Update no 592 19th January 2024

If you have any news that you would like included in our Friday Update, please contact Richard Tyndall (details below)

Three children playing happily together

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

Safeguarding children with disabilities in residential settings: government response

On 18 December DfE published the government’s response to the review into safeguarding children with disabilities and complex health needs in residential settings by the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel.

Headlines

It sets out steps the government is taking around five key focus areas:

  • keeping disabled children in residential settings safe;
  • continuing to reform safeguarding;
  • improving support in the community;
  • commissioning places to live for disabled children; and
  • developing a stable and well-trained workforce.

The NSPCC Learning CASPAR briefing on this review has been updated to include the government’s response.

Recommendations

  1. Empower children and young people’s voices and nurture their aspirations throughout the diversion process. 
  2. Address ethnic disparity in diversion practices, improve understanding of and ways to best support disabled children and young people and those with special educational needs, and care-experienced children and young people. 
  3. Improve inter-agency and multi-agency collaboration.
  4. Strengthen and expand the evidence base on youth diversion. 

Podcast: Racism in social work

On 2 January Community Care released a podcast Racism in social work.

We speak to Nana and Ash, both children and family social workers, about their experiences of racism. There is discussion about racism from families they have worked with but also from within the organisations they have worked for.

You can read the transcription here.

The podcast is available on most podcast platforms. You can find it by putting ‘the social work community podcast’ into your search engine.

Ruth Perry: Prevention of future deaths report

On 19 December Heidi Connor, Senior Coroner for Berkshire published a Prevention of Future Deaths report following the Ruth Perry inquest

Details

The report makes recommendations for Ofsted, DfE, and Reading Borough Council (RBC), Ruth Perry’s employer.

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

Reminder:

Future dates for network meetings

Network dates:

Lead Members Group: Expert Workshop #11 SEND Systems 27 February 4pm. More from Deborah Glassbrook (contact details below)

Adoption Leadership Board: More from Rebecca Eligon (contact details below)

AD Education: Friday 26 January 2024. More from Chris Owen (contact details below)

Principal Social Workers: More from Mark Evans (contact details below)

Kinship Care Network: More from Rebecca Eligon (contact details below)

Network dates:

AD Safeguarding: Friday 8 March 10:00am. More from Mark Evans (contact details below)

QA Network: Please contact kimesha.osbourne@hants.gov.uk for MS Teams invitation.

Fostering Network: More from Rebecca Eligon (contact details below)

Data Benchmarking: More from Luke Ede (contact details below)

SEND SE19: SEND Data Benchmarking Thursday 9 May 10am. More from Sheelagh Sullivan (contact details below)

Early Help: More from Rebecca Eligon (contact details below)

Finance Directors Group: 4pm 6 February: Value for money for whom: challenges of managing costs within children’s social care. More from Deborah Glassbrook (contact details below)

Commissioners’ Network: Friday 19 January, 13:00 via Teams. More from Chris Baird (contact details below)

Tools & Templates

We have produced a Regional Improvement Plan (July 2023)

On 2 January Community Care released a podcast Racism in social work.

On 19 December DfE launched a Consultation on Guidance for Schools and Colleges on Gender Questioning Children which closes on 12 March 2024

On 19 December Heidi Connor, Senior Coroner for Berkshire published a Prevention of Future Deaths report following the Ruth Perry inquest. Ofsted’s response is here. The DfE response is here

On 18 December DfE published the government’s response to the review into safeguarding children with disabilities and complex health needs in residential settings by the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel.

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 14 December, HMCTS publsihed, at section 8 of the bulletin Annual Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Statistics for 2022-2023

On 14 December, DfE published statistics for 2022-23 on Parental responsibility measures

On 11 December NCB published four recommendations for change for youth diversion

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

Contact Details

LGA Children’s Improvement Adviser: Helen Watson (South East Sector-Led Improvement Programme)

helen.watson5@icloud.com

07810 011892

Children’s Services Performance Manager: Amanda Meadows (Hampshire)

Amanda.meadows@hants.gov.uk

03707 794752

SESLIP Consultant; Commissioners’ Network, SEND Courageous Conversations: Chris Baird (South East Sector-Led Improvement Programme)

bchrisbaird@gmail.com

07855 492010

Education Network: Chris Owen (South East Sector-Led Improvement Programme)

chris@bright-spark.net

07825 862330

SESLIP Education Data Group Lead: Daryl Perilli (Brighton and Hove)

Daryl.Perilli@brighton-hove.gov.uk

SESLIP Consultant and LGA SEND Improvement Adviser: Deborah Glassbrook (South East Sector-Led Improvement Programme)

deborah@optimisingpotential.co.uk

07882 158959

The Staff College Assistant Operations Manager: Ellie Bevis (The Staff College)

ellie.bevis@thestaffcollege.uk

0161 729 1065

NHS (SE) CYP mental health: Gavin Lockhart (NHS England (South East))

gavin.lockhart1@nhs.net

07879 488307

SESLIP Consultant: Isabelle Gregory (South East Sector-Led Improvement Programme)

isabelle@firstcareconsultancy.co.uk

07931 586784

South East Grid for Learning – Consortium Manager: Krista Pickering (South East Sector-Led Improvement Programme)

krista.pickering@segfl.org.uk

07872 014083

Data Benchmarking: Luke Ede (South East Sector-Led Improvement Programme)

Luke.ede@eastsussex.gov.uk

07925 148597

CSC Workforce, PSW and AD Safeguarding Network Lead: Mark Evans (South East Sector-Led Improvement Programme)

Mark@markevansconsulting.co.uk

07803 147072

LGA Corporate Improvement Adviser: Philip (Phil) Simpkins (LGA)

philip.simpkins@btinternet.com

Adoption; Fostering; Kinship and Early Help Regional Networks: Rebecca Eligon (South East Sector-Led Improvement Programme)

rebeccaeligon@gmail.com

07944 996219

SESLI Programme Manager: Richard Tyndall (South East Sector-Led Improvement Programme)

richard.tyndall@richardtyndall.co.uk

07880 787007

S.E. Region SEND Network Programme Co-ordinator: Sheelagh Sullivan (South East Sector-Led Improvement Programme)

sheelagh.sullivan@outlook.com