Staff Safeguarding Bulletins

Remember:

If you are struggling to cope or just need to chat, the Education Support Partnership helpline is available for anyone who works in a school.

Education Support Partnership Helpline: 08000 562 561

Useful Support Contact Details

January 2023

Online Safety

Obviously, many children will have delightedly torn the wrapping paper off various smartphones, consoles, tablets and other internet-enabled devices over the past couple of weeks – and probably couldn’t wait to start their exciting journeys into previously undiscovered corners of the online universe.

Likewise, the next 12 months will also see lots of young people who already go online entering a different phase of their relationship with the digital world: perhaps getting more interested in online gaming or social media, for example. 

Here are some January reminders about simple things that children and young people can do to make themselves safer online. They’re likely to have encountered many of these suggestions before, but there’s no harm in refreshing their memory for the months ahead.

December 2022

A Dangerous New Online Trend - Child Abuse Spamming 

Today’s pupil is most likely a member of the permanently online generation. Whether in regards to the use of smartphones in class, or social media engagements on school computers, the internet sphere constantly resides in classrooms all over the country. But throughout late November and into December a new trend began to emerge from the internet’s criminal elements. The trend involves paying abusers for every link they distribute to child abuse websites. The objective is to drive people to sex abuse sites in order to increase their internet traffic, in order to take a greater slice of revenue from their consumer base. By increasing awareness of their presence, these sites augment their web presence and become known within the offender community. The danger to the ‘always online’ generation, from accidentally stumbling on such links is great. The consequences might lead the recipient to be ostracised from their peers, be the victim of allegations from others or in the worst case, to become sucked into a cycle of online abuse. The trend is wholly dangerous, and safeguarding personnel should be aware of its presence. 

To read the whole article follow the link to the Internet Watch Foundation’s website: https://www.iwf.org.uk/news-media/news/public-warned-as-distrubing-new-trend-risks-exposure-to-child-sexual-abuse-material-online/

Sharing nudes and semi-nudes: advice for education settings working with children and young people

DfE guidance

This page provides a brief overview for frontline staff of how to respond to incidents where nudes and semi-nudes have been shared.

All such incidents should be immediately reported to the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) or equivalent and managed in line with your setting’s child protection policies.

The appropriate safeguarding lead person should be familiar with the full 2020 guidance from the UK Council for Internet Safety (UKCIS), Sharing nudes and semi-nudes: advice for education settings working with children and young people, and should not refer to this guidance instead of the full guidance.

What do we mean by sharing nudes and semi-nudes?

In the latest advice for schools and colleges (UKCIS, 2020), this is defined as the sending or posting of nude or semi-nude images, videos or live streams online by young people under the age of 18. This could be via social media, gaming platforms, chat apps or forums. It could also involve sharing between devices via services like Apple’s AirDrop which works offline. Alternative terms used by children and young people may include ‘dick pics’ or ‘pics’.

The motivations for taking and sharing nude and semi-nude images, videos and live streams are not always sexually or criminally motivated.

This advice does not apply to adults sharing nudes or semi-nudes of under 18-year olds. This is a form of child sexual abuse and must be referred to the police as a matter of urgency.

What to do if an incident comes to your attention

Report it to your Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) or equivalent immediately. Your setting’s child protection policy should outline codes of practice to be followed.

Never view, copy, print, share, store or save the imagery yourself, or ask a child to share or download – this is illegal.

If you have already viewed the imagery by accident (e.g. if a young person has showed it to you before you could ask them not to), report this to the DSL (or equivalent) and seek support.

Do not delete the imagery or ask the young person to delete it.

Do not ask the child/children or young person(s) who are involved in the incident to disclose information regarding the imagery. This is the responsibility of the DSL (or equivalent).

Do not share information about the incident with other members of staff, the young person(s) it involves or their, or other, parents and/or carers.

Do not say or do anything to blame or shame any young people involved.

Do explain to them that you need to report it and reassure them that they will receive support and help from the DSL (or equivalent).

For further information

Download the full guidance, Sharing nudes and semi-nudes: advice for education settings working with children and young people (UKCIS, 2020)

November 2022

When Ofsted Inspects Safeguarding (LGfL)

Ofsted inspections cause lots of anxiety for school staff, especially when it comes to safeguarding.  We have created two resources to help prepare and hopefully therefore reduce anxiety. 

Inspectors are looking to see a culture of safeguarding and a whole-school (not tickbox) approach; but what does that mean in practice and how can you work towards this?  Click below to view either:

• key mentions of safeguarding in the Inspection Handbook, followed by questions for self-review and resources to support you with these areas
• 12 short videos from a DSL who has recently been through three Ofsteds, giving an overview of what they focussed on, what the process looked like, what was asked in meetings and how inspectors interacted with staff and students.

Find out more: https://national.lgfl.net/digisafe/ofstedsafe

Improving attendance: good practice for schools and multi-academy trusts (DfE)

Attendance is an important aspect of safeguarding, and the academic progress of children and young people. The DfE has released a set of webinars to help schools and Multi-Academy Trusts to improve attendance and how to create an effective school-level attendance policy.

Watch the videos here: https://www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/improving-attendance-good-practice-for-schools-and-multi-academy-trusts

Latest statistics on Children in Need in England (Children's Commissioner)

The latest Department for Education (DfE) figures show that there were just over 400,000 children in need as of March 31st 2022, which is a slight increase on previous years. More older children are being referred to children's services. In March 2022, a quarter of children in need were aged 16 and 17, a 7% rise since 2015.

The most common factor identified at the end of a child’s assessment was concern about the child’s parent or carer being the victim of domestic abuse (31% of episodes with assessment factor information).

Concerns around the mental health of children has increased during 2022, and now account for 13% of referrals.

The Children's Commissioner's briefing can be found here: https://www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/2022/11/01/latest-statistics-on-children-in-need-in-england/

You can find the data here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/characteristics-of-children-in-need

October 2022

The Prevent duty: safeguarding learners vulnerable to radicalisation (DfE)

This updated guidance reflects learning since the implementation of the Prevent Duty in 2015 under section 26 of the Counter Terrorism and Security Act 2015. The materials have been developed by frontline practitioners in local authorities, with support from the Department for Education. This guidance is for designated safeguarding leads (DSLs); and those who working in education settings who have safeguarding responsibilities for keeping children, young people and adult learners safe in schools, colleges and further education independent training providers.

The guidance is designed to explain the Prevent referral process and the statutory responsibilities to keep children, young people and adult learners safe from the risk of extremist ideology or radicalisation; and will prepare DSLs to respond effectively and get support for people who may be being exploited by radicalising influences. Sections in the guidance include:

• The Prevent duty: an introduction for those with safeguarding responsibilities
• Understanding and identifying radicalisation risk in your education setting
• Managing risk of radicalisation in your education setting
• Case studies

Find out more here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-prevent-duty-safeguarding-learners-vulnerable-to-radicalisation

Prevent duty self-assessment tool for schools (DfE)

This guidance applies to schools in England identified in Ofsted’s education inspection framework, including:

• local-authority-maintained schools
• academies
• non-association independent schools
• registered early years settings

This self-assessment tool has been designed to assist schools in England to review their Prevent related responsibilities in line with:

• Section 26 of the Counter Terrorism and Security Act 2015 (CTSA)
• Ofsted's Education Inspection Framework (EIF) 2022

The tool helps schools to understand how well embedded their existing policies and practices are, and to encourage a cycle of continuous review and improvement.

