Refreshed Warwickshire Safeguarding Offer

The Children & Families and Education Services - Safeguarding Training Programme - 2020-2021

From September, there will be a number of changes to safeguarding support for schools. The attached training programme and slides explain these in more detail.

Training Programme

Safeguarding Presentation Slides

Supporting pupil well-being after lock-down

'Positive Effect' is offering all schools, colleges and key partners within the UK a free webinar on ‘Supporting pupil & student well-being after lock-down’.

Positive Effect provides practical, effective mental health and well-being training and solutions that equip teachers and schools staff with the skills to reduce stigma, raise awareness and support every pupil/student.

Mental health is a key issue for all schools & colleges and now – more than ever – we need to make sure we are supporting pupil well-being. This training can help you prepare.

Anyone concerned about, or with responsibility for pupil mental health and well-being will learn - 

• About the issues affecting pupil and student mental health during lock-down
• Practical low cost or no cost solutions and top tips to implement
• How Positive Effect can make a difference to your school’s attainment, attendance and culture through improvements in pupil & student mental health

Register for the free webinar here

Further information can be found here

Guidance for parents and carers of children attending out-of-school settings during Covid-19

The Department of Education has published guidance covering changes to after-school clubs, holiday clubs, tuition, community activities and other out-of-school settings for children and young people over the age of 5 during the coronavirus outbreak.

The full document can be accessed here

Guidance for the providers of out-of-school settings can be found here

Guidance for getting all pupils back in the autumn term

The Department for Education has published guidance for schools, outlining plans for the autumn.

The plans include - 

• Lift current restrictions on group sizes to allow schools, colleges and nurseries to fully reopen to all children and young people as COