"Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel"
Welcome to Issue 88 of Quest News. We have 15.5 hours of off-the-job training for apprentices in care and education to read and learn.
Significant Events:
5th June World Environment Day 2023
5th – 11th June National Growing for Wellbeing Week 2023
5th – 11th June Carers Week 2023
7th June Tourettes Awareness Day 2023
8th June National Best Friends Day 2023
9th June - Childhood Day 2023
Legislation of the week:
Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER)
These Regulations, often abbreviated to PUWER, place duties on people and companies who own, operate or have control over work equipment. PUWER also places responsibilities on businesses and organisations whose employees use work equipment, whether owned by them or not..
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 60 mins)
Video of the week:
Sam Thompson: Is This ADHD?
Sam Thompson from Made in Chelsea struggles in his life with inattention, disorganisation and hyperactivity. Turning 30, Sam wants to finally figure out why. Does Sam have ADHD?
(Watching this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 60 mins)
Event of the week
Childhood Day 2023 9th June 2023
Half a million children a year suffer abuse in the UK. That means 7 children in a classroom experience abuse before they turn 18.
Childhood Day brings everyone in the UK together to have fun and help protect children. This year it will take place on Friday 9 June.
(This can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Completing activities Approx. 60 mins)
Safeguarding & ED & I
The #BeSafeBeSound Campaign launches for the UK’s Music Industry
The 2023 festival season started with BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend and Creamfields this year, and as every year, we at Counter Terrorism Policing and ProtectUK, want live music fans to #BeSafeBeSound, as we collaborate with the UK’s music industry to deliver vital safety advice to the public.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 30 mins)
Published Safeguarding Adult
The Safeguarding Adults Reviews in respect of ‘Thomas’, ‘Robin’ and ‘Alice’ have now been published to the KMSAB website. These reviews explore the experiences of 'Thomas', 'Robin' and 'Alice' and include recommendations in relation to information sharing, self-neglect, making safeguarding personal and identifying the needs of carers.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 30 mins)
Why don’t women leave abusive relationships?
All relationships are different. There isn’t such a thing as a ‘normal’ relationship, but there are healthy and unhealthy behaviours in relationships.
When you consider domestic abuse people often wonder what on earth would keep them in that relationship and why they would stay, and yet time and time again it happens, and again and again, the victim stays. All regardless of social status, gender, class, or ethnicity.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 30 mins)
Managing Digital Boundaries - enabling young people to build digital resilience for themselves
In our latest article, we share some ideas that teachers and parents can use to help their children understand the importance of managing digital boundaries.
This includes FREE downloadable worksheets! Managing digital boundaries is critical for maintaining privacy, security, and well-being in the digital age.
By providing activities that encourage critical thinking and reflection, you can help children develop skills to navigate the complex landscape of online interactions effective
National Police Chiefs Council issue first VAWG risk assessment
Last week the National Police Chiefs’ Council issued the first ever national threat assessment of crimes posing the most danger to women and girls. A 21-page summary document has been published for the public to view which outlines the greats threats to women and girls. It is a key step in the police response to violence against women and girls (VAWG) and will guide police forces as they relentlessly pursue abusers and deliver justice and support for victims.
The offences identified as being the biggest threat are:
• Domestic abuse
• Rape and serious sexual offences
• Child sexual abuse and exploitation
• Modern slavery and human trafficking
• Stalking and harassment
Key findings are:
• VAWG accounts for at least 15.8% of all recorded crime (between 1 October 21 & 31 March 22)
• At least 507,827 offences were recorded over the same period - equates to 117 recorded by police, per hour or two crimes per minute!
• The Crime Survey for England & Wales consistently outlines high volumes of VAWG, such as sexual assault, stalking and harassment which goes unreported to police.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 40 mins)
R;pple - Online filtering tool of Self harm & Suicide information
With frightening statistics of vulnerable people accessing harmful Pro self-harm or suicide information online such as;
1.2m - Internet searches ways to take your own life every month.
5,691- The number of suicides in England and Wales in 2019 - that is 321 more compared to the year before.
26% - The number of deaths attributed to suicide-related internet use in under 20s and 13% of deaths in 20–24-year-olds.
R;pple Suicide Prevention was set up to ensure more help and support is given to individuals searching for harmful content online.
R;pple is an interceptive tool designed to present a visual prompt when a person searches for harmful keywords or phrases relating to the topic of self-harm or suicide. These phrases include any words or terminology which have been identified as displaying potentially damaging online content. It ensures immediate mental health support and resources are presented to individuals following a harmful online search.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 40 mins)
Safeguarding and disabled children
The Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel has published the second part of their report on safeguarding children with disabilities and complex needs in residential settings in England.
This second part covers the areas identified for improvement, which include promoting the voices and rights of children, increasing local community support, and strengthening quality assurance and regulation.
You can also read a summary of the report from the NSPCC.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 40 mins)
Pornography and harmful sexual behaviour
The Children’s Commissioner has released a second report on the impact of pornography on children.
After studying police and Sexual Abuse Referral Centre documents of sexual violence between children, the Children’s Commissioner argues that there is evidence to suggest that pornography is encouraging harmful sexual behaviour in children and young people.
In the documents, many children talked about acts of sexual violence in pornography including coercion, humiliation and physical aggression. It also highlights that both the police and children have drawn direct links between incidents of abuse and the perpetrator’s exposure to pornography.