Use of the tool is not mandatory but contains both requirements and recommended good practice activities to meet those requirements. The tool should be read in conjunction with the Prevent duty guidance and the Education Inspection Framework (EIF)

Find the self-assessment tool here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/prevent-duty-self-assessment-tool-for-schools

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.

To find out more and register your support, go to: https://saferinternet.org.uk/blog/theme-announced-for-safer-internet-day-2023

World Mental Health Day – 10th October 2022
The theme of 2022's World Mental Health Day, set by the World Federation for Mental Health, is 'Make mental health and wellbeing for all a global priority'. World Mental Health Day is a chance to talk about mental health in general, how we need to look after it, and how important it is to talk about things and get help if you are struggling. There are a wide range of resources to support you to deal with mental health in the workplace on our HR portals and please also look out for our blog on how you can support your colleagues if they approach you with mental health disclosures which is coming soon. HfL - Blog | Herts for Learning https://www.hertsforlearning.co.uk/hfl-blog HR - wellbeing | Herts for Learning https://www.hertsforlearning.co.uk/hr-services-portal/wellbeing Wellbeing | Herts for Learning https://www.hertsforlearning.co.uk/academies-hr-portal/wellbeing Our Occupational Health partner, Optima, have produced a podcast with a useful reminder about active listening skills which can help to support others to open up about how they feel. Five tips to help improve your listening skills https://vimeo.com/752483852/853f4d8017

The Contextual Safeguarding Young People's Podcast Series

The Contextual Safeguarding Young People's Podcast Series has been developed as part of the Scale Up Project and produced by Tanika Trent-McSherry. Featuring young people from across the London and National Scale Up sites, this is the first time you can hear young people sharing their views on all things related to Contextual Safeguarding. The series comprises of four episodes, each focusing on different contexts: schools, the role of social workers, friendships and peers and neighbourhoods. 

Find the podcast series here: https://www.contextualsafeguarding.org.uk/blog/the-contextual-safeguarding-young-people-s-podcast-series/

Safeguarding Podcast

There are a few podcasts around now with a safeguarding theme.  Delyth Lynch emailed to say that she has started a podcast talking to DSLs around the country. Delyth says, 'there are some lovely snippets coming through from the DSLs I am speaking to, with some good advice as well.

The podcast can be found here: https://www.schoolmanagementplus.com/category/abc-of-safeguarding/

September 2022

​Herts County Council E-Safety Staff Newsletter

Cyberattack course

Please can all staff change their password and complete the Cyberattack training which can be downloaded from the safeguarding folder on the shared drive. You will need to print and give your certificate to Kathryn on completion. 

KCSIE, Annual Staff Update, 1st September 2022

Thank you to all staff for attending the annual safeguarding update. You can access the DSL slide deck which details the main changes in the KCSIE 2022.

DSL Slides: KCSIE Changes 2022

TES KCSIE Changes 2022

Keeping children safe in education (KCSIE) (DfE, 2022)

The Department for Education (DfE) has published an updated version of the statutory safeguarding and child protection guidance for schools in England, Keeping children safe in education (KCSIE) (DfE, 2022).

This guidance will replace KCSIE 2021 when it comes into force on 1 September 2022.   

The guidance sets out what schools and colleges in England must do to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people under the age of 18.

Lisa Davies will be talking us through the key changes in our annual safeguarding briefing on the staff INSET day, 2nd September 2022. All staff will be given a copy of part 1 of this document and will asked to sign on an Edulink form to say they have read this document.

You can access the following:

Part 1 KCSIE 2022

Part B KCSIE 2022

Full KCSIE 2022

Staff Training - 2 online courses

Asthma Awareness Online Training

https://sch.educationforhealth.org/wp/

Please can all staff complete this asthma awareness course and send confirmation of completion to Kathryn Jackson by the deadline of 21st October 2022. 

Annual Online Anaphylaxis training
The NHS across England has had to change the way healthcare is delivered so that services can concentrate on
treating and caring for patients who are in most need. This means that the school, nursing team will not be able to offer face to face training in schools to support the general management of anaphylaxis and asthma.

Access the course by registering via https :://www allergywise org uk/

The course is designed to take no longer than 60 minutes You can stop at any time, log out and
resume at any time. You may remember your login from last time. Please send Kathryn Jackson the course confirmation email. Do not pay for the certificate. Deadline for completion is 21st October 2022. 

Full instructions can be downloaded from this ppt

Welcome to Allergywise for Schools

July 2022

Safeguarding Quiz questions - Andrew Hall request

I'm building up a database of questions for you to use in any quizzes you create. I still need more questions! If everybody added one question (related to KCSIE), we would have thousands!

If you haven't yet added a question, go here: safeguarding.link/cpdquestion Your colleagues will appreciate it!

Once the database is big enough, I'm hoping to devise a 'quiz generator' that will automatically produce a simple ten random question quiz. 

June 2022

Confidentiality
Discussing pupils on the train leads to suspension of DSL

A school's Designated Safeguarding Lead was suspended this week after being overheard by a journalist on a busy commuter train discussing pupils and their safeguarding and mental health needs. The senior leader's role and school was easily identified from their visible lanyard.

It is of course essential to maintain confidentiality at all times and to be aware of appropriate places to have discussions about pupils. 

In this particular case, the story was broken by a journalist who had the means to publicise the safeguarding breach, but on how many occasions might this have happened before.

Safeguarding Quiz App

'School Staff Safeguarding Quiz' is a simple tool to help schools review their knowledge of key safeguarding concepts and help them improve.

The app will be updated to align with KCSIE 2022 and now has new content and more quizzes than ever before.

You can find out more information here: www.sssq.co.uk

Changing for PE and swimming

A few questions have come up recently with regard to children and changing, whether in school or in swimming pools.

The NSPCC has updated guidance around changing rooms here: https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/research-resources/schools/safeguarding-considerations-changing-rooms

Further information can be found here from the Child Protection in Sport unit: https://thecpsu.org.uk/resource-library/best-practice/safe-use-of-changing-facilities/

Updated - Keeping Children Safe in Education 2022

Just a note to say that KCSIE 2022 has had a few tweaks and was republished on 31st May 2022. The links in paragraphs 141 and 210 have been updated and paragraph cross-referencing has been corrected.

There are no material changes - just make sure you have download and saved the latest version. 

The most up to date version can always be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education--2

'Regularly reviewing school filtering' (LGfL)

KCSIE has always expected schools to 'ensure [they] have appropriate filters and monitoring systems in place'. The latest version, in force from September 2022, adds that these systems should be 'regularly' reviewed. 

Although technicians will do the technical work, decisions on what should be allowed are the responsibility of the DSL who should be aiming to keep children safe whilst being 'careful that ‘over blocking’ does not lead to unreasonable restrictions' (KCSIE). DSLs should see filtering as a strategic safeguarding tool and feel confident to get involved and be the decision maker. 

London Grid for Learning (LGfL), whose training can be attended by anyone (not just London schools), has a 20 minute non-technical online session to give DSLs and other school leaders a quick overview of web filtering and identify the questions to discuss with the tech team to audit your filtering system.

