NCVYS STRATEGIC INFORMATION SERVICE BULLETIN NO. 461
16 October 2009
Vetting and barring scheme
On 12 October 2009, the Independent Safeguarding Authority's (ISA) vetting and barring scheme (VBS) went live. All organisations that employ paid staff or volunteers that work with children and young people need to be aware of the scheme and implications for their organisation. However, the VBS does not start for new workers or those moving jobs until July 2010 and ISA-registration does not become mandatory for these workers until November 2010. All other staff will be phased into the scheme from 2011. Guidance documents for the VBS are available on the ISA website.
http://www.isa.homeoffice.gov.uk/
http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/pns/DisplayPN.cgi?pn_id=2009_0181
VBS events
Community Matters, in partnership with Children England, is hosting three free regional events designed to help organisations understand the vetting and barring process. The events will be held in London and Leeds in November 2009, and in Birmingham in December 2009.
http://www.communitymatters.org.uk/events/
Post-16 education
Ed Balls, Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, has confirmed funding for at least 2,300 extra places for post-16 learners, in addition to the 55,000 extra places already funded out of the £655 million investment announced in Budget 2009. The investment will help fund the September Guarantee to give every school leaver who wants to continue learning a place at school, college, in training or an apprenticeship.
http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/pns/DisplayPN.cgi?pn_id=2009_0184
Home schooling
The Department for Children, Schools and Families has published its official response to the Badman review of elective home education in England. The document sets out a series of changes to the way local authorities (LAs) collect and use information about home education. It also states Government's commitment to supporting home educators and maps a new relationship between LAs and home educators.
http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/everychildmatters/ete/independentreviewofhomeeducation/irhomeeducation/
Teenage drinking
The Department for Children, Schools and Families has published statistics demonstrating the results of a targeted summer crackdown on teenage binge drinking with 15,000 young people being signposted to positive activities. More than 3,500 young people were targeted over the summer, with 5,171 litres of alcohol being confiscated from teenagers between July and September 2009.
http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/pns/DisplayPN.cgi?pn_id=2009_0189
Education and Employers Taskforce
Ed Balls, Secretary of State for Schools, and Peter Mandelson, Business Secretary, along with business and education experts, have launched the Education and Employers Taskforce. The Taskforce will be an independent charity that aims to increase education-employer partnerships, giving more young people the opportunity to gain skills and experience for the workplace.
http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/pns/DisplayPN.cgi?pn_id=2009_0187
PE and sport
The Department for Children, Schools and Families has published findings from its survey measuring the proportion of children doing high-quality physical education and sports at school. It also measures related aspects such as the number of sports on offer in schools and the number of children taking part in competitive sports and sport outside school.
http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/pns/DisplayPN.cgi?pn_id=2009_0185
http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/research/programmeofresearch/projectinformation.cfm?projectId=15612&type=5&resultspage=1
Looked after children
The Government has released statistics about looked after children in England for the year ending 31 March 2009. The figures are based on data from local authorities and report progress on seven National Indicators (NI), two of which also contribute to PSA 16 - to increase the proportion of socially excluded adults in settled accommodation and employment, education or training. The statistics show that there were 60,900 looked after children at 31 March 2009, 2% more than last year's figure of 59,400 but relatively unchanged compared to 2005.
http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000878/index.shtml
Anti-social behaviour
Home Secretary Alan Johnson has pledged extra help for victims of anti-social behaviour (ASB) and a crackdown on those that breach Anti-Social Behaviour Orders. There will also be new minimum service standards agreed with the public that outline what they should expect from councils, police, social landlords to deal with intimidation.
http://press.homeoffice.gov.uk/press-releases/more-victim-support
Communities
Communities Secretary John Denham today outlined a £12 million plan to reinvigorate and connect with those communities that are feeling the pressure from recession most acutely and ensure they are well placed to share fully in future prosperity and emerge stronger and more cohesive. Measures include around 100 areas of the country being identified to focus on alleviating those pressures and making sure that real help is available. The investment aims to demonstrate Government's recognition that there are still a number of key issues that cause concern at a local level, including worries about young people's future.
