June 2022
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Welcome to the latest edition of Linked, Durham Safeguarding Children Partnership
e-bulletin. We’ve brought together information from a number of partners and we hope you find the articles useful and informative. There will be a new bulletin every month, so if you have ideas around content or potential items for inclusion, get in touch with Stephen Winship in the Business Unit - stephen.winship@durham.gov.uk
In this edition: I National review of Arthur and Star I Independent Review of Children's Social Care I The Dark Web explained I Graded Care Profile 2 and more...

National review into the murders of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes and Star Hobson

The past couple of weeks have seen ‘Safeguarding Children’ very much in the public spotlight. Following the tragic murders of Star Hobson and Arthur Labinjo-Hughes the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel have published their national review in to their deaths which can be found here: National review into the murders of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes and Star Hobson – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
As expected the full report is lengthy, but you can follow the link below for a briefing document which covers the main areas.

Independent Review of Children's Social Care

Also recently published was the Independent review of children’s social care lead by Josh MacAlister. In 2019 the government’s manifesto committed to reviewing the children’s social care system to make sure children and young people get the support they need. The final report can be found along with recommendations here: Home – The Independent Review of Children’s Social Care (independent-review.uk)
This has been a significant piece of that could have a lasting effect on how we operate over many years. There will be much to come on this over the coming weeks, months and years!
The link above takes you to the Review's website and access to the full report. For a shorter read go to the below Youth Summary which is a really clear informative document.

Mental Capacity Act 2005

Mental Capacity Act 2005
Do you work with or care for young people aged 16 and over?

The Mental Capacity Act 2005 applies to young people once they turn 16, and all staff when working with or caring for young people must have regard to the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) and its Code of Practice.
Capacity is about the ability to make a decision or give consent and is a legal definition not a medical one. Under the MCA a person lacks capacity if they cannot make the decision when it needs to be made because of an impairment or disturbance in the functioning of the brain or the way the mind works.
The MCA means that everyone aged 16 and over must be assumed to have capacity to make their own decisions and give consent, unless a capacity assessment proves that they lack capacity. Sometimes young people and adults have capacity to make day to day decisions, but do not have capacity to make the big decisions in life.
Durham Safeguarding Adults Partnership offers free training on the MCA. While the focus of the course is about safeguarding adults, it would also be relevant for those working with or caring for 16- and 17-year-olds, or for staff working with younger children who want to know more about using the MCA for when children turn 16.

To find out more visit:
Mental Capacity Act (MCA) online course dates (safeguardingdurhamadults.info)

Keeping Children Safe in Education 2022

Those of you within Education will I’m sure be aware of the recently published ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education (2022)’ to be used from 1st September 2022. You can find the updated version here: Keeping children safe in education – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

The Dark Web Explained

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What is it?

The Dark Web Explained, created by the National Crime Agency in collaboration with the Children’s Society and the Marie Collins Foundation, contains a short informational film and accompanying factsheets for professionals, parents and carers. This resource has been developed in response to recommendations from professionals and from research which found that many professionals and parents and carers do not understand the Dark Web and feel unequipped to talk to a young person about it should the need arise. It aims to support professionals, parents and carers to understand the Dark Web, young people’s use of it and how to discuss issues around it with young people who are using it. The resource features a short film which provides key information on:
  • what the Dark Web is;
  • why young people might want to go on it;
  • what to do if a young person has accessed it
To supplement the film, there are two factsheets, one for parents and carers and the other for professionals, to provide further information and guidance.https://twitter.com/home?lang=en-gb

Watch this space!!

Graded Care Profile 2 is coming...

Graded Care Profile 2
We have a strength based Signs of Safety practice model across County Durham. A new assessment tool to help identify and work with families where neglect is a concern, called Graded Care Profile 2 will be launched to compliment this. As a strength based model of practice this is such a good fit when working in a Signs of Safety Approach.

The GCP2 is a tool to assess the quality of care provided to our children and young people. The language is strength based, with a traffic light colourful tool which is completed in partnership with families. Practitioners take first hand observations to inform their assessment. This tool can be used with families to support them to see not only where they can make changes, but also focus on what they are really good at.

Training

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There are 2 new courses added to our e-Learning platform ‘Me Learning’. Educational Neglect and Introduction to Child Protection Conferences. You can access these courses as well as our catalogue of other courses by logging into your Me Learning account or by self-registering via this link Course centre - Durham SCP (melearning.university)
The DSCP Training Offer is now focused on the coordination and commissioning of our multi-agency training as opposed to delivery. Our Training Coordinator Amy Armstrong continually looks at enhancing the program.
We are pleased to announce that bookings for the DSCP Training Programme for 2022-23 is now open. The booking form provides further details of the courses currently on offer and would encourage those reading this to disseminate widely using all communication methods available to them. Follow the link
DSCP TRAINING PROGRAMME 2022/23.
When booking our training events you will see that the DSCP now use Microsoft Forms. This should be really straightforward for you with good functionality and links to the new website when we go live in Spring 2022, making the whole process more streamlined than before.

What's New?

We have some new courses available on our eLearning platform Me Learning, which you can access by logging into an existing account or by self-registering via this link Course centre - Durham SCP (melearning.university).
Whats New
The new courses are:
  • Introduction to Child Protection Conferences
  • Educational Neglect
  • Dental Neglect
  • Adolescent Neglect

National Guidance and Useful Resources

Government guidance and reports:
Ofsted strategy 2022-2027 , OFSTED 26 April 2022
Boost for public safety as four justice bills receive Royal Assent, MoJ, 28/4/22
Progress check at age 2, DfE, 11 May 2022
Statutory guidance: keeping children safe in education, DfE, 20 May 2022

Reports/articles/news items/blogs:
Duty to refer unsuitable people to criminal records agencies, NSPCC 28 April 2022
Commission on young lives calls for an end to 'exclusions culture' culture', Commission on Young Lives, 29 April 2022
Inside the Metaverse Are You Safe? Dispatches, Channel 4 25 April 2022
The Independent Care Review needs to recommend better protections for care leavers against homelessness , Just for Kids Law, 05 May 2022
Disrupting the routes between care and custody for girls and women, CFJ, 04 May 2 022
Children in custody: secure training centres and secure schools, National Audit Office, 28 April 2022
Unregulated placements: lived experience and what needs to change, AoCPP, 12 May 2022
We urge the government to ensure families receive the five health visiting checks they’re entitled to , NSPCC, 16 May 2022
Protecting children on the move: 15 recommendations to address the risks of abuse, exploitation, and going missing ( PDF), ICMEC, 16 May 202 2
Threat of online bullying greater than offline, Ofcom, 19May 2022
Violence against women and girls (VAWG) code of practice (PDF), End Violence against Women, 18 May 2022



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