Latest News and Info

Meeting digital and technology standards in schools and colleges

Over the Easter break the DfE introduced new filtering and monitoring standards, Meeting digital and technology standards in schools and colleges, and are encouraging schools to use them to review their current systems and when necessary reinforce their current systems.

Key areas of the guidance:

  • Importance of and how to meet the standard
  • Annual review of systems as a minimum or when a safeguarding risk is identified, a change in working practice or introduction of new technology
  • Review should be conducted by members of SLT, DSL, the IT service provider and involve the responsible governor
  • Checks should be undertaken from both a safeguarding and IT perspective
  • Review of blocklists should be modified in line with changes to safeguarding risks
  • Recording logs of checks e.g. When the checks took place / Who did the checks / What they tested/checked / Resulting actions
  • Effective monitoring strategies that meet the safeguarding needs of YOUR school. The DSL should take lead responsibility for any safeguarding and child protection matters that are picked up through monitoring:
    • Incidents should be urgently picked up, acted on and outcomes are recorded
    • It should be clear to all staff how to deal with these incidents and who should lead on any actions
    • Training should be provided to make sure their knowledge is current
  • Check you are meeting the Cyber security standards
  • Monitoring procedures need to be reflected in your Acceptable Use Policy, integrated into relevant online safety, safeguarding and organisational policies, such as privacy notices.

See full guidance HERE.

Useful resources:

Things you need to consider:

  • Is your key safeguarding stakeholders knowledge up to date?
  • Are your policies up to date?

Please contact us if you need any support in making sure your key safeguarding stakeholders are up to date with knowledge and training, and if you need support with policy development and updates. Call 01275 752299 or email admin@safeguardingsupport.com.

Announcing the Winners of our 5th Anniversary Competition

We want to send a BIG thank you to everyone who participated in our 5th anniversary competition and helped make it a success!

A special congratulations to our overall winner from Priory Woods School and Art College, and our special recognition entries from Priory Woods School and St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, Bingley


 

It It was certainly a challenge for competition judge, Peter Thompson, Independent Education Consultant to choose a winning design. Peter said the imagination and creativity was fabulous and to a great standard. It was clear the students had worked hard.








Congratulations to everyone!

Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if we can be of assistant with your Safeguarding needs. Call 01275 752299 or email admin@safeguardingsupport.com.

Safeguarding and the National Emergency Alert

The government is rolling out a new Emergency Alert system. The alert will be sent to a mobile phone or tablet and used to let people know about emergency situations like severe flooding/fires/extreme weather/danger to life nearby. The alert will include a phone number or link to the GOV.UK website for more information on how to stay safe.

What will happen when we get an alert?

The alert will be accompanied by a loud 10-second siren sound, the phone may vibrate or read out the alert. Click the YouTube video below to listen to the siren…

What if the device does not have data, is on silent or cannot connect to Wi-Fi?

The alert will be sent to compatible 4G and 5G devices. They do not have to have mobile data or be connected to Wi-Fi to get the alert.

Why could this be a safeguarding concern?

If for any reason, someone has a secret mobile phone, for example, hidden from an abusive partner, the siren may alert others to that fact.

Victims’ Commissioner, Nicky Brennan said

“I know first-hand of many victims of domestic abuse who have a concealed phone as a lifeline, allowing them to keep in touch with friends and family or to be used in an emergency.”

“While the emergency alert system is understandable, it is also vital we raise awareness that this can be switched off for those who need it. I urge anybody who has a concealed phone, for their own safety, to switch off these alerts.”

How can the siren be disabled?

The following video explains how the siren can be disabled by switching off these emergency alerts in your settings app, for both Android and Apple devices.

If you have any questions about the above or if we can assist with any other safeguarding queries, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. Call 01275 752299 or email admin@safeguardingsupport.com.

