"Take the attitude of a student, never be too big to ask questions, never know too much to learn something new"
Events this week:
August 7 - August 13 - Afternoon Tea Week 2023
August 8 - August 14 - National Allotments Week 2023
August 8 - International Cat Day 2023
August 9 - National Opportunity Day 2023
August 12 - International Youth Day 2023
Legislation/Regulation of the week
Children and Families Act 2014
The Children and Families Act 2014 is an Act of the Parliament of the UK. This is a landmark and wide-ranging Act designed to fully reform services for vulnerable children by giving them greater protection (paying special attention to those with additional needs), and also by helping parents and the family as a whole
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 60 mins)
Please remember to review this in your policy/legislation review workbook)
Video of the week
The Child Snatcher: Manhunt CH5 (Monday 9pm or catchup)
Episode 1: In this drama documentary, first-hand testimonies reveals one of the UK's largest murder investigations: hunting a serial killer obsessed with abducting and murdering young girls.
(Watching this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 60 mins)
Event of the week
August 12 - International Youth Day 2023
International Youth Day 2023 On "Green Skills For Youth: Towards A Sustainable World"
Today, the world is embarking on a green transition. The shift towards an environmentally sustainable and climate-friendly world is critical not only for responding to the global climate crisis but also for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A successful transition towards a greener world will depend on the development of green skills in the population. Green skills are “knowledge, abilities, values and attitudes needed to live in, develop and support a sustainable and resource-efficient society”.
(This can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Completing activities Approx. 60 mins)
Safeguarding & ED & I
Why language matters: talking about ‘equal protection from physical assault’ rather than calling for a ‘smacking ban’
NSPCC Learning has published a new blog post as part of its Why Language Matters series looking at why it’s important to talk about the need for children to have equal protection from physical assault, rather than calling for a ‘smacking ban’. The blog post looks at: avoiding euphemistic language; drawing parallels between the legal protections offered to adults and children; and the need to take a child centred approach to the debate.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 30 mins)
Summer holidays
The NSPCC has published a news story on leaving children at home alone over the summer holidays. The news story reports on increases in contacts to the NSPCC Helpline during July and August about children being left home alone. Helpline data shows 1,015 contacts to the Helpline about this issue over July and August in 2022.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 30 mins)
Parental mental health
The Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health (ACAMH) has published a podcast looking at the impact of paternal perinatal stress on children’s emotional wellbeing. Discussion points include: how the engagement of fathers in clinical services could be improved; the impact of fathers' mental health on infant and child development; and the existing intervention strategies that are found to work for paternal perinatal stress
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 30 mins)
Childcare and early years
The House of Commons Education Committee has published a report on support for childcare and the early years in England. Findings include: safeguarding issues could be less likely to be identified when a child does not attend an early years setting; childcare providers report that a number of children have much higher needs or developmental delays as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic; and early childhood care and education should be child-focused, safe and supportive.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 40 mins)
Children’s wellbeing and technology
UNESCO has published its Global Education Monitoring report on technology in education around the world. Findings include: technology can help disadvantaged learners and increase accessibility; there are safeguarding and welfare concerns such as cyberbullying; and children and young people using digital technology excessively puts their physical and mental health at risk. Recommendations include: education systems should remain child-focused and use digital technologies to support education and not to substitute human interaction; and there needs to be a distinction between adults and children around personal data so that children’s rights are safeguarded.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 40 mins)
Calling on Government to reinstate the 10-year mental health strategy
The McPin Foundation has published a report calling on the Government to reinstate the 10-year mental health strategy. It proposed recommendations for the plan including: that there should be evidence based mental health support from a professional in every school; that there should be improved access to treatment such as reduced waiting times; and that the Mental Health Plan should be cross-governmental and include co-ordinated action to reduce child poverty and inequality.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 30 mins)
Children’s social care
The Department for Education (DfE) has published a policy paper on the Families first for children (FFC) pathfinder programme and family networks pilot (FNP) in England as part of the Government’s children’s social care implementation strategy, ‘Stable homes, built on love’. The system will include: locally based, multi-disciplinary family help services tailored to the needs of children and families; a greater use of family networks; and child protection responses which work with the family and are carried out by experienced social workers with access to multi-agency input.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 30 mins)
#WakeUpWednesday: What Parents & Carers Need to Know about Data Backups and Storage
“The file is damaged and could not be repaired” This message, and others like it, often imparts the upsetting and frustrating news that a document, image or video we particularly wanted to keep has become unavailable – permanently.
