September 2, 2010 - SAFEchild Annual Conference 15th October 2010, Kesgrave, Ipswich.
We have a fantastic line up of speakers including: Sharon Doughty, President, Kids Task Force missdorothy.com Helen Penn, Head of Education CEOP (Child Exploitation On-line Protection) and Cheryl Stevens JustWhistle, Derby SAFEchild members £30 and others £70 (or join SAFEchild for £39.95 to get the reduced cost places!); a buffet lunch is included. Email rachael.oliver@safechild.co.uk to reserve your place.
"A key factor in identifying children and young people who need help is ensuring services are designed to encourage contact from members of the public, parents and children and young people as well as by other agencies. If safeguarding children is everybody's responsibility, then everybody should know how, and who, to contact if they are concerned about a child or young person" Lord Laming, The Protection of Children in England: A Progress Report 2009 Target Audience: For all those who work with children, young people and their families Delegates will: a. explore the ways in which communities, organisations and professionals understand, identify and manage child protection issues within local settings b. consider the safeguarding implications of when children and young people may be at risk in the community: including domestic violence, child sexual exploitation, drugs misuse and Esafety c. become familiar with how potentially dangerous people are managed in the community and learn more about the role of the police when investigating child focussed crimes d. be signposted sources of support, advice and reminded of best practice when making child protection referrals.
August 27, 2010 - Home Safety Congress 2010 - Putting a value on safety
November 1-2, 2010, Glasgow Crowne Plaza Hotel The home should be a safe place, where people of all ages can relax without fear of accidents. However, thousands of people are killed or seriously injured each year in their domestic environment. Should our society place more value on the need for home safety promotion? To find out more click here.
August 18, 2010 - Fitter, Healthier, Happier Families
MEND - Mend programmes are developed to help people become fitter, healthier and happier. They are fun, free to families and really work. For more information click here.
August 18, 2010 - Exam results surgery for young people!
Young people who are receiving their A Level or GCSE results in the next few days and would like advice and careers guidance on what they could do next, can access the Youth and Connexions Service results surgery in the following ways: Freephone 0800 085 4448 Find out more click here or here. Everything you need to know about student loans, how much you get and how you pay them back click here.
August 16, 2010 - ChildLine calls prompted by parents' drink and drugs
More than 100 children a week are contacting the ChildLine helpline with worries about their parents' drinking or drug use, according to the NSPCC. Children as young as five contacted ChildLine because they are concerned and scared about their parents' alcohol and drug use. ChildLine which is run by the National Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) has taken 5,700 calls last year from children wanting to talk about their problems, as well as physical and sexual abuse. The NSPCC said that some children are desperatly trying to cope with the traumatic role reversal of attempting to look after their parents, brothers and sisters. To find out more click here.
August 13, 2010 - "An excellent response" in a few weeks as thousands of young people now protected with the new ClickCEOP Facebook application
Since its launch on 12 July 2010, the ClickCEOP application in Facebook has been downloaded over 55,000 times which will give users a direct link to advice, help and the ability to report a problem to the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre if they are worried about someone's behaviour towards them online. A host of child protection groups, organisations and popular fan sites including Chelsea Football Club, The Football Association, Diana Vickers, the X-Factor, Beatbullying and the NSPCC, have got behind the initiative and helped spread the word about the new online safety application by adding the application to their profiles or sharing the link to the application with their fans through their Facebook status updates. This new Facebook application has promted 211 reports of suspicious behaviour since 12th July 2010. To find out more click here.
August 10, 2010 - New SAFEchild Office
We have now moved to our new offices: Chestnut Farm, Langton Green, Eye, Suffolk, IP23 7HL. Tel: 01379 871091 We look forward to hearing from all our members and supporters.
August 4, 2010 - Safe & Sound 4th National Conference 21st September 2010
Following yesterday's news coverage of the latest CSE (Child Sexual Exploitation) case, heard and successfully convicted, at Manchester Crown Court, everyone working with children, young people and vulnerable adults need to be aware of what CSE is and how to respond appropriately. Derby based social enterprise, justWhistle, are a leader in the field of fighting CSE and are dedicating their annual conference to this very important subject.