'Web filtering in 20 minutes' is next available on Tuesday 7th June and Tuesday 5th July. For more details and to book, go to: https://lgfl.bookinglive.com/book/add/p/5

May 2022

Keeping Children Safe in Education for September 2022

On Friday, the new version of Keeping Children Safe in Education was published. The version is purely for information purposes and there is no expectation that any of the changes are to be implemented before the autumn term. Before the final version is published there are sometimes slight changes, in particular to paragraph numbers (so watch out if you quote them in your policy!)

In the past there have been some big changes, but not this year. This is a KCSIE with relatively small tweaks and additional paragraphs, although I think several of these are significant.

I've created a 30-minute video looking at all the changes which you can find here: safeguarding.link/kcsie2022
(This link will be available for free until 30th May 2022.)

Digiduck Stories (Childnet)

The five stories in the Digiduck series were created to help parents and teachers educate children aged 3–7 about online safety. The collection includes a ebooks, PDFs, a poster and an interactive app.

As well as the books, there is a Digiduck Activity Menu for educators, that can be found here: https://www.childnet.com/resources/digiduck-stories/

School Visits 

Now that SATs are finished and we're heading towards the last half-term of the summer (or Term 6 for some of you), thoughts turn to outings, trips and residentials.

The Outdoor Education Advisers' Panel (OEAP) website includes all the national guidance for education out-of-school and includes guidance, activities, training and support for outdoor learning and educational visits.

Some of the specific guidance can be found here: https://oeapng.info/downloads/specialist-activities-and-visits/

Tackling Child Abuse (HM Government/DfE)

The government has launched a campaign called 'Together we can tackle child abuse'. The resources, aimed at everyone in the community, could be used with parents and include four very short videos explaining physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, neglect and online abuse. 

The simple mnemonic, ABC, is used to remind people that they should look out for changes in appearance, behaviour or communication. The webpage has a search engine to find out where to report abuse.

For more information, go to: https://tacklechildabuse.campaign.gov.uk

Conspiracy Theories in the Classroom (Educate Against Hate)

Educate Against Hate has create a resource which  aims to provide teachers with some general guidance on how schools might approach disinformation and conspiracy theories amongst pupils. 

The document contains:

• summaries of some research in this area; discussion of general principles
• ‘reactive’ guidance on how to handle situations when students raise conspiracy theories/ disinformation
• proactive guidance on teaching about this topic
• a deeper dive into the world of cognitive psychology and our biases, and 
• a glossary of common conspiracy theories

The guidance is written by two lecturers at the Institute of Education, UCL who are both former teachers.

The resource can be downloaded here: https://educateagainsthate.com/resources/conspiracy-theories-in-the-classroom

Pupil Voice

Whilst we often talk about 'pupil voice', it isn't always clear what this means and how it could look. I thought it would be useful to pull together a few resources to help develop a greater understanding.

Engaging with pupils: listening to the voices of children and young people (Carol Robinson)
https://cris.brighton.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/4979678/Engaging_with_pupils_Listening_to_the_voices_of_children_and_young_people.pdf

Examples of ways to gather child or young person’s views (West Sussex and others)
https://schools.local-offer.org/childs-journey/voice-of-the-child/how-to-gain-pupil-voice/

Pupil voice: Collaboration with pupils can no longer be optional (SecEd)
https://www.sec-ed.co.uk/blog/pupil-voice-collaboration-with-pupils-can-no-longer-be-optional/

Online Safety for 11 - 18s (CEOP)

CEOP has created a new website for teenagers called 'The internet, relationships & you' and offers advice on socialising online, online safety, getting support and sexual content online. CEOP is a part of the National Crime Agency.

The website can be found here: https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/11_18

Children and parents: media use and attitudes report 2022 (Ofcom)

Ofcom's latest report looks at media use, attitudes and understanding among children and young people aged 3-17. It also includes findings on parents’ views about their children’s media use, and how parents of children and young people aged 3-17 monitor and manage their children’s use. 

Key points from the report include:

• Nearly all children went online in 2021 (99%); the majority used a mobile phone (72%) or tablet (69%) to do so.
• Using video-sharing platforms (VSPs) such as YouTube or TikTok was the most popular online activity among children aged 3-17 (95%).
• Among all types of online platforms, YouTube was the most widely used by children; 89% used it, compared to half using TikTok. But TikTok was more popular than YouTube for posting content. 
• A majority of children under 13 had their own profile on at least one social media app or site; 33% of parents of 5-7s said their child had a profile, and 60% of 8-11s said they had one. 
• Just four in ten parents of 3-17s knew the minimum age requirement for using most social media; 42% correctly said 13. Four in ten parents of 8-11-year-olds said they would allow their child to use social media (38%). 
• Six in ten children aged 3-17 played games online in 2021, increasing to three-quarters of 12 - 17s. 
• More than a third of 8-17s who gamed online played with people they didn’t know (36%); overall, 16% of 8-17s chatted to people they didn’t know, via the messaging/ chat functions in games. 
• Children were more likely to experience being bullied via technology than face-to-face: 84% of 8-17s said they had been bullied this way (i.e., via text or messaging, on social media, in online games, through phone or video calls, or via other aps and sites) compared to 61% being bullied face-to-face.

You can download the report here: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/research-and-data/media-literacy-research/childrens/children-and-parents-media-use-and-attitudes-report-2022

April 2022

Anaphylaxis​

Recently, a headteacher in the north-west, emailed to share her experience of a health service presentation about the death of a child due to anaphylaxis - a severe and potentially life-threatening reaction to a trigger, such as an allergy. Symptoms of anaphylaxis include feeling faint, finding it hard to breathe, a fast heartbeat and feeling anxious.

The headteacher, Emma, said, '​One big take away I would share [from the presentation] is to ensure people who carry Jext 2 or Epi pens register them with the manufacture as soon as they receive them. In turn they will get a reminder to renew their prescription two months before the pen's expiry date. The adrenalin won't always save a life, but there is a much better chance if the medication is in date. It is so important.'

Further information about anaphylaxis

Statement regarding the inquest of Cason Hallwood, a 12-year old from Cheshire who died on Christmas Day 2020.
https://www.anaphylaxis.org.uk/2021/10/15/statement-regarding-the-inquest-of-cason-hallwood/

Allergy death mum's plea to schools to save lives
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-48872090

Statement regarding the inquest of Ishmaeel Ashraf, a nine-year old from Birmingham who died in March 2017 after falling ill in school.
https://www.anaphylaxis.org.uk/2017/08/24/statement-regarding-inquest-ishmaeel-ashraf/

London pupil, 14-year old, Nasar Ahmed died after falling ill during an after-school detention in November 2016.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-39896499

Spare Pens in Schools (Stakeholder Website)

A one-stop resource for anyone who wants to know about anaphylaxis and adrenaline auto-injector “pens” in schools created by British Society for Allergy & Clinical Immunology's  (BSACI) Paediatric Allergy Group, Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH), the Anaphylaxis Campaign and Allergy UK.

Website: https://www.sparepensinschools.uk/

UPDATED Guidance for safer working practices (February 2022)

An update of the 'Guidance for Safer Working Practice for professionals working in education settings' has recently been published. The original guidance was developed by a DfES network in 2005 and revised in 2009, 2015 & 2019.

The latest update has been produced in consultation with representatives from Child Protection in Education (CAPE), local authorities and other stakeholders and incorporates both the GSWP Covid addendum (2020) and KCSIE expectations around low level concern reporting. This (non-statutory) guidance will be helpful when developing your staff behaviour policy / code of conduct. 

If you wish to see what's new, there is a version that shows all changes in yellow.

The Safer Recruitment Consortium also have a basic training resource to support the introduction of 'safe working practice' in INSET / staff briefings with a short exercise. 

You can find the latest version of the 'Guidance for safer working practices here: https://saferrecruitmentconsortium.org/

Court reports and Safeguarding Practice Reviews

Tragically, during the last month there has been several serious incident reports published and court cases concluded with respect to cases of child neglect and cruelty. These horrendous cases follow on from those we heard about at the end of last year, including Arthur Labinjo-Hughes. 

It feels like there are more of these awful incidents. However, The Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel says 'Notifications to the Panel in the period April to September 2020 were 27% higher than the same period in 2019, although the increase in notifications was less significant when compared to the 2018 data.' (See The Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel: Annual Report 2020 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/child-safeguarding-practice-review-panel-annual-report-2020)

Court cases concluded

Logan Mwangi, a five-year-old from South Wales was found dead in July 2021.

Logan had suffered a “slow and painful death”, after months of abuse. It was reported that his teachers had noticed worrying changes in his appearance and demeanour in the weeks before his death. Logan's mother, step-father, and a 14-year old boy have all been convicted of his murder. A month before his death Logan had been removed from the Child Protection register and stepped down to a child in need.

Hakeem Hussain, a seven-year-old boy from Birmingham died in 2017

Hakeem's mother was convicted of his manslaughter last week. Hakeem had been subject to a child protection plan before his death and a few days earlier a nurse at his school had told a social care meeting he would die if action was not taken to protect him. The court heard that two days before Hakeem's death, social workers voted to act to protect Hakeem, at a child protection conference. The meeting ended with an agreement that the family's social worker would speak to Heath on Monday - by which time Hakeem was dead. Hakeem's three half-siblings had already been removed from his mother’s care.

March 2022

Prevent Duty

In the year ending 31st March 2021, almost 5,000 referrals were made to Prevent. This represents a decrease of 22% compared to the previous year (6,287) and the lowest number of referrals received since March 2016. The decrease is likely to be as a result of public health restrictions that were in place to control the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Half the referrals were related to mixed, unclear or unstable ideologies; 22% to Islamist radicalisation; and 25% to extreme right-wing radicalisation

Some Prevent referrals will go on to the Channel programme. In 2020/2021, there were 688 cases adopted, of which:

46% were related to extreme right-wing radicalisation

30% came under a Mixed, Unclear or Unstable (MMU) ideology 

22% were linked to Islamist radicalisation

2% were related to other radicalisation concerns

(Source: Factsheet: Prevent and Channel - 2021 (Home Office) https://homeofficemedia.blog.gov.uk/2021/10/18/factsheet-prevent-and-channel-2021)

DBS - Explanatory animation (DBS)

The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) has recently create a really useful animated ‘Guide to DBS checks’ and accompanying leaflet. The video can be found here: https://youtu.be/lzD93s7xPc0

The related leaflet can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1059974/Quick_Guide_to_DBS_Checks.pdf

Ukraine

The situation in Ukraine is horrendous. Whilst we are geographically far away from the events, many in our schools and communities will be directly affected and may have families or roots in the region. The news and social media feeds are filled with the latest information, and some of it is very upsetting and worrying; and may not even be verified. Children listening and viewing distressing images can become frightened and fearful.

Here are some background reading resources to help you think about how adults can support children with what they are seeing or feeling. Please read through these links before sharing, to ensure that they are suitable for your community and situation.

Current information regarding Ukraine

Supporting your child if they see upsetting content online about what is happening in Ukraine (Childnet)
https://www.childnet.com/blog/supporting-your-child-with-upsetting-content/

We should not hide from children what is happening in Ukraine (Schools Week/Children's Commissioner)
https://schoolsweek.co.uk/we-should-not-hide-from-children-what-is-happening-in-ukraine/

How to talk to children about what’s happening in Ukraine and World War Three anxiety (Metro)
https://metro.co.uk/2022/02/24/how-to-talk-to-children-about-whats-happening-in-ukraine-16163133/

Help for teachers and families to talk to pupils about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and how to help them avoid misinformation (Department for Education)
https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2022/02/25/help-for-teachers-and-families-to-talk-to-pupils-about-russias-invasion-of-ukraine-and-how-to-help-them-avoid-misinformation/

Information produced previously about war and international violence

How and when to talk to children about war, according to a parenting expert (Independent)
https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/children-war-talk-russia-ukraine-b2023695.html

How to cope with traumatic news - an illustrated guide (ABC News, Australia)
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-12-23/illustrated-guide-coping-traumatic-news/5985104

Talking with Children About War and Violence in the World (Family Education, US)
https://www.familyeducation.com/life/wars/talking-children-about-war-violence-world

Tips for parents and caregivers on media coverage of traumatic events (The National Child Traumatic Stress Network, US)
https://www.nctsn.org/resources/tips-parents-and-caregivers-media-coverage-traumatic-events

Colour-blind Awareness (Cheshire Football Association)

Along with many men and boys (and not an insignificant number of girls and women), I'm colour-blind. I don't think I've ever seen anyone create awareness materials for people who work with young people. 

I was recently looking at the website of the Cheshire FA who were publishing an event for the welfare officers and DSLs at their affiliated clubs. In addition to the safeguarding content, there was this item on colour-blindness awareness for coaches.

I thought it well-worth sharing and you can find all the training resources and information here: https://www.cheshirefa.com/inclusion/colour-blind-awareness

The Colour Blind Awareness charity can be found here: https://www.colourblindawareness.org/about-us/

February 2022

Free Mental Health Resources for Your School (Yes Futures)

At Yes Futures, we believe early intervention is crucial when it comes to mental health awareness and wellbeing. As a charity, running wellbeing programmes for 10 years, we know this is more important now than ever.

Our latest set of free resources is designed to help schools build a culture of positivity, alongside recognising our strengths and talents. This set of resources will support staff and students and can be adapted for use in school, for home learning, or independent learning.

Download the resources here: https://www.yesfutures.org/mental-health-resources

YesFutures also have teacher wellbeing resources and you can find those here: https://www.yesfutures.org/teacher-wellbeing-resources

Children's Mental health Week (Place2Be)
7th - 13th February 2022

Place2Be has teamed up with BAFTA Kids to create two virtual assemblies for Children’s Mental Health Week 2022, supported by Oak National Academy. 

There are separate assemblies for  primary schools and secondary-aged students to help young people across the UK take part in the week and explore the theme of ‘Growing Together’. 

The primary school assembly, hosted by Lindsey Russell, features pupils from Rosslyn Park Primary School and Seascape Primary School in conversation with dancer and presenter Oti Mabuse.

The assembly for secondary and high schools, hosted by Emma Willis, features students from Folkestone Academy and Carrick Academy in conversation with Shadow and Bone actor, Kit Young, and CBBC's The Dumping Ground actor, Kia Pegg.

