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Safeguarding Briefing - 4th July 2022
Dear ,
This is the last Safeguarding Briefing for the academic year 2021/22
As we draw this school year to a close, I want to thank you for reading the Safeguarding Briefing. I really appreciate the time you take to read it and share it. Most of all though, thank you for taking action to keep children safe.
This year has again brought many challenges, and these will continue. We have been appalled to read the cases of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes, Star Hobson and Louis Mwangi. The latter involving a 14-year old boy. Although these have been front-page news, other children were murdered and abused too.
There have been inquiries, reports and research into these deaths, and many others, the same issues are 'learnt' time and time again. But without actions, learning means nothing and more children will die.
The child protection system is chronically under-funded and until that changes, everything that's wrong will worsen. Of course, not every change costs money, but I believe that an underfunded system where morale is low, creates a culture where mistakes are more likely to happen. When every single agency has to identify its own budget priorities set against a decreasing funding allocation, it is no wonder that multi-agency working collapses. Literally, working together reduces the likelihood of harm to children lying undiscovered. And yet, there is little expectation that this will improve.
Whether it is picking up the pieces of mental ill-health in children or feeding hungry children, even against their own funding challenges, schools will continue to support vulnerable children (and their families). DSLs will continue to fight for provision. And I thank every single one of you on their behalf. I know that there are many readers of the briefing who are not DSLs, and I thank every single one of you too.
Keep helping. Keep escalating. And above all, just keep caring.
Thank you for everything you do. I wish I could hug every single one of you.
Have a lovely summer break, travel safely and I'll see you again in the autumn!
Andrew Hall
Summer Holiday Closure
Our office will be closed from Monday 25th July until Friday 19th August 2022 (inclusive).
Email addresses for the Safeguarding Briefing
You may be changing roles or moving schools at the end of term. If you no longer need the Safeguarding Briefing, or would like to change your email address, please unsubscribe using the link at the foot of this page. To resubscribe, go to safeguardingbriefing.co.uk and enter your new email address. If you are handing over to a new person, please share the link with them on your handover sheet.
Safeguarding Quiz questions
I'm building up a database of questions for you to use in any quizzes you create. I still need more questions! If everybody added one question (related to KCSIE), we would have thousands!
If you haven't yet added a question, go here: safeguarding.link/cpdquestion Your colleagues will appreciate it!
Once the database is big enough, I'm hoping to devise a 'quiz generator' that will automatically produce a simple ten random question quiz.
Safeguarding.Pro
Safeguarding.Pro will be updated over the summer, including new videos for September 2022, training resources and the annual policy checklist. The resources will help you lead safeguarding CPD for your staff teams and save you loads of preparation time. To access all this and more, go to joinsafeguarding.pro . If you are already a member, login here: safeguarding.pro/login
Why join Safeguarding.Pro?
I launched Safeguarding.Pro in 2016 to help busy DSLs access resources, information and general safeguarding support, so that they could save time and use it for themselves.
A Safeguarding.Pro account gives you the following key benefits:
- Fast-tracked response to your questions
- Access to slide decks and resources to help you lead CPD sessions
- Connect with other colleagues in the Safeguarding.Pro community
- View a growing catalogue of videos and online seminars on a range of topics
- Live monthly Member Calls to develop and share your safeguarding knowledge
Safeguarding Handbook - updated for September 2022
The updated version of the Safeguarding Handbook will be able at the end of August.
Share this Safeguarding Briefing with someone else
Simply, go to safeguardingbriefing.co.uk
Image resource for children with additional needs (Triangle)
Triangle is an independent organisation enabling children and young people (up to age 30) to communicate about important things, especially in legal proceedings. Triangle has particular expertise with children who have experienced abuse, with Deaf children and children with autism or learning disability. They can also train support workers.
In the last 20 years they have worked with over 10,000 children and young people across the UK, through intermediary, advocacy, consultancy, specialist support, interviewing and expert opinion services.
The booklet is availability as a hard copy (out-of-stock) and as a free download. You can find the download by scrolling to the bottom of this page: https://triangle.org.uk/resource-categories/reports
PELICAN: Promoting Emotional Literacy in Children with Additional Needs (Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities)
PELICAN focuses on practical, sensory interaction and learning, so that it can be used by practitioners across a range of settings, particularly schools, as well as parents/families. It can be used along with, or to support other, approaches.
Web-based materials include a simple, visual PELICAN story, where Peli and Tou introduce the PELICAN framework, detailed guidance, activities and resources for the PELICAN framework and story elements, along with some session plan examples. The resources can be found here: http://www.learningdisabilities.org.uk/pelican
Online safety audit (LGfL)
The LGfL have created an audit for schools to use as part of the KCSIE requirement to review their online safety approach.
The audit is available free to all schools from onlinesafetyaudit.lgfl.net as an editable template. The tool offers more detail on the technical information, to help DSLs understand what is required; and to help senior leaders to better understanding filtering.
Find the audit here: onlinesafetyaudit.lgfl.net
Job Opportunity
The London Grid for Learning are currently recruiting a Safeguarding Education Officer. The role would be particularly suitable for a designated safeguarding lead or social worker.
LGfL say, 'If you feel just as comfortable scrutinising statutory safeguarding guidance, delivering training to hundreds of people, speaking to a DSL about an incident or delving into the settings for a technology product to make it safe, we would love to hear from you. Especially if you are also great with words and able to craft a punchy blog or film a quick clip for social media to explain a tricky concept.'
The closing date for applications is 31st July 2022. Find more details here: https://recruitment.lgfl.net
Forthcoming Events
Implementing the role of the Senior Mental Health Lead (DfE Course Code SMHL105)
This is our DfE Quality Assured course for Senior Mental Health Leads. The course is self-paced learning using the resources in our SMHL.Pro Hub. The course cost £397+VAT, some schools are eligible for a grant to cover this cost.
For more details, go to: https://www.smhl.pro/course
Advanced Safeguarding for DSLs
This is a four-session course for DSLs over a full-day. The course is offered live and as a recorded replay. When the course is live, there are plenty of opportunities to contribute with observations, questions or answers. As a recording, the interactions from other people are included and feedback notes that this makes it feel like you are not on your own.
"I came to a session in Birmingham back in 2019 (the day after the GE I think) and it was superb. Today [online] was just as good, if not better. The use of video mixed with live speaking was excellent and goes way beyond what other safeguarding courses provide. You've been there and done it, and your openness with your own story is inspirational."
LIVE ONLINE Tuesday 13th September 2022 BOOK NOW
...and available online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for your convenience BOOK NOW
LIVE ON LOCATION remember that you can book Andrew to visit your school, cluster or MAT to share his DSL course. Please contact us for details and bookings.
Whole School Safeguarding CPD Online Session for September 2022
In this two and half hour online presentation aimed at staff in all roles, specialist safeguarding consultant, Andrew Hall, explores important aspects of safeguarding in schools including child protection, learning from case studies and the latest version of Keeping Children Safe in Education.
"I would like to extend my thanks to Andrew for his fantastic online training. It was filmed so well - almost as if he were here with us! We were kept engaged throughout and felt so well informed - a huge thank you. It was a real success, and we look forward to booking you again in the future - with the staff team saying it was the best safeguarding training they have ever had. We really appreciated Andrew's real-life storytelling and the way such sensitive information was shared - it was excellent training."
You book your online session here: https://cpd.safeguardinginschools.co.uk/product/whole-school-safeguarding-course-online/
Until September, keep safe and thank you for all the work you're doing,
Andrew Hall,
Specialist Safeguarding Consultant,
Success In Schools Ltd.
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