Speakers (subject to alteration) C.E. Dettemeijer-Vermeulen - National Rapporteur on Trafficking in Human Beings (Netherlands) Mike Hand - UK Human Trafficking Centre Rebecca Einhorn - N.S.P.C.C. Mark Williams-Thomas - Independent Criminologist and Reporter Sheila Taylor - Safe and Sound Derby Sue Jago - University of Bedfordshire Martin Houghton-Brown - Missing People Claire Connor - Boys and Young Men's Forum Helen Braley and Ella Cockbain - University College London Eilis Lawlor - just economics Catherine Tatman - CROP Plenary sessions The UK Government's plans for changes to the child protection system The Dutch model for protecting children against CSE Launch of "My Dangerous Loverboy" - an educational film for adults and young people Tacking sexual exploitation in highly diverse communities The role of television raising public awareness of trafficking and sexual exploitation Workshops "My Dangerous Loverboy" - development of a roll-out strategy for the education sector What are LCSB's are doing in response to CSE? A new approach to monitoring the safety of young people that go missing Boys and young men: how does CSE impact on them? Offender profiling - summary of recent research Social Return on Investment: a tool for justifying investments in CSE prevention? Costs of CSE from the perspective of parents How to register The price per delegate is £175.00 + VAT Registered Charities are entitled to a 10% discount To register,email events@justwhistle.org.uk
August 1, 2010 - Important CRB dispute changes
SAFEchild have received the following message from the CRB about the raising of disputes. From August, there will be a new additional process in place to help our customers when raising disputes. As well as using the established route of contacting our Disputes team by phone on 0870 90 90 778 to raise a dispute, customers will now be able to do this via the CRB website www.crb.gov.uk/disputes.
If some of the personal information on your certificate is incorrect, i.e. if there is a spelling mistake in your name, this is known as a Data Entry Dispute and can be easily corrected, starting the process via the CRB website. You will need to: - Access the Disputes page on the CRB website and choose the Data Entry option. The page provides a brief description and more information about Data Entry disputes and explains how you can raise one with the CRB. - An electronic form is provided on the page to allow applicants or Registered Bodies to fill in and submit automatically to the CRB Disputes team. Once the dispute has been investigated, the team will contact them by letter to inform them of the outcome. - If the mistake was made by the CRB, we will issue a revised certificate free of charge. Please note, the electronic form is only available for Data Entry disputes. If you need to dispute any of the other information recorded on your certificate, i.e. information contained on the Police National Computer (PNC) or released by the police, this is known as a Data Source dispute. To raise a data source disputes, you will need to: - Access the Disputes page on the CRB website and choose the Data Source option. The page provides a brief description and more information about Data Source disputes and explains how you can raise one with the CRB. - This page also provides a Data Source dispute form AF14 (if required) and AF15 for the applicant to print off, complete and sign and return to the designated Freepost address with passport photographs (if required). We hope that in adding this additional online function, with downloadable forms to complete with further guidance, will make it easier for customers to correct their certificates, and reduce the time taken to raise and resolve the dispute. Click here for more information.
July 29, 2010 - Child Sexual Offender Disclosure Scheme Starts 2nd August 2010
The Home Office has announced a scheme allowing parents to check if someone is a sex offender will be rolled out across England and Wales by March 2011. The pilot scheme, in four areas, Warwickshire, Southampton, Stockton in Teeside and parts of Cambridgeshire have, it is said already protected 60 children. All forces will undertake an information campaign to educate the public about the scheme and work to manage sex offenders. More information about the disclosure pilots, including leaflets and booklets being used by the police forces, can be found at click here for more information click here and here.
Under this scheme a parent carer or guardian or other interesed party can request that an individual who has access to their child or children is checked to see whether they have a conviction of child sexual offences. The 8 forces joining the 4 pilot areas to undertake this scheme are: West Mercia, Bedfordshire, Norfolk, North Yorkshire, Thames Valley, West Midlands, Essex and Suffolk.In the autumn the scheme will roll out to Northamptonshire, Staffordshire, Sussex, Leicestershire, Wiltshire, Cheshire, Durham, Northumbria, Dorset, Lincolnshire, Surrey and Gloucestershire. All other police forces should be included from March 2011. Scotland is also planning to role out the scheme across Scotland soon.
