| The Resolution Foundation has published research on school readiness. Findings include: children from low to middle income families are five months behind children from higher income families in terms of vocabulary skills, and have more behaviour problems. |
| Source: Resolution Foundation 14 December 2011 |
NASWE report looking at the importance of providing a local authority funded education welfare service
| The National Association for Social Workers in Education (NASWE) and the Association of Education Welfare Managers (AEWM) have published a report looking at the importance of providing a local authority funded education welfare service (EWS). Recommendations for local authorities include: ensure there are sufficient education welfare officers for work with children missing education; and maintain links between the EWS and children and adults social care, substance misuse, domestic violence and adult and child mental health services. |
| Source: Children & Young People Now 09 December 2011 |
| Croydon Safeguarding Children Board has published the executive summary of theserious case review |
| Croydon Safeguarding Children Board has published the executive summary of the serious case review into the maltreatment of Child Z, who was left blinded and permanently brain damaged after being beaten by his stepmother. Issues include: asylum seeking family; language barriers; and problems with information sharing. Recommends that LSCBs should have increased awareness around: cumulative effect of relatively small human errors; danger of overly optimistic view of parental capacity; and the vulnerability of dispersed asylum seeking families. |
| Source: Croydon Safeguarding Children Board |
The Scottish Government has published good practice guidance for working with child witnesses
| The Scottish Government has published good practice guidance for working with child witnesses. Aims include: making the interview more child focused and less stressful, including keeping the number of times the child is interviewed to a minimum; and improvement of information sharing and the quality of the interview record. Changes include: introduction of visual recording for accounts from child witnesses. |
| Source: Scottish Government 19 December 2011 |
| Kirklees Safeguarding Children Board (KSCB) has published the executive summary of the serious case review |
| Kirklees Safeguarding Children Board (KSCB) has published the executive summary of the serious case review into the death of a child, aged two and a half. Issues include: maternal mental health (possible schizophrenia). Recommendations include: KSCB to provide training around assessing parenting capacity, including whether parental anxiety over agency involvement increases the risk of harm to children; and KSCB to look at options for strengthening contingency plans between adult and children’s services in relation to parental mental ill-health. |
| Source: BBC Online 21 December 2011 |
HMIP Insepction report on FelthamYoung Offender’s Institution
| Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons has published an inspection report on Feltham Young Offender’s Institution following the disturbances in England in August 2011. Findings include: inadequate information about new arrivals made it difficult to carry out initial assessments to keep young people safe; young people were exposed to gang activity while on remand; and young people were held far from home resulting in a lack of contact with their families. |
| Source: Children & Young People Now 20 December 2011 |
East Sussex Local Safeguarding Children Board has published the executive summary of the serious case review
| East Sussex Local Safeguarding Children Board has published the executive summary of the serious case review into the deaths of two brothers aged 7 and 5 who died in a fire at their home. Issues include: the children had an obsession with fire but this was not known to agencies; family violence; and parental drug and alcohol misuse. Recommendations include: LSCB to identify assessment procedures that should be amended to include fire safety; LSCB to ensure agencies are aware of the impact of domestic violence on children’s development and behaviour; and LSCB to highlight the impact of alcohol misuse on parenting capacity in its Child Protection training. |
| Source: East Sussex Local Safeguarding Children Board 20 December 2011 |
| Children and Young People now report on a project tackling violent crime in Liverpool. |
| Children and Young People now report on a project tackling violent crime in Liverpool. The CitySafe Havens initiative involved local shops, businesses and other organisations becoming official safe places where young people could seek help if they felt vulnerable or intimidated. The initiative has been credited with reducing violent crime in the city by 29.6%. |
| Source: Children & Young People Now 29 November 2011 |
The DFE strategy for young people and youth services
| The Department for Education has published its strategy for young people and youth services, setting out all government policies for young people aged 13 to 19 in England. Proposals include empowering young people to get involved with local services and government policy. Progress will be audited at the end of 2012. |
| Source: Department for Education press release 19 December 2011 |
| The Scottish Government has published the results of a survey of adults’ experiences of partner abuse. |
| The Scottish Government has published the results of a survey of adults’ experiences of partner abuse. The report explores the presence of children in the household and their involvement, if any, in the most recent incident. |
| Source: Scottish Government 20 December 2011 |
| Further information: 2010/2011 Scottish crime and justice survey: partner abuse |
