Your guide to the Children and Families Act

The introduction of the Children and Families Act last month was the culmination of nearly two years of policy development, political wrangling and tireless campaigning.

From the launch of the bill in February 2013, the government was clear that the bulk of the measures would aim to tackle deficiencies in the care and education of some of the most vulnerable groups of children and young people.

Reforms to adoption procedures, special educational needs and the care system underpin many of the provisions.

However, while the scope of the bill remained largely the same over its 13-month passage through the parliamentary process, a number of headline-grabbing initiatives made it into the act that were not originally envisaged. The inclusion of free school meals for all infant-aged pupils was a major policy success for the Liberal Democrats, while the banning of smoking in cars gained cross-party support.

Meanwhile, calls from children’s charities for the bill to provide better support for young carers and to allow fostered children to stay with carers up to the age of 21 were listened to by the government.

Despite these developments, the act still has its critics – some feel its narrow focus represents a missed opportunity; others are worried it places additional unfunded responsibilities on councils.

With guidance still to come on how the act’s provisions will be implemented in practice, CYP Now examines what the act will mean for professionals and services, and assesses what the main unresolved issues are.

Source: CYPNow

Click here for full details

The Department for Education has published statutory guidance for schools and colleges which sets out what they must do to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people under the age of 18.
Source: Department for Education

 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education 03 April 2014
Further information:
Keeping children safe in education (PDF)

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/300309/KCSIE_gdnce_FINAL.pdf

Keeping children safe in education (PDF)

Ofsted chief blames early years providers for school readiness failings

Ofsted chief inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw has blamed early years providers for failing to adequately prepare disadvantaged children for school.

Wilshaw believes existing early years provision does not sufficiently meet the needs of disadvantaged children, and that schools are best placed to address this and should be allowed to educate infants from the age of two to narrow the attainment gap.

He said: “Too many of our poorest children are getting an unsure start because the early years system is letting them down.

“What children facing serious disadvantage need is high-quality, early education from the age of two delivered by skilled practitioners, led by a teacher, in a setting that parents can recognise and access.

“These already exist. They are called schools.”

Wilshaw’s remarks follow the publication today of Ofsted’s first early years annual report, which finds that children from poorer backgrounds are being failed by early years provision.

It reveals that less than a third of disadvantaged children reached a good development at the age of five last year.

The report argues that the early years sector is failing to recognise the role that schools can play in delivering high-quality early education.

It also calls for the pupil premium – which from 2015 can be used to support three- and four-year-olds in early years provision – to be extended to two-year-olds at the “earliest opportunity”.

Wilshaw recently wrote to early years inspectors urging them to consider children’s educational development when inspecting a setting.

source: CYPNow

Independent Reviewing Officers are not able to work to their full potential for children in care due to the challenges associated with the role, a study has found. A report by the National Children’s Bureau found that high case loads, an inability to assert independence and confront poor practice, time constraints, a lack of resources and an expectation to conduct other duties outside the IRO remit, all contributed towards an inconsistent application of IRO core duties set out in statutory guidance.

The government is considering whether to create a new offence of emotional cruelty to children. The BBC reports that the Ministry of Justice is looking at how the law can protect children from emotional cruelty. It follows a campaign for a “Cinderella Law” from charity Action for Children.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-26814427

Framework for inspecting non-association independent schools

The framework for inspecting education in non-association independent schools in England gives the statutory basis for inspection and summarises the main features of school inspections carried out under section 162A of the Education Act 2002, as inserted by schedule 8 of the Education Act 2005. It sets out how the general principles and processes of inspection are applied to non-association independent schools in England. This framework should be read alongside theNon-association independent school inspection handbook.

This framework includes the inspection of provision for pupils aged three to five years in the Early Years Foundation Stage, taking account of the Statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage. It does not cover the inspection of registered provision for the care of children from birth to age three, which is inspected under section 49(2) of the Childcare Act 2006.

The framework comes into effect from 28 April 2014.

Source: Ofsted:

Word Doc: Framework for inspecting non-association independent schools.doc

PDF Doc: Framework for inspecting non-association independent schools.pdf

• Non-association independent school inspection handbook

The first prosecutions over female genital mutilation in the UK have been announced by the Crown Prosecution Service.

The BBC reports that Dr Dhanoun Dharmasena will be prosecuted for an alleged offence while working at the Whittington Hospital in London in November 2012, and Hasan Mohamed will face a charge of intentionally encouraging an offence of female genital mutilation.

The pair will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 15 April.

Source: CYPNow