DfE have launched  a consultation regarding safeguarding arrangements for Out of School settings including religious groups, home education environments, tuition settings, youth centres, uniformed youth organisations and extra-curricular clubs which are not currently regulated by education or childcare law meaning such providers are not subject to the same safeguarding requirements as registered schools or childcare settings.

The DfE says that while there are many examples of exemplary providers that create positive and safe environments for children to flourish, there are also examples of settings that “lack sufficient safeguards” and in which children are at increased risk of harm to their physical or mental health; intellectual, emotional or behavioural development, or can be exposed to unsafe or hazardous environments.

It is important to share this information with unregistered childcare providers (those offering provision for children over the age of 8yrs and some holiday play-schemes) to encourage them to respond.

The consultation closes on the 24^th February”. click the following link to complete

http://www.dudley.gov.uk/resident/early-years/for-parents-and-carers/early-education-funding/

It would be really helpful if after you have completed the consultation you notify us through this blog so that we can calculate the number of Dudley responses.

Please note there are a limited number of spaces still available for Child Development in the Early Years on Thursday 17^th January 9:30-12:30pm

Aims:

The course will:

• Explore attachment theory and how it affects children’s personal, social and emotional development, behaviour and learning
• Recognise that a child is a unique individual whose development usually follows predictable patterns
• Provide an overview of development areas and the terminology most frequently used
• Recognise that many factors affect a child’s development.

Learning Outcomes:

At the end of the course, participants will: 

• Have a broad overview of child development and will have considered their own professional development needs
• Have an awareness of attachment theory and its affect on child development
• Identify development areas and use these to acknowledge the uniqueness of each child
• Know about the factors that may affect child development.

Who is this course for?

Professional workforce who work with and support young children and their families.

If you are interested in booking on please enrol on the link below:

https://dudleysafeguarding.event-booking.org/event-detail/%3D%3DQO3UDN/Child-Development-in-the-Early-Years—What-You-Need-To-Know

For more information on our other courses please visit: https://dudleysafeguarding.event-booking.org/events-list

Click the following link http://safeguarding.dudley.gov.uk/child/work-with-children-young-people/safer/ to access the really useful safer snippets updates from DSCB

Dear All

Happy New Year to you all, I hope that you have returned from your Christmas break feeling relaxed and motivated for 2019.

I am delighted to be back at Dudley CVS after my really successful and enjoyable secondment with Dudley MBC as CSE Co-ordinator. I would like to thank everyone who made my experience a positive one during my time with the Local Authority.

I have already reconnected with my team mates Donna and Anthony who have been working hard during my absence.  We are sad to say goodbye to Luke who has moved on to pastures new and we wish him well as he begins a new chapter in his career.  I must also say a big thank you to Jane Clarke, who is a active trustee at Dudley CVS and who kindly agreed to cover some of my duties and support the team whilst I was away.

Well back to it now with a bang, we have just had our first team meeting of the new year and have big plans to further support children, young people and their families to fully engage, have their say and be part of the decisions that affect them and their peers.

Big plans are great but will only come to fruition by re connecting with all of the amazing children and youth involving organisations who exist in Dudley to hear your thoughts, wishes and understand your priorities for the coming year, so please be ready for that email or call or both! to arrange to come and spend some time with you.

I am really looking forward to seeing you all again and inviting you to the next CYPF- Network on Friday 1st March

Nicki

LEADERSHIP MATTERS

Thursday 1^st March saw the first “Leadership Matters” workshop for third sector leaders on “Moments that matter: Dealing with Conflict”.

12 leaders came together to see whether there was any synergy in having a leadership training track, in a safe environment to learn and give themselves permission to take much deserved time in investing in their leadership skills.

Jayne Sargeant, leader of Phase Trust, facilitated the session which covered causes and sources of conflict, consequences, style of conflict and gave some basic tools for handling and managing conflict.

The overwhelming feedback from this pilot session was that this was an excellent chance to reflect on our own practice, gave lots of helpful ideas on how to deal with conflicts currently faced and that more sessions like this were needed and wanted.

