Monday News Issue 173- 12th May 2025
- Matthew Paminter
- 7 days ago
- 11 min read
“Either you run the day, or the day runs you.”
Events this week:
May 1st- May 31st- National Walking Month 2025
May 12th- ME Awareness Day 2025
May 12th- May 16th- Water Saving Week 2025
May 12th- May 18th- Learning at Work Week 2025
May 13th- May 19th- Mental Health Awareness Week
Legislation/Regulation of the week
The Terrorism Protection of Premises Act 2025
The Home office-led ‘terrorism protection of premises bill’ also known as Martyn’s law is new legislation applicable to all sectors and will look to place a legal duty upon educational settings to safeguard its staff and students. The bill was introduced September 2024 and reached royal assent on 3rd April 2025.
In welcoming the news, Heather Baily, Chair of the Security Industry Authority, said:
This is a watershed moment for public safety in the UK. Martyn’s Law will improve protective security and security standards at venues across the UK. The SIA has been confirmed as the new Martyn’s Law regulator. We have been entrusted with this important role, alongside our existing role regulating private security, which we will discharge with due care, proportion and diligence. We are working closely with the Home Office to prepare for this and look forward to reporting on progress to Home Office ministers.”
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning if it links to the knowledge, skills, and behaviours in your apprenticeship standard – Approx. 30 mins)
Please remember to review this in your policy/legislation review workbook)
Videos of the week
What They Really Mean for You - Electric Cars
Investigating the controversial plans to change the cars we drive. Is it possible and what will it take?
Watching this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning if it links to the knowledge, skills, and behaviours in your apprenticeship standard – Approx. 60 mins)
Event of the week/month
Mental Health Awareness Week 2025
The journey to mental wellness is a vital part of our overall health. Mental Health Awareness Week serves as a crucial time to focus on and promote mental well-being, aiming to reduce stigma and encourage open conversations about mental health. This annual event is a call to awareness and action, providing the tools and resources needed for better mental health across communities.
Mental Health Awareness Week is an annual event dedicated to increasing awareness about mental health and well-being. It seeks to educate the public on issues surrounding mental health, promote open dialogue, and encourage individuals to seek help if needed. The week is marked by activities, discussions, and outreach programs designed to break the stigma around mental health conditions.
https://www.rethink.org/campaigns-and-policy/awareness-days-and-events/mental-health-awareness-week/#:~:text=Mental%20Health%20Awareness%20Week%20is,severely%20affected%20by%20mental%20illness.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning if it links to the knowledge, skills, and behaviours in your apprenticeship standard – Approx. 30 mins)
Safeguarding & ED & I
The dangers of influencers
Influencers can have both positive and negative impacts on their audiences, and some of the dangers associated with influencers are important to consider such as dis- or mis-information, fake news, financial influence and creating an unrealistic image. It’s important to be aware of these risks when engaging with influencer content.
Influencers can manipulate children in to believing things, having opinions on things or purchasing things. The dangers are very real and we should educate our young people about the dangers of these usually untrue or distorted views
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning if it links to the knowledge, skills, and behaviours in your apprenticeship standard – Approx. 50 mins)
Faith Based Abuse
Child abuse linked to faith or belief can include a belief in concepts of witchcraft and spirit possession, demons or the devil acting through children or leading them astray (traditionally seen in some Christian beliefs); the evil eye or djinns (traditionally known in some Islamic faith contexts) and dakini (in the Hindu context); ritual or multi-murders where the killing of children is believed to bring supernatural benefits, or the use of their body parts is believed to produce potent magical remedies; use of belief in magic or witchcraft to create fear in children to make them more compliant when they are being trafficked for domestic slavery or sexual exploitation.
Research has suggested that in communities where there is child abuse linked to faith or belief, sometimes there is a community belief in things such as witchcraft; an influential person who promotes ideas such as people being possessed whilst also promoting abusing the child as the solution. Coupled with this, parents/carers/abusers are more likely to have the belief that what they are doing will save the child, the family or the wider community and therefore it is for the greater good.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning if it links to the knowledge, skills, and behaviours in your apprenticeship standard – Approx. 20 mins)
Teaching children to be safe in the sun: Video
Being a sun hero is a great idea for children. They can play in the sun more safely and protect their health for years to come.