July 28, 2010 - Khyra Ishaq died May 2008. Do not let her tragic death deter anyone from making a referral
Khyra died following months of starvation and cruelty at the hands of her mother and stepfather. A Serious Case Review published on 27th July 2010, concluded that her terrible situation could and should have been prevented. The review commissioned by Birmingham Safeguarding Children Board found a number of missed opportunities to intervene in Khyra's short life. To find out more about what a serious case review is go to references on SAFEchild web-site choose articles and click on Serious Case Reviews To find out more click here.
Amongst them were missed opportunities where referrals from as far back as 2006, from members of the public and school staff, were not followed up. Safeguarding procedures were not followed and communication between agencies was poor. She was taken out of school in December 2007 to be home educated and became lost to agencies. Intimidation of social care workers, by her mother, resulted in proper assessments not being carried out and the adults diverting the focus from the child. Remember: - If you become worried about a child, make a referral to social care and or the police if you think a child's life is imminent danger - Do not hesitate to be persistent if you think no action has been taken - When worried about a child always follow you own group/organisations procedures - Always record, date and sign any observations of the child and the child's family, and the actions you have taken - Follow any referral by telephone, in writing as soon as possible - If you are asked to attend a conference regarding the child make sure you can attend. If this is not possible sent a written report - Do not be put off by aggressive or manipulative adults. The child comes first. Seek support and help from the police if you really feel threatened. (If you are scared, think what it must be like for the child)
July 26, 2010 - ContactPoint to be shut down from August 6th
Tim Loughton MP, Parliamentary under Secretary of State for Children and Families, has today made a written ministerial statement informing Parliament that ContactPoint will be shut down on 6 August 2010. The Department has written today to directors of children's services and chief executives of ContactPoint national partners. The letter sets out the timetable for shut down and decommissioning, provides guidance for local authorities, National Partners and other partners on the activities they need to undertake, and confirms funding and other support available during this period. The Government continues to consider the feasibility of a new signposting service for professionals to help them to support and protect our most vulnerable children, particularly when these children move areas or access services in more than one area. To find out more click here.
ContactPoint was a national database which was used to keep information in one place for vulnerable children. This has not been straight forward and there have been concerns about confidentiality and what information would be made available and to whom.
July 23, 2010 - International Youth Day - 'Dialogue and Mutual Understanding' 12 August 2010
The day hosted by United Nations General Assembly is a chance to commemorate the power and strength of all youth from around the globe. The occasion has been celebrated every year on August 12 since 1999. The theme for this years International Youth Day is 'Dialogue and Mutual Understanding'. The choice of theme for this year reflects on appreciation of the value of dialogue among youth from different cultures and generations across the world. This year will coincide with the 25th anniversary of the initial setup of International Youth Year in 1985, with International Youth Day being setup in 1999. For more information click here.
July 22, 2010 - CEOP Thinkuknow training
Due to popular demand CEOP ThinkUKnow training sessions will be held at Christchurch Moreton Hall Centre, Bury St Edmunds on Tuesday 19th October 2010 and Kesgrave Conference Centre on Thursday 21st October 2010; both start at 4.30pm
The CEOP Thinkuknow Training Course enables professionals who work with young people to directly deliver CEOP's Thinkuknow programme (TUK) to all Key Stages As well as teaching delegates how to deliver TUK products to children and young people, the training will also increase their understanding of many of the most popular applications young people are using in the online and mobile environment. The course covers many issues that children and young people face online and signposts to initiatives and organisations for help and support. Interested delegates need to register with CEOP here, click on The Teacher/Trainer tab and then the Training tab on the left and follow the instructions on the CEOP Thinkuknow Training Course. Whilst the training is free we do ask for £15 donations to offset the venue and refreshment costs.
July 21, 2010 - Young peoples' voices heard on mental health
Right Here is a £6m programme to radically change how we look after the mental health and wellbeing of young people aged 16 to 25 across the UK. Through prevention and early intervention the aim is to reduce the number of young people developing mental health problems that could become lifelong conditions. To find out more click here.
July 16, 2010 - Children's online risks and safety, the latest NFER Research
NFER have just released their latest E-Safety research. It would seem that the national picture matches that of Suffolk according to SAFEchild's latest research with over 200 young people. To read the report click here.
