutory rights on child protection, family support, children’s homes and fostering, support to care leavers and services for disabled children.
Source: BBC News
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FGM resources for healthcare professionals.
Summary: A set of four films about female genital mutilation (FGM) for healthcare professionals. Topics covered include: personal experiences of FGM; mandatory reporting; the impact of FGM on mental health and how healthcare professionals can support victims. Videos are hosted by YouTube.
Publication details: [London]: Department of Health, 2016
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Source: NSPCC
Children missing education: statutory guidance for local authorities.
Summary: Updated guidance on identifying children who are missing education and helping them get back into it. Changes have been made to help local authorities and schools in England meet the recent changes to the Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006. Key points include: children missing education are at significant risk of being victims of harm, exploitation or radicalisation; effective information sharing between parents, schools and local authorities is critical to ensuring that all children of compulsory school age are safe and receiving suitable education.
Publication details: London: Department for Education (DfE), 2016
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Source: NSPCC