Both assemblies will be available on the Children’s Mental Health Week website from 8am on Monday 7 February. The assemblies will also feature special messages of support from high-profile surprise guests, to be revealed on the day. 

Find the assemblies and other resources here: https://www.childrensmentalhealthweek.org.uk/
 

Safer Internet Day - Tuesday 8th February 2022

If you're not already all set up, the resources and information is here: https://saferinternet.org.uk/safer-internet-day/safer-internet-day-2022/educational-resources

Safer Internet Day Awareness Kit (Common Sense Education)

Kit of useful resources, especially links on slide 7.

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Gq00rwZv0x7WZw0VQp_Dip692TyDOF-DRKOkJnpoWiQ/edit#slide=id.p7

Safer Internet Day Assembly (London Grid for Learning)

LGfL's DigiSafe team has created a 20-minute video session that you can use as a lesson or an assembly with 7-10 year olds.

It's hosted by primary pupils and covers gaming and staying safe online, including class discussion time, scenarios to look at, lots of fun and input from our host school.

To preview the video (it's not live so can be watched any time during the week or beyond), go to https://sid.lgfl.net/ 

Young Carers: Honeypot Children's Charity

Honeypot Children's Charity supports and enhance the lives of young carers aged 5-12 years by providing respite breaks and on-going outreach support.

They give young carers a break from demanding and stressful responsibilities at home and provide a safe, nurturing environment where children at risk can develop their full potential. The charity  tries to give children their childhood back where they are able to make memorable memories that they can treasure forever.

You can find out more about their work here: https://www.honeypot.org.uk/news/bethannies-journey

January 2022

International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation - Sunday 6th February 2022

In 2012, the UN General Assembly designated February 6th as the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation, with the aim to amplify and direct the efforts on the elimination of this practice.

Some relevant resources

UN Resources: https://trello.com/b/IDwbQ7eb/act2endfgm-unfpa-social-media-pack

UK Home Office FGM campaign materials in community languages: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fgm-campaign-materials

FGM Resources (National FGM Centre): http://nationalfgmcentre.org.uk/fgm/fgm-resources/

ForwardUK: https://www.forwarduk.org.uk/violence-against-women-and-girls/female-genital-mutilation/

ForwardUK Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2IStB6Z3Vw

Book: Song of the crocodile (Caroline Lisa): https://www.amazon.co.uk/Song-Crocodile-original-compelling-awareness-ebook/dp/B07V8745T8

Every Mind Matters (Public Health England)

Public Health England have set of resources aimed at supporting teachers. The flexible, ready-to-use content has been co-created with educators and young people and help teach PSHE, RHE and RSHE to Upper KS2, KS3 and KS4 students.

Topics covered in the resources include:

• Bullying and cyberbullying
• Self-care
• Unhelpful thoughts
• Social media
• Sleep
• Puberty
• Online stress and FOMO
• Alcohol
• Exam stress
• Body image in a digital world
• Forming positive relationships

The resources can be found here: https://campaignresources.phe.gov.uk/schools/topics/mental-wellbeing/overview

Primary School Grooming Resource - Alright Charlie (BASIS Yorkshire)

I'm pleased to say that this resource is once again available. 

‘Alright Charlie’ is a preventative resource pack that addresses child sexual exploitation (CSE) and grooming in a way that is age appropriate. The target group is boys and girls in years 5 and 6 in primary school and professionals may feel this resource is also appropriate to use with children and young people in year 7 in secondary schools. I think it might have a place for older children, perhaps those with additional needs.

This resource was funded by The Department for Education and was created by The BLAST Project – the UK’s leading male only CSE service. Unlike many other CSE resources ‘Alright Charlie’ aims to address grooming and CSE in a way that is equally inclusive of, and accessible to both girls and boys. To this end, 'Charlie' was chosen as the character's name to be gender-neutral.

The resource has been created and developed in consultation with professionals who have considerable experience in the field of CSE and professionals with experience of working with primary aged children.  

You can find the resource here: https://basisyorkshire.org.uk/resource/alright-charlie-cse-primary-school-resource/

Online safety in schools and colleges: Questions from the Governing Board (UK Council for Internet Safety)

The UKCIS curated the useful document for governing bodies and trustees in 2019. Although reference is made to KCSIE 2019, the questions remain relevant an appropriate today.

I like this document because it doesn't only have questions to ask, but also indicates good practice and signs to look after for.

Download the document here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/online-safety-in-schools-and-colleges-questions-from-the-governing-board

Mental Health Watch - November 2021 (Royal College of Psychiatrists)

Eating Disorders

The Royal College of Psychiatrists (Rcpsych) reports that whilst the target for young people with eating disorders to receive NICE-approved treatment for an urgent eating disorder within one week is 95%, only 61% actually did so in the first three months of 2021. At the same time, demand increased by 160%, although numbers are relatively low: 852 compared to 328 one year earlier.  

Self Harm

The Rcpsych report notes that rates of hospital admission for children and young people who have self-harmed has decreased nationally. In the final quarter of 2020/21 the rate had declined by 3.7%, reaching 105.2 per 100,000.

Admissions for self-harm are highest in Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire. The three Integrated Care Systems (ICS) with the lowest rates of admission were all in North London. 

You can read the full report here: https://mentalhealthwatch.rcpsych.ac.uk/summary-report

FREE WEBINAR: Healthy Relationships Measurement Tool (Dr Jessica Taylor)
Friday 21st January 2022 2 - 4pm

Dr Jessica Taylor, FRSA, PhD, is a specialist in Victim Blaming, Self-Blame and Recovery from Sexual Violence. In this free webinar attendees will be able to explore and discuss the VictimFocus Healthy Relationships Measurement Tool, released in winter 2021.

This vital resource is designed for teachers, social workers, and other youth workers to gauge the understanding and views of young people over the age of 11, to look at sex, relationships, and abuse.

The Healthy Relationships Measurement Tool also provides a series of interactive, fun, and interesting educational session plans tailored to the outcomes of the measurement tool, that you can roll out as and when needed, before re-testing children with the questionnaire to measure their progress, knowledge and attitudes.

You can find more details here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/healthy-relationships-measurement-tool-webinar-tickets-223291640307

Staff Online Safety HCC Newsletter

Video: Monitoring of Safeguarding

I'm sometimes asked for a monthly monitoring schedule. Although, in the past I did have such a resource, I now think sharing a generic tool isn't the best way forward. 

In this video, I talk about monthly monitoring processes, and what schools need to think about when addressing all the different facets of safeguarding.

You can find the video here: https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/663411644/bf06c7c4dc

New research shows scale of abuse against animals in domestic abuse cases (Dogs Trust)

Almost nine in 10 households who experienced domestic abuse have said that animals were also abused by the perpetrators, according to new research carried out by Refuge4Pets who work in partnership with Dogs Trust.

The research was carried out by Dr Mary Wakeham, a former PhD student at the University of Bristol in the Centre for Gender and Violence Research and Service Manager at Refuge4Pets. Her investigation found that in 12% of the 107 households in the research where domestic abuse was present, the animal - and often multiple animals - was killed.

It was found that abusive partners often 'gift' pets to the victim which are then abused by perpetrators. Almost all professionals working in the domestic abuse sector said that animals are often used as a means of controlling someone experiencing domestic abuse.