July 15, 2010 - Childcare Costs Help
Whether you've a wee tot or big teen, the costs of childcare can be prohibitive. Yet 100,000s of working parents are missing out on £1,000s of cash, benefits and easy help. To find out more click here.
July 12, 2010 - Important CEOP E-Safety News
If you work with young people then you'll know most of them will be using Facebook. You might even be using it yourself... if so, you will want to know about a new, free application in Facebook that is designed to keep young people safe while they are having fun networking online. ClickCEOP is a new app launched today which links the young user directly from their Facebook profile to help, advice and reporting facilities of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre, the police agency set up to tackle child abuse.
By adding the app, young people and parents can get support from CEOP on a range of issues including viruses, hacking, dealing with bullying online and they can report someone who is acting inappropriately towards them online. If children in your care are on Facebook, get them to search for ClickCEOP in Facebook and give them to chance to be one click away from help if they should ever need it. Click here for more details.
July 8, 2010 - FREE SAFEchild online training for rural Suffolk members!
Kindly funded by Suffolk Foundation, we have 200 free "Leading on Child Protection" online training places for volunteers who fit the following criteria: - Are the lead or deputy for child protection within their organisation. - Have attended SAFEchild (or equivalent) face-to-face Raising Awareness training in the last 3 years or the SAFEchild online "Introduction to Child Protection" training in the last 2 years. - Live or volunteer in any Suffolk village or small town with a population of less than 2,500
If you would like to apply, please e-mail the following details to rachael.oliver@safechild.co.uk: Name Job Role E-mail Tel No Organisation Organisation Postal Address Organisation website Date on which you attended the Raising Awareness/Introduction to Child Protection course Register today as these places will go fast!
July 7, 2010 - Councils urged to target vulnerable teens to reduce "Not in employment or training" figures
It is up to local councils to better understand the needs of teenagers in their area and target funding to effective schemes that encourage young people into training or employment, according to an Audit Commission report published today. The age range targeted for the study is 14 to 19 years of age To find out more click here.
Analysis of the records of 24,000 young people across England found that national annual figures suggesting around nine per cent of young people are not in education, employment or training may be misleading, with researchers concluding as many as one in four young people could be out of school or work. The report authors added that the national figures could be masking a wide variation in local figures.
July 6, 2010 - Parents make difficult decisions
An example of parents difficult decision making was reported yesterday Monday 5th July. Parents of a 5 year old and an 8 year old, may be reported to social care services by their Head Teacher. The children are allowed, by their parents to cycle, without supervision the mile to their school each morning. They were accompanied by an adult for the return journey.
Teachers have a duty of care to all their children and if they have reason to think or believe a child/children are at risk of harm they must pass this on to social services and or the police. Clearly this Head Teacher felt this was so. Parents have to make decisions for their children on an ongoing basis. The parents are reported to have said that although aware of the risks they wanted to "recreate the simple freedom" of their own childhoods. There is no law to tell them they cannot do this and there is no law to tell parents at what age they can leave a child alone in the house or whether they should have a fire guard or a stair gate. However it is considered that parents will make appropriate decisions; babies and children who cannot look after themselves should not be left alone. Other young children should not be given the care of younger siblings in what could be dangerous and stressful situations. If a child falls into an unguarded fire and is injured this may be considered, as neglect and the parents could face prosecution. This would be the same for any situation where it was felt good parenting decisions were not made, and a situation had occurred. Today July 6th the Mail online has reported that the Prime Minister and the Mayor of London are supporting parents to make responsible decisions. The children were riding on the pavement and this is against the law. This is explained on the website Bike for all. The following is an extract from this website: The primary legislation which makes cycling on a footway an offence is section 72 of the 1835 Highways Act, this provides that a person shall be guilty of an offence if he "shall wilfully ride upon any footpath or causeway by the side of any road made or set apart for the use or accommodation of foot-passengers or shall wilfully lead or drive any carriage of any description upon any such footpath or causeway". Section 85 of the Local Government Act 1888 extended the definition of "carriage" to include "bicycles, tricycles, velocipedes and other similar machines." The object of Section 72 Highways Act 1835 was intended not to protect all footpaths, but only footpaths or causeways by the side of a road, and that this is still the case has been ruled in the high court. The legislation makes no exceptions for small wheeled or children's cycles, so even a child riding on a footway is breaking the law. However, if they are under the age of criminal responsibility they cannot, of course, face prosecution. The age of criminal responsibility is 10 years of age.
