“When something is important enough, you do it even if the odds are not in your favour”
Events this week:
August 26th- National Dog Day 2024
August 28th- International Makaton Day 2024
August 30th- International Day of the Disappeared 2024
September 1st- September 7th - International Migraine Week 2024
September 1st- September 30th – Childhood Cancer Awareness Month 2024
Legislation/Regulation of the week
Keeping Children Safe in Education 2022
Keeping Children Safe in Education is statutory guidance that schools and colleges in England must read and act on with regard to carrying out their duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. It is essential that everybody working in a school or college understands their safeguarding responsibilities by reading this document. It is regularly updated and the latest version replaces all previous versions.
https://consult.education.gov.uk/safeguarding-in-schools-team/kcsie-proposed-revisions-2022/supporting_documents/KCSIE%202022%20for%20consultation%20110122.pdf
(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
Strictly Amy: Cancer and Me
In May 2023, Strictly Come Dancing professional Amy Dowden was given the earth-shattering news she had breast cancer. In an instant, life was put on hold and thrown into uncertainty. It was the day before her honeymoon when she discovered a lump, and shortly after, her fears were confirmed. She and her husband Ben had hopes to one day start a family. Later that year, she had been due to return to Strictly – a show she had dreamed of being part of since she was a girl. Instead, she faced the most turbulent year of her life and a battle for her health, fertility, and to dance again.
This deeply personal documentary follows Amy from just six days after her diagnosis. She took the brave decision to share her experiences, whatever unfolded, in the hope of helping others understand the reality of cancer at a young age. Amy never expected it would happen to her at 32.
(Watching this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 70 mins)
Event of the week/month
International Makaton Day 2024
Makaton International Awareness Day is celebrated on August 28th to recognize the Makaton Language Programme, which is a system of symbols, signs, and speech. The day is meant to encourage people to learn Makaton signs so they can communicate with others who may have difficulty speaking verbally. Over 100,000 adults and children use Makaton as their primary form of communication or in addition to other communication skills.
(This can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 30 mins)
Safeguarding & ED & I
Children in most need of specialist mental health support often turned away because their situation is too unstable
An analysis by researchers at Cambridge University and the National Children’s Bureau of more than 71,000 children’s health records shows that despite it being well established that these vulnerable children are more likely to suffer mental health conditions, they are also more likely to be refused access to NHS Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).
Consultations with practitioners, clinician interviews, and analyses of health records indicate that this may be because these children’s circumstances are considered too “unstable” for mental health support. However, existing evidence suggests that some treatments can be helpful even when a child experiences ‘instability’.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 60 mins)
Four ways to improve youth diversion
Youth diversion can change a child’s life at a critical time. NCB has conducted a review of existing research to find out how diversion programmes can be improved, so more children and young people can benefit from them.
Diversion aims to reduce reoffending by diverting children and young people away from formal criminal justice processes and outcomes, such as conviction, and custody, through an alternative community-based intervention. Children can be diverted at different stages in the criminal justice system (e.g., at point of arrest, before being charged, or in court).
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 40 mins)
What is safer recruitment?
Safer recruitment is a set of practices to help make sure your staff and volunteers are suitable to work with children and young people. It's a vital part of creating a safe and positive environment and making a commitment to keep children safe from harm.
Safer recruitment should be a continuing process of improvement for every school, club, business or organisation whose work or services involve contact with children.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 50 mins)
Why do we have British Values?
So, first things first, why do we have British values? One of the reasons that British values are so important is that they help to prepare young people for life in modern Britain as they grow older and leave school. Another reason why British values are so important is that they form an important element of safeguarding children, as they are intended as a preventative measure against extremism and radicalisation.
British values were first introduced in schools and early years settings in 2014 when the Department for Education (DfE) published its original British values guidance. The guidance supported education leaders and staff to understand how they could promote British values and support children's understanding of the five fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and tolerance of those of different faiths and beliefs. The guidance also stated that all independent and state-maintained schools have a duty to promote British values.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 40 mins)
EE warns parents against giving children under 11 a smartphone
Primary school children should not be given smartphones by their parents, one of the UK’s largest mobile phone operators has warned.
EE is advising parents that children under 11 should be given old-fashioned brick or “dumb” phones that only allow them to call or text instead.
“EE recommends that children under 11 should use non-smart devices with limited capabilities, such as feature phones, ensuring they can make texts and calls but restrict access to social media or inappropriate content,” the company said.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 40 mins
Reports to NSPCC helpline of physical punishment of children triple in year
Concerns raised to the NSPCC helpline about children being physically punished have more than tripled in a year, the charity has said.
Helpline staff heard about children being hit, slapped and shaken, with 45% of the concerns raised requiring a referral to social services, the police or other agencies.
The number of calls and emails to the helpline where physical punishment was mentioned jumped from 447 in the year to March 2023 to 1,451 in the subsequent 12 months.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 60 mins)
Health & Safety
Cancer symptoms you should never ignore
When it comes to unexplained medical symptoms, it's easy to bury your head in the sand and ignore them, especially if they're a bit embarrassing to discuss. But getting them checked out by a doctor could end up saving your life. Here are the cancer symptoms you should never ignore.
Being aware of changes in your body could save your life - whether it's a lump that's appeared, changes to your toilet habits, or a bloated tummy that you've had for weeks.
Where cancer is concerned, the earlier you're diagnosed and treated, the less extreme your treatment is likely to be and the better your chances of recovery.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 30 mins)
When should you worry about your eyes
It is recommended that you get your eyes tested every two years - even if your vision seems fine. Your test will check for your vision and eye health ill and check for any emerging problems.