The Dogs Trust and Cats Protection partner in the Freedom Project offering vital support for dog and cat owners escaping from domestic abuse. Following the increase in reported domestic abuse during 2020/2021, the Freedom Project fostered 64% more animals than in the previous two years.

Read more here: https://www.dogstrust.org.uk/latest/2021/dogs-trust-freedom-project

Website: Freedom project (Dogs) https://www.dogstrust.org.uk/help-advice/hope-project-freedom-project/freedom-project

Website: Paws protect (Cats) https://www.cats.org.uk/what-we-do/paws-protect

December 2021

Hertfordshire Safeguarding Children Partnership Group Autumn Newsletter

Arthur's Story - Slide Deck (Louis Donald)

Louis Donald, Director of Safeguarding at the Creative Education Trust, has created a slide deck about Arthur's Story for leaders to use with staff to dispel any misunderstanding of events, and clarify the next steps the Government intends to take.

Louis says, 'I am encouraging leaders to use it as a backdrop to a conversation about the importance of vigilance and the unique power schools have: 'the daily check-in'.'

Thank you so much to Louis for creating this powerful slide deck and for his generosity in sharing it. 

Download the slide deck here: https://6282.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/Arthur+Labinjo-Hughes+Slide+Deck+from+Louis+Donald.pptx

Use of personal devices for taking photographs

It would be interesting to find out how many thousands of photographs are taken at school events each year. I suspect more than half of them are taken at nativity plays - not least of those lovely 'out-take moments'. One year our inn-keeper, asked if there was room at the Inn, answered the weary travellers in the positive, 'yes, of course, come in'.

Not every parent likes images of their children uploaded to school media, and sometimes there are further safeguarding or legal reasons why that mustn't be the case. Of course, children themselves might not want it either - how do you consider their consent?

It's worth remembering that staff shouldn't be using their personal devices to take photos or videos. Whilst it can be very convenient to use your own device, images should only be taken on school equipment. Sometimes there may be exceptional circumstances where personal devices may be used in which case the headteacher (or if the headteacher, the Chair of Governors) should give written permission and ensure that any images are removed to a secure data device immediately after the event. 

Computing and E-safety Lead for Islington's Children's Services, Katy Potts, sent me a link to a video from Nokia. It's a few years old now, but is an over-the-top reminder that too many cameras can spoil the show! Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/slf3GgxqusI

There is some further guidance from the NSPCC here: https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/research-resources/briefings/photography-sharing-images-guidance

What is a phishing attack?

In November 2021 alone, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) removed 68,000 scams from the internet.

'Phishing' is when criminals use scam emails, text messages or phone calls to trick their victims. The aim is often to make you visit a website, which may download a virus onto your computer, or steal bank details or other personal information.

Schools often receive hundreds of emails each day, and phishing emails can be difficult to spot. Sometimes it is the lack of sophistication, sometimes the sophistication,

Whilst all school systems can be compromised, attackers can often make use of generic systems like hotmail. This is one reason why everyone officially associated with the school, should be using the school email address for their communications and not a personal email. This includes governors who may not currently have a school email address.

See also: https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/collection/phishing-scams

Report issues to Action fraud

You can report suspicious texts you have received but not acted upon, by forwarding the original message to 7726, which spells SPAM on your keypad.

You can report suspicious emails you have received but not acted upon, by forwarding the original message to report@phishing.gov.uk

If you have provided personal or financial details as a result of a suspicious message, or lost money because of a scam, you should report it to Action Fraud at actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040

November 2021

Email Security - extract from Andrew Hall, Safeguardiing Briefing

Recently I had a question about sending confidential information by email. I'm not a specialist in this area, so I contacted Mark Bentley, Safeguarding & Cybersecurity Manager at LGfL, The National Grid for Learning.

Is my school email system secure enough to email confidential safeguarding information and referrals to external agencies?

Mark writes, 'The answer is probably yes, but it depends on a few things, which are relatively easy to work out.

'Traditionally, schools have been told to use third-party encryption tools to protect emails when sharing child-protection information with police, health and social care or making other submissions with child data to local authorities or the DfE. All these agencies use gov.uk / police.uk / nhs.uk emails - this is significant.

'There are many reasons you might still want to use a third-party tool, but they are (mostly) no longer related to encryption; rather because they offer extra protections, such as auditing who accessed the information and when, expiry dates, etc.

'The HM Government documents Information sharing: advice for practitioners providing safeguarding services* and Data protection: a toolkit for schools* provide guidance all around data sharing principles rules beyond that already mentioned in KCSIE and Working Together but do not provide much detail on specific tools required. Encryption is critical, and mentioned in the data protection toolkit, but this is now baked into many email systems.

'To find out if your emails to external agencies are sufficiently encrypted and secure, you need to know if both yours and that of the external agency use a system called TLS in a version of 1.2 or higher. You can find out what that means here* (link see below), but in a nutshell, if both systems do this, then all emails between them will be encrypted in transit, and in any case encrypted at rest.

'All the main, modern email systems use TLS, and government agencies are obliged to*, so if your school uses Google or Microsoft systems, you are already encrypting emails when sending to and fro with police, health, social care and other council agencies on gov.uk emails.

'If you want to double check your email domain or that of the agency you are sharing with, paste their email domain (the bit after the @) into the box on this testing site*. As long as both pass the test, you are encrypted and all is fine.

'Thereafter, you may want to consider what other steps you can take to keep sensitive data secure. For example, LGfL schools are given Egress licences which many local authorities ask schools to use. This and other similar tools help you add further security measures, e.g. multi-factor authentication (so you can be sure who is accessing the email and its contents - in general you should turn on MFA wherever you can), audit and revoke access and more.

'Security is a wider project though and needs to be treated as a whole, so why not have a look at our Cybersecurity Top Tips for schools infographic at security.lgfl.net.

Icy conditions and winter weather (Health and Safety Executive)

Slip and trip accidents increase during the Autumn and Winter season for a number of reasons: there is less daylight, leaves fall onto paths and become wet and slippery and cold weather spells cause ice and snow to build up on paths.

There are effective actions that you can take to reduce the risk of a slip or trip. Regardless of the size of your site, always ensure that regularly used walkways are promptly tackled.

Read more here: https://www.hse.gov.uk/logistics/slips-trips-bad-weather.htm

Teacher Wellbeing Index (Education Support)

In 2017, Education Support began a programme of research to understand more about the mental health and wellbeing of staff working in education. This year's report is perhaps the most important one yet, it gives an insight into the working lives of teachers and education staff under the shadow of Covid-19. 

The survey of over 3,000 education staff found that in 2021:

• 77% experienced symptoms of poor mental health due to their work
• 72% are stressed (rising to 84% for senior leaders)
• 46% always go into work when unwell (rising to 54% for senior leaders)
• 42% think their organisation’s culture has a negative impact on their wellbeing
• 54% have considered leaving the sector in the past two years due to pressures on their mental health

Over the last five years, Education support found that:

• Levels of stress and anxiety remain unsustainably high
• Excessive workload and lack of work-life balance remain key drivers for poor mental health
• Covid-19 has had a significant impact on wellbeing
• A consistently high percentage of staff consider leaving the profession
• Staff are concerned they will be perceived negatively if seeking support for mental health issues
• Organisations have improved staff awareness of wellbeing policies, as well as their implementation

You can download the report here: https://www.educationsupport.org.uk/resources/for-organisations/research/teacher-wellbeing-index/

Mental health support for school leaders (DfE/Education Support)

Last week the DfE announced a new mental health support scheme specifically for school leaders. The scheme will be delivered by the charity Education Support and will provide free one-to-one counselling and peer support to around 2,000 school leaders, helping those at deputy head level and above with their mental wellbeing.

