“Education is for improving the lives of others”
Welcome to Issue 73 of Quest News. We have 12 hours of off-the-job training for apprentices in care and education to read and learn.
Events of the week
International Book Giving Day 2023 February 14
International Book Giving Day takes place on 14th February each year. The aim? To get books into the hands of as many children as possible. 14th February is about sharing the love of books! #bookgivingday
International Book Giving Day is a 100% volunteer initiative aimed at increasing children’s access to and enthusiasm for books.
Approx. 60 mins
February 14 - Valentine's Day 2023
February 15 - Nirvana Day (Buddhist)
February 17 - Care Day 2023
February 17 - Random Acts of Kindness Day 2023
February 18 - Maha Shivratri (Hindu)
February 18 - Lailat al-Miraj (Islam)
Video
Panorama Is the Cloud Damaging the Planet?
We all love the cloud. It stores our pictures and emails, it powers our internet searches, and it helps us stream movies and box sets. But out of sight, the cloud depends on processing factories - vast data centres that use enormous amounts of power and water. Every time we go online, we increase its carbon footprint. Richard Bilton investigates the growing environmental problem we’re all responsible for.
Approx. 30 mins
Safeguarding and ED & I
County lines: How a child’s phones helped smash a trafficking gang
Six gang members have been jailed for trafficking a teenage drug runner. Rather than prosecute the boy, detectives pursued the adults controlling him.
Approx. 30 mins
A guide to the Online Safety Bill
The Online Safety Bill is a new set of laws to protect children and adults online. It will make social media companies more responsible for their users’ safety on their platforms.
The DfE has produced a new guide to the Online Safety Bill. It explains that the Online Safety Bill aims to protect children and young people by:
• Removing illegal content quickly or preventing it from appearing in the first place. This includes removing content promoting self-harm.
• Preventing children from accessing harmful and age-inappropriate content.
• Enforcing age limits and age-checking measures.
• Ensuring the risks and dangers posed to children on the largest social media platforms are more transparent, including by publishing risk assessments
The guide also provides parents and children with clear and accessible ways to report problems online when they do arise. You can read the guide via the button below.
Approx. 45 mins
PRIMED TO KILL - Urgent warning as video games are simulating real-world terror attacks.
Experts have warned that some video games are simulating real-world terror attacks. The concern is that these games are being used to radicalise children.
There have been previous incidents of terrorist attacks being livestreamed on gaming networks like Twitch, including the killing of ten people in a supermarket in Buffalo last year
Approx. 30 mins
Starbucks barista praised for discreet coffee cup note to young person approached by stranger
In the safeguarding training we deliver we often talk about the importance of staff having professional curiosity when they are working with children and young people. Professional curiosity keeps children safe and creates safer organisations.
This article in The Mirror highlights the example of a Starbucks employee in the US who subtly offered support to a young girl who was approached by a stranger. The Starbucks worker wrote a discreet note on a coffee cup to offer help.
This is a brilliant example of how we can all go the extra mile to help someone out, particularly in regards to forms of sexual harassment
Approx. 15 mins
“Martyn’s Law” - What you need to know
On Monday 19 December, the Government announced details for the Protect Duty, now to be known as ‘Martyn’s Law’ in tribute of Martyn Hett, who was killed alongside 21 others in the Manchester Arena terrorist attack in 2017. The Homeland Security Group has provided a factsheet for organisations in order to socialise what the law will do, what the tier system is and how the law will be managed.
Approx. 30 mins
#WakeUpWednesday: 10 Ways Gaming Can Support Positive Outcomes in Children and Young People
It’s Children’s Mental Health Week, and in support of this year’s event we’ve produced a #WakeUpWednesday guide which outlines how youngsters’ mental wellbeing can be boosted by an (arguably) unexpected source: video games. Many children view gaming in the same way that they regard reading a book or watching a movie: a way to relax and unwind.
