Source: NSPCC published on this site Tuesday 27th March 2018 by Jill Powell

The NSPCC Knowledge and Information Services have published a factsheet providing guidance on best practice for PE changing rooms in primary schools. The guidance includes: what schools need to consider when organising changing facilities for children; staff supervision; changing areas for children with additional needs; and using off-site changing rooms.

To read the factsheet click: http://www.safecic.co.uk/freebies/55-free-downloads-and-safeguarding-links/401-eng

Source: Luton Safeguarding Children Board published on this site Wednesday 9th August 2017 by Jill Powell

Child J died, aged 13 months, in November 2015. A criminal trial in July 2016 found his mother and her boyfriend guilty of offences connected to Child J's death. The three Safeguarding Children Boards of Luton, Ealing and Hammersmith & Fulham, join together in expressing our condolences to all family members for the loss of this little boy. Child J died in Luton, but most of his life had been lived in London., Although the Serious Case Review was commissioned by Luton Safeguarding Children Board, the three safeguarding boards have continuously worked closely together during the production of this report.

As soon as the terribly sad news of Child J's death became known, each of our boards began to review our local ways of working based on what was known at the time about the circumstances leading to Child J's death. Each of our boards therefore has its own programme of actions and assurance in response to particular issues. However two findings in the report are of national significance. Consequently, as chairs of three different safeguarding children boards, we wanted to come together and draw attention to these two issues - they affected Child J but affect many other children across England.

. The first of these is about an important national programme - the Family Nurse Partnership (FNP) - and how it works in practice locally when cases are handed over across geographical boundaries. Locally we all value the FNP - a voluntary home visiting programme for first time young mothers, ordinarily aged 19 years or under. A specially trained family nurse visits the young mother regularly, from the early stages of pregnancy until their child is two. When a mother is receiving a service from FNP the family nurse fulfils the role of health visitor. When the mother leaves the FNP programme the expectation is that the mother and child should transfer back to the health visiting service who would provide a level of service based on their assessed needs. However, as we saw in Child J's case, this handover does not always happen.

To read the report click: http://www.safecic.co.uk/freebies/55-free-downloads-and-safeguarding-links/406-relrepo

Source: Department of Health and Social Care published on this site Tuesday 13th February 2018 by Jill Powell

This is statutory guidance  to support implementation of part 1 of the Care Act 2014 by local authorities.

To read the guidance and the summary of changes click: http://www.safecic.co.uk/freebies/55-free-downloads-and-safeguarding-links/515-adultseng

Source: The Association of Independent LSCB Chairs published on this site Monday 22nd May 2017 by Jill Powell

On April 27th, the Children and Social Work Bill was enacted. 

Clause 30 of the Act states "Abolition of Local Safeguarding Children Boards - Omit sections 13 to 16 of the Children Act 2004 (LSCBs)."

Local Safeguarding Children Boards

                        13.Establishment of LSCBs

                        14.Functions and procedure of LSCBs

                        14A.LSCBs: annual reports

                        14B.Supply of information requested by LSCBs

                        15.Funding of LSCBs

                        15A.Review of LSCBs' performance of functions

                        16.LSCBs: supplementary

The Association of Independent LSCB Chairs have described the Implementation timescale as they currently understand it:

“Draft orders and regulations will be prepared for the minister after the election, and the revised guidance for 'Working Together' (plus anything else if it does not all come as one document) is being prepared in the summer and will be out for 12 week consultation in the autumn. This was expected to be September but is now probably going to be a little later due to the election. The expectation is that local plans will be drawn up and agreed for implementation by no later than April 2019, but that some areas may propose and have agreed new arrangements ahead of this. Further updates will be provided regularly by AILC.”

To read the new act click: http://www.safecic.co.uk/freebies/55-free-downloads-and-safeguarding-links/401-eng