Here we talk about what changes and issues in your vision you should look out for and when you should see a specialist .
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 20 mins)
Work-related stress, mental health, and Working Minds: Podcast
In this podcast, HSE Chair Sarah Newton and Professor Cary Cooper, one the world’s foremost experts on wellbeing, discuss the importance of working in partnership to prevent work-related stress and to promote good mental health.
Amongst other things, the podcast covers HSE’s Working Minds campaign, which aims to ensure psychological risks are treated the same as physical ones, that employers recognise their legal duty to prevent work related stress to support good mental health in the workplace, and that they have the tools they need to do achieve this.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 30 mins)
HSE Advice on Managing Heat Stress in the Workplace
Working in warm weather is becoming increasingly common for UK workers as global temperatures continue to rise. The UK may not be commonly associated with blue skies and soaring temperatures, but the last few years have indicated that it may become more frequent when summer rolls around. With recent workplace health and safety failures fervently highlighted by Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecutions, the last thing employers want is to subject their workers to intense heat without proper regard for their well-being.
Heatwaves and extended periods of no rain can make working in hot weather extremely difficult for workers across the UK. Heat stress, specifically, is becoming a growing health risk for workers, and employers must take note of this.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 30 mins)
Wider Curriculum
Young people’s views on reducing youth violence
While the causes of youth crime in the UK are complex and multi-layered, the reality is that young people are feeling less safe in their communities and violence is a real and everyday concern.
The debate can too easily be dominated by statistics and figures and the vital perspectives of the young people most affected can often be overlooked. It is only through placing the voices of these young people front and centre that we will be able to understand the complex drivers of youth crime and work towards effective interventions to help them avoid criminality. It is only through listening to the diverse stories and real life experience of the young people for whom youth crime is more than a number on a spreadsheet that we can discover the factors that push young people to commit crime and work with them to develop the most effective routes out of it.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 50 mins)
Large majority of secondary school teachers think students worry too much that exam results will determine their future
Young people are contacting Childline about exam stress
Childline knows that results day can be a stressful time for many young people.
Some say they’re worried about their future if they don’t get the grades they need to get into their first-choice college or university. Others think that they’ll disappoint their family. Some struggle with comparing themselves to their friends and say that social media can make this worse.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 20 mins)
Four takeaways from 2024's GCSE results
The GCSE pass rate across England, Wales and Northern Ireland has fallen for a third year running. With 67.6% of all grades at 4/C or above, down from 68.2% last year, that overall pass rate has now returned to 2019 levels - the last year exams were sat before Covid.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 60 mins)
Protecting adults from scams: top tips
A scam is a fraud. It’s an attempt to steal money or goods, usually through a scheme or ploy, and can involve intimidating and threatening behaviour.
There are a variety of different scams, ranging from the romance scam, to the pension scam, to the clairvoyant scam. Then there is the lottery scam and the doorstep scam. The list continues to grow.
In October 2023, National Trading Standards published research revealing that 73% of UK adults – or 40 million people – had been targeted by scams, with 35% (19 million) losing money as a result. But, it said, fewer than a third of victims (32%) report the crime to the authorities.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 40 mins)
Sustainability
Halfway to 2030: How is the UK Performing on the Sustainable Development Goals?
Early findings from the UN Global Compact Network UK’s Measuring Up 2.0 report suggest that the UK is only performing well on 21% of the Targets that are relevant to the domestic delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals in the UK. In the past four years there has been no change in the performance against 64 Targets and the UK has regressed in at least 14 areas.
In 2015, the UK Government joined every other country in the world and committed to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Goals provide a holistic framework to eradicate poverty, reduce inequalities, combat catastrophic climate change, and protect our natural environment by 2030. Yet with just seven years to go, and already halfway through the 2030 Agenda, the UK is far from achieving the Goals.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 30 mins)
7 Ways to protect biodiversity
We often talk about the importance of conserving biodiversity in the natural world. Biodiversity, or biological diversity, is a term that's used to describe the variation of life at the genetic, species, and ecosystem levels. The interconnectedness of ecosystems and their living organisms means that millions of species of plants, animals, and fungi all depend on each other for survival.
Biodiversity loss can affect humans, too, by causing a decline in natural resources, reducing economic and food security, and making it easier for invasive species and diseases to spread. Want to do your part to protect biodiversity but don’t know where to start? We’ve put together a short list of things you can do right now to protect biodiversity.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 40 mins)
Empowering Future Generations: Best Practices for Sustainability in Childcare
Sustainability in childcare is more than just a trend; it’s an essential practice to ensure our children inherit a healthy planet. Discover key strategies and the importance of incorporating environmental stewardship into childcare settings.
Sustainability for children means inspiring them to respect the earth and its resources, encouraging thoughtful resource use and waste reduction, and ensuring enough resources are left for future generations. This can help protect the planet, its plants, animals, and natural resources.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 30 min)
An Idiot’s guide to change the world- Shaping a better world through Sport
As we blow the halftime whistle we look to the sports world for some bright ideas in succeeding in the second half. Sport is an enormous industry with huge power, so how can we harness that to keep us moving towards our 2030 goal? In this episode Gail Gaillie and Loyiso Madinga meet Olympic sailor Hannah Mills, who has become an advocate for sustainability and clean oceans. She tells us how technological innovation in sport is being applied to other industries to create greener solutions. They also speak to the daughter of footballing legend Pelé, Kely Nascimento, a filmmaker and activist who works at the intersection of sport and social justice. Kely discusses how sport is a lens through which you can view any issues in society, and the investment still needed to develop women’s sport.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 70 min)
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