The Benefits of Continuous Professional Development (CPD) in Safeguarding

CPD links formal and information learning directly to your professional practice and is an investment in yourself. CPD in Safeguarding provides a range of benefits for safeguarding leads and a valuable opportunity to maintain and enhance knowledge, skills and confidence, and to improve the effectiveness of their safeguarding work.

Here at Safeguarding Support Ltd we underpin the principles of developing skills and knowledge of safeguarding by offering our Prime Package subscribers regular CPD Power Hour sessions.

Here are some of the most significant benefits:

Keeping up-to-date: CPD sessions help safeguarding leads stay current with the changes to legislation or guidance, trends, and best practices in their field, ensuring they are equipped to respond to new and emerging risks and challenges. Leads can also ensure that their Trust, school or educational setting is adhering to best practice and providing the highest level of protection for vulnerable individuals. ensures that they are equipped to respond to new and emerging risks and challenges.

Enhancing knowledge and skills: CPD sessions can provide safeguarding leads with the opportunity to learn new skills and gain a deeper understanding of safeguarding issues. This can include training on specific aspects of safeguarding, such as risk assessment, child protection, or information sharing. This can help safeguarding leads to identify potential risks and vulnerabilities and develop effective strategies for managing them.

Sharing best practices: CPD sessions can provide safeguarding leads with the opportunity to network with other professionals and share best practice. This can help safeguarding leads to learn from the experiences of others and develop new ideas and approaches to safeguarding.

Networking: CPD sessions provide opportunities for safeguarding leads to network with other professionals in their field. This can help build relationships, collaborate on projects, and access new opportunities.

Demonstrating commitment: Participating in CPD sessions demonstrates a safeguarding lead’s commitment to their role, and their willingness to continuous learning to improve their knowledge and skills. his can help build trust and confidence among colleagues, partners, and stakeholders.

How we help with CPD

By offering a wide range of formal and informal activities that can count as professional development. Such as:

  • Regular CPD live Power Hour sessions updating and reinforcing Safeguarding teams knowledge of the latest emerging safeguarding trends
  • Signposting to relevant journals, articles or books 
  • Providing up to date and relevant training 
  • Opportunity to network through professional online forums 
  • Raising awareness of relevant professional events.

CLICK HERE to find out more about our Safeguarding training opportunities, or if you would like to find out more about our CPD live Power Hour sessions please get in touch on 01274 752299 or email admin@safeguardingsupport.com.

New Legislation in force banning child marriage

New legislation banning child marriage has come into force in England and Wales today, 27th February 2023. The new legislation now makes it illegal and a criminal offence to exploit vulnerable children by arranging for them to marry, under any circumstances whether or not force is used.

This means that 16 and 17 year olds will no longer be allowed to marry or enter a civil partnership, even if they have parental consent.

The change will crack down on forced marriages which can cause lasting damage on a child and forms part of the government’s continued commitment to tackle violence against women and girls. However, child marriage is often associated with domestic abuse towards girls, it can also relate to young males. This means that those found guilty of arranging any child marriage face sentences of up to 7 years in prison.

Forced marriage and arranged marriage

Forced marriage and arranged marriage are two distinct practices, although there can be some overlap between them. Here’s the difference:

Arranged marriage is a practice where two people, typically with the help of their families, agree to marry each other based on a variety of factors, such as compatibility, family background, education, and personal preferences. The families of the couple may arrange meetings or introduce them to each other, but ultimately, the decision to marry is left up to the individuals involved. In an arranged marriage, both parties have the ability to consent to the union and can choose to accept or reject the proposal.

Forced marriage, on the other hand, is a marriage where one or both parties are married against their will or without their consent. In a forced marriage, one or both parties may be coerced, threatened, or manipulated into marrying someone they do not want to marry. This can be due to various factors, such as cultural or religious beliefs, family pressure, or social expectations. Forced marriage is a violation of human rights and is not a legitimate form of marriage.

