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. Pease address all enquiries about this opportunity to Richard Tyndall (contact details below)
Updates
Double Discrimination
On 21 September Barnardo’s published “Double Discrimination” which highlights the discrimination faced by many young Black people who have been in the care system, the negative impact this has on their lives and is calling for urgent change.
Black children are over-represented in both the care and criminal justice systems, and many face inequalities in their interactions with support services.
Recommendations
1. Improve the experience of Black children in foster care
2. Improve access to mental health support for Black children in care
3. Take action to reduce the over-criminalisation of children in the care system
4. Improve understanding of the needs of children in care and care-experienced young people, whilst providing training on how to better do this
5. There must be a renewed emphasis on implementing reform aimed at tackling institutional racism within the criminal justice system
School Absence
On 27 September the House of Commons Education Select Committee published its report on Persistent absence and support for disadvantaged pupils
Whilst successive ministers have prioritised getting children back to school since the pandemic, the overall figures, and more concerningly for ‘persistent’ and ‘severe absence’, have failed to return to pre-pandemic levels.
Summary
The report explores how growing demand for mental health services and special educational needs (SEND) support, as well as cost-of-living pressures and other issues, have compounded a problem that worsened following the covid lockdowns but remains present.
The most recent statistics (2021/22) showed an overall absence rate of 7.6%, up from 4-5% before the pandemic. In that year, 22.5% of pupils were persistently absent, meaning they missed 10% or more of school sessions – around double the pre-pandemic rate. 1.7% of all pupils were severely absent, meaning they missed more than half of sessions, compared to less than 1% pre-pandemic.
The most recent statistical release from the Department for Education (DfE), relating to the autumn term 2022/23, shows that persistent absence had risen to 24.2% of pupils.
Reminders From Previous Weeks
A 10-step guide to sharing information to safeguard children
On 14 September the Information Commissioners’ Office published a 10-step guide on data protection considerations when sharing personal information for child safeguarding purposes
Headlines
Data protection law allows you to share information when required to identify children at risk of harm and to safeguard them from harm. Data protection law doesn’t prevent you from doing this. It simply helps you to share information in a fair, proportionate and lawful way.
It can be more harmful not to share information that is needed to protect a child or young person.
D2I Data Analytics Apprenticeship
The D2I apprenticeship, delivered in partnership with Corndel, is now open for applications, with learning to commence in November of this year.
Cohort #5 NOW BOOKING
The programme is designed to enable local authorities to build data science capability in Children’s Services teams, and empower individual analysts to improve their skills and progress in their careers. It’s fully funded via the Apprenticeship Levy and specifically tailored to help analysts improve children’s services.
Tools & Templates
We have produced a Regional Improvement Plan (July 2023)
On 27 September the House of Commons Education Select Committee published its report on Persistent absence and support for disadvantaged pupils
On 21 September Barnardo’s published “Double Discrimination“
On 14 September the Information Commissioners’ Office published a 10-step guide on data protection considerations when sharing personal information for child safeguarding purposes
On 8 September Ofsted published Best Start in Life part 2
On 1 September Ofsted announced that it will be undertaking sample thematic inspections of Regional Adoption Agencies during autumn 2023.
On 30 August LGA published Early education and childcare: Changes and challenges for the future
On 29 August Ofsted published guidance for JTAI inspection of the multi-agency response to children affected by serious youth violence.
On 15 August Research in Practice published three open access videos which share findings around the increased use of digital technologies in social work.
On 14 August Ofsted published new guidance Placing Children: Deprivation of Liberty Orders
On 7 August the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee published Connected tech:smart or sinister?
On 3 August Foundations (What works centre for children and families) published an Evaluation of Family Drug and Alcohol Courts
On 26 July DfE published Families first for children (FFC) pathfinder programme and family networks pilot (FNP).
On 26 July the Children’s Commissioner published an invitation to care experienced people to share their views about whether care experience should be a ‘protected characteristic’ – like age, disability or religion currently are.
On 24 July Foundations (What works centre for children and families) published School non-attendance by children with a social worker in the UK: A rapid review of extent, risk factors and interventions
On 20 July DfE published Permanent exclusions and suspensions in England for 2021-22
On 17 July LGA published a series of six case studies exploring various elements of family hubs delivery across some councils in England.
On 13 July The Sutton Trust published a new report, “World Class: What England can learn from global experience to make early years policy work for disadvantaged children”
On 11 July DfE published Key stage 2 attainment: National headlines for 2022/23
On 6 July DfE published consultations on changes to Working Together and Information sharing advice
On 6 July DfE published Commissioning High Quality Trusts
On 4 July The Education Policy Institute published a blog analysing the GCSE attainment gap for looked after children in England