a new report ‘Young People and e-safety’ prepared by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) and commissioned by the London Grid for Learning (LGfL) a not-for-profit 2,500-strong community of London schools.

One third of young people have made friends online with people they did not know before and over half of these have met up in person. Online gaming seems to be the main route for bonding with strangers, as games consoles were frequently cited as the device used. These are just some of the alarming statistics revealed in a new report ‘Young People and e-safety’ prepared by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) and commissioned by the London Grid for Learning (LGfL) a not-for-profit 2,500-strong community of London schools.

Key findings from the report, which surveyed 16,855 London school children aged 7-16, include:

How do young people access the Internet?

•  Nine out of 10 access the Internet outside of school.
• 41% of seven-year-olds, 71% of 10- year-olds and 80% of 15- year-olds own their own Internet device.
• 71% of 15-year-olds use their device in private, compared to 40% of seven-year- olds.
• One in four admit that their parents do not know what they do online.

Online safety

• Of those young people using social network sites, just over a third have made friends with people online that they did not know before and nearly half of these have gone on to meet this person in real life.
• 41% went alone.
• 40% of boys have made friends with strangers online compared to 32% of girls. Games consoles were frequently cited as the device used, indicating that young people are mainly bonding with strangers through online gaming.

Bullying

• One in five report that they have been bullied online.
• One in 10 admit to bullying others online.

Access to inappropriate content

• 10% play games which are deemed inappropriate for their age.
• 16% reported that they had found or been sent online content which made them feel uncomfortable.

However there is cause to remain optimistic – many of the survey’s statistics indicate young people are behaving responsibly online. For example, the majority of young people recognise that some websites are more trustworthy than others and know that they should not believe everything they see online. Of those who have been bullied online, 60% told someone about it, stopping the bullying in 77% of cases.

Brian Durrant, Chief Executive at LGfL, said: “This is a substantial survey which tells us a great deal about developments in children’s online behaviour and the risks and issues that need to be addressed. However we are encouraged by many of the findings and we hope that the guidance we provide will help schools ensure all pupils are equipped with the knowledge to use the Internet safely, as it is ultimately a wonderful thing.”

To address the areas of concern, LGfL’s expert esafety team has provided recommendations detailing how schools can support young people – and their families – in increasing their online safety. Questions such as “How do you help young people understand what images are appropriate to share?” and “Do you know which of your pupils have limited access to technology at home?” invites schools to consider if any changes need to be made to their esafety policies. LGfL also offers esafety resources and software for LGfL connected schools alongside broadband, associated ICT services and BETT award-winning curriculum content.

The report can be read at www.pupilsurvey.lgfl.net.

Source: Posted by Rebecca Paddick  E-safety
LGfL, online, stranger danger, esafety, National Foundation for Educational Research, London Grid for Learning, schools

Home Office unveils statutory FGM guidance

Statutory guidance for how children’s social workers, doctors, police and teachers should deal with suspected cases of female genital mutilation (FGM) has been published by government as part of attempts to protect potential victims.

A draft version of the guidance, which has been put out to public consultation, sets out how to identify both victims of FGM and those at risk of the procedure, as well as how to respond appropriately and support victims.

Running to 55 pages in length, it features a section on the mandatory reporting duty for FGM that will come into force in October.

It also features a section on new FGM protection orders, which became available earlier this month, and how they can be applied for.

The Guidance can be downloaded: Download Here

Isabelle Trowler (Chief Social Worker) unveils new standards for senior social workers

Chief Social Worker announces the knowledge and skills statements for supervisors and leaders of child and family social workers.

A brand new set of standards for senior social work supervisors and leaders has been unveiled today by the Chief Social Worker for Children and Families.

For the first time ever, the knowledge and skills statements set out in 1 place what practice supervisors and practice leaders need to know and be able to do in order to deliver top quality, front-line social work for vulnerable children and families.

Today’s announcement is the next step in the government’s drive to overhaul social work education and training, with the introduction of a new national accreditation system for the specialist and highly demanding area of child and family social work.

Accreditation will require successful completion of a rigorous assessment process involving theory exams, extensive observation of practice and feedback from children and families themselves.