Please note, the report contains explicit details of violent sexual acts that you may find distressing/triggering.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 40 mins)
UK Safer Internet Centre Launches Don’t Steal My Right to Appeal Campaign
The Online Safety Bill is looking to remove an essential protection that is supporting individuals to report and remove online content. Find out more in this article.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 30 mins)
Guardian Supported Murdered Finley Boden Returning To Parents Faster Than His Social
Newly released court documents have shed light on the decisions that culminated in Finley Boden, a 10-month-old baby boy, being returned to his parents only to be murdered 39 days later on Christmas Day, 2020. He had suffered 130 injuries at the hands of his parents by the time he died.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 30 mins)
Ellesmere College failures over online nude images – report
Sharing of nude images by pupils at a top boarding school was not dealt with adequately by leaders, a report found.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 30 mins)
Why language matters: domestic abuse is broader than domestic violence
What comes to mind when you hear the phrase “domestic violence”? For many, it’s closely associated with incidents of physical violence perpetrated by one partner against another. But domestic abuse doesn’t have to involve physical violence, and its effects are felt by everyone exposed to the abuse. It’s important not to limit our understanding of domestic abuse; and this starts with addressing how we talk about it.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 30 mins)
Summary of risk factors and learning for improved practice around working with children aged two and under
This briefing looks at case reviews published between 2018 and 2022 which involved children aged two and under.
The large number of case reviews published during this period where children aged two and under were seriously harmed or died reflects the fact that this age group is particularly vulnerable. Infants are unable to communicate their needs verbally so professionals must identify safeguarding and child protection concerns through other means.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 30 mins)
#WakeUpWednesday: What Parents and Carers Need to Know about Anime
In this modern age, we’re privileged to be able to experience art from other cultures at the press of a button. A popular example of this is the Japanese animation style known as anime – a creative, unique style that you might recognise from classic 90s animations such as Ghost in the Shell. With recent releases like Cyberpunk: Edgerunners dominating online discussion for months, anime is bigger now than ever.
Although anime appeals to all generations in the West, its largest demographic by far is that of children and young people. However, as our #WakeUpWednesday guide explores, this doesn’t mean that all anime is age-appropriate, and parents and carers are heartily encouraged to make themselves aware of the kind of content their children could be exposed to.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 30 mins)
Health & Safety
NHS 111, Press 2 for Mental Health
As of Monday 27 March 2023, Kent and Medway became one of the first regions to provide people calling NHS 111 with an option to press 2 for mental health services. The aim is to ensure that people experiencing mental distress or self-defined crisis can access the right service at the right time, and to reduce the pressure on emergency services. This new service delivery is being introduced by a ‘soft-launching’, before it becomes available nationally, this will allow time to embed the change across the system and assess call handling capacity to make sure that calls can be answered as efficiently as possible.
How will the service work?
When a caller based in Kent and Medway telephones NHS 111 they will be given the option to ‘press 2’ to access dedicated mental health support. Once a caller selects option 2, they will be routed to either Kent and Medway Mental Health Crisis Line if the call relates to someone aged 18 or over, or NELFT’s single point of access, if the call relates to someone under the age of 18 and/or if they have an eating disorder. Here they will speak to a trained mental health professional to be triaged and directed for onward assessment, treatment or advice.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 30 mins)
Window Restrictors in Health and Social Care
Serious injuries and fatalities have occurred when people have fallen from or through windows in health and social care premises. There are three broad categories of falls:
Accidental – these are a minority, but occur where people unintentionally fall through or from windows. This can happen where people are able to sit on and fall from sills, or where windows are positioned such that people could easily fall through them.
Falls arising out of a confused mental state – a significant number of reports refer to the mental state of individuals. In particular, senility, dementia, reduced mental capacity, mental disorder and the effect of drink and drugs (both prescribed and illegal) can all cause anxiety and confusion. In these cases, people have often tried to escape or used a window, believing it to be an exit.
Deliberate self-harm or suicide –a recognised risk for people with certain health conditions, particularly those with a history of self-harm or mental disorder.
Below is some useful information and resources from the Health and Safety Executive on windows and window restrictors, as a reminder for providers of social care services:
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 40 mins)
Understanding Anxiety
'Understanding anxiety from a child's perspective'
• What is anxiety?
• How it presents
• What causes anxiety
• How to support CYP
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 30 mins)
Disability in the Workplace
In this podcast, we discuss HSE’s simple principles and guidance to support disabled workers and workers with long term health conditions in the workplace.
(Listening to this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 30 mins)
Building an Inclusive workplace.
1 in 5 LGBTQ+ people felt they had been a target for negative comments whilst in work.
Over a 1/3 of LGBTQ+ people feel they need to hide who they are at work;
1 in 5 believe that being LGBTQ+ limits their employment opportunities;
LGBTQ+ charity has produced a number of resources for employers to help them transform their workplace into more inclusive environments for all.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 30 mins)
10% increase in counselling sessions about exam stress since the pandemic
Childline delivered almost 2,000 counselling sessions about exam stress last year, as formal exams returned after the pandemic
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 30 mins)
Wider Curriculum
60,000 boost to care workforce from overseas staff in past year
Government figures reveal huge rise in skilled visas for social care workers in 2022-23 but fall in care home vacancies not matched in domiciliary care
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 30 mins)
Social workers and OTs go back on strike over pay inequalities
UNISON says dispute remains unresolved over £3,000 recruitment and retention payments received by children's social workers at local authority, but not their adults' colleagues
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 30 mins)
Secure children’s home bed numbers fall despite huge level of need
String of court judgments have highlighted desperate plight of children with highly complex needs denied a placement, yet latest figures show falls in numbers of available beds and placements
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 30 mins)
