E-Links Issue 31

E-LINKS
ISSUE 31 - 2015
27th March 2015
Dear Children’s Links Member
Your news bulletin is produced fortnightly and is designed
to keep you up-to-date with the latest developments in
children and family policy.
In this edition you will find the following:











Ofsted Social Care Annual Report
Gaps and Opportunities for Young People and Technology
Abbey Ward Toy Library Event - 14th March 2015
Safe Network
Childcare Business Grant 2015-16
TalkLinks Workshops
Life-changing course for unemployed 16 to 25 year olds
FREE Lincolnshire Volunteer Card Training
New Child Sexual Exploitation Measures Announced
Children’s Links’ Vacancies
Upgrade your Children’s Links Membership!
If you have any news or infor mati on that you woul d li ke t o s ha r e in t h e E -B ul le ti n p le a se e m ai l
mem bers hip@c hi ldrensl inks . or g. u k
Committed to improving the life quality and experiences of children, young people and their families.
Ofsted Social Care Annual Report
Ofsted has published the Social Care
Annual Report 2013 – 2014. Key points
include:

England’s children’s social care sector
remains under intense pressure, with
number of children in need increasing
by 5%, the number of child protection
plans increasing by 12% and the
number of children being looked after
by local authorities increasingly 1% in
the last year

The child protection system in England
remains in transition following the
Munro Review

Of the 43 local authority inspections
carried out against the new Ofsted
framework, 10 were judged as good, 7
as inadequate, and 26 as requiring
improvement

The lack of joined-up information at a
local level is indicative of weaknesses
in the Local Safeguarding Children
Boards (LSCBs) that are required to
oversee local partnership working

Since the introduction of a policy
change in which any children’s home
without a registered manager will be
judged inadequate for leadership and
management and potentially
inadequate overall, there has been a
decrease in the amount of time that
homes are without a registered
manager

Problems in recruiting and retaining
social managers are a big issue of
concern

Maintaining consistent leadership in
children’s services is a challenge – in
2013–14, a third of local authorities
had at least one change of director of
children’s services
Gaps and Opportunities for Young
People and Technology
Abbey Ward Toy Library Event - 14th
March 2015
NESTA has published Young Digital Makers,
a report which surveys the opportunities and
identifies gaps and next steps for young
people to create with technology across the
UK. Key points include:

82% of young people say they are
interested in digital making, however,
half of young people make things with
digital technology less than once a
week or never

89% of parents think that digital
making is a worthwhile activity for their
children and 73% cent encouraging
their children to make things with
technology

NESTA identified 130,800
opportunities to experience digital
making provided by the organisations
surveyed, this is a long way from
providing for the interest shown by
82%of our survey, which represents a
possible 8.2 million school age
children and young people in the UK

Digital making is powered not just by
money, but also by volunteers, with
two thirds of the organisations
identified said they relied on volunteers
to do their work

