GSCP Newsletter - June 2022

Multi-Agency Online Training
& eLearning Courses

**Virtual Training course availability**

These are Tutor led training sessions lasting 3.5 hours, together with a pre-course element that requires a time commitment in advance of the training session of 3.5 hours (7 hours total).

All GSCP members can access our library of training, please follow the link to the portal: https://gsce.melearning.university/course_centre

Child Protection Inter-Agency (CPIA) Level 3
Dates now available up to the end of September 2022.

This includes a Saturday date: 24th September

Child Exploitation - CCE, CSE and Missing
Some spaces still available for 14th September 2022

Multi-Agency Child Neglect Training

**NEW DATES** 15th September, 11th October, 25th November 2022

The purpose of this course is for participants to:-

1. Recognise the impact of neglect on the developing child
2. Outline the range and types of neglect and how to respond to these
3. Compare different levels of neglect and how they relate to Gloucestershire’s Levels of Intervention 
4. Use the Neglect Toolkit to inform a multi-agency response
5. Use the Escalation Policy if you are concerned about a professional's response to your concerns

Please sign up via MeLearning here:  https://gsce.melearning.university/course_centre

If your organisation is not part of the GSCP membership scheme, please contact the administration team for more details GsceTraining@gloucestershire.gov.uk

Tackling Child Exploitation (TCE) Support Programme

The Tackling Child Exploitation (TCE) Support Programme is a consortium funded by the Department for Education (DfE) and led by Research in Practice with The Children’s Society and the University of Bedfordshire. Since 2019, TCE has worked with local areas across England to improve strategic responses to child exploitation and extra-familial harm.

We are delighted to announce that TCE will be continuing for a further 12 months, until March 2023, to build on Programme learning to date, to create and share ‘Practice Principles’ for child exploitation and extra-familial harm.

Click this link to register for a place on an open-access consultation event

At these events, TCE will:

• Explain what we’ve been commissioned by DfE to do
• Clarify what we mean by ‘Practice Principles’
• Ask participants to share child- exploitation-related system challenges
• Share our thinking so far on what Practice Principles could cover.

book now, limited places!

School attendance audit by The Children’s Commissioner for England

The Children’s Commissioner for England has published findings from an attendance audit exploring the groups of children missing from education and the reasons behind it. Discussions have been conducted with councils, local authorities and children missing from education. Findings reveal that many children are missing school due to unmet special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) or mental health needs, unaddressed bullying, or problems at home. Recommendations include: schools should create a culture that prioritises and promotes attendance, and organisations who are responsible for safeguarding and supporting children need effective information sharing methods to avoid children getting lost in the system. 

Read the news story: The Children’s Commissioner publishes voices of England’s missing children report 

Download the report: Voices of England’s missing children

Did you see Panorama on
Monday 20^th June?

Thirteen-year-old Olly Stephens left home for the final time on a Sunday afternoon in January 2021, telling his parents he was meeting a friend nearby. Fifteen minutes later, he had been murdered. Lured out by a teenage girl and stabbed to death by two teenage boys she had met online, the entire attack was planned on social media and triggered by a dispute on a chat group. With exclusive access to Olly’s parents Amanda and Stuart, Panorama reporter Marianna Spring investigates the violent and disturbing world their son had been exposed to online and follows their campaign for tighter regulations on harmful content.

To catch up please see here https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0018kg6/panorama-a-social-media-murder-ollys-story

New report shows public support for action to strengthen parent-infant relationships

On the first day of Infant Mental Health Awareness Week 2022, the Parent-Infant Foundation has launched findings from new research with the public and professionals. This included a survey with a representative sample of 2000 adults from across the UK, and work with teachers and early years professionals. 

The research shows that:

·         97% of professionals and 75% of the public recognise that early relationships are “very important”.

·         84% of the public agreed or agreed strongly that health services should offer support to families with issues in early parent-infant relationships.

·         84% of professionals disagree or strongly disagree that the UK Government does enough to protect children from trauma and its impact.

·         67% of professionals disagree that public services in their area do enough to support young children who have been exposed to trauma.

The survey results also underline the impact of the lack of services for very young children, including gaps in mental health services and health visiting services.

The report sets out the case for more specialised parent-infant relationship teams around the UK to strengthen and repair early relationships between parents and their babies when these are at risk. It also calls for wider across-Government action to reduce and address trauma and adversity, and to strengthen parent-infant relationships.

You can read the full report here. New report shows public support for action to strengthen parent-infant relationships