We can avoid this kind of disappointment by making and storing backup copies of our most important files – but even this solution could introduce a whole new set of risks. Our #WakeUpWednesday guide can help young people to learn about backing up and storing data safely.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 30 mins)
AI-generated images of child sex abuse
AI-generated images of child sexual abuse are illegal in the UK. However, in a recent article, the IWF has confirmed the increase in AI-generated child sex abuse imagery it has found online.
The IWF advises that this is not a victimless crime, and these images can normalise the sexual abuse of children. In a report by The Guardian, the National Crime Agency joins the IWF, warning that AI-generated images make it harder to spot when real children may be in danger.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 30 mins)
New Podcast Episode - Prevent with David Layton-Scott - Safeguarding Voice
David is a Regional Prevent Coordinator for the Department for Education covering the East of England. His role is to support the Education sector in the region in carrying out its Prevent responsibilities. Have a listen to understand the latest ideologies, profiles or risk and response to Prevent.
(Listening to this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 40 mins)
New Blog Post - Gang Culture and Knife Crime in the UK
In recent years, there has been a growing concern about the rise of gang culture and its connection to knife crime in the UK.
According to the Office for National Statistics, there were over 49,265 offences involving knives or sharp implements in the year ending March 2023. Additionally, there has been a surge in gang activity across the country, with an estimated 27,000 individuals believed to be involved in over 1500 gangs.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 30 mins)
Good practice tips in safeguarding people with dementia
Practical advice when working with adults with dementia to prevent abuse and neglect, and promote safeguarding
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 30 mins)
The need for more services to help child victims of sexual and criminal exploitation
For many people, the thought of school summer holidays conjures up excitement for what’s ahead or triggers happy memories of times spent with family and friends across everlasting days basking in the sunshine on days gone by.
Whilst this is what many children will be lucky enough to enjoy in the coming weeks, this sadly won’t the case for everyone. At Barnardo’s, we’re increasingly concerned that children could be at risk of exploitation during the school holidays.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 30 mins)
Implications of the Cumbria Child Safeguarding Practice Review
The attached briefing paper concerns the tragic case of Leiland-James Michael Corkill. He had been removed from his birth family after care proceedings and placed with foster carers when aged 2 months. He was placed with prospective adopters, Laura and Scott Castle, when aged 7 months. Tragically Leiland-James was murdered by Laura in January 2021.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 30 mins)
Health & Safety
New Legal Right To Request Flexible Working From Day One Of Employment Could Expose More People To Osh Risks
A new legal right to request flexible working from the first day of employment could expose more people to OSH risks, especially in cases where employers have failed to introduce proper oversight of working from home arrangements.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 30 mins)
Health & Safety Risks Of E-Bikes – What Employers Need To Know
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 – Approx. 20 mins)
Mental Health Study Identifies Barriers And Facilitators To A Sustainable Return To Work
A study that records the experiences of workers with common mental health disorders who have returned to work has identified that individuals thrive, survive or exit the workplace depending on what barriers and facilitators they encounter.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 30 mins)
Wider Curriculum
Is racism driving black and ethnic minority social workers into agency work?
New research finds practitioners are switching to agency work because of racism within local authorities. We asked social workers whether their experience chimed with that.
(Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 30 mins)
‘Very bad’ employers exploiting overseas social care staff, warns government migration adviser
Migration Advisory Committee chair also criticises ministers' failure to respond to government-commissioned report urging higher pay for social care workers published 15 months ago.
Reading this can be counted towards your 20% off the Job learning – Approx. 30 mins)
