Category Archives: News

The Children’s Commissioner has published a study on the isolation of children in custody in England.

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The Children’s Commissioner has published a study on the isolation of children in custody in England. It finds that about one third of children experience isolation and segregation with some spending up to 22 hours in isolation. It is prevalent in larger institutions and is used as a means to maintain order and safety in environments where violence is commonplace. The report makes recommendations for the radical reform of the youth custody system to create an environment which improves children’s outcomes and reduces reoffending.
Source: BBC News 22 October 2015
Further information:
Unlocking potential 
   Unlocking potential: supporting research

Source CASPARR

The Office for National Statistics has published a report on children’s well being

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The Office for National Statistics has published a report on children’s well being. For the first time, it includes an analysis of the data for children’s mental health. This revealed that amongst those who were online for more than three hours, 27% reported high or very high scores for mental ill health.
Source: Office for National Statistics 20 October 2015
Further information:
Insights into children’s mental health and well-being

The female genital mutilation (FGM) mandatory reporting duty comes into force on 31 October 2015

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The female genital mutilation (FGM) mandatory reporting duty comes into force on 31 October 2015. The Home Office has published procedural information on the duty to help health and social care professionals, teachers and the police prepare.
Source: Home Office 20 October 2015
Further information:
Mandatory reporting of female genital mutilation – procedural information (PDF)

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The Minister of State for Community and Social Care has set out plans to improve children and young people’s mental health. These include: a national anti-stigma campaign for teenagers and parents which will launch next month; and the creation of a new section on the NHS Choices website providing information on mental health which is tailored for young people.
Source: Department of Health 22 October 2015
Further information:
NHS Choices: young people and mental health

 

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The NSPCC has published a framework for national and local decision-makers and commissioners. It sets out actions across five levels of society – children, parents, communities, universal services and local government – to help stop child neglect. Informed by evidence from new NSPCC research on universal services, the framework focuses on taking action before the need for intervention from children’s social care at a Child in Need or Child Protection level.
Source: NSPCC website 20 October 2015
Further information:
Thriving communities: a framework for preventing and intervening early in child neglect (PDF)

Source: NSPCC

The government has launched a counter-extremism strategy

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The government has launched a counter-extremism strategy which includes measures to automatically bar convicted terrorists from working with children; and enabling parents concerned their 16 and 17-year-old children are at risk of travelling abroad under the influence of extremists to apply to have their passports removed.
Source: Home Office 19 October 2015
Further information:
Counter-extremism strategy

REVISED Safer Working Practices (2015)

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REVISED Safer Working Practices (2015) 
 
Keeping Children Safe (July 2015) states that schools must have a staff code of conduct. Many schools based their code on a guidance document issued in 2009: Guidance for Safer Working Practice for Adults who work with Children and Young People in Education. This document was archived by the government.
 
This document has now been updated by the Safer Recruitment Consortium made up of NSPCC, Lucy Faithfull Foundation, National Association of Special Schools and Child Protection in Education foundation. The guidance has been brought up-to-date with all the changes to legislation and guidance, and now includes new sections on:
  • Educational visits
  • Personal Living accommodation inc. onsite provision
  • Overnight Supervision and Examinations
  • Curriculum (sensitive topics)
  • Whistle-blowing
You can download a copy of the revised guidance by clicking here
.