Skin cancer in children is rare but is increasing amongst younger people. Melanoma, the most dangerous type of skin cancer, is now more prevalent than most cancers in UK residents aged 15 to 34.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning if it links to the knowledge, skills, and behaviours in your apprenticeship standard – Approx. 60 mins)
Parental mental health and safeguarding children
Mental health challenges can affect anyone, and parental mental health problems alone are not a safeguarding concern. However, without the right support, poor mental health can impact a parent's ability to provide safe, stable, and loving care for their child.
Case reviews have shown that professionals sometimes lack awareness of a parent's mental health struggles or do not fully understand how these challenges affect their parenting capacity. As a result, the impact on children can go unrecognised, and potential safeguarding concerns may be missed.
To better protect children, it’s crucial for adult and children's services to work together - sharing information, building understanding, and ensuring the right support is in place for families.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning if it links to the knowledge, skills, and behaviours in your apprenticeship standard – Approx. 30 mins)
Supervision and safer staff practice – a mid-year check-in
As we move through into the summer months, now is the ideal time to take stock of your current supervision arrangements and revisit the principles of safer staff practice. Regular, high-quality supervision is a vital part of safeguarding culture in early years settings – it supports professional development, reinforces safe behaviours, and helps identify any issues early on.
Supervision isn't just a box-ticking exercise; it’s an opportunity for reflective dialogue, where practitioners can discuss concerns, seek guidance, and feel supported in their safeguarding responsibilities. It’s also a key tool in promoting emotional resilience, especially for those working closely with vulnerable children or managing complex family situations.
Creating a culture where staff feel confident to challenge, reflect, and seek advice is key to early identification of safeguarding risks – both to children and within the team itself.
Consider scheduling a short staff refresher or incorporating a safeguarding focus into your next team meeting. Use anonymised case studies or scenarios to prompt discussion, and check that supervision logs are being kept in line with your policy.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning if it links to the knowledge, skills, and behaviours in your apprenticeship standard – Approx. 30 mins)
Health & Safety
Supervision and safer staff practice – a mid-year check-in
Many businesses are implementing schemes to improve sustainability. People have started to utilise e-bikes and e-scooters to get around towns and cities more efficiently, instead of using their cars to get from A to B.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning if it links to the knowledge, skills, and behaviours in your apprenticeship standard – Approx. 30 mins)
Outdoor Adventures and Risk Assessments
With the weather improving, it is an exciting time to enjoy more outdoor play and trips! Whether it’s a walk to the park, a nature hunt, or exploring the local community, getting out and about provides fantastic learning opportunities for children. However, safety always comes first, and that’s why risk assessments are essential.
Before any outing, carefully assess potential risks to ensure every child’s safety. This includes checking safe routes and transport, considering weather conditions and sun protection, and ensuring you have the correct adult-to-child ratios for effective supervision.
Be prepared by carrying first aid kits, having clear emergency plans, and identifying any potential hazards along the way. Taking these steps means you can focus on providing safe, fun, and enriching experiences for your little explorers!
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning if it links to the knowledge, skills, and behaviours in your apprenticeship standard – Approx. 20 mins)
Supporting emotional wellbeing and transitions in the summer months
As we approach the summer months now is a good time to think about preparing for transitions. Many young children are preparing for significant transitions – whether that’s starting school, moving to a new setting, or adapting to changes within the family or staffing team. These moments of change can be both exciting and unsettling, making it more important than ever to place emotional wellbeing at the heart of safeguarding practice.
Transitions can affect children in different ways, depending on their personality, home life, previous experiences, and individual needs. Some may show increased anxiety, regression in behaviour, or difficulty separating from trusted adults. Others may appear confident on the surface but feel uncertain underneath.
For children with SEND or those who have experienced early adversity, transitions may require even more planning and sensitivity to ensure their emotional safety and secure attachments are maintained.
Strong, trusting relationships with key adults play a vital role in supporting children through change. Ensure key workers are spending quality time with their children, talking openly about what’s coming next, and offering consistent routines that promote a sense of security.
(Watching this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning if it links to the knowledge, skills, and behaviours in your apprenticeship standard – Approx. 20 mins)
Your essential skin cancer checklist
Following her diagnosis of a malignant melanoma, the Duchess of York has spoken about the importance of checking any new moles that may appear on your body.
Skin cancer can kill you, so it's essential to know the signs and get any suspicious skin changes checked out quickly. Here we show what to look for and what to do to try and prevent it happening.
(Watching this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning if it links to the knowledge, skills, and behaviours in your apprenticeship standard – Approx. 10 mins)
Update Your Skills With a FREE Skin Care Course
If you are involved in training or workplace learning in any way, this is an ideal update or refresher and it’s totally free with a free certificate.
