"Success is no accident, it is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying , sacrifice and most of all love for what you are doing"
Welcome to Issue 112 of Quest News. We have 15 hours of off-the-job training for our apprentices to read and learn.
Events this week:
December 11th- Internal Mountains Day 2023
December 12th- National Workplace Day of Remembrance 2023
December 12th- International Day of Neutrality 2023
Legislation/Regulation of the week
Employment Rights Act 1996
Section 44. provides workers with the means to contest the adequacy and/or suitability of safety arrangements without fear of recriminations (e.g. getting sacked or transferred) or suffering detriment (e.g. loss of wages). Section 44. provides workers with the ‘right’ to withdraw from and to refuse to return to a workplace that is unsafe. Workers are entitled to remain away from the workplace (e.g. stay at home) if – in their opinion – the prevailing circumstances represent a real risk of serious and imminent danger which they could not be expected to avert.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 30 mins)
Please remember to review this in your policy/legislation review workbook)
Videos of the week
Inside our autistic minds
Thinking differently, Chris Packham helps autistic people illustrate how their minds work, helping them connect with their friends and family, in an new more authentic way.
(Watching this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 60 mins)
Event of the week/month
UK Disability History Month 2023
UK Disability History Month (UKDHM) is an annual event creating a platform to focus on the history of our struggle for equality and human rights. 2016 will be our seventh year and we have seen a steady increase in interest and activity since we began in 2010.This year the focus is on how to lead the change to tackle discrimination and support disabled people working across the health and care sector.
(This can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 40 mins)
Safeguarding & ED & I
Ofcom approach to implementing the Online Safety Act
Regulatory body Ofcom has produced a new report setting out plans of how they are going to implement new online safety laws and holding digital firms to account. The Online Safety Act makes tech companies who operate online legally accountable for keeping people, especially under 18s, safe online. Tech companies will now have new legal duties to protect UK users by assessing risks of harm, and taking steps to address them regardless of where they are based.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 30 mins)
National Centre domestic violence with Sharon Byron: Podcast
Join us this month for our podcast with Sharon Bryan, who has worked in the Violence against Women and Girls (VaWG) sector for 26 years. Most of those, front line, supporting and advising victims and survivors of domestic abuse.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 20 mins)
Home Office: Criminal Exploitation of children, young people and vulnerable adults
The Home Office has published an updated guidance document on Criminal exploitation of children, young people and vulnerable adults for the supply of drugs, and transportation of the associated money and weapons, specifically focusing on County lines. The guidance is intended to explain the nature of this harm to enable practitioners to recognise its signs and respond appropriately so that victims and potential victims get the protection and support they need.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 30 mins)
The provision of mental health support for young people in care: Podcast
Discussion points include
The relationship between being in care and the likelihood of experiencing mental health difficulties.
Gender difference in terms of accessing services.
The barriers and challenges making it more difficult for youth in care to get mental health support.
Implications for CAMH professionals and recommendations to make CAMHS more accommodating for young people in care.
The message that policymakers should take from this research.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 40 mins)
Managing a disclosure of sexual abuse or harassment: Free online course
Once someone has made a disclosure of sexual violence, it is crucial to manage the next steps tactfully and appropriately to prevent further distress being caused to the person. Young people have reported that fear of losing control of the situation often stops them from reporting incidents to professionals. For this reason, it is vital to include their voice, views and active participation in any response. Include the person in key decisions Ask them what they would like to happen next.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 60 mins)
Health & Safety
6 tips to enhance physical and mental well-being of workers
The well-being of employees plays a vital role in maintaining a productive and satisfied workforce. Prioritizing the physical and mental health of team members contributes to individual satisfaction and organizational success. As workplace demands continue to evolve, a proactive approach to employee well-being becomes increasingly crucial, fostering resilience and adaptability.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 40 mins)
Act for Youth: RUN HIDE TELL
The National Counter Terrorism Security Office has produced some new guidance for educational settings on how to respond in light of a knife or gun crime attack on site. This guidance is based on three key steps for keeping safe in the event of a knife or gun attack. The advice is, if caught up in an incident to RUN to safety, HIDE if you can’t, and TELL the police when you’re safe – guidance which can be applied to many places and situations.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 30 mins)
Care home fined £125,000 after teenagers death
A care home in Bristol has been fined for not doing enough to keep people safe from vulnerable patients who posed a danger to themselves and others.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 30 mins)
Frequent long hours contribute to mental ill health, research reveals
Researchers found that longer AWHs were associat-ed with higher levels of psychological stress responses. Irritability, anxiety and depression were significantly greater at ≥180 hours/month, and fatigue and lack of vigour were greater at ≥205 hours. They recommended that workers’ mental health should be protected through minimising the frequency of long work hours.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 40 mins)
Wider Curriculum
Homelessness Crisis: On Average 1 person faces homelessness every 4 minutes
Youth homelessness charity Centrepoint finds that a record number of 16- to 24-year-old approached their local authority for support with homelessness last year. Across England, 119,300 young people faced homelessness in the last financial year, the equivalent of one in every 52 young people.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 20 mins)
Broadband providers now on board in filtering harmful forums such as those promoting suicide after links to more then 50 UK deaths
With recent updates to guidance such as Keeping Children Safe in Education 2023 now stipulating Further Education providers must have effective filtering and monitoring in place to prevent illegal or harmful content in being accessed, action is now also encouraged to Internet service providers. Bereaved relatives of over 50 people whose inquests into their deaths highlighted a link to such forums have written to UK based internet service providers asking them to block the site from being accessed.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 40 mins)
Meta is child abuse ‘breeding ground’, lawsuit claims
Facebook and Instagram have become a "breeding ground" for child predators, the New Mexico attorney general has claimed in a lawsuit. Raul Torrez said his office had set up fake accounts that were sent phallic pictures and "solicitations". He asked the court to order the firm to make changes to protect its youngest users, alleging it has "refused" to do so voluntarily. In response, Meta said it worked hard to root out predators.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 30 mins)
Do social care workers feel valued by management?
The past year has seen a number of social work strikes take place in England and Northern Ireland, with some still ongoing. The strikes in England have mostly involved adults’ and mental health practitioners protesting against staffing issues and pay disparities with their children’s counterparts.
Social workers have spoken out about feeling ignored and undervalued by employers.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 30 mins)