Source: Gov.uk

The BBC reports that the UN Human Rights Committee has recommended that the UK should pass laws banning parents from smacking children at home.

Source: BBC News

Children in care should stay until 25 – children’s commissioner

Vulnerable young people should be allowed to stay in care until they are aged 25, the government’s children’s commissioner for England has said.

A survey of nearly 3,000 children and young adults found nearly a third had felt forced to fend for themselves too early, Anne Longfield said.

She said most parents would not “wave goodbye” to children at 18 and “we shouldn’t do so for children in care”.

A Department for Education spokesman said reforms had been made since 2010.

Ms Longfield – who took up her post as children’s commissioner in March – said there were about 69,000 children in care in the UK.

Source BBC NEWs

A record number of care applications were made last month, statistics have shown. Figures published by Cafcass show a total of 1,104 care applications were received in June 2015, the highest monthly figure recorded in the last seven years. It represents a 3.6 per cent increase on the previous high of 1,066 recorded in March this year.

In June 2015, Cafcass received a total of 1,104 care applications.  This figure represents a 25% increase compared to those received in June 2014.

April 2014 – March 2015

• Between April 2014 and March 2015 Cafcass received a total of 11,143 applications.
• This figure is 5% higher when compared to the same period in the previous financial year, when 10,620 applications were received.
• Demand peaked during a few months. For example, new applications received in the month of April and October 2013 were the highest ever recorded by Cafcass in those individual months.

April 2013 – March 2014

• During 2013 – 2014, Cafcass received 10,620 new applications.  This figure is 4% higher when compared to the previous financial year.

April 2012 – March 2013: During 2012-13, Cafcass received 11,110 new applications. This figure is 8% higher when compared to previous financial year, when Cafcass received 10,255 applications.

Source: CAFCASS

THE ANNUAL BULLYING SURVEY 2015: UK BULLYING STATISTICS 2015

Ditch the Label has published its Annual Bullying Survey 2015, one of the UK’s most comprehensive reports into the bullying of young people. In partnership with 73 schools and colleges across the UK, our survey of over 4,800 young people highlights the current climate of bullying amongst 13-20 year olds. Our complementary report comes with free tips and advice for schools, colleges, parents and guardians, Government and young people on how you can help reduce the effect and prominence of bullying within your environment.

Findings

• 50% of young people have bullied another person, 30% of which do it at least once a week.
• 69% of young people have witnessed somebody else being bullied, 43% of which see it at least once a week.
• 43% of young people have been bullied, 44% of which are bullied at least once a week.
• Appearance is cited as the number 1 aggressor of bullying, with 51% saying they were bullied because of attitudes towards how they look.
• 26% said their weight was targeted, 21% body shape, 18% clothing, 14% facial features, 9% glasses and 8% hair colour.
• 23% a females with ginger hair cited their hair colour as the bullying aggressor.
• Overall, 47% of young people want to change their appearance. 48% want teeth whitening, 17% breast implants, 6% liposuction and 5% botox.
• 74% of those who have been bullied, have, at some point been physically attacked. 17% have been sexually assaulted. 62% have been cyber bullied.
• As a result of bullying, 29% self harmed, 27% skipped class, 14% developed an eating disorder and 12% ran away from home.
• Highest risk to bullying were the following groups: all types of disability, LGBT and low income backgrounds.
• 40% of respondents reported being bullied for personal appearance 36% reported being bullied for body shape, size and weight.
• Of those who were bullied, 98% were bullied by another student, 17% from a sibling, 13% from a teacher and 8% from their parents/guardians.
• 55% reporting bullying. 92% to a teacher, 49% were satisfied. 86% to a family member, 82% were satisfied. 69% to a friend, 72% were satisfied.
• 45% did not report bullying. 32% of which felt it would not be taken seriously, 32% were too embarrassed and 26% were scared of it getting worse.
• Those who have bullied were more likely to be in trouble with the Police (36%) vs. witnesses to bullying (23%) and those who have been bullied (22%).

Source: Ditch The Label : http://www.ditchthelabel.org/annual-bullying-survey-2015

Updated early years inspection handbook, including the evaluation schedule http://ow.ly/Nhci4