The summer break is upon us and Waltham Forest has plenty of exciting activities and events running throughout the holidays.

Among them are free family sessions for children aged 5 to 11, and free activities for 11 to 19-year-olds, including some designed for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

There really is something for everyone, from arts and crafts and drama to a range of outdoor adventures!

We know crime is a concern for many Waltham Forest residents, and we are committed to working with parents in our community to keep children and young people safe.

We have joined forces with the Metropolitan Police, Health and Education services, and the Community and Voluntary sector to create our ground-breaking Violence Reduction Partnership (VRP).

The VRP takes a public health approach to tackling and preventing violence. This aims to treat some of the underlying causes, rather than just tackling the symptoms.

To keep up to date about what Waltham Forest is doing to keep you and your children safe, sign up for our Community Safety newsletter.

The internet offers kids endless opportunities, but also some risks. From talking to parents: how children use social media and other digital issues are some of the main topics where parents are seeking advice, but aren’t always sure where to go. We want to help you recognise the risks of being online, and feel confident discussing them with the children you care for.

There is a lot of advice out there, but Digital Parenting is one source that Waltham Forest council recommends. Digital Parenting has lots of helpful hints and advice for families. Covering topics such as ESports and fake news, it will also help you discuss difficult subjects like screen time and setting digital boundaries with your children.

Summer’s here and with it opportunities for children to enjoy a variety of out of school activities, including sport, music, art, religious education and extra study.
These are mostly run by volunteers, who want the best for your children. People looking after children should always be happy to answer your questions about activities being provided. Questions might include:

• Do volunteers have a Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) check, which highlights any criminal convictions.
• Does the provider hosting the activity have insurance,
• Asking about safeguarding arrangements, including if there is a trained first aider.
• Checking how they will contact you in an emergency. 

These simple questions can help reassure you that your child is safe during summer.

Until Monday 30 September 2019, children aged 11-19 living or attending a school in Waltham Forest have the chance to enter our competition to win up to £100 in gift vouchers.

Bring out your child’s creative side by asking them to think about the following question:

What kind of world do you want to live in?

Their answer could be a 60-second film, short story, poem , rap, drawing or photo, showing how they imagine their borough will look in 100, 200 or 10,000 years’ time. Let their imaginations run wild, answering in any way they want.

How to enter

Young local athletes scooped the Most Improved Borough award for Waltham Forest at the 2019 London Youth Games final earlier this month.

The borough was represented by over 300 young athletes and para-athletes who achieved a total of six gold medals, one silver, nine bronze and four fourth place finishes in various disciplines.

Team Waltham Forest has gone from 22^nd place in 2018 to 14^th in 2019, resulting in the greatest increase in points since last year.

Read more here

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