"The roots of Education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet"
Welcome to Issue 91 of Quest News. We have 9.5 hours of off-the-job training for apprentices in care and education to read and learn.
Significant Events
June 21 - June 27 - Love Your Lungs Week 2023
June 26 - June 30 - World Well-being Week 2023
June 26 - June 30 - Injury Awareness Week 2023
June 26 - July 2 - Deafblind Awareness Week 2023
June 29 - July 19 - Children's Art Week 2023
July 1 - Wallace & Gromit's Wrong Trousers Day 2023
Legislation of the week
COSHH
COSHH is the law that requires employers to control substances that are hazardous to health and includes nanomaterials. You can prevent or reduce workers' exposure to hazardous substances by: finding out what the health hazards are; deciding how to prevent harm to health (risk assessment);
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 60 mins and
Video of the week
The Antidepressant Story
n the UK, around one in seven now take an antidepressant. Globally they have made the pharmaceutical industry billions. When the current generation of drugs was launched 35 years ago, they promised a safe and effective treatment, free from the side effects of older medicines. But have they lived up to those claims?
While many people say they have benefited from taking them, Panorama reveals evidence of some companies trying to conceal concerns about their drugs, following patients who have suffered serious side effects as they continue their fight to be heard
(Watching this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 60 mins)
Event of the week
Engage Children's Art Week
Children’s Art Week will see thousands of children, their teachers and their families taking part in fun, creative activities at home and in schools across three weeks in June and July. Venues of all types and sizes—from libraries to community halls, heritage venues and country parks, schools and of course museums and galleries across the UK—are hosting online and remote activities that will help children and young people to be inspired, engaged and entertained by art.
(This can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Completing activities Approx. 60 mins)
Safeguarding & ED & I
What is doxxing? How to keep children safe
Doxxing, or doxing, is a scary problem that can put your family members and their real identity in danger. However, there are things you can do to stay safe. Colette Bernard from Pixel Privacy worked with us to explain what you need to know.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 30 mins)
Postie found toddler who walked out of Bossingham Pre-School near Canterbury standing in middle of road
A hero postie rushed to save a toddler standing in the middle of a main road – after the little girl had walked out of a nearby nursery unnoticed.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 30 mins)
#WakeUpWednesday: What Parents and Carers Need to Know about AI Virtual Friends
Reuters reports that ChatGPT is the fastest-growing consumer app in history, with around 13 million users per day. Given those sorts of figures, it’s no surprise that a host of AI imitators have arrived – with many being grafted onto existing social networking platforms.
Our #WakeUpWednesday guide looks at the type of AI-powered online companions proving popular with younger users – and highlights what trusted adults need to know about these ‘virtual friends’.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 30 mins)
Children's homes: recruiting staff
Ofsted has published updated guidance explaining what providers of children’s homes must do when recruiting and employing staff in England. Two new sections have been added dealing with prospective staff spending time in the home and interviews.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 30 mins)
School inspections
Ofsted has announced a set of changes to school inspections in England. New measures include: changes to inspection processes which will see inspectors return more quickly to schools graded inadequate where this is only due to ineffective safeguarding; a revised complaints procedure to make it easier for schools to raise concerns; and new wellbeing investment from the government.
In related news, the House of Commons Education Committee has launched an inquiry into the current Ofsted inspection framework and the way schools are inspected in England.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 60 mins)
Maternal bonding
The Parent-Infant Foundation has published the results of a survey and launched new resources on bonding with babies during the antenatal period. The survey of over 1,000 women across the UK found that more than one in ten struggled to bond with their baby in the first few weeks after birth. The new resources include a new short film and infographic on the importance of ‘bonding before birth’ and the need to support parents.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 30 mins)
Strategies for Violence Reduction in Schools - SOLVE CYVC
Last week there were several news stories relating to violence happing inside schools and on school premises. Sadly this is nothing new for the education sector. Violence between pupils, from pupils to teachers and from pupils to others does occur, and it is of vital importance that we take steps to minimize this as much as possible. But violence reduction is difficult, children and young people are learning the ropes of social interaction even at an older level. At that point in their lives they are prone to easily follow pupils who have undertaken leadership roles, within their informal society. Sometimes that can lead to unwanted consequences, with peers seeking to out do each other with a view to engaging in proving behaviour which can lead into violence. It is part of our job to find ways to reduce these 'competition' systems evolving into destructive behaviour. If you're interested in taking a deeper look into violence reduction strategies, and the causes behind violence in schools, Craig Pinkey, criminologist, urban youth specialist, lecturer at University College Birmingham and CEO of SOLVE CYVC has published a video discussing the issue.
