“Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself”
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Welcome to our 60th issue! We have got plenty of sector updates as the cold weather draws in, and as usual we have got our planned off-the-job training for our apprentices. Enjoy!
Significant events this week
Birthday of Guru Nanak 8th November - Guru Nanak Jayanti is celebrated on the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, who was the founder of Sikhism and also the first of the ten Sikh gurus. This lasts for three days and is marked by prayer, processions, and congregational worship.
Armistice Day 11th November - The Armistice, an agreement to end the fighting of the First World War as a prelude to peace negotiations, began at 11am on 11th November 1918. Armistice is Latin for to stand (still) arms. To this day we mark Armistice Day around the United Kingdom with a Two Minute Silence at 11am on the 11th day of the 11th month.
Sector News and Updates
Things have never been so bad’ for people needing care, carers and staff, warns ADASS president
Scale of unmet need staggering, carers at breaking point and sector left unprepared for the coming winter, Sarah McClinton tells fellow sector leaders
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 30 mins)
#WakeUpWednesday: What Parents Need to Know about Amigo
Amigo is a communication platform with (according to its marketing blurb) “the most intelligent algorithm”: capable of matching users with potential chat partners who could live anywhere from the other side of the world to within the same postcode. Once paired, users are rewarded for interacting with each other frequently by additional features being made available to them.
These unlockable extras include private video calling. This is an app for mature audiences. There is the flimsiest of barriers to children using it. If (as we imagine) the potential correlation between these three facts has set alarm bells ringing for you … we’d like to direct you towards this week’s #WakeUpWednesday guide for the whole enchilada about Amigo.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 30 mins)
Child protection enquiries reach record levels, reveal official figures
10% rise in section 47 investigations comes amid surge in referrals to children's social care in wake of removal of Covid restrictions.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 30 mins)
UPDATED: October 2023 date for Liberty Protection Safeguards ‘incorrect’
Social Work England has withdrawn report setting out proposed government timescale for implementation of DoLS replacement.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 30 mins)
Children’s social care gets fifth cabinet minister of 2022 while facing significant policy shake-up
Latest minister with direct responsibility for children's services also leaves, after one month in role, with government considering four major reports on reforming sector
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 20 mins)
Addressing emotionally-based school avoidance (EBSA) (Anna Freud Centre)
The 2022 Attendance Audit from the Children’s Commissioner found that in Autumn 2021, 1 in 4 children were persistently absent. In 2018/2019, this figure was 1 in 9 – meaning that persistent absence has more than doubled in this time period.
Emotionally-based school avoidance is a term referring to reduced or nonattendance at school by a child or young person. Rather than the term ‘school refusal’, the term EBSA recognises that this avoidance has its root in emotional, mental health or wellbeing issues.
This resource from the Anna Freud Centre looks at emotionally-based school avoidance (EBSA) and shares ideas to help education staff address the issue, including:
an introduction to the topic of EBSA
explores some of the potential risk factors
provides strategies and tips to help education staff tackle the issue.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 40 mins)
Safer Internet Day 2023 (UK Safer Internet Centre) Tuesday 7th February 2023
Safer Internet Day 2023 will take place on the 7th of February 2023, with celebrations and learning based around the theme ‘Want to talk about it? Making space for conversations about life online’.
The UK will be celebrating by putting children and young people’s voices at the heart of the day and encouraging them to shape the online safety support that they receive.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 30 mins)
Kickstart your health
Healthy changes start with little changes. Whether you want to lose weight, get active or quit smoking, Better Health is here with lots of free tools and support. You can also find simple ways to lift your mood with Every Mind Matters.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 30 mins)
Musculoskeletal (MSD) Online Assessment Tool
This tool combines the MSD assessment guides MAC, ART and RAPP. Employers and safety representatives can use it to assess the risks posed by physical, strenuous activities. The assessor can then understand, interpret, categorise and communicate the level of risk.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 30 mins)
Understand your obligations and definitions of different types of disability, guidance provided by The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC)
This guidance has been written by the Equality and Human Rights Commission to explain your responsibilities under equality law. These guides support the Equality Act 2010. the Act brings together lots of different equality laws, many of which we have had for a long time. By doing this, the Act makes equality law simpler and easier to understand.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 30 mins)
Planned 20% Off the Job Activities
Legislation/Regulation of the week – Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
The Order applies to almost all buildings, places and structures other than individual private homes
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 45 mins and please remember to review this in your policy review workbook)
Video of the week – Disaster Deniers: Hunting the Trolls
Panorama investigates how survivors of major terror attacks are hounded and abused by conspiracy theorists who claim they are 'crisis actors'. US conspiracist Alex Jones has just been ordered to pay nearly $1bn to families of the Sandy Hook school shooting after claiming the attack was a hoax. Now the BBC’s disinformation correspondent Marianna Spring hunts the disaster trolls who target survivors of terror attacks in the UK and reveals new research about the popularity of these beliefs.
(Watching this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 30 mins)
Event of the week – November 7 - November 11 Talk Money Week 2022
Talk Money Week is an annual campaign to get the nation talking about money.
Each November we encourage the UK to talk about managing money – from pocket money right through to pensions – and celebrate the work done by thousands of organisations to build financial wellbeing across the country.
(This can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Completing activities Approx. 60 mins)
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