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Dear Colleague,
I hope those of you that were on half-term have had something of a break (or at least a lie-in) and if your's is this week - try to get a little peace and quiet!
Professional Curiosity (St John's Ambulance)
St John's Ambulance safeguarding team provide guidance to their 15,000 volunteers. This month their focus is on professional curiosity. Although St John's focus is not only on children, the guidance does have a lot to offer other practitioners too.
For example, in the section, how to demonstrate professional curiosity in the process of ‘fact finding’:
- Remain open minded and expect the unexpected
- Prepare for any anxiety you might have about the way hostile or resistant people might react to being asked direct or difficult questions
- Appreciate that respectful scepticism and challenge are healthy – it is OK to question what you are told
- Demonstrate a willingness to have ‘less than comfortable’ interactions when this is necessary to gain the whole picture
- Be prepared to be challenged – that is OK, as it should be a constructive two-way dialogue
You can download the 'Professional Curiosity' briefing here:
https://6282.s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/SAFEGUARDING+YOURSELF+AND+OTHERS+2021+February+Professional+Curiosity.pdf
Retention of records for the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA)
When the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse began in 2014 relevant organisations were asked not to destroy records that may be needed by the inquiry. Although the public work has now ended, the inquiry won't end until the publication of its final report, currently expected in 2022.
I recently asked the inquiry whether schools could now revert back to its usual retention and deletion schedule and their reply is below:
'Under section 35 of the Inquiries Act 2005, it is an offence for any person knowingly to destroy or alter a document relevant to the Inquiry's terms of reference. The retention instruction sent to Local Authorities is available on the Inquiry's website, and the briefing note we issued on 25th July 2018 titled 'Guidance Note: Retention Instructions and Data Protection requirements' can be downloaded here: https://www.iicsa.org.uk/key-documents/115/view/2018-07-25-guidance-note-retention-instructions-data-protection-requirements-version-2.pdf
Whilst public hearings have concluded these statutory obligations remain in place for the duration of the Inquiry, i.e. until the Inquiry closes following publication of its Final Report, which is currently expected in 2022.
We advise any institution which is considering the Inquiry's retention instruction in line with DPA 2018/GDPR obligations, to adopt a risk based approach to identifying categories of material which may no longer need to be retained. Records clearly outside the terms of reference can be considered for destruction. Any decisions to dispose of particular categories of documents should be made at a senior level and in the knowledge that the provisions of s35 of the Inquiries Act 2005 continue to apply. If you wish to do this, you should put together such a risk based approach in light of the information published by the Inquiry about its various investigations.'
Purpose-built messaging app for schools (Chat Pro)
Chat Pro have developed a safeguarding compliant messaging app for education, sport and social care organisations.
In the context of schools, it enables fast, effective communication between teachers and pupils, whilst ensuring safeguarding and data protection requirements are met in relation to electronic communication.
The app has been through a year of development and testing and is ready to go live. The company is now looking for schools with an 'early adopter' mentality who may consider participating in full trials?
Head of Safeguarding at Chat Pro, Harry Serle, says 'we need more user input to ensure it is as user friendly as possible before release. Our aim is to make it as simple and intuitive as WhatsApp - I estimate that we are about 80% of the way there'.
Trial schools would have free use of the app for a year and have their feedback incorporated into the release version. The schools would also be offered an ongoing discount at the end of the year to thank them for their help.
If you would like more information about the app, you could visit the website: www.chatpro.co.uk
On My Mind - Resources for Young People (Anna Freud Centre)
Mental Health organisation, Anna Freud, have curated a set of resources to 'empower young people to make informed choices about heir mental health and wellbeing'. This area of their website has been co-produced with young people themselves.
The 'On My Mind' section includes a Youth Wellbeing Directory, to help locate local services; 90+ strategies to help when feeling low or anxious, especially when self-isolating; and what to do to help a friend or relative.
Sexualised Online Bullying (Childnet)
Childnet have launched a new toolkit to help teachers talk about problematic online sexual behaviour with 9-12 year olds.
Called 'Just a Joke', the toolkit includes a range of resources to help educators explore problematic online sexual behaviour, including: three lesson plans, an interactive quiz and a teachers' guide.
You can find the toolkit here: https://www.childnet.com/resources/just-a-joke
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How to Stay Safe Online - Guidance for Adults and Young People with Learning Disabilities (Ann Craft Trust)
The Ann Craft Trust (ACT) is a national charity which exists to minimise the risk of abuse of disabled children and adults at risk. They believe that everyone has the right to be treated with respect and dignity.
The trust website offers lots of valuable resources on a range of topics. One page includes links related to digital safety.
Find the resources here: https://www.anncrafttrust.org/how-to-stay-safe-online-guidance-for-adults-and-young-people-with-learning-disabilities/
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