In summary, the key difference between arranged marriage and forced marriage is that in an arranged marriage, both parties give their consent, while in a forced marriage, one or both parties are forced into the marriage without their consent.

What schools need to know and do:

  • Key staff need to be aware of the new legislation, including pastoral teams
  • A review of all relevant policies to include the new legislation
  • Include the new legislation in the schools curriculum
  • Check training matrix to ensure staff are up to date with Honour Based Abuse (HBA) training

Helpful resources

Our updated, interactive whole school HBA: FGM, Forced Marriage & Brest Ironing Awareness training provides a clearer understanding of cultural and practical knowledge of HBA, helps staff and volunteers to recognise the signs and indicators of pupils at risk and understand responsibilities and reporting duties of child marriage and FGM. Training is available for onsite delivery or virtually. Register your interest here, contact us on 01274 752299 or email admin@safeguardingsupport.com. 

The Prevent Duty

Many of our schools have reported seeing a rise in misogynist incidents happening in school, experiencing the verbal harassment of female teachers from some students, who often resonate with the views of self-styled influencers.

Under the Equality Act, schools should have due regard to eliminating unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation. This should include addressing misogyny by implementing comprehensive preventative education programmes that promote gender equality, respect and empathy. KCSiE highlights that preventative education is most effective in the context of a whole-school approach and prepares students for life in modern Britain, creating a culture of zero tolerance for sexism, misogyny/misandry, homophobia, biphobic and sexual violence and harassment. Having fully inclusive school policies including the updated Behaviour Policy, well planned differentiated and evidenced based RSHE programmes, effective up to date whole school or setting Prevent training which raises awareness and understanding of  responsibilities and promoting positive representation of women through books, media and classroom discussions can help challenge negative stereotypes and promote a more inclusive and equitable learning environment.

The Prevent Duty should be seen as part of the schools’ wider safeguarding obligations. If you haven’t already, designated safeguarding leads, senior leaders and governors should familiarise themselves with the revised Prevent Duty guidance which provides guidance on all forms of extremism, promotes community cohesion and raises understanding and awareness.

Helpful resources

Our updated interactive whole school Prevent Awareness training provides a clearer understanding of the roles and responsibilities of school staff towards The Prevent Duty and is available to be delivered virtually or face to face. Call 01274 752299 or email admin@safeguardingsupport.com for more information.

Safeguarding policy review

Newsletters and Bulletins

Our newsletters and bulletins provide important and relevant safeguarding updates. This includes sharing updated government guidance, changes in safeguarding legislation, multiple training opportunities, and information about the support provisions available to you and the staff within your educational setting.

If you’d like to receive our bi-weekly News Bulletins direct to your inbox, you can sign up here.

17th April 2023 – Safeguarding & the National Emergency Alert

30th March 2023

17th March 2023

3rd March 2023

17th February 2023

27th January 2023 – It’s Competition Time!

13th January 2023

15th December 2022 – Christmas message

2nd December 2022

18th November 2022

4th  November 2022

14th October 2022

30th September 2022

26th August 2022

2nd September 2022 – Keeping Children Safe in Education Updates 1st September 2022

Recruitment for schools: a practical legal update

Recruitment can be a minefield in any sector but for schools, operating within a robust legislative framework and with safeguarding an overarching obligation, the risks of getting it wrong can be significant.

We will be joining Schofield Sweeney Solicitors for their next schools and academies webinar.

We will be covering the following:

How the changes in DBS filtering rules effects safer recruitment in education to include:

self-disclosure declarations
the main wording changes for the application form
your responsibilities in signposting potential employees to filtering guidance
juvenile automatic filtering
retaining copies of DBS certificates

Best practice for the single central record to include:

mandatory & best practice recording
EEA sanctions (from 1/1/2021)
what training is available for managing SCR
References and requesting/providing details with regards final warnings and reprimands, and disclosing sickness absence

Health questionnaires

The recruitment process: must we advertise all posts externally?

