The Westmorland and Furness Single Contact Form where you make a referral to Children Social Care is being transferred to a new digital platform and, to allow this happen, the form will be unavailable whilst the transfer takes place.
The transfer of the forms will take place on Friday 13 December between 5pm and 6pm.
Please note you will not be able complete or submit any of the form during this period.
Therefore, if you have urgent concerns for a child, or suspect that a child has been abused in anyway and needs an urgent response during this time, please call Westmorland and Furness Safeguarding Hub 0300 373 2724 as this will transfer to the Emergency Duty Team.
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Both Cumberland and Westmorland and Furness Early Help Forms are also being transferred to a new digital platform and, to allow this happen, these forms will be unavailable whilst the transfer takes place.
The transfer of the forms will take place on Friday 13 December between 5pm and 6pm.
Please note you will not be able complete or submit any of these forms during this period.
The CSCP are delivering an array of training sessions.
Please visit the learning zone page of our website for all our face to face, virtual and eLearning courses offered to professionals and volunteers working with children/young people and their families who live in Cumbria.
We are continually updating our website with further training dates. So please keep an eye out.
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The CSCP are delivering further training sessions on Impact Chronology. The sessions will be face to face workshops. The aim of the sessions are to enable practitioners to develop skills in using impact chronologies.
- Thursday 27 February 2025 (1.30pm to 3.30pm) Cumbria House, Carlisle
- Wednesday 12 March 2025 (2pm to 4pm) West Cumbria House, Workington
To book your place, please email CSCP.Training@cumbria.gov.uk
Important information - this training is multi-agency and we encourage practitioners from all agencies to take part in this training.
Westmorland and Furness Family Help Strategy Launch
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Westmorland and Furness Family Help are inviting you to join them in the launch of their Family Help Strategy on 17th January 2.30pm in Kendal.
Further details and how to book your place are within the invitation, please click here.
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When Cumbria Police are called out to a family where there is a registered Early Help Assessment in place, to support clear and timely information sharing, they share information about the incident directly with Early Help coordinators. As the Early Help Assessment coordinator, you will then share this information with the family and the multi-agency Team Around the Family (TAF) to support planning.
If you receive Police information, but you are no longer the Early Help Coordinator, there are important steps you should take to ensure that any information is shared in the right way, as this information will directly inform the right support and planning with children and families.
For more guidance on how to share Police information, including what you should do if you receive information where you are no longer the Early Help coordinator, please follow this link: Police sharing information
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The Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel has published their 5th Annual Report, which looks at serious child safeguarding incidents between 1st April 2023 to 31st March 2024. The Annual Report is much more than a reporting tool in that it identifies and reflects on patterns in practice across England.
The Annual Report is about the intrinsically challenging work of finding out what is happening to children, of anticipating risks of harm and of knowing when decisive action is needed.
This year’s report gives attention to three specific themes:
- Safeguarding children with mental health needs
- Safeguarding pre-school children with parents with mental health needs
- Extrafamilial harm
Read the full report here: Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel: Annual Report 2023-2024
The Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel have also created a practitioner briefing document which distils the key learning points and reflective questions for each of the themes.
Read briefing here: The Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel: Annual Report 2023-2024 Briefing
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The Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel have published the report 'I wanted them all to notice', protecting children and responding to child sexual abuse within the family environment. There are a number of recommendations, some of which are for government and six recommendations for Safeguarding Partnerships across the country to consider.
Read the report: The Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel - I wanted them all to notice
The NSPCC have completed a summary of this Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel's report which investigates the experiences of children who were sexually abused by a family member.
Read NSPCC's summary: Summary of the National review into child sexual abuse within the family environment.
The Department for Education (DfE) has published an update on safeguarding children who have disabilities in residential settings in England. In a letter to the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel, the DfE outline progress and plans for reform. The letter focuses on three themes: ensuring children who have disabilities and complex health needs have their needs met in the right high-quality setting; ensuring they are supported by the right professionals with the right skills; and improving multi-agency working. Progress includes plans to enhance Ofsted’s powers so that they are better able to identify and respond to poor practice in settings where children with complex health needs and disabilities may be living.