The hope is that this will be the start of leaders not only receiving investment into their growth and development but also an opportunity to share their learning and experience and invest into others. Further sessions hope to include topics such as “Self-leadership”, “Building great teams”, “Strategic leadership” and “Leaving a legacy”.

Outstanding Citizen Awards 2018 – Nomination Form

Please find below details of the Outstanding Citizen Award for 2018 which was launched at the end of January and is looking for  the unsung heroes of the West Midlands to be nominated for the Award.

Nominations are now being accepted for the following categories:

Outstanding Citizen

Outstanding Young Citizen

Outstanding Community Project

Individuals or organisations who are nominated for the awards will be voluntary or community based and will have shown consistent dedication to their community over a period of time, giving up their own time and helping others in ways which contribute to community safety or reducing crime and disorder.  The closing date for nominations will be Monday 9 April 2018, and there will then be an Awards Ceremony held on Thursday 5 July 2018.  As with previous years custody visitors will also be presented with long service awards on the evening , as well as thank you for their work this year and a welcome for new visitors.

At PAPYRUS we know that cyberbullying is driving younger children to seek help with suicide thoughts. Today, to mark World Safer Internet Day, we have launched our Bedtime Stories campaign with a hard-hitting film to raise awareness of the impact of online bullying. We know from calls to our helpline, HOPELineUK, that online bullying is a contributing factor for many young people having thoughts of suicide. Over 200 schoolchildren die by suicide every year in the UK. We need everyone to be aware of the impact that online bullying can have on children and young people’s mental health. This Safer Internet Day, we want to unite against bullying and consider what we can do to make our online environment safer.

Bedtime Stories

This new film is part of the charity’s year-long campaign to Save The #ClassOf2018. Over 200 schoolchildren die by suicide every year in the UK. Suicide is the main cause of death of all young people under 35 in the UK. The message through this film is to say to parents ‘a better internet starts with you’ and to encourage them to ‘Create, Connect and Share Respect’ by engaging with their children in a conversation about their online activity.

How can you help?

share our film: #BedtimeStories – a hard-hitting film about online bullying https://youtu.be/yuqlg_pyZks

Download our resources: https://www.papyrus-uk.org/help-advice/resources/bedtimestories-online-bullying

Update your profile picture: Show that you are part of the effort to help stop online bullying by updating your Facebook or Twitter profile picture with our new frame

Join the conversation online: Share our social media posts and how you’re helping to stop online bullying using the hashtags #SID2018 and #BedtimeStories

Take a look at this months issue of the safer snippets update

Safer Snippets – February 2018

Would you mind taking a few minutes to watch the video link  and complete the consultation please.

http://www.wmca.org.uk/wmfs

As you may already be aware, West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) will be carrying out a public consultation on whether West Midlands Fire Service (WMFS) should be run by the WMCA in the future.

The public consultation, starts on 11^th January and runs until March the 8^th. It follows an independent appraisal of how WMFS is currently run and governed.

This appraisal looked at how a new governance model would impact on the community, deliver improved public services, improve scrutiny, transparency and accountability, while providing value for money.

Following this it was felt the WMCA would be the best option in helping the fire service meet its overarching vision: Making the West Midlands Safer, Stronger and Healthier and meet government expectations of the fire sector and other blue light services.

A scheme outlining the proposed arrangements and responsibilities was then put together which details how the fire service would operate within the Combined Authority and who would be responsible for making decisions. WMCA’s seven constituent local authorities have all approved the scheme for it go to public consultation.

Benefits of moving under the Combined Authority include a more joined up way of working with local authorities, health providers and the police, while having a shared vision for the region. In addition, public services will be delivered at a reduced cost in a more coordinated, integrated and collaborative way.

If the changes were to be agreed, the Mayor of the West Midlands Andy Street, would become the single point of accountability for the fire service and the Chief Fire Officer would report directly to the Mayor. A Fire Advisory Committee would advise and support the Mayor.

We are committed to maximising engagement levels as much as possible during the public consultation, in order to reach the diverse range of communities which exist across the West Midlands.

1. The consultation questionnaire and corresponding background documents can be accessed by visiting https://www.wmca.org.uk. Paper copies of the consultation will also be available at a number of public locations, including Civic Offices. It can also be downloaded from the WMCA website.