Top tips for avoiding discrimination

Our webinar is perfect for HR leads, departmental heads and those who manage staff in schools and academies.

Click HERE to reserve your place.

This event is not open to freelance HR professionals or recruitment agencies.

We are a Digital Enterprise TOP 100 business!

I was thrilled to receive the news this week, that Safeguarding Support Ltd has been named as one of the Top 100 Innovative, Digitally Transformational and Resilient Companies, and recognised as one of Leeds City Region’s most innovative, digitally transformational and resilient businesses. 

Over the last 12 months, there have been many challenges, and digital technology has been crucial in helping many SMEs to continue operating throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. We have risen to this challenge, we have invested in new technologies and we have adapted to ensure we were able to continue to offer a high-quality, consistent service provision. The response to these changes has been positive and we have seen a big change in attitudes towards digitalisation.

The Digital Enterprise said the latest campaign has proven to be highly competitive and I couldn’t agree more that this truly is a testament to our success.

We are blessed with an amazing, hard-working and supportive team and I would like to take the opportunity to thank all our clients, referrers, suppliers and friends for your continued support. 

Yvonne

Keeping Children Safe in Education (2020)

Hi, as we speedily approach the new academic year, understandably many of us are still feeling a little uneasy. Guidance around the reopening of schools remains ‘a bit up in the air’ and how things are going to look and work, we are still not entirely sure. These are strange times indeed but as always you will endeavour to do the best for the children in your care.

In July, I delivered a free webinar summarising the updated KCSiE 2020 (draft) guidance. I thought it may be useful for me to send out a briefing of the changes for all those who were unable to join in with the session, to help support with the implementation of safeguarding arrangements from September. The final version of the guidance is due to be published 1st September 2020. Once it has been released we will be sending it out via our social media platforms; twitter, facebook and linkedIn, as well as being available on our website.
My aim of this information bulletin is to summarise the main changes and allow you to focus on the areas that may relate to your setting. To support you further you can find a ‘Summary of Changes and suggested Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy checklist and a PDF of the webinar slides HERE

Following the cancellation of the formal consultation in March 2020, the DfE have updated this minimised guidance which looks to focus on changes in the three areas below:

  1. Where legislation requires it e.g. reflecting mandatory legislation RE, RSE & HE
  2. To add helpful information e.g. around mental health, domestic abuse, CCE & CCE
  3. To provide important clarification

However, I would still highly recommend reading to consultation document as this may give you an indicator of some future updates.

Religious Education, Relationship and Sex Education and Health Education
The changes to the new curriculum with regards RE, RSE and HE means it becomes compulsory from September 2020, to help children understand abusive and toxic relationships, talking about the red flags that may appear. Additions of information were also made, to support schools in protecting their pupils in areas such as mental health, domestic abuse and child criminal and sexual exploitation. This new information highlights the schools’ responsibilities to help children talk about these issues, as well as signs that indicate to education staff where action may be needed, if it is – or could become – a safeguarding issue. Schools should start teaching from that date if they meet statutory requirements. However, if schools are not ready, or are unable to meet requirements, they should begin teaching by at least the start of summer term.
 
Definition of Safeguarding
The definition of safeguarding has changed and now includes: ‘preventing impairment of children’s mental and physical health or development’.
 
The Voyeurism (Offences) Act
Came into force 12th April 2019 and references ‘Upskirting’ in the definition. Changes to the 2019 guidance has made it clear, staff should be made fully aware of The Voyeurism (Offences) Act and ‘Upskirting’ is now viewed as a criminal offence and must be dealt with accordingly by schools.