Only half of teachers who teach ICT or
computing report being confident in
teaching the curriculum
On the 14th March 2015 the Toy Library in
Lincoln held a Family Fun Event in the Abbey Ward in Lincoln.
Throughout the day families from the local
community had the chance to see what the
Toy Library has to offer including a variety of
toys and play opportunties, multi sensory
equipment, arts and crafts , face painting
and glitter tattoos.
The event was a susses with 75 attendees
(compromising of 20 families), 50% of those
were current members and 100% of the attendees said they would use the toy library
in the future.
For more information about the Toy Library,
including opening times, please visit our
website or contact the Toy Library on 01522
546215 or toylibrary@childrenslinks.org.uk
Safe Network
Safe Network is a one stop shop for the
community and voluntary sector, which
includes charities, community and voluntary
groups and social enterprise organisations,
no matter how big or small, to get advice on
the best way to ensure the safety of the
children and young people (CYP) they come
into contact with, tailored to their specific
needs. Safe Network services are primarily
delivered through its high quality website,
and it is free to register.
www.safenetwork.org.uk
Childcare Business Grant 2015-16
TalkLinks Workshops:
The government will fund a further £2 million
extension for the existing Childcare
Business Grant scheme to cover 2015-16.
Connecting & Communicating with
Young People with ADHD
One Day Workshop Newcastle 27/03/15
Nottingham 24/04/15
As increasing numbers of young people with
ADHD present to services, their needs
introduce particular challenges to those
seeking to support them to reach their
potential. Explore the presentation and
impact of ADHD, and develop skills to more
effectively engage young people with the
condition.
“I would recommend this course to
anyone working with young people... A
must!!”
Michael Molden, Foyer Centre Youth
Worker
Minister for Women and Equalities Nicky
Morgan has announced an extension to the
childcare business grants scheme. The
value of the grants will be doubled, and
extended to existing childcare businesses
that have been trading for under a year.
Minister for Women and Equalities Nicky
Morgan said: "Working families benefit from
a thriving childcare sector, with the scheme
supporting up to 3,000 new childcare
businesses in the next financial year. I am
pleased to inform the House that, from this
April, we are doubling the value of the grants
available to childminders and nurseries. We
will also extend the scheme to existing
childcare businesses that have been trading
for under one year."
NB: The Childcare Business Grants Scheme
claim award will increase with effect from the
1st April 2015 - Claims approved for
payment on or after the 1st April 2015 will be
paid at the new rate
NB: Application will be accepted for new
business and new businesses who are
operating within the 1st 12 months since the
receipt of their Ofsted or CMA certificate.
NB: If you have previously applied for and
been in receipt of a Childcare Business
Grant you are not eligible to apply again.
http://
www.childcarebusinessgrants.dcms.gov.uk/
Working with Young Offenders - A
Communication Skills Approach
One Day Workshop
Newcastle 26/03/15 Nottingham 23/04/15
More than 60% of Young Offenders have
Communication Support Needs, limiting their
ability to benefit from rehabilitation
interventions, build productive relationships
and move forward in their lives. Learn more
about how these difficulties present, and
develop skills to improve your practice.
"Excellent workshop. Interesting, factual,
useful. I will make changes to my
practice... Ten out of ten”.
Elliot Blaylock, Restorative Justice
Worker
Want to find out more? Email
contact@talklinks.org Visit
www.talklinks.org Tweet @talklinks
Call 07734 463 039
Life-changing course for unemployed 16
to 25 year olds
The Prince’s Trust next 12-week
Team Programme Course starts on Monday, May 18, at Boston Fire Station.
It will provide opportunities to young people
who will be able to achieve qualifications as
well as having a life-changing experience.
Unemployed 16 to 25-year-olds will have an
opportunity to develop their confidence, selfesteem, teamwork, problem solving and
communication skills.
If you know anyone who is in need of skill
development, stuck in a rut or just doesn’t
know what they want to do, please refer
them to the Prince’s Trust.
The focus will be on job search and career
planning. The course is incredibly successful
and has changed people’s lives, resulting
in job offers.
It also includes an outward bound course,
fundraising activities and a community project. The course has been successful on
many levels, particularly for those with confidence and self-esteem issues.
It addition there is support with social issues
such as housing, exercise, healthy eating,
court demands and visitation/access rights.
For more information call 01522 582285 or
contact Tracey Cooper, 07748 153081,
email tracey.cooper@lincoln.fire-uk.org
FREE Lincolnshire Volunteer Card Training
Helping others can be a hugely rewarding
experience, and Lincolnshire Volunteer Card
(LVC) training prepares you to dive in!
Supported by Lincolnshire County Council, this
is a free service available to everyone aged 16
and above – providing a range of skills and
knowledge.
Following training you will receive a certificate
and your own unique Volunteer Card, which is
recognised by organisations countywide. LVC
has helped over 1600 volunteers across the
county so far, with independent evaluation
showing that 75% found it improved their
experience of volunteering. Learners also
mentioned increased confidence and enhanced
job skills.
For more information on the Lincolnshire
Volunteer Card please contact the Children’s
Links Sector Support team on 0845 373 0645 or
email LVC@childrenslinks.org.uk
For details of other LVC courses available,
please click here.
New Child Sexual Exploitation Measures
Announced
The Prime Minister has announced a range of
measures to tackle child sexual exploitation at
Downing Street summit on the issue. Key
measures include:

A national whistleblowing helpline so
public sector workers can report bad
practice relating to CSE

A CSE taskforce of professional
troubleshooting experts in social work,
law enforcement and health that will
support local services

A new system for “clawing back” exit payoffs for senior staff who leave a post for
failing to protect children, but are “quickly
re-employed” in a similar role

Child sexual abuse will be prioritised as a
“national threat”, meaning police forces
will have a duty to collaborate across
force boundaries

An additional £14m will be given to
organisations supporting victims of sexual
abuse (£7m in 2014/15 and £7m in
2015/16)
Children’s Links’ Vacancies
Children’s Links have a variety of vacancies in
the children’s sector ranging from Childcare
Assistants to Visit Centre Workers in prisons.
To view the current vacancies visit the
Children’s Links website.
Upgrade your Children’s Links Membership!
Children’s Links’ Membership Service is full of
relevant children’s sector benefits designed
specifically to meet your needs. We have
recently introduced new membership packages:
Enhanced at only £75.00 per year, and Standard
which is currently free.
If you would like to become a member please
complete the membership application form or
contact us by email.
As part of the Enhanced Membership package
we can offer bespoke advice and support
tailored towards meeting the specific needs of
your setting. This will be provided via phone or
email, time limited to one hour. The advice will
focus on Committees, Recruitment and
employment, Ofsted requirements and Finance
You will also have free access to Children’s
Links resources and guidance documents on key
topics and legislation and much more!
To see the full benefits of our Enhanced
Membership Package please visit our new
website!
If you would like to upgrade your membership
please contact us by calling 0845 3730645 or
emailing membership@childrenslinks.org.uk