Read the report: Safeguarding children with disabilities in residential settings: progress report
See also on NSPCC Learning: CASPAR briefing: Safeguarding children with disabilities and complex health needs in residential settings
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NSPCC Learning has published an analysis of research around sibling sexual harm and abuse, highlighting good practice principles for professionals working with children and families. The review looks at the prevalence, nature and dynamics of sibling sexual abuse and different risk factors for children and families. Key findings include: sibling sexual abuse is complex and professionals can find it hard to identify, understand and respond to it; and families need to receive holistic support with consideration for the wider family dynamic.
Read the report: Understanding and responding to sibling sexual harm and abuse
The NSPCC and UNICEF UK have published new research exploring access to early childhood services for low income families across the UK. The report is based on findings from an evidence review, interviews with professionals, and a focus group and online survey with parents and carers. Findings show that families living on low incomes experience barriers preventing them from accessing and positively experiencing early childhood services at an interpersonal, service and systemic level. Recommendations for the UK Government include: the UK-wide Child Poverty Strategy should set measurable goals to improve access to early childhood services for families on low incomes; a clear plan to rebuild and reform early childhood services should be designed and implemented; and early childhood services should act as a gateway to support and advice for families experiencing poverty.
Read the news story: Families living in poverty struggling to access early childhood services
Read the report: Opening doors: access to early childhood services for families impacted by poverty in the UK
Action for Children has published new research examining the impact of the cost of living crisis in the UK. The charity carried out surveys with nearly 3,000 11-to 21-year-olds and over 100 frontline workers. The research found: 35% of young people think their family will be worse off financially this Christmas compared to last year; 21% worry that their parents won’t have enough money to pay household bills; and 18% worry their parents won’t have enough money to keep their house warm.
Read the news story: Three quarters of 11–21-year-olds fear parents' cashflow crisis will mean anxious family Christmas
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The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has updated its guidelines on handling allegations of discrimination. The guidance outlines different types of discrimination and the types of allegations that may arise. The guidance includes a section on adultification, a form of bias where children from Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic communities are perceived as being more ‘grown up’ and less vulnerable than other children. The guidelines explain that this can lead to the safeguarding and welfare of a child not being appropriately considered. A case study related to the adultification of a young person in police custody is included.
Read the guidance: Guidelines for handling allegations of discrimination
Read the Guardian news story: Watchdog calls for end to ‘adultification’ of black children by police in England and Wales
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Barnardo's second edition of the Real Love Rocks Healthy Relationships and Exploitation Educational Resources have been produced with the statutory Relationships and Sex Education guidance in mind. They cover lots of the issues covered in the updated Keeping Children Safe in Education and have been designed in collaboration with young people bravely sharing their stories.
They have also just completed their SEND edition of the resources, these were developed in consultation with National Autistic Society and British Institute of Learning Disabilities- all our resources for Secondary, Primary and SEND are also available in BSL and subtitles.
The resources have been designed to help teachers and other professionals educate and talk to children and young people about difficult issues such as consent, grooming, mental health and wellbeing, technology, bullying, pornography, sexual harassment and appropriate and inappropriate relationships.
The resource packs can be purchased by schools and other universal settings working with children and young people and include animations and activities to aid interactive discussion about Children's Rights, Feelings, Brains and Bodies, Healthy Relationships, Being Safe and the Online world in an age-appropriate manner.
Real Love Rocks Educational Resources - watch promo video
Order your packs and your training place here and get £30 off using the promo code OPEN30 at the checkout.
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A little message from us....
Cumbria Safeguarding Children Partnership would like to take this opportunity to 'Thank Everyone' for their support during the past year and to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
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