"Approach the New Year with resolve to find the opportunities hidden in each new day".
Welcome to Quest News Issue 68
We have 13 hours of off-the-job training for apprentices in care and education to read and learn.
Events of the week
Event of the week –World Religion Day 2023 January 15
The aim of World Religion Day, held on the third Sunday in January every year, is to promote inter-faith understanding and harmony.
Through a variety of events held around the globe, followers of every religion are encouraged to acknowledge the similarities that different faiths have.
Approx. 60 mins
Dry January 2023 - January 1 - January 31
Veganuary 2023 - January 1 - January 31
Houseplant Week UK 2023 January 9 - January 15
Paget’s Awareness Day 2023 January 11
Legislation
Legislation/Regulation of the week – Employment Rights Act 1996
The SEND Code of Practice 2015 refers to the Special Educational Needs and Disability framework, which provides guidance to organisations working with, and providing support to, children and young people (0 to 25 years old) with special educational needs and disabilities.
Approx. 45 mins
Videos
Videos of the week 'The Big Cases' - Groomed, Radicalised, Gone / Killed Walking Home
The schoolgirl charged with terrorism, but found to have been exploited. Rhianan Rudd, 15, was the youngest girl to be charged with terrorism offences in the UK. She took her own life in 2022. Her mum says investigators should have seen her daughter as "a victim rather than a terrorist"
Approx 15 mins
Zara Aleena was killed walking back from a night out by a sexual predator, only recently released from prison, labelled a "danger to any woman"
Approx 15 mins
Safeguarding and ED & I
Online safety bill
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) has published a guide setting out what the Online Safety Bill will mean for adults and children in the UK. The guide explains how the Online Safety Bill will protect children and the types of content that will be tackled such as illegal and harmful content.
Approx. 30 mins
Virtual reality safety
The NSPCC has published a news story providing guidance on keeping children safe when using virtual reality. Findings from a survey of 2,031 adults revealed 71% of the UK public lack confidence that child safety is a priority in the Metaverse, a virtual online environment. The NSPCC has produced a new guide that aims to help families understand the risks and use headsets safely.
Approx. 60 mins
Care placement changes
Children in care and young care leavers charity Become has released new research on the number of children and young people in care moved during the Christmas period between 18 December 2021 and 03 January 2022. The data was accessed from a freedom of information (FOI) request to 151 local authorities in England. Findings include: 1,257 children moved homes during this period, and on average 79 children a day were moved. The charity is calling for: a reduction in the number of moves children in the care system experience; additional funding to increase the number of children’s homes in areas that need them; and the recruitment of more foster carers
Approx. 30 mins
Health & Safety
Warm Banks
The charity, Save the Children reports that more than half of councils in England and Wales are supporting the roll out of warm places where people can shelter from the cold this winter if they can’t afford to put the heating on. Some have set up their own warm bank initiatives whilst others are working with voluntary and community organisations to signpost and coordinate the provision of warm spaces in their areas.
Warm spaces are being held in libraries, community centres, theatres, art galleries, museums, children’s centres, churches and other religious buildings. Many have extended their opening hours in the evenings and weekends, and some are providing free hot drinks. One council leisure centre is offering hot showers for £1 if people cannot afford to run hot water at home.
Save the Children lists the areas they are aware of in their report, but also do check with your local council and the voluntary and community organisations in your area so that you can signpost families in need
Approx. 30 mins
Managing Anxiety
Many teachers and education staff are feeling anxious about socially distanced education. Mike Armiger, education and mental health advisor, provides some simple and practical ways to help manage any anxiety you may be feeling.
Approx. 20 mins
Tips for coping with SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder)
Although seasonal affective disorder is very common, it’s not something you hear talked about enough. It is similar to depression, except it comes and goes in a seasonal pattern, with the symptoms usually being mainly present during the winter. These symptoms include low mood, a lack of energy, a loss of pleasure in activities you would normally enjoy, and feelings of irritability.
Approx. 30 mins
Young People’s Well-being Guide for Stressful Situations
A building company has been fined £66,667 after a worker was injured when a floor that was under construction collapsed.
