UPDATE NO 479 12 November 2021

Black and Asian Leadership Initiative (BALI) January 2022

As part of the Take Your Place future leadership programme, we are promoting The Staff College’s Black and Asian Leadership Initiative course being offered virtually on 27, 28 January and 4 May 2022. Places for staff from SESLIP members are funded via the SESLI Programme.

More information on this link.

To book your place, or for further discussion, please contact Mark Evans (details below) by 12 November.

Using Pupil Premium Effectively – from EEF

On 5 November, Becky Francis launched the EEF’s updated Pupil Premium Guide. It is a practical guide to support schools to develop their pupil premium strategy based on the best evidence, and to meet updated DfE requirements.

Research has found that disadvantaged pupils have been worst affected by the impact of the pandemic. It is therefore more important than ever that school strategies focus on support for disadvantaged pupils. 

In October, the DfE released updated pupil premium guidance and a new template that schools are required to use to publish their strategy statement from the 2021/22 academic year onwards. This includes a new requirement for schools to demonstrate that they have considered evidence when developing their strategy.

Reforming how local authority school improvement functions are funded

On 29 October DfE published a consultation on the future funding of LA school improvement functions. 

The closing date is 26 November. The AD Education Network is coordinating a response. More from Chris Owen (contact details below)

Future dates for network meetings

Lead Members Group: Friday 3 December – Joint meeting with DCSs. More information from Alison Michalska (contact details below)

Data Benchmarking: Thursday 9 December 2021. More information from Alastair Lee (contact details below)

Adoption and Special Guardianship Leadership Board: More information from Rebecca Eligon (contact details below)

AD Education: Friday 28 January – 10.00am. More information from Chris Owen (contact details below)

AD Safeguarding: Friday 10 December 2021. More information from Mark Evans (contact details below)

QA Network: ***NEW DATE*** Thursday 6 January 2022. 2pm – 5pm. The meeting will consider performance of health and dental assessments for Children looked after. More information from Amanda Meadows (contact details below)

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

SEND SE19: LA and Health SEND Conversation 30 November 2021 More information from Tracey Maytas (contact details below)

SESLIP Special Guardianship conference – Tuesday 30 November 1-4pm interactive and online

This is an interactive online 3 hour conference open to all working on Special Guardianship in the 19 local authorities in the South East. It will be held 1-4pm Tuesday November 30 2021, online event register here, for social workers, managers and anyone else with an interest or seeking to build their experience in Special Guardianship.

Any questions please contact Rebecca Eligon (details below)

Hear from Lucy Peake, the Chief Executive of national charity Kinship on the trends being observed nationally on Special Guardianship and the national task and finish group focusing on SG as well as the implications and relevance of the Care Review to Special Guardianship
Understand the Special Guardianship audit tool developed by the national Adoption and Special Guardianship Leadership Board (which can be applied to your LA to assess the quality of practice). There is also an offer of free coaching support to apply the tool after the conference.
Hear from Special Guardians, other LAs in the South East about their practice models (both the strengths and challenges) and tell us what you would like to see in a SG training programme for South East LAs that will be running in the new year

Register for the free event here

CMA social care market study interim report

On 22 October, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has published its interim report of the market study into children’s social care provision. 

The interim report sets out the initial findings and seeks views on our analysis of market outcomes, emerging conclusions on potential drivers of poor outcomes and early stage thinking on possible recommendations.

The CMA is inviting views on the interim report, please email written submissions to children@cma.gov.uk by 12 November 2021.

Click to access the report (html); report (pdf); appendicies (html); appendices (pdf).

Tackling child exploitation learning and events programme

The Tackling Child Exploitation (TCE) Programme has launched a series of free online learning events focused on child exploitation and extra-familial harm. The events are designed for strategic leaders and senior managers across the multi-agency partnership.

The next events are:

EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP IN A STRENGTHS-BASED PARTNERSHIP TO TACKLE CHILD EXPLOITATION AND EXTRA-FAMILIAL HARM 18 NOVEMBER 2021, 11:00AM – 12:30PM

MISSING FROM EDUCATION: CHILD EXPLOITATION, EXCLUSION AND RISK 8 DECEMBER 2021, 3:45PM – 5:15PM

ALL IN: FORMING CONSTRUCTIVE COALITIONS 9 DECEMBER 2021, 11:00AM – 1:00PM

HoC Library Research Briefing: Support for Care Leavers

On 20 October 2021, the House of Commons Library published a research briefing paper: Support for Care Leavers.This paper provides an overview of the UK Government’s policies to support care leavers in key areas

The DfE’s Keep on Caring noted that care leavers generally experience worse outcomes than their peers across a number of indicators. The National Audit Office’s Care leavers’ transition to adulthood (2015) identified poorer life outcomes as a “longstanding problem” and one whose “public cost […] is likely to be high”, giving rise to additional costs in mental health, employment, education, policing and justice services.