It is important that within the safeguarding and education spheres we remain aware of the latest reports and directions coming from the government. This month the UK Government has published its State of the Nation report, into children and young people’s wellbeing throughout the country. As such it is recommended reading for professionals within this sphere, and you can get hold of that document by following the link below. Across its 172 pages, it deals with the report’s key findings on the topics of personal wellbeing, mental and physical health, education and skills and relationships. It also includes a discussion of what direction should be taken to address the issues presented in the report. 

Police are defending a 43% yr-on-yr rise in the no. of officers based in UK schools. These officers are more likely to be based in schools with more children on free school meals & often with higher numbers of black pupils.

Full article

As a new generation of young people arrive onto using multiplayer games and the internet in general this new year, it is more important than ever to make your pupils aware of how to stay safe online. The SWGfL has published a pamphlet on how to best keep safe whilst using online software and games. With advice on reporting and blocking, online socialization and the considerations on online gaming, the pamphlet can be a useful resource for any teaching staff, giving lessons on the topic. You can find a link to that resource below

https://swgfl.org.uk/assets/documents/online-safety-and-gaming.pdf

The use of the internet among young people is now everywhere. The rise in the cultural acceptance of internet relationships between young people and strangers that they play or talk with online, has opened the door to dangers. Yet it is only a small amount of these relationships which turn out malicious, but children and young people may find it difficult to understand when that arises. The Information Commissioners Office, the UK’s information rights agency, has published guidance on what to look for when these relationships turn sour. And more importantly, what to do about it. This guidance, is applicable to teachers and parents alike. For teachings staff it is an excellent source of help when discussing with pupil’s their internet social life. Aiding to bring educational personnel up to date when it comes to the social world within which their pupils exist, outside of school. To find the guidance please follow the link below: 

https://ico.org.uk/about-the-ico/media-centre/news-and-blogs/2022/02/respect-and-healthy-relationships-online-how-the-children-s-code-can-help/

Figures released to i show 35 teachers were handed prohibition orders over sexual misconduct allegations in the year to March 2022, up from six the previous year

Full Article

Professor Andy Bilson explains how his research demonstrates how existing protocols on pre-mobile bruising mislead staff and risk exposing parents to damaging and unnecessary child protection action.

In a recent report, the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel (“the panel”) asked safeguarding partners to review their policies on bruising in non-mobile infants “to check for consistency with the evidence base and national guidelines.”

The panel acknowledges that there are a small number of children who are seriously harmed or die, where bruises have been seen by staff with a responsibility to protect children before more serious injuries have taken place. So why does the panel require these policies to change and what should they say?

Click here for full article

Education secretary announces review of designated officer service after inquiry finds function was among checks and balances that failed to act on concerns at special schools where abuse was uncovered

The government will review the local authority designated officer (LADO) role after an inquiry into the abuse of disabled children identified “major failings” in relation to the function.

Education secretary Gillian Keegan announced the review in a statement to Parliament after the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel published the report of phase 1 of its inquiry into serious abuse and neglect of disabled children in three residential special schools in Doncaster.

Keegan said that the Department for Education (DfE) would work with other departments and local authorities on the review, and would “consult on developing a LADO handbook that includes improving handling whistleblowing concerns and complaints in circumstances such as these”.

The panel has also asked directors of children’s services to review LADO referrals regarding residential special schools also registered as children’s homes over the past three years to identify any concerns.

click for further details

The number of child protection enquiries reached record levels in 2021-22, as referrals to children’s social care surged in the wake of the removal of Covid restrictions.Social workers carried out 10% more enquiries (217,800) under section 47 of the Children Act 1989 than in 2020-21, the first rise after three years of falling numbers and the highest total ever recorded.

The Department for Education’s annual children in need statistics also showed year-on-year increases in the number of children in need at the end of the year (up 4.1%) and assessments during 2021-22 (up 3.1%), on the back of a surge in referrals, which rose by 8.8% on 2020-21, to 650,270.Referrals had fallen by 7% from 2019-20 to 2020-21 on the back of a drop of a third in concerns submitted by schools, in apparent consequence of coronavirus-linked closures. However, notifications from schools rose by 59%, from 81,180 to 129,090, in 2021-22, in the wake of the removal of restrictions.

The government has updated and redeveloped its resources for schools around the Prevent Duty.

The Prevent duty: safeguarding learners vulnerable to radicalisation (DfE)

This updated guidance reflects learning since the implementation of the Prevent Duty in 2015 under section 26 of the Counter Terrorism and Security Act 2015. The materials have been developed by frontline practitioners in local authorities, with support from the Department for Education. This guidance is for designated safeguarding leads (DSLs); and those who working in education settings who have safeguarding responsibilities for keeping children, young people and adult learners safe in schools, colleges and further education independent training providers.

The guidance is designed to explain the Prevent referral process and the statutory responsibilities to keep children, young people and adult learners safe from the risk of extremist ideology or radicalisation; and will prepare DSLs to respond effectively and get support for people who may be being exploited by radicalising influences. Sections in the guidance include:

• The Prevent duty: an introduction for those with safeguarding responsibilities
• Understanding and identifying radicalisation risk in your education setting
• Managing risk of radicalisation in your education setting
• Case studies

Find out more here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-prevent-duty-safeguarding-learners-vulnerable-to-radicalisation

Prevent duty self-assessment tool for schools (DfE)

This guidance applies to schools in England identified in Ofsted’s education inspection framework, including:

• local-authority-maintained schools
• academies
• non-association independent schools
• registered early years settings

This self-assessment tool has been designed to assist schools in England to review their Prevent related responsibilities in line with:

• Section 26 of the Counter Terrorism and Security Act 2015 (CTSA)
• Ofsted’s Education Inspection Framework (EIF) 2022

The tool helps schools to understand how well embedded their existing policies and practices are, and to encourage a cycle of continuous review and improvement.

Use of the tool is not mandatory but contains both requirements and recommended good practice activities to meet those requirements. The tool should be read in conjunction with the Prevent duty guidance and the Education Inspection Framework (EIF)

Find the self-assessment tool here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/prevent-duty-self-assessment-tool-for-schools

Making a referral to Prevent (DfE)

Safeguarding children, young people and adult learners from extremism or radicalisation is no different to other types of safeguarding harms, many of which are interconnected.

A Prevent referral is not an accusation of criminality and will not affect a person’s education or career prospects. Instead, it allows for their circumstances to be assessed and any relevant safeguarding support to be provided.

DSLs should exercise their professional judgment about whether a referral is appropriate, as they do for all other safeguarding risks.

This guidance from the DfE also suggests whole school an individual interventions.

Find out more here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/making-a-referral-to-prevent

To safeguard children, young people and adult learners who are vulnerable to radicalisation, designated safeguarding leads (DSLs) will need to take a risk-based approach.

The DSL should understand the risk of radicalisation in their area and educational setting. This risk will vary greatly and can change quickly, but nowhere is risk free

Click here for further info