http://www.communities.gov.uk/news/corporate/1357214
Cohesive communities
Communities and Local Government has published Building Cohesive Communities: What frontline staff and community activists need to know. The publication provides guidance at a glance for frontline workers on techniques which can help build community cohesion, and includes a chapter on developing the role of young people.
http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/communities/buildingcohesion
Time-off entitlements
Following the Standing for Office: Time-off Entitlements consultation, Communities and Local Government has published its response document setting out the Government's commitment to working with a range of organisations to promote civic participation.
http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/communities/timeoffresponse
Volunteering
Communities Secretary John Denham has announced a new campaign to give more people the opportunity to volunteer for civic roles. John Denham wants more people to have influence and a bigger say in shaping the places in which they live and the public services they use. These include getting involved as members of probation boards, youth offender panels or councils' overview and scrutiny committees.
http://www.communities.gov.uk/news/corporate/1359039
National Year of Music
The Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) is calling for support for, and involvement in, the National Year of Music, running throughout the academic year 2009/10. This initiative aimed at young people up to the age of 19 and aims to give every young person a chance to get more from music by joining DCSF in: rising the profile of excellent music in England; encouraging participation in music; and moving music up the education agenda. Information about how to register your involvement and promote your events is included in the New Partner Information Pack, available via the DCSF website.
http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/tunein/
Apprenticeships
National Apprenticeship Week will take place from 1-5 February 2010. Organised by the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS), the Week will celebrate the talents and skills of apprentices. It will see apprentices, employers and all involved with Apprenticeship programmes come together to celebrate the value apprentices bring. National and regional activities will be taking place during the Week and each day will have a different focus. Anyone involved with Apprenticeships is invited to take part and if you're already planning activity, then NAS would like to hear from you. More information on Apprenticeship Week will be available online soon or contact Kay Greene (National Apprenticeship Service) T: 024 7682 5745 or E: Kay.Greene@apprenticeships.gov.uk
http://www.apprenticeships.org.uk/
National Survey of Third Sector Organisations
The Office of the Third Sector, in association with Ipsos MORI and Guidestar, is working with local groups in Gloucestershire, Bury and Hackney to conduct a pilot survey of local third sector organisations including charities, voluntary groups, community-led organisations and social enterprises. The pilot studies are exploring ways of surveying small, unregistered organisations, supplementing the extensive information on small organisations already gathered by the National Survey of Third Sector Organisations.
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/third_sector/news/news_stories/091014_researchpilots.aspx
Campbell Robb
Campbell Robb, Director General of the Office of the Third Sector and Social Exclusion, has announced he will take up a new post as Chief Executive of the housing and homelessness charity Shelter in the new year. The Cabinet Office will make an announcement on Campbell's replacement in the very near future.
http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/third_sector/news/news_stories/091015_campbellrobbshelter.aspx
Speech, language and communication
The Children's Secretary, Ed Balls has announced the appointment of Jean Gross as England's first Communication Champion. The Communication Champion, funded jointly by the Department for Children, Schools and Families and Department of Health, will be responsible for working across Government, delivery partners and other stakeholders to co-ordinate and build on initiatives to improve services for children and young people with speech, language and communication needs.
http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/pns/DisplayPN.cgi?pn_id=2009_0190
Skills Funding
Kevin Brennan MP, Minister for Further Education, Skills, Apprenticeships and Consumer Affairs, has formally appointed David Cragg as interim Chief Executive of Skills Funding, with immediate effect. David Cragg will lead the period of transition leading up to the formal creation of the new Skills Funding on 1 April 2010, subject to the passage of legislation.
http://bis.createsend.com/t/ViewEmail/r/3F388CE3D0F99B47/C67FD2F38AC4859C/
Coalition for Young People
The Coalition for Young People, of which NCVYS is a co-founder, attended all the Party conferences this season promoting its manifesto for young people. Demands include young people to get the help and support they need, when they need it and more young people to be involved in decision-making. The events were an opportunity for young people to meet Ministers and MPs and participate in a dance workshop with Flava (Britain's Got Talent semi-finalists).