You can find out more about how to access the programme here:
https://www.educationsupport.org.uk/get-help/help-for-your-staff/wellbeing-services/school-leaders-support/

Child Protection Post Course Answer Sheet

Please see above the answers to the post child protection questionnaire for staff who attended the child protection course on 2nd November 2021.

Anti-bullying Week (15 - 19th November 2021)

Please wear odd socks on Monday, 15th November in support of Anti-Bullying week. Teachers have a range of activities for the children from the assembly on courage, anti-bullying activity each day and Stormbreak activities.  

This week is anti-bullying week and LGfL has created two new posters to help primary and secondary schools challenge peer-on-peer abuse, banter and bullying, in line with KCSIE guidance.

You can access the posters along with a staff CPD activity, practical tips and strategies to help create a culture where bullying is unacceptable in this blogpost: https://safeblog.lgfl.net/2021/11/anti-bullying-week-2021-new-posters-to-help-challenge-peer-on-peer-abuse/

Other resources for anti-bullying week include:

Anti-bullying Alliance https://anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk/anti-bullying-week/school-resources

Ditch the Label https://www.ditchthelabel.org/bullying-support-hub/

NSPCC https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/research-resources/schools/anti-bullying-resources

Keeping children safe in education (KCSIE) 2021: How will it affect you?

As you know, the new guidance came into effect on 1 September 2021.

TES have published a guide which includes a breakdown of what you need to know – including what you need to do by law and what you're strongly advised to do to meet your safeguarding responsibilities.

Click here to download the guide. 

Peer-on-Peer Abuse (SAFE!)

SAFE! is a charity working to support young people across Thames Valley who are affected by crime. Although their direct services are limited to young people in the region, their online resources and information are valuable across the country.

SAFE! teach young people to listen to their 'Early Warning Signs' when they don't feel safe. They also encourage young people to work out who they can talk to if they are not feeling safe, and to seek help when they need it. 

SAFE! has developed a specific website with resources to identify some of the problems faced by young people online called Safe Stories. 

Looking at the issues through the eyes of animated characters, the video short stories are accompanied by advice and guidance on issues such as cyber-abuse, sexting, revenge porn, consent and healthy relationships. This is advice designed to help young people stay safe and to promote positive and respectful relationships.

The characters in the video are fictional, but their stories are based on the real experiences of young people supported by SAFE! 

You can find the website and resources here: https://safestories.org/

Child Protection All Staff Course

Many thanks to all staff for attending the Child Protection 3 year course on 2nd November 2021. Please see attached the course slides. Certificates will be issued shortly.  

Course slides Child Protection Course HCC

October 2021

Deadline for completion: Monday, 1^st November 2021

Could all staff over the half term please redo their Prevent Duty course on Educare?

There is currently a real spotlight on extremism and radicalisation following the fatal stabbing of the MP Sir David Arness. We could all do with a refresher.

Please can you print out your certificates and put them on Kathryn Jackson's desk.

Deadline: Friday, 5^th November 2021

Our anaphylaxis training for most of us was over a year ago and we are asking all staff to please complete the online anaphylaxis course (as we did last September 2020). This is a course that we need to complete yearly as a refresher.  We do have children who have epipens, jext pens and anaphylactic allergies so we need to know what to do in an emergency situation or any situation where there are mild to severe reactions/symptoms.

How to Log on to Online Course

Outline:

• How to register and log on to the allergywise training portal
• Access to tester pens via the office
• Key learning objectives
• Request to send the email confirmation of course completion as evidence so we don’t have to purchase the certificate which costs money

This is the course you need to complete.

Squid Game (Netflix)

There has been a lot of media reports this week about Netflix's Squid Game. This is currently the most watched show in 90 countries and nearly all episodes of the '15' rated show contain violent and gruesome scenes. 

Parents – scare or prepare?

Scary stuff in the media often creates a sense of alarm which can become self-fulfilling. Although it seems counter-intuitive, it is usually best not to name the frightening content.

You can further information about managing specific websites and challenges from LGfL here: https://safeblog.lgfl.net/2018/11/parents-scare-or-prepare/

More information from CEOP: https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents/articles/theres-a-viral-scare-online-what-should-i-do/

In School

I've heard about some children in UKS2 playing games linked with Squid Games and discussing the Netflix show. If you haven't heard of it, it is the latest big craze. It is a South Korean show which follows a group of adults playing playground games, however, if they are not successful then they are quite brutally murdered.

From what I have heard, the children are generally playing the more innocent playground games, not re-enacting the violence. However, it is clearly being discussed, particularly in UKS2 so please can staff be aware of this and act upon it if they see or hear anything about it. 

I will put a section in the newsletter and this eSafety link for parents 

https://nationalonlinesafety.com/wakeupwednesday/squid-game-trending-across-platforms-what-parents-need-to-know

Herts for Learning Online Safety Newsletter Autumn Term 2021

HfL Autumn newsletter for staff includes reviews and details about:

• Keeping Children Safe in Education 2021 updated document – DfE

• the FREE ProjectEVOLVE digital education toolkit

• Report Harmful Content – UK Safer Internet Centre

• sharing nudes and semi-nudes: How to respond to an incident – UKCIS

• UKCIS Digital Passport

• opportunities, strengths and managing online presence: Careers Education - PSHE Association

• Be Internet Legends RSE Pack from Google and Parent Zone (Free)

• Ollee app

• new Digiduck® resources (for children aged 3-7)

• CyberSprinters: Game and activities – NCSC

Online Safety within ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ 2021

Rebecca Avery, Training and Development Manager and Online Safety Lead July 2021 Education Safeguarding Service, The Education People

September 2021

Changes to KCSIE Presenter Notes - Andrew Hall

Important reminder about staff use of social media

A teacher from south-east England is under investigation after a series of racists tweets were sent from his social media account. 

The Teacher Standards say that a 'teacher is expected to demonstrate consistently high standards of personal and professional conduct' and this includes online. 

Resources about online reputation

Professional reputation (UKSIC) https://www.saferinternet.org.uk/advice-centre/teachers-and-school-staff/professional-reputation

Managing your school’s online reputation (LGfL) https://static.lgfl.net/LgflNet/downloads/online-safety/LGfL-OS-Advice-Online-Reputation-Managment-for-Schools.pdf

Teachers’ Standards (DfE) https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/665522/Teachers_standard_information.pdf

Mental health

The latest toolkits from the Anna Freud Centre’s Mentally Healthy Schools website includes free self-care resources for primary pupils, secondary and FE students, and education staff.

Our Youth Mental Health Ambassador, Dr Alex George, has created a series of wellbeing videos What's on your mind? to help your students better understand how to look after their mental health and wellbeing.

Other mental health resources for supporting all ages:

• The Education Hub Mental Health Blog
• Guidance for promoting and supporting mental health and wellbeing
• YoungMinds
• Place2Be
• Mind

I’m worried about a child’s eating habits (Action for Children) 

Everyone has different eating habits. But if you’re worried about a child’s relationship with food or their body, it might be worth looking for some support.

