Source: The Independent Review of Children’s Social Care
Date: 05 August 2021

The Chair of the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care in England has written to the government setting out three areas identified as needing urgent investment that should be prioritised in the spending review. The areas include: family help to support families who are struggling to parent their children in conditions of adversity; homes for children in care; and the mental health of children in care.

Read the letter: Letter to government on spending review

Source: Home Office

Date: 21 July 2021

The Home Office has published the Tackling violence against women and girls strategy. Elements of the strategy relating to crime, policing and justice apply to England and Wales, while elements relating to health, social care, and education apply to England only. The strategy sets out the government’s plan to increase support for victims and survivors, increase the number of perpetrators brought to justice and to reduce the prevalence of violence against women and girls. Immediate steps to improve safety for women and girls include: a new national policing lead on violence against women and girls; a £5 Million ‘Safety of Women at Night’ Fund focussing on the prevention of violence against women and girls in public spaces at night; and appointing two Violence Against Women and Girls Transport Champions, to tackle the problems faced by female passengers on public transport.

Read the news story: Tackling violence against women and girls strategy launched

Read the strategy: Tackling violence against women and girls strategy

Source: Department for Education
Date: 06 July 2021

The Department for Education (DfE) has published updated Keeping children safe in education 2021 statutory guidance for schools and colleges in England. This guidance comes into force on 1 September 2021 and replaces Keeping children safe in education 2020 (updated January 2021). Substantive changes, outlined in Annexe G, cover areas including: child on child sexual violence and sexual harassment; safeguarding information for all staff; the management of safeguarding; safer recruitment; and allegations made against or concerns raised in relation to teachers. Separately, the DfE has published a summary of the responses to its consultation on proposed changes to the statutory guidance for schools and colleges in England. NSPCC Learning has published a CASPAR briefing summarising key points in the updated guidance

Read the guidance: Keeping children safe in education
Read the consultation responses: Keeping children safe in education: proposed revisions 2021
Read the CASPAR briefing: CASPAR briefing: Keeping children safe in education 2021

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

Give feedback: Case for change: feedback form

Source: Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel
Date: 14 May 2021

The Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel has published its second annual report looking at how effectively the system of national and local child safeguarding practice reviews is operating in England. The Panel received notification of 482 serious incidents between 1 January and 31 December 2020, relating to 514 children. Of those notifications, 206 were in relation to child deaths and 267 related to serious harm. Of the 206 fatal incidents, 17% were caused by maltreatment within the family, 8% were extra-familial assaults or homicide, 31% were sudden unexpected deaths in infancy (SUDI) and 20% were suicides. Notifications relating to serious harm notifications show that: physical abuse was the main form of harm recorded in 38% of non-fatal cases; domestic abuse was recognised in 42.6% of non-fatal incidents; and parental mental ill-health was a characteristic in 27.3% of non-fatal incidents. The report identifies six key practice themes to make a difference in reducing serious harm and preventing child deaths caused by abuse or neglect. A briefing summarising learning from this report will be published by NSPCC Learning next week.

Read the press release: Safeguarding system needs to tackle “stubborn challenges”
Read the report: Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel: annual report 2020