If you are new to delivering workplace learning, this is an excellent resource to help people learn and apply that learning.
(Watching this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning if it links to the knowledge, skills, and behaviours in your apprenticeship standard – Approx. 10 mins)
Wider Curriculum
Who is Robert Prevost, the new Pope Leo XIV?
Even before his name was announced from the balcony of St Peter's Basilica, the crowds below were chanting "Viva il Papa" - Long live the Pope.
Robert Francis Prevost, 69, will be the 267th occupant of the throne of St Peter and he will be known as Leo XIV.
He is the first American to fill the role of pope, although he is considered as much a cardinal from Latin America because of the many years he spent as a missionary in Peru.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning if it links to the knowledge, skills, and behaviours in your apprenticeship standard – Approx. 30 mins)
What is toxic masculinity?
Toxic masculinity, an outdated and harmful view of manhood that promotes dominance, emotional suppression, and aggression, is spreading rapidly across online spaces, experts warn. Often masked as lifestyle advice or self-improvement, these messages are increasingly pushed by social media influencers and content creators.
At the heart of this trend lies the growing influence of the so-called “manosphere” - a collection of online communities that promote extreme ideas about masculinity and anti-women rhetoric. Experts say these spaces are not only reinforcing toxic beliefs but are also being fuelled by far-right ideologies and a backlash against feminism.
(Watching this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning if it links to the knowledge, skills, and behaviours in your apprenticeship standard – Approx. 20 mins)
Are heated tobacco products a new health risk?
A new type of tobacco product is finding growing numbers of users around the world, but there are still serious questions about how it affects human health.
Having smoked for nearly 30 years since the age of 13, IT consultant and freelance writer Ben Taylor was intrigued by the sound of heated tobacco products.
Attempting to switch from cigarettes to vapes hadn't worked for Taylor. "Vaping liquids always left me wanting," he posted on his blog. So he decided to try IQOS, a sleek, pen-shaped electronic device that heats sticks of rolled tobacco, developed by the American multinational tobacco company Philip Morris International (PMI).
(Watching this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning if it links to the knowledge, skills, and behaviours in your apprenticeship standard – Approx. 20 mins)
Sustainability
Attenborough at 99 delivers 'greatest message he's ever told'
Sir David Attenborough is launching what he says is one of the most important films of his career as he enters his hundredth year.
He believes his new, cinema-length film Ocean could play a decisive role in saving biodiversity and protecting the planet from climate change.
Sir David, who will be 99 on Thursday, says: "After almost 100 years on the planet, I now understand the most important place on Earth is not on land, but at sea."
The ocean is the planet's support system and humanity's greatest ally against climate catastrophe, the film argues. It shows how the world's oceans are at a crossroads.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning if it links to the knowledge, skills, and behaviours in your apprenticeship standard – Approx. 30 mins)
The essential role of Indigenous Peoples in the protection of natural resources
In a world increasingly threatened by the climate crisis and the growing loss of biodiversity, Indigenous Peoples are emerging as essential allies in the fight to preserve life on earth. Their territories, which make up just 22% of the planet’s surface, are home to 80% of Earth’s remaining biodiversity. This statistic is not a coincidence: it reflects centuries of respectful coexistence with nature, sustained by traditional knowledge systems, deeply rooted and passed on from generation to generation.
Far from being a relic of the past, this ancestral knowledge complements and enriches today’s innovative solutions that we need to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Remembering and strengthening the role of Indigenous Peoples is not only a historic act of justice, but also a vital strategy to guarantee a sustainable and equitable future for all.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning if it links to the knowledge, skills, and behaviours in your apprenticeship standard – Approx. 20 mins)
An Idiot’s guide to change the world- Using collective power for change
Whether you are the head of a global corporation or a non-profit, everyone has a role to play in driving action that benefits the planet. And as customers we have the power and responsibility to put our money with the businesses that are fighting for that action. In the final episode of this bonus halftime series, Loyiso Madinga and Gail Gallie meet two leaders who are striving for sustainable outcomes in very different ways. Jesper Brodin is CEO of the Ingka Group, owners of IKEA. He has set his own goal for 2030: to reduce IKEA’s carbon footprint by 50%. Jesper tells us how he keeps climate concerns at the heart of his decision-making while running a very successful company, and why other businesses need to evolve too.
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