Safeguarding Briefing Spring 2017

Dear colleagues,

Welcome to the safeguarding briefing for Spring 2017.

The safeguarding forums (previously safeguarding network groups) have been arranged for next half-term and are filling up fast. If you would like to apply for a place, the application form is availablehere. Please ensure you do apply and have a place confirmed in order to attend, as places are limited due to venue capacity. There will be a packed agenda (as usual!) so I do hope you are able to attend.

I hope this briefing is useful – please pay particular attention to the new SET procedures and ensure all school documentation reflects these (new model Child Protection policy and training presentations have been updated to include these and are available below)

Goodbye for now and I hope to see you at the forums

Jo

Jo Barclay

Safeguarding Adviser to Schools

Standards and Excellence Service,

People Commissioning

Essex County Council |telephone: 03330 131078 |mobile: 07775 030021 | email: or

Revised ESCB SET Procedures

Certain chapters in the SET (Southend, Essex and Thurrock) Child Protection Procedures have been updated to reflect current practice and changes in legislation and took effect from December 2016. This has led to the revision of or addition to the following chapters:

  • Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC), Part B1, chapter 13.5 - to reflect the new MARAC processes across SET and the introduction of the multi-agency risk assessment team (MARAT)
  • Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), Part B3, chapter 40.3 - to reflect mandatory reporting for health, social care and education.
  • Children missing from care, home and school, Part B3, chapter 20 - to reflect the changes to Essex Police processes in relation to no longer using the term ‘absent’ for children who go missing from home or care.
  • Radicalisation and the Prevent agenda, there is now a link to the new Southend, Essex and Thurrock Adults and Children’s Prevent policy and guidance 2016.

Other changes:

The procedures have been updated to reflect the operational changes in Essex Police.

Section 3.3 has had a paragraph removed to reflect changes in law, as advised by Essex Legal Services.

Part A, chapter 3.3 has had a section added in relation to joint visits for section 47 enquiries.

Part B3, chapter 21, Children missing in education has been updated to reflect updated national guidance.

Any references to vulnerable adult have been removed and replaced with adults with care and support needs in line with the Care Act 2014.

There have been minor amendments to Part A Chapter 9 in relation to the Child Death review process.

Model Child Protection Policy

The modelChild Protection Policy​​​​​(December 2016) has been updated to reflect the new SET procedures.

Presentations for Level 2 training

The presentations on the ESI safeguarding training pages have been updated to reflect the new SET procedures

ESCB Safeguarding Audit for Schools and Colleges

As previously advised, schools are not required to complete the safeguarding audit this academic year. Thanks to a 100% completion rate from schools for the audit for the previous two years, there is now have a sound baseline from which to work. We have therefore moved to a two-yearly reporting cycle to the Essex Safeguarding Children Board (in line with Section 11 audits undertaken by other organisations), and details of the 2017-18 audit will be communicated in Autumn 2017. Meanwhile, a number of schools have said they would like a 2016-17 audit, so I have written one

to incorporate the latest changes in legislation and the recently revised SET procedures (ESCB, 2016). This is for school use only and there is no need to submit it elsewhere. It is available on ESI: ESI/audit

Governance Handbook 2017

The DfE has published the updated Governance Handbook - January 2017 . Please ensure you are compliant with the section on safeguarding (Section 6.7)

Safer Internet Day 2017

Coordinated in the UK by theUK Safer Internet Centre, Safer Internet Day 2017will take place this year on Tuesday 7thFebruary with the theme 'Be the change: Unite for a better internet'

On-line Safety

  • The UKCCIS (UK Council for Child Internet Safety) has produced a guide with five key areas on online safety for Governing Bodies: Online safety in schools and colleges: Questions from the Governing Board)
  • To support schools develop effective strategies to understand, prevent and respond to cyberbullying, the UK Safer Internet Centre has launched new cyberbullying guidance along with a practical PSHE toolkit for teachers. Funded by the Government Equalities Office and European Union, these resources will help schools address issues such as cyberbullying, sexting and peer pressure online.
  • A reminder that you can access to look up specific programmes and Apps for information about them

PREVENT

A reminder that, as of July 2015, theCounter-Terrorism and Security Act (HMG, 2015) placed a new duty on schools and other education providers. Under section 26 of the Act, schools are required, in the exercise of their functions, to have “due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism”. This duty is known as the Prevent Duty.