Approx. 45 mins
‘The ultimate enemy is women’ – inside the fear-filled world of incels
This fascinating article in The Guardian, it outlines the experiences of the author, who spent a year inside the incel community in the UK and abroad… “a world of loneliness, isolation and extreme misogyny”
Approx. 30 mins
Gov UK reports: Thousands of survivors to be protected from prison abusers
The new Unwanted Prisoner Contact Service - trialled at Kent and Thames Valley earlier this year - will act immediately on any intelligence to contact jails and block offenders from sending further communications.
Approx. 30 mins
Gov UK reports: £257 million fund to help over 70,000 victims of domestic abuse
An estimated 70,000 victims of domestic abuse will benefit from specialist support services to help them rebuild their lives in a safe environment.
£257 million will be handed to councils across England to make sure safe accommodation spaces such as refuges and shelters can provide vital support. The support will include counselling, assistance with rehousing, financial advice and play therapy for traumatised children.
The funding, allocated over 2 years and issued as a flexible grant, will be used by local authorities to plan support services and work closely with local charities and other service providers to best meet the needs of victims who have had to flee their homes
Approx. 30 mins
Safeguarding Voice - Secondary trauma / vicarious traumatisation
In this episode of Safeguarding Voice, Host Leonie Thorpe is joined by ECP's Safeguarding Consultant Carly Danes to share information about secondary trauma / vicarious traumatisation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7A8rzhbZ7w
Approx. 35 mins
Wider Curriculum
Six women arrested after suspicious death of one-year-old boy at nursery
West Midlands Police said a criminal investigation was launched after the toddler died at Fairytales Day Nursery in Dudley on 9 December last year. The nursery was later closed by Ofsted after the watchdog said “children may be at risk of harm” and suspended its registration.
Approx. 30 mins
Make staff recognition your New Year's Resolution!
The Great British Care Awards are a series of regional events throughout the UK and are a celebration of excellence across the care sector. The purpose of the awards is to pay tribute to those individuals who have demonstrated outstanding excellence within their field of work.
There are twenty-one awards categories available for nomination, which represent all areas of the social care sector, whether it be older people or specialist services, residential or home care. From frontline staff such as care workers and care managers to people who have made an impact in other ways such as training and innovation.
Approx. 30 mins
Workloads and lack of supervision undermining child protection practice, find studies
SCR analysis says high workloads limited time social workers had for effective professional challenge, while annual safeguarding panel report finds lack of supervision a feature in most reported cases
Approx. 30 mins
Sensitivity to ‘bruised’ staff needed for effective DfE intervention in ‘inadequate’ services, finds study
DfE-commissioned report finds run-up to and aftermath of poor Ofsted judgment often has damaging impact on social worker morale because of management turnover, lack of trust and chaotic working conditions
Approx. 30 mins
Fast-track graduates more prepared for practice but more stressed and less satisfied – DfE research
Those qualifying through 'traditional routes' feel less prepared but Frontline trainees report greater workloads and stress and Step Up graduates less satisfaction
Approx. 30 mins
Social work diary: ‘The goodwill in our team feels magnified at Christmas’
A social work manager describes a busy week leading up to Christmas in the midst of the cost of living crisis
Approx. 30 mins
Children’s experiences in care
Ofsted has published a report about the experiences of children living with foster carers, in children’s homes or residential schools in England. Findings from an online survey of 5,749 children include: overall 87% rated their mental health as ‘OK’, ‘good’ or ‘very good’, although in secure children’s homes 27% rated their mental health as ‘bad’ or ‘very bad'; and 19% of children in boarding schools and 22% in residential accommodation in further education felt that they only ‘sometimes’ or ‘never’ had an adult to talk to if they were worried or upset.
Approx. 30 mins
Parenting
The Children’s Commissioner for England has published part two of the independent family review which looks at how families can be strengthened and how they support each other. The review explores the relationship between the state and families and what parents want from the support they access.
Approx. 30 mins
Saying no: advice for setting boundaries
Many people working in education are uncomfortable saying no. Often it’s due to a well-meaning fear of letting people down. Our advice is: get comfortable saying no! It’s an important tool for self-care in the workplace. This can mean leaning into uncomfortable conversations.
Approx. 30 mins
