The CSCP will be running two more virtual Early Help Signs of Wellbeing and Success training courses via MS Teams. 

• Wednesday 7 July 2021 (9.30 - 11.30am)
• Thursday 23 September 2021 (9.30 - 11.30am)

By the end of the course participants will : 

• Increase their understanding of the Early Help – Signs of Wellbeing and Success assessment and process.
• Understand their role within the multi-agency Team Around the Family
• Gain confidence in how to complete and contribute to the refreshed Early Help – Signs of Wellbeing and Success assessment.
• Identify and understand how to access support for their further training needs.

Important information - Prior to booking on this course there is training available to explain the ethos of Signs of Wellbeing and Success, this training is a recorded session so you can access it at a time suitable to you and before you attend the Early Help training. Please click here to access the recorded session.

For more details and how to book your place please visit the CSCP website here

The Department for Education (DfE) has published guidance outlining the help available to develop a whole school approach to mental health and wellbeing in schools and colleges in England. The guidance covers: the whole school or college approach to mental health and wellbeing; senior mental health leads training; the wellbeing for education return programme; relationships, health and sex education (RHSE) training module; and psychological first aid training.

Read the guidance: Mental health and wellbeing support in schools and colleges

The NSPCC’s Childline service has launched the Report Remove tool with the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF). The tool will enable young people under the age of 18 to report a nude image or video of themselves that’s appeared online. The IWF will then review these reports and work to remove any content which breaks the law.

The Report Remove tool can be used by any young person under 18 to report a nude image or video of themselves that has appeared online. The IWF will then review this content and work to have it removed if it breaks the law.

Any young person who makes a report should also receive feedback on the outcome of their report in one working day from the IWF via Childline. A young person can make a report anonymously at any time of day.

Young people can expect the same level of confidentiality that they would from all their interactions with Childline; they do not need to provide their real name to Childline or IWF if they don’t want to. In keeping with this child-centred approach, the tool has been developed in collaboration with law enforcement to make sure that children will not be unnecessarily visited by the police when they make a report.

Read the news story: Childline’s new tool helps young people remove nude images shared online 

See the tool: Remove a nude image shared online

NSPCC Net Aware have partnered up with Ambitious about Autism to update and bring online safety tips and advice specifically for parents and carers of children with SEND. There are also activities and visual tools for children. This meets the needs of a range of educational needs such as dyslexia, autism and speech and language difficulties. 

https://www.net-aware.org.uk/send-online-safety-hub/

Cumbria Police are teaming up with the county’s leading football teams and the Cumberland FA to send a clear message that domestic abuse should never be tolerated.

The campaign coincides with this summer’s rescheduled Euro 2020 football tournament and will see police and support agencies share messages to encourage the public to ‘blow the whistle’ on domestic abuse and report incidents, so that action can be taken to safeguard people at risk of harm. 

In an emergency always call 999.

Ofsted has published findings and recommendations on sexual abuse in schools, following a rapid review carried out on the request of the government. The review included visits to 32 state and independent schools and colleges in England between April and May 2021, in which the views of over 900 children and young people were gathered. Findings include: sexual harassment and online sexual abuse, has become ‘normalised’ for many children and young people; many teachers and leaders underestimate the scale of these problems; and most children felt that the relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) they received didn’t give them the information they needed. The review includes recommendations for schools, colleges and partner agencies, and for government. Separately, NSPCC Learning has published a briefing summarising findings from the review.

Read the news story: Ofsted: culture change needed to tackle 'normalised’ sexual harassment in schools and colleges

Read the report: Review of sexual abuse in schools and colleges

NSPCC Learning has published a CASPAR briefing summarising key findings from the Independent review of children’s social care in England's initial report. The briefing focuses on key findings from The case for change report organised under the following themes: helping families; the child protection system; the care system; and addressing issues in the system. This is an initial report from the independent review aimed at starting the conversation about possible solutions to the issues faced by social care, and the review is calling for feedback, as well as further ideas, views and evidence, by 13 August 2021.

Read the CASPAR briefing: The independent review of children's social care

Download the report: The case for change (PDF)

Give feedback: Case for change: feedback form

My name is Keeley Slack and I am the service lead for Private fostering within Cumbria. I am just wanting to introduce myself and to explain what Private fostering means. If anyone would like to talk about this in more detail then please feel free to contact me keeley.slack@cumbria.gov.uk

What is Private Fostering?

Private fostering is a private arrangement made by the child’s parent (or someone with parental responsibility) and;

• the child is under the age of 16 (or 18 if the child is disabled)
• the child is living with a carer who is not a close relative (defined as: grandparent, brother, sister, uncle, aunt or stepparent by marriage)
• the arrangement is expected to last for more than 28 days and on a full time basis

It is important that if anyone believes a child fits into this category or you are not sure but want to discuss this and check it out then please contact the Safeguarding Hub – details are below.

Privately fostered children can be vulnerable as they may not see their families very often. It is therefore important that their needs are assessed and their situation monitored to safeguard their wellbeing. 

By law the Council must be informed about any private fostering arrangement to ensure safeguards are in place for the child and advice and support can be provided to the carer.

Many professionals who work with children and young people will come across private fostering situations and it is important that these are identified. Private foster carers and the parents of privately fostered children have a legal duty to notify Cumbria County Council about these arrangements, but this duty is not widely known, and so they are rarely reported.

It is vital that Cumbria County Council is made aware of such arrangements so that they can safeguard the welfare of these potentially vulnerable children. Teachers, health and other professionals should notify the county council of a private fostering arrangement that comes to their attention, where they are not satisfied that the arrangement has been or will be notified.

To notify Cumbria County Council of a private fostering arrangement call the Safeguarding Hub on 0333 240 1727 or for more information visit www.cumbria.gov.uk/privatefostering

Professionals working with children should refer to the CSCP Procedure for Children Living Away from Home with Other Families