http://blogukyouth.wordpress.com/2009/10/12/uk-youth-make-demands-for-young-people-at-party-conferences/
Serious case reviews
Ofsted has published an evaluation of the 302 serious case reviews carried out by Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCBs) between July 2007 and September 2009. LSCBs undertake serious case reviews where a serious incident occurs involving a child and abuse or neglect is known or suspected.
http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/Ofsted-home/Publications-and-research/Browse-all-by/Documents-by-type/Statistics/Serious-case-review-evaluations-April-2007-onwards/(language)/eng-GB
Young people and disability
IDeA has publisihed information on the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea's innovative scheme that encourages young people to work with young people with disabilities. The ‘buddies' work alongside existing youth workers to help young, disabled service users get the most out of their time at youth centres.
http://www.idea.gov.uk/idk/core/page.do?pageId=13355528
Substance-abusing parents
Researchers from the National Addiction Centre and Criminal Justice Research Centre have found that the number of children living with substance-abusing parents has been considerably under-estimated. The researchers estimate that 30% of under-16 (3.3 to 3.5 million) lived with at least one binge drinking parent, while 22% (2.6 million) lived with a hazardous drinker. They said that 335,000 children lived with a drug dependent parent.
http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/1471-2458-9-377.pdf
Child neglect
Research published by Action for Children has found that more than one in 10 (11%) of professionals working with children have seen an increase in suspected cases of child neglect in the last 12 months, yet nearly 1 in 5 (19%) have had no training or information on what to do. The research found that a number of clear signals that have alerted professionals to neglected children, including a child who is receiving inappropriate care in the home (47%).
http://www.actionforchildren.org.uk/content.aspx?CategoryID=644
Not in education, employment or training
New Philanthropy Capital has published a report around supporting young people not in employment, education or training (NEET). Getting back on track is intended to help donors make informed decisions about their giving, and to provide charities with a context for thinking about their work. Findings highlighted in the report include: Government services to tackle the problem are failing the most at-risk children and charities play an important role in not only supporting children who aren't in education or work, but also in stopping them from getting into that situation in the first place.
http://www.philanthropycapital.org/research/research_reports/education/NEETS.aspx?dm_i=59B,21K6,N0EKS,6IPR,1
Youth justice
A report published by the Economic and Social Research Council, Interrupted education - interrupted life, considers the criminal justice system as a disruptive force on the lives of young people. Key messages include: delays in bringing cases to court are not only stressful but counterproductive and the system does not take into account that some young people are employed or in higher education prior to custody.
http://pet.netefficiency.co.uk/fileadmin/user_upload/doc/offender_learning_matters/Interrupted_education-interrupted_life
Sexuality
The Equality and Human Rights Commission has published Beyond Tolerance: Making Sexual Orientation a Public Matter, which sets out the findings of extensive research into the experiences of lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) people in today's society. The research found that LGB young people and staff still face high levels of homophobic bullying both inside and outside of school and many LGB people say they would avoid teaching or other jobs that involve working with children because of negative perceptions relating to their sexual orientation. Only 51% of lesbians, 52% of gay men, 44% of bisexual women and 10% of bisexual men felt they could be open about their sexual orientation in schools, colleges and universities.
http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/fairer-britain/beyond-tolerance-sexual-orientation-project/
Alcohol
The Centre for Public Health at Liverpool John Moores University has published research which finds that parents who allow school-age children to drink occasionally may be protecting them from alcohol damage, violence and sexual danger. The survey of almost 10,000 15- to 16-year-olds' drinking patterns in north-west England found that enforcing abstinence within the family may push youngsters out into more dangerous environments and increase the risk of excessive drinking.
