Newsletters
Our Regional Improvement Plan for 2023-2024 can be found here
Our Impact Report published in March 2023 can be found here
If you would like to work for the programme, ESCC has advertised the SESLIP Freelance Consultant Approved List. To view the advert follow the link and choose the “Opportunities” tab then search on reference RFX1000055. Please address all enquiries about this opportunity to Richard Tyndall (contact details below)
Updates
CSC National Framework published
On 15 December the DfE published:
Grants to support implementation
The DfE has announced grants to support implementation:
- To SESLIP for social worker agency rules and CSC national framework (£60,800)
- To multi-agency safeguarding partnerships (£47,300 each)
Children’s social care data and digital strategy published
On 15 December the DfE published:
Headlines
The strategy sets out the DfE’s long-term plan for transforming data in children’s social care. It gives information on:
- the foundations needed to support the children’s social care data and digital strategy
- what we will do between 2023 and 2025 to support change
The update document explains:
- the purpose of the dashboard
- how DfE will use it to understand progress towards the children’s social care: national framework outcomes
- plans for future dashboard developments and how indicators will be used
Kinship Care national strategy published
On 15 December the DfE published Championing Kinship Care – The National Kinship Care Strategy
Supporting documents
Alongside the national strategy, the DfE has published Kinship Carers in the Workplace guidance for employers and Virtual school head role extension
The VSH role extension is supported by additional grant of £100,000 per year for two years for unitary authorities, with larger amount for counties according to population, rising to £168,330 for Kent
Implementing changes to Working Together to Safeguard Children
Tuesday 30 January 2024
Hosted by DfE, a general engagement opportunity to discuss working together to safeguard children and understand what the revisions mean for practice.
Details
Online, 11.00- 12.30 on Tuesday 30 January 2024, open to senior leaders of all statutory safeguarding partners and relevant agencies, including education settings. Please register using your workplace email address.
Introduction to the Children’s Social Care National Framework and Dashboard
Thursday 1 February 2024
Hosted by DfE, and members of the Children’s Social Care National Practice Group, a general engagement opportunity for all safeguarding partners and relevant agencies, including education settings.
Details
Online, 13.00- 14.30 on Thursday 1 February 2024, open to senior leaders of all statutory safeguarding partners and relevant agencies, including education settings. Please register using your workplace email address.
Reminders From Previous Weeks
Government management of asylum transfer scheme ‘unlawful’, judge rules
On 28 November the Mr Justice Chamberlain handed down a judgement [2023] EWHC 3030 (Admin) in a Judicial Review case brought by Kent, Brighton and Hove and East Sussex Councils about the operation of the National Transfer Scheme for Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children
Judgement detail:
Paragraph 56(b) … The Home Secretary’s decision-making in relation to the NTS scheme was unlawful during the period December 2021 to 27 July 2023 … [the] use of hotels had by December 2002 become systematic, routine and therefore unlawful.
Paragraph 56(d) … [subject to if statements] ... the Home Secretary will be required as a matter of law to formulate a rational plan for the operation of the NTS capable of eliminating permanently the use of hotels to accommodate UAS children,
Marie Collins Foundation needs your help
On 21 November the Marie Collins Foundation launched a survey to help develop a free intervention tool that can be used by professionals with children who have been harmed through Technology Assisted Child Sexual Abuse (TACSA)
Technology-assisted child sexual abuse survey (TACSA)
Examples of TACSA are: Online Grooming, Intimate Image Sharing, Sexual Communication, Covert Recorded Sexual Images, AI Images, Sexual Exploitation online, Live Streamed Sexual Abuse.
Homeless 16- and 17-yearolds in need of care
On 16 November the Children’s Commissioner published Homeless 16- and 17-yearolds in need of care
Headlines
in 2022/23 a total of 6,469 children aged 16 and 17 presented to their local authority as homeless, of which 1,089 were unaccompanied asylum seeking children.
Further analysis of data from young people who did not have unaccompanied asylum seeking status found that: 41% were not accommodated by the local authority, most commonly because they were either ‘not judged to be homeless’ by the local authority or were ‘supported to remain at home and/or with family’; and of the children who were accommodated only 39% were taken in to care and given ‘looked after child’ status.
The Commissioner emphasises that children who cannot live at home should be in the care of the local authority.
Early years foundation stage profile results
On 30 November DfE published Early years foundation stage profile results for academic year 2022/23
Headlines
The percentages of children with a good level of development and at the expected level across all 17 early learning goals have increased by around 2 percentage points in 2022/23.
Tools & Templates
We have produced a Regional Improvement Plan (July 2023)
On 15 December the DfE published Children’s Social Care National Framework and Revised Working Together
On 15 December the DfE published Championing Kinship Care – The National Kinship Care Strategy
On 15 December the DfE published Children’s social care: data and digital strategy and Children’s social care: dashboard and indicators update
On 28 November the Mr Justice Chamberlain handed down a judgement [2023] EWHC 3030 (Admin) in a Judicial Review case brought by Kent, Brighton and Hove and East Sussex Councils about the operation of the National Transfer Scheme for Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children
On 24 November the LGA published its Top 10 Tips for DCSs for building an effective system of SEND and alternative provision
On 21 November the Marie Collins Foundation launched a survey to help develop a free intervention tool that can be used by professionals with children who have been harmed through Technology Assisted Child Sexual Abuse (TACSA)
On 19 November the Public Accounts Committee published The condition of school buildings
On 16 November the Children’s Commissioner published Homeless 16- and 17-yearolds in need of care
On 16 November DfE published Children looked after in England including adoptions annual statistics for 2022-2023
On 14 November Cerebra published The prevalence and impact of allegations of
Fabricated or Induced Illness (FII)
On 6 November NYA published The social cost of youth work cuts: Preventing youth offending through youth work
The presentations from the 2 November Care Leavers Conference in Winchetser are now available
On 2 November the Children’s Commissioner published Missing Children, Missing Grades
On 29 October LGA published Profit making and Risk in Independent Children’s Social Care Placement Providers.
On 27 October Research in Practice published a 9-minute video What does trauma-informed care look like? presented by Dr Danny Taggart
On 27 October DfE published the National Wraparound Childcare Programme Handbook
On 27 October DfE published its response to EYFS regualtory change consultation
On 26 October DfE published a consultation on Elective Home Education guidance
On 26 October DfE published statistics on children in need in England,
On 25 October FRG launched its new campaign for care-experienced children and young people
On 25 October DfE published its response to the workforce consultation
On 19 October DfE published statistics on pupil absence for autumn/spring 2022/23; Key Stage 4 performance 2022/23; Participation in education, training and employment age 16 to 18 for 2022; National pupil projections
On 17 October the HoC Education Select Committee published the government’s response to Support for childcare and the early years (HC 969)
On 9 October LGA published A maturing approach to children’s services improvement: updating the key enablers of progress
On 2 October Foundations (What works centre for children and families) published “Understanding the variation in support for Kinship Carers“
On 27 September the House of Commons Education Select Committee published its report on Persistent absence and support for disadvantaged pupils