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
SEND Top 10 Tips
The LGA has published its Top 10 Tips for DCSs for building an effective system of SEND and alternative provision
More information:
Please contact Deborah Glassbrook, LGA SEND Improvement Advisor, Deborah@optimisingpotential.co.uk if you have any questions or would like to discuss support options.
Fabricated or Induced Illness
On 14 November Cerebra published The prevalence and impact of allegations of
Fabricated or Induced Illness (FII)
Headlines:
FII allegations appear to be increasing,
The report calls for urgent revision to the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health 2021 FII guidance.
- parents in at least 74% of English children’s services experiencing FII allegations;
- disabled parents appear to be four times more likely to be accused of FII than non-disabled parents;
- 84% of FII allegations resulted in no follow up action or were abandoned and in 95% of cases the child(ren) remained living with the parents;
- the making of a FII allegation often causes life-long trauma to those accused and their children.
Mental Health of Children and Young People in England
On 21 November the NHS Digital published Mental Health of Children and Young People in England, 2023 – wave 4 follow up to the 2017 survey
Headlines
One in five children and young people in England aged eight to 25 had a probable mental disorder in 2023.
Children aged eight to 16 years with a probable mental disorder were seven times more likely than their peers to have missed more than 15 days of school in the Autumn term of 2022
The condition of school buildings
On 19 November the Public Accounts Committee published The condition of school buildings
Headlines:
An estimated 700,000 pupils attend the 1,200 schools that have been considered for the School Rebuilding Programme and are therefore deemed to be in need of major rebuilding or refurbishment.
The Committee expressed their concerns that the DfE does not have a good enough understanding of safety risks across school buildings for it to fully quantify and mitigate these risks.
Issues highlighted included the DfE’s incomplete knowledge in relation to asbestos across the school estate and the number and condition of schools with RAAC. To help protect longer-term value for money, and avoid reactive measures, the report recommended that the DfE should set out its strategy for encouraging responsible bodies to carry out timely and effective repairs.
Children looked after in England including adoptions
On 16 November DfE published Children looked after in England including adoptions annual statistics for 2022-2023
Both the numbers of children looked after starting (CLA starting) and children looked after ceasing to be looked after (CLA ceasing) have increased – the number of CLA starting during the year has increased by 6% – to 33,000 – and the number of CLA ceasing during the year increased by 5% – to 31,680.
The number of CLA who were adopted was down 2% to 2,960.
Headlines
Many of the changes within the release can be explained by the large increase in unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) this year. UASC have increased by 29%, following the 37% increase seen last year. UASC influence many of the changes seen in the figures this year as they are a distinct cohort with specific characteristics, for example they are generally male, aged 16+ years.
Reminders From Previous Weeks
Care Leavers Conference
The presentations from the 2 November Care Leavers Conference in Winchetser are now available
Presentations available:
- Breaking down barriers for care leavers in HMP Winchester (Ladine Cunningham Michelle Beverly Lisa Kirrage)
- Matthew Brazier – Ofsted
- Meeting the needs of Black and global majority care experienced young people – Through an Anti-Racist lens. (Millie Kerr Brighton & Hove City Council)
- How Does Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services Make Sense of Young People’s Safe-guarding needs? (Tessa Morgan University of Cambridge)
- Health and Wellbeing Project for Care Experienced Young People: Using a Social Prescribing Approach (Darren Edwardes East Sussex)
- Collaborative Working: Reframing Narratives of Children’s Social Care (Ellis Boyle and Emily Bartlett University of Kent, Wellcome and NCB)
- What Helps, What Harms (David Graham Care Leavers Association)
- Transitional Safeguarding and why it matters for care-experienced young people (Dez Holmes Research in Practice)
- Stories and solutions: The over-representation of care-experienced people in the CJS (Nina McNamara Kate Littler Bird Podcast)
- Staying Close Project (Anisha Reed Danielle Rutherford Southampton City Council)
Missing Children, Missing Grades
On 2 November the Children’s Commissioner published Missing Children, Missing Grades
Headlines:
The report analyses DfE data for academic years 2020/21 and 2021/22, looking at school absenteeism and Key Stage 4 results.
Findings show: over a third of all pupils hit the threshold for either persistent or severe absenteeism in either Year 10 or Year 11; and
persistently absent pupils in both years received worse GCSE grades than their peers who were rarely absent in both years.
The Commissioner calls for the DfE to make attendance data sharing mandatory.
Trauma Informed Care
On 27 October Research in Practice published a 9-minute video What does trauma-informed care look like? presented by Dr Danny Taggart
Headlines
The video sets out guidance on:
- structuring work with young people who have experienced trauma;
- building trust and minimising retraumatisation;
- giving young people agency and choice; and
- understanding cultural, historical and gender contexts.
Tools & Templates
We have produced a Regional Improvement Plan (July 2023)
On 24 November the LGA published its Top 10 Tips for DCSs for building an effective system of SEND and alternative provision
On 19 November the Public Accounts Committee published The condition of school buildings
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)
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
On 26 September CVAA UK published Advice from adopters: Adopting brothers
and sisters
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.