Big changes are afoot for child protection inspections in England. From 1 May Ofsted will conduct unannounced inspections of local authority child protection arrangements and focus more on examining the work of frontline social workers (see box for more detail about the changes). So how should social workers prepare for the new inspection regime?
Coping during an inspection
Helga Pile, UNISON
The government
Former students will remain in touch with their old schools to mentor current pupils in how to gain employment as part of a government-backed project
A
A serious case review into the case of a teacher who abused children at a primary school in North Somerset is to be sent to all local authorities in the country.
A decision to circulate the document was taken by children
Around 400 sexual offences against children are reported to police each week but less than one in ten result in a conviction, according to figures obtained by the NSPCC
The children
As many as one in five children between the ages of 11 and 13 hear voices in their head, research published by the British Journal of Psychiatry has found.
The study found that, for most children experiencing voices, the
The level of young homelessness in the UK is underestimated by over two-thirds (68%) of Britons, a survey suggests.
The research among 2,000 adults by the Consortium for Street Children (CSC) found that most people (61%) associated street children with Africa and Asia.
Fewer than one in 10 of those asked said they would feel compelled to help children sleeping rough.
CSC chief executive Sally Shire called on society to recognise that “being a street child is not a crime”.
‘Birth registration’
The survey found that four out of five people asked were not aware that an estimated 100,000 children become runaways in the UK every year
More than one in five (21%) would worry about crime if they saw young people sleeping rough.
Of those surveyed, 13% thought the issue of street children was a problem in western Europe.
The CSC is urging governments around the world to stand up for the rights of young homeless people.
Ms Shire said: “Across the globe there are large numbers of children surviving on the streets.
“Whether they are a runaway from Derby or a street child in Delhi the factors that drive children to the streets are similar.
“Being a street child is not a crime. We want governments and society to recognise this.”
She added: “These children have the same rights as every other child. A recent United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights study into street children made a number of recommendations for how street children’s rights can be strengthened.
“This includes universal birth registration for all, and that rather than treat street children as criminals authorities should understand the reasons for street children’s behaviour and provide support.”
Lack of funding
The survey, conducted by OnePoll, was commissioned by the CSC to coincide with the
The number of children taken into care has hit a record 10,000 in one year.
Since the 2007 killing of Baby P, there has been a huge surge in the number of youngsters being removed from their families by social workers.
The children
Child safeguarding is an
A major two-year inquiry into the