For those of you who don’t know, I am the Education Lead for PREVENT in Essex (Ofsted have asked some schools who their Lead is). I represent Education on the PREVENT strategic group in Essex, and also the CHANNEL Panel. The Essex SET PREVENT policy isa guide for local partnershipsand agencies in Southend,

Essex and Thurrock in preventing radicalisation and is available, along with other information and resources on Essex School Infolink: ESI / PREVENT

Female Genital Mutiliation (FGM)

Barnardos has produced some resources which are available on Essex School Infolink: ESI / FGM . Remember, indicators of FGM to look out for:

-Girls (any age, but particularly 5-9yrs) being taken abroad to countries where FGM is practised (see map here) - this is particularly concerning if the girl is the only child going where male children may be left at home

-Parents being unclear/evasive about where/ how long they will be away for

-Girls who have mentioned special ceremonies they will be part of

-Girls who have been removed from school early without pre-warning

-Parents going on holiday to practising countries and informing the school they will be back later than expected

Kenya, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Nigeria and Egypt are countries of particular concern (FGM also happens in parts of the Middle East and South East Asia). Please be aware FGM can also happen in the UK, the girl does not have to be going abroad

For advice and guidance on FGM please contact Catherine Mannu at

Safer Places

Safer Places is an independent charitywhich provides a comprehensive rangeof services to adults and children affectedby all forms of Domestic Abuse. They have produced a new booklet for professionals:

Advice on Youth Produced Imagery (Sexting) in Schools

The UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS) Education Group has published non-statutory advice for schools and colleges on responding to incidents of sexting. This includes responding to disclosures; handling devices and imagery; risk assessing situations; involving other agencies; information about preventative

education; working with parents; reporting imagery to providers: Sexting in schools and colleges: responding to incidents and safeguarding young people (UKCCIS 2016) .

I am working with Essex Police on additional guidance for Essex schools, but it will be based on this UKCCIS guidance (so advice will be supplementary, not contradictory).

Information from Ofsted

Click here to access a blog from Sean Harford - National Director of Education, Ofsted

Reduced Educational Provision Guidance

This guidance was updated in October 2016. It is intended to support all schools, (including Academy and independent Schools) in the appropriate use of reduced educational provision (sometimes referred to as ‘part-time’ or ‘reduced’ timetables), within the current legal and safeguarding framework for pupils deemed medically fit to attend school.

TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES

  • The Essex Safeguarding Children Board (ESCB) offers a range of training programmes which may be accessed here:
  • Working Together in Essex has a new training programme available for partners to access. To find what is available please click on the link to access their website: Working Together in Essex Website
  • EES provide a wide range of courses and conferences delivered in venues across the county. They are now also offering WRAP (Workshop to Raise Awareness of PREVENT) as part of their programme:
  • A reminder that all Designated Safeguard Leads (and Deputies) are required to update their Level 3 training at least every two years. For details of the ESCB Level 3 Designated Lead training, please access the Essex Education Services website here: Designated Safeguarding Lead Training for Schools

Children Missing Education (CME)

The DfE issued new statutory guidance on CME to local authorities in September 2016.

All schools and academies, including independent schools, are now legally required to notify their Local Authority of every new entry to the admission registerwithin five days of the pupil beingenrolled.In addition to this, every deletion from the school register must also be notified to the Local Authority, as soon as one of the statutory grounds for deletion has been satisfied and not later than the date on which the pupil is removed from roll.For further information and access to the online notification form please click MECES/removal from roll

A child out of education could be at risk, so it is vital schools carry out as many reasonable checks as possible to ascertain the whereabouts of children who do not attend school without reason. The Missing Education & Child Employment Service

(MECES) should be notified ifyou are unable to locate the child by the 10th day, and upon receipt of a referral, MECES will make further enquiries.Further information is available atMECES/CME.

Where neither the school, nor local authority, has been able to locate the pupil(s), the school should ensure that the Common Transfer Files (CTFs) are uploaded, via s2s (School to School Transfer), to the Lost Pupils Database. This information will then be available, should another school admit the pupil(s) in the future. Schools should also “claim” any pupil on the lost pupil’s database when admitting new pupils to the school.

Other new useful resources

  • CEOP has released 'Play Like Share with you’ - to help eight-to-ten year olds learn how to stay safe from sexual abuse, exploitation and other risks
  • The NSPCC offers guidance on how to approach safeguarding from within the beliefs, teachings and cultural context of faith communities: NSPCC Website
  • The NSPCC have dedicated resources for safeguarding children in sport
  • The latest edition of the Digital Parenting magazine is now available on the Parentzone website

Jo Barclay

Safeguarding Adviser to Schools

January 2017

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