(Watching this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 30 mins)
Trauma Resources - UK Trauma Council
Trauma within children and young people is a leading cause of vulnerability generation. It can create deep psychological scars leading to fear, uncontrolled issues with anger, feelings of helplessness and drivers of behaviours which seriously hamper their educational ability. An effect which if not tackled early will potentially lead them to poor academic performance and significantly reduced opportunities post-education. The UK Trauma Council is a project aimed at overhauling the aid available to children and young people, who have experienced traumatic events. February this year saw them publish various resources on the issue, including - guidance, lesson plans, policy frameworks, policy templates and staff training.
On the 29th of June the council will hold a conference aimed at school leaders. The title will be 'Environments for Recovery: How Schools and Other Educational Settings can Respond Following Critical Incidents'. The conference is bound to be of immense interest to anyone involved in education, but particularly those involved in child protection. To find out more about the conference, and their resources please follow the links below:
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 40 mins)
MUST READ POST for employers that carry out standard or enhanced DBS checks. (From Tyron Wain)
There is a massively important change to criminal record disclosure legislation ahead. Anyone who follows my posts on Linkedin will be familiar with my posts since June 2020 detailing my grave concerns about the inconsistencies between self-disclosure rules under ROA Exceptions Order (as amended in 2020) and the information that appears on standard or enhanced (higher-level) DBS certificates issued under the Police Act 1997. The only publically available guidance and safer recruitment training I am aware of that covered the anomaly are the Safe and Fair Recruitment guide and workshops that we developed with Skills for Care.
Well finally, the anomaly is being resolved through an amendment to The Police Act 1997 (Criminal Record Certificates: Relevant Matter) (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2023) that will bring it in line with self-disclosure rules and make it clear that cautions and convictions cannot become filtered unless/until they become spent.
This amendment will fundamentally alter the application of the DBS filtering rules which are tremendously complex and widely misunderstood by most individuals and most organisations.
To help you and applicants navigate them correctly, you can use the flowchart that we developed some time ago
When applying for roles subject to higher-level DBS checks, applicants should be asked BOTH the following questions:
1. Do you have any unspent conditional cautions or convictions under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974? (Y/N)?
2. Do you have any adult cautions (simple or conditional) or spent convictions that are not protected as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020? (Y/N)?
We will continue to help you to recruit safely and fairly. ALWAYS!!
Health & Safety
The Hampshire Clinic fined £160k for chlorine leak which injured three
A COMPANY that runs a private hospital in Basingstoke has been fined £160,000 for breaching health and safety regulations after three people were injured during a chlorine leak, which could have been fatal.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 30 mins)
Work-Life Balance and Employee Safety: Achieving Harmony for Success
Welcome, readers, to our interactive blog on the crucial topic of work-life balance and employee safety. In today’s fast-paced and demanding work environment, finding a harmonious equilibrium between work and personal life has become increasingly challenging. However, it is vital to prioritise this balance as it not only promotes overall well-being but also plays a significant role in ensuring the safety and success of employees. In this blog, we will explore practical strategies to achieve work-life balance while prioritising health and safety in the workplace.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 30 mins)
British Anti-Slavery Standard To Become International
Further to last year’s launch, and to help organisations tackle the worldwide scourge of modern slavery, overwhelming global support has now been secured for BS 25700 (Organizational responses to modern slavery – Guidance) to become an international standard. This is an important step towards sharing good practice and potentially saving many lives.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 30 mins)
Wider Curriculum
(Video) The 'revenge evictions' leaving care home residents homeless
ITV News' Paul Brand has this special report on 'revenge evictions' leaving vulnerable people homeless and families struggling to find care homes able to care for their loved ones.
(Watching this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 30 mins)