July 6, 2010 - Summer break costs land many parents in debt, says charity
Parents will build debts of more than £500 to provide care and activities for their children during the summer holiday break. A new survey by poverty charity Elizabeth Finn Care found that 38 per cent of families would end up in debt as a result of the long summer school holiday. One in seven parents estimates that the amount they will owe will be more than £500. To find out more click here.
July 5, 2010 - National Obesity Week
With an estimated three million overweight and obese children in the UK, childhood obesity is one of the most serious health epidemics facing our society tody. To raise awareness about this epidemic, MEND (Mind, Exersise, Nutition....Do it ) and the NOF (National Obesity Forum) have joined forces to launch National Obesity Week. To find out more click here.
July 5, 2010 - Parents can snap away at this year's sports day
Capturing the moment your child crosses the finishing line at their school sports day does not break the law. The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is reminding schools that they cannot hide behind data protection myths to prevent parents from taking photos of their children at school events. For the guidance document and more information click here or phone 0303 123 1113.
Deputy Commissioner and Director of Data Protection, David Smith, said: "A photo of your child at their first school production or winning the 100m race on sports day preserves precious memories. The Data Protection Act in no way stops parents from taking such photos. A common sense approach should be taken to photography at school events. Photos for personal use, such as family albums, are not covered by the Act. Schools that cite the Act to prevent parents from taking pictures are wrong." This is also relevant for activites for adults who may be vulnerable.
July 1, 2010 - 624 children safeguarded from abuse in four years
The number of children safeguarded from abuse through the work of the UK's centre for protecting children has doubled in the past year bringing the total number since the organisation was launched in 2006 to 624, the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre announced today. Between April 2009 and March 2010 the Centre was directly involved in instigating and supporting investigations that safeguarded 278 children. Forty-seven of these children were identified, located and rescued after painstaking investigations by CEOP's ground breaking Image Analysis and Victim Identification Team. To find out more click here.
Demonstrating the value of its low-cost, high-impact partnership model, the CEOP Centre has increased the capacity of those at the front line of child protection to deal with the crime by using networks of partners, police officers, child protection professionals and others to deliver CEOP's expertise across the UK and beyond.
June 30, 2010 - The Mental Capacity Act (28/06/10)
The Mental Capacity Act has required, and still requires, a review of much existing policy and practice in relation to enabling people who lack capacity to be assisted to make decisions and access services. Continued resources for 2010/11 have been made available by the Department of Health for implementation of the Act. To find out more click here.
June 30, 2010 - Use of Force Guidance: Short summary (June 2010)
All school staff members have a legal power to use reasonable force to prevent pupils committing a criminal offence, damaging property, injuring themselves or others, and to maintain good order and discipline. Staff members can sometimes be worried that using force will lead to false allegations of unreasonable or unlawful conduct in the form of a complaint or legal action. But if the force used is reasonable, all staff will have a robust defence against any accusations. This guidance is intended to help staff feel more confident about using force when they think it is right and necessary. The purpose of legislating on the use of force was to provide a clear and transparent power which enables staff to use reasonable force on pupils in specified circumstances. To find out more click here.
This document summarises the main report and provides guidance on how the power should be exercised. It helps school staff understand what the law means for them in practical terms and provides advice on good practice.
June 29, 2010 - Posters, leaflets and wallet cards about the NSPCC and ChildLine available
ChildLine Posters, ChildLine wallet cards and Helpline posters and wallet cards are available here.
June 28, 2010 - Deaf Awareness Week
The theme 'Look at me' aims to improve understanding of the different types of deafness by highlighting the many different methods of communication used by deaf, deafend, deafblind and hard of hearing people such as lip reading and sign language. Find out more click here.
June 25, 2010 - Wrong Trousers Day
Inspired by the Oscar-winning characters Wallace and Gromit, Wrong Trousers Day is all about paying £1 for the right to look wrong and wearing trousers to help improve the quality of life for children in hospitals and hospices around the UK. Find out more click here.