http://www.cph.org.uk/publications.aspx
Immigration detention
Medical experts are demanding an urgent review of the Government policy of detaining children in immigration removal centres after finding clear evidence indicating that detention is ‘harmful to children's mental and physical well-being'. Doctors examined 24 children detailed at Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre and found that the majority were experiencing mental and physical health difficulties related to being in detention.
http://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/whats_happening/media_office/latest_news/18550_pr.html
Stereotypes of young people
The volunteering charity v has conducted an online poll of young people aged 16 to 25 to challenge negative stereotypes of young people. The poll found that 85% of young people said that they or their friends do not carry knives and 69% did not agree that it was alright to use drugs for recreational use. The survey also revealed that 78% of young people say they respect their elders; 75% are happy with the relationship they have with their family and 68% are content living at home.
http://www.vinspired.com/v
Impact of recession on families
Research by the Institute for Public Policy Research (ippr) has analysed the behaviour of low-income families in London, Newcastle, Nottingham and Glasgow, looking at how the recession has changed the spending, saving and borrowing habits of families. ippr found that most parents felt considerable pressure and anxiety about their ability to provide for their children now and in the future. ippr argues that initiatives to encourage families to save must be expanded, not cut.
http://www.ippr.org/pressreleases/?id=3748
Comic Relief
Comic Relief has a number of funding programmes for the voluntary and community sector throughout the UK including. For projects based in the UK, they are currently running programmes including young people aged 11-25 (sexually exploited and trafficked young people; young people and alcohol; young people with mental health problems) and local communities. The deadline for the next funding cycle is: 2-13 November 2009.
http://www.comicrelief.com/apply_for_a_grant/uk
Children and families funding
The Nuffield Foundation has launched a children and families funding programme. The programme supports work to help ensure that the legal and institutional framework is best adapted to meet the needs of children and families. Particular interests include: work that links education and child development, either in the case of adolescent mental health or younger children; work that considers especially the well-being of children growing up in adverse conditions, and what institutional responses may be appropriate; and work in child protection and placement (adoption and fostering) but only when it raises significant issues. The deadline for outline applications is 6 November 2009 and final applications is 8 January 2010.
http://www.nuffieldfoundation.org/go/grants/cplfj/page_30.html
Power of sport
Nominations are now open for the BBC Power of Sport Award, supported by Sport England - an opportunity to celebrate grassroots sporting projects that have really changed people's lives. The Award is a chance to showcase inspirational projects that involve a recognised sport. The Award will recognise sustainable projects that have increased the number of people taking part, as well as those that are tackling some of the issues facing grassroots sport, including: the drop-off in participation after school age, under-represented groups and communities with poor access to sport.
http://www.sportengland.org/about_us/our_news/celebrating_the_power_of_sport.aspx
THIS WEEK IN PARLIAMENT
Apprenticeships Bill
The House of Lords has continued its examination of the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Bill. Amendments discussed covered clauses 88-126 of the Bill on subjects including encouraging post-19 education education and training, apprenticeship schemes, adult detention and the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation.
http://news.parliament.uk/2009/10/apprenticeships-bill-lords-committee-stage-7/
http://news.parliament.uk/2009/10/apprenticeships-bill-lords-committee-stage-8/
Higher education and student loans
David Willetts, Conservative Shadow Secretary of State for Universities and Skills, opened an Opposition Day debate in the House of Commons on higher education and student loans.
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmhansrd/cm091014/debtext/91014-0008.htm#09101435002339
Young offender institutions
Home Office Minister Phil Woolas issued a holding response to Jim Cousins' (Lab, Newcastle upon Tyne Central) question about how many young people at each young offender institution were detained beyond their sentence expiry date as a consequence of unresolved immigration issues.
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmhansrd/cm091015/text/91015w0016.htm#09101544004557
Knife possession
Jim Cunningham (Lab, Coventry South) asked Alan Campbell, Home Office Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, what his most recent estimate of the adequacy of the provisions of current legislation in reducing the number of offences related to the possession of a knife, and what recent steps have been taken to increase levels of awareness of these provisions by the police and local communities.
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmhansrd/cm091015/text/91015w0016.htm#09101544004559 |