If a child’s eating habits negatively affect their everyday life, they may have an eating disorder. This is when someone uses food to cope with certain situations or feelings. Teenagers between 13 and 17 are most at risk, but anyone can have an eating disorder.

It can be helpful to know the signs and what to do if you’re worried about a child.

Read more: https://parents.actionforchildren.org.uk/mental-health-wellbeing/self-esteem/child-eating-habits-disorder/ 

KCSIE 2021

As you will be aware by now, the updated version of KCSIE 2021 has now been published. What you might not be aware of is that the final version has an important change from the 'for information' version uploaded on 6th July 2021. On the 29th July 2021 an update was published. 

The change concerns what to do when there are low level concerns about staff. The 6th July version said that all such concerns should be reported to the Designated Safeguarding Lead. In the 29th July 2021 version this has been changed to report low level concerns to the headteacher. 

All staff have been given a hard copy of part 1 of this document to read. You need to sign your HR forms on Edulink - one of which is to confirm that you have read and understood this document and can identify who the DSP Leads are in school. 

Download the latest Keeping Children Safe in Education here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education--2

Self-care September (Action for Happiness)

It is more important than ever to be aware of our mental health. Action for Happiness is a charity founded to create a movement of people committed to building a happier and more caring society.

Action for Happiness have 'Ten keys to happier living': 

Giving: Do things for others

Relating: Connect with people

Exercising: Take care of your body

Awareness: Live life mindfully

Trying out: Keep learning new things

Direction: Have goals to look forward to

Resilience: Find ways to bounce back

Emotions: Focus on what's good

Acceptance: Be comfortable with who you are

Meaning: Be part of something bigger

Each month the organisation publish a happiness calendar, September is Self-care Month. Whether you do the activities suggested on the right day or not; there are some really useful prompts. 

Download the happiness calendar here: https://www.actionforhappiness.org/calendars

June 2021 Bulletin

Keeping Children Safe in Education for September 2021 Published

On 6th July 2021, the DfE published the ‘for information’ version of Keeping Children Safe in Education 2021. This will come into force in September 2021; schools should continue to use the current version until then.

In addition, a new version of ‘Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment’ has also been published, ready to come into force in September 2021.

May 2021 Bulletin

Educare Training due:

Please can all staff complete and download and print their certificates for their personnel file.  Hand these to Kathryn Jackson. Thank you. 

Deadline: Monday, 14th June 2021

• Child Exploitation
• Domestic Abuse: Young Children & Young People
• Equality & Diversity
• Online Safety
• Reflective Safeguarding for Schools
• Tackling Obesity
• Use of Reasonable Force in Schools

Past Educare training request:

We have previously asked all staff to complete the following courses on Educare: - please ensure that you have completed these courses and download & print your certificates. You need to give these to Kathryn Jackson for your personnel file. 

• Basic 1st Aid (this should already have been done)
• Child Sexual Exploitation
• Female genital mutilation
• Safeguarding (this should have been done)
• Prevent (this should have been done)
• Anti-bullying

New Domestic Abuse Act 2021

Data from Safe Lives tells us that there are 130,000 children in the UK living in homes with domestic abuse where there’s a high risk of murder or serious harm. Thousands more live with less serious domestic abuse every day. Nearly 2 in 3 children (62%) exposed to domestic violence were also directly harmed themselves.

There are some 2.3 million victims of domestic abuse a year aged 16 to 74 (two-thirds of whom are women) and more than one in ten of all offences recorded by the police are domestic abuse related.

The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 has now been enacted and will come into force over the next twelve months or so as legislation once the necessary preparatory work has been completed.

Amongst to many aspect of the Act, from a child and schools' perspective the changes will:

• Recognise that a child who sees or hears, or experiences the effects of, domestic abuse and is related to the person being abused or the perpetrator is also to be regarded as a victim of domestic abuse.

• Extend the law to young people over the age of 16
• Create a statutory definition of domestic abuse, emphasising that domestic abuse is not just physical violence, but can also be emotional, controlling or coercive, and economic abuse.
• Provide for a new Domestic Abuse Protection Notice and Domestic Abuse Protection Order.
• Place a duty on local authorities in England to provide accommodation based support to victims of domestic abuse and their children in refuges and other safe accommodation.
• Clarify the circumstances in which a court may make a barring order under section 91(14) of the Children Act 1989 to prevent family proceedings that can further traumatise victims.
• Extend the controlling or coercive behaviour offence to cover post-separation abuse.
• Extend the offence of disclosing private sexual photographs and films with intent to cause distress (known as the “revenge porn” offence) to cover threats to disclose such material. (Preferred phrase now is 'Intimate image abuse'.)
• Create a new offence of non-fatal strangulation or suffocation of another person (the so-called 'rough sex' defence)
• Place the guidance supporting the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme (“Clare’s law”) on a statutory footing. (This gives anyone a right to ask the police if they believe that they or someone they know is in a relationship with an individual that could be abusive towards them.)
• Provide that all eligible homeless victims of domestic abuse (include the over-16s) automatically have ‘priority need’ for homelessness assistance.

Further reading

Government Fact Sheets

Bright Sky app

Bright Sky is a mobile app and website for anyone experiencing domestic abuse, or who is worried about someone else. The app can be downloaded for free via the app stores.

Launched in partnership with Vodafone, the app includes questionnaires to assess the safety of a relationship, and a section on dispelling myths around domestic and sexual abuse.

The website is focused on how to spot the signs of domestic abuse, advice on how to support someone you have concerns for, and ways to find help.

The app is available in 5 languages: English, Urdu, Punjabi, Polish and Welsh.

Download for android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.newtonmobile.hestia&hl=en_GB&gl=US

Download for iOs: https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/bright-sky/id1105880511

Residential Visits (OEAP)

Updated DfE guidance allows residential visits to take place from Monday 17th May 2021. If you planning such a trip, the Outdoor Education Advisers' Panel has updated their national guidance documents 4.2b Residentials and 4.4k Coronavirus.

You can find the guidance here: https://oeapng.info/8959-residentials/

Parents with alcohol and drug problems (New Guidance from Public Health England)

Not all children of parents who use alcohol or drugs problematically will experience significant harm, but children growing up in these families are at a greater risk of adverse outcomes.

Research shows that problem alcohol and drug use can reduce parenting capacity and is a major factor in cases of child maltreatment. In 2019 to 2020, Department for Education (DfE) statistics on the characteristics of children in need found that parents using drugs was a factor in around 17% of child in need cases, and parental alcohol use was a factor in 16%.

DfE analysed serious case reviews between 2011 and 2014 also found that parental alcohol or drug use was recorded in over a third (36%) of serious case reviews carried out when a child has died or been seriously harmed.

The harms children experience can cause problems in the short term and later in life. Evidence shows that this includes intergenerational patterns of:

• substance misuse
• unemployment
• offending behaviour
• domestic abuse
• child abuse and neglect

These problems can then cause further harm, as well as increasing the financial cost to the different agencies who work to support the people who experience harm.

Find the guidance here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/parents-with-alcohol-and-drug-problems-support-resources/parents-with-alcohol-and-drug-problems-guidance-for-adult-treatment-and-children-and-family-services