Children who have Social Workers
Recognises the vulnerability of these children and provides links to What Works in Education for Children who have Social Workers. In addition, it refers to the Children in Need review, which clearly identified the poor outcomes of children who need a social worker. This guidance has expanded the responsibilities of the DSL role to:

  • Help promote educational outcomes and share information about the welfare, safeguarding and child protection issues children are experiencing, or have experienced, with teachers and SLT
  • Ensure that the school and their staff
    • know who these children are
    • understand their academic progress and attainment
    • maintain a culture of high aspirations
    • support teaching staff to identify the challenges they might face
    • the additional academic support and adjustments that they could make to best support these children
  • Propose increasing their training and involvement around supporting this group of children.

DSL Role and Responsibilities
Have been expanded to include:

  • Should work closely with senior mental health leads
  • Attend training to ensure they have a good understanding of their own role, processes, procedures, and responsibilities of other agencies, particularly Children’s Social Care
  • Promote educational outcomes with increased level of engagement & co-ordination for children with social workers, as above
  • Understand mental health correlation with safeguarding concerns
  • Clarity around child protection files rules and they apply to in-year transfers
  • LA should share that a child has a social worker with the DSL
  • Additional training should be considered to allow for delegation of work to other (non-safeguarding) responsibilities
  • Unfortunately, Effective Safeguarding Supervision of DSL’s has been dropped from the guidance. However, it is still a requirement under the Inspecting Framework and in Working Together to Safeguard Children

Mental Health
Whole new section on mental health, ACE and schools responsibilities on establishing reporting and monitoring systems, both within school and with external agencies and that all staff should be aware that mental health problems can, in some cases, be an indicator that a child has suffered or is at risk of suffering abuse, neglect of exploitation and its correlation with safeguarding. Stresses the role that schools play in detecting possible problems and supporting good mental wellbeing.
 
Provides links to advice and guidance such as Mental Health and Behaviour in Schools which sets out the best practice in this area and Public Health England’s guidance on Promoting Children and Young People’s Emotional Health and Wellbeing. Confirms DfE is providing funding to support the costs of a significant training programme for senior mental health leads (available to all state schools by 2025), as well as the national rollout of the Mental Health Services and Schools and College Link Programme.

Managing Allegations of Abuse made against Teachers, Other Staff, including Supply Teachers and Volunteers

  • Updated to state allegations now change to ‘safeguarding concerns & allegations’
  • Change in allegation criteria: allegations made against staff who have ‘behaved or may have behaved in a way that indicates they may not be suitable to work with children’
  • Responsibility for schools to appropriately manage allegations around supply teachers and should ‘take the lead’ on investigations
  • Stresses in no circumstances should a school decide to cease to use a supply teacher due to safeguarding concerns, without finding out the facts, liaising with LADO to determine a suitable outcome
  • School’s disciplinary policies and procedures around managing allegations should be provided to supply agencies and school should work with the agencies

When to Call the Police
Provides a link to the National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC) a useful guidance which details what actions should be taken by schools for:

  • Assault
  • Criminal Damage
  • Cyber Crime
  • Drugs
  • Harassment
  • Sexual Offences
  • Theft
  • Weapons

Private Fostering
Updated clarity around the definition of private fostering and the duty to report to the local authority.
 
Possible Training Requirements to Consider

  • Whole School Safeguarding & Child Protection
  • Child Sexual Exploitation and Child Criminal Exploitation Training (CSE & CCE)
  • Children with Social Workers
  • DSL New to Role, DSL 2 Yearly Update
  • Mental Health Champion/Leads
  • Behaviour Changes/Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE)
  • Information sharing Inc. Child Protection Files
  • Effective Safeguarding Supervision

I do hope that this summary has helped you to focus on what safeguarding arrangement changes may be required for the new academic year and that the Summary of Changes Action Checklist and KCSiE Update Handout are useful tools!. 

As always, do not hesitate to contact us if we can be of any support or help you with your safeguarding training requirements for either onsite or virtual delivery.  Or call Lesley on 01274 752299 for a no obligation chat.

Click HERE for our upcoming training sessions and dates and remember all our courses are available for private delivery.

Yvonne.

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