Gaming not only helps young people to de-stress and gives them a valuable sense of satisfaction when they succeed in their game – it can also develop their essential life skills (such as problem solving, co-operation and social interaction) without young gamers even realising that they’re learning things. Check out this week’s guide for a more detailed run-down.
Approx. 30 mins
Child sexual abuse remains ‘very hidden’ despite increase in recorded case numbers, warns expert centre
Number of cases of CSA identified in assessments reached record levels in 2021-22, but many victims going unnoticed, amid significant local variations in responses and lack of effective data, says centre
Approx. 30 mins
Peer support
The University of Bedfordshire has published new research funded by the NSPCC and Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) which looks at peer support and relationships after sexual abuse experienced in adolescence. The study included workshops and interviews with 32 13- to 21-year-olds in the UK. It found that peer support: provides a safe and accessible source of support; facilitates access to professional support; offers relaxation and distraction; and can be a source of solidarity when talking to peers with similar experiences.
Approx. 30 mins
The Dark Web Explained - Think UK Now
The video has been created in collaboration with the Children’s Society – whose work we’ve frequently cited, and the Marie Collins Foundation, a charity aimed at aiding children suffering sexual abuse via the internet. This resource has been developed with professionals in mind, and so is not suitable for youth viewing but is nevertheless a superb way to get yourself acquainted with the internet’s inner layer. Vital knowledge for any who wish to get to grips with the dangers of the exploitation of children via the web.
Approx. 30 mins
Prevent counter-terror scheme lambasted in review
The UK's scheme to prevent terrorism has "apparently failed" repeatedly to identify attackers, a highly critical review has concluded.
Approx. 30 mins
Health & Safety
Early years wellbeing
The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood has launched a campaign ‘Shaping Us’ to promote the importance of the early years of childhood. It aims to increase understanding of how brain development before the age of 5 can influence: building social connections; developing a sense of self; and managing emotions. The campaign includes five videos on these topics.
Approx. 30 mins
Poverty
The Observer has published a news story on child hunger in England. Findings from a survey conducted by the Early Years Alliance and the London Early Years Foundation of 500 childcare providers include: 49% of childcare providers found children or families at their settings were showing signs of food insecurity; and 56% of providers said they have had no option but to pass rising food costs on to parents.
Approx. 30 mins
World Risk Poll Indicates Extent Of Workplace Violence And Harassment
A global poll has given a sense of the magnitude of workplace violence and harassment, with a fifth of respondents (21%) admitting they have experienced at least one form of it during their working lives.
Approx. 30 mins
New lifesaving defibrillators fitted in more than 200 high street stores
The equipment is being fitted in all O2’s owned stores in the UK as part of a partnership between The British Heart Foundation (BHF) and Virgin Media O2.
Approx. 15 mins
Wider Curriculum
FREE Alcohol Misuse course
Approx. 30 mins
DfE care review response: key points
From regulating agency social work and overhauling early help to investing in kinship care and regionalising the commissioning of care placements, here are the key takeaways from the DfE's children's social care strategy
Approx. 30 mins
Children’s social care reform in England
The Department for Education (DfE) has set out its long-term plans for the reform of children’s social care in England. It is seeking feedback on its implementation strategy, a new national framework for children’s social care and new rules on employing agency workers. Consultation on all three documents will run until 11 May, with the government’s response expected in September. NSPCC Learning has published a news story setting out what the three consultations cover, and the government’s next steps. A CASPAR briefing providing a more in-depth summary will be published next week.
Approx. 60 mins
Children’s social care system
Crescendo, in collaboration with the Centre for Public Impact (CPI) and with support from social work charity Frontline, have published a report on the impact of relationship-based social work approaches to children’s social care in England. Findings include: there was a positive impact on the connections practitioners had with each other and with local authorities; a focus on building relationships helped practitioners undertake more frequent direct work with children and their families; and the majority of respondents believed that the work had helped them positively effect change within their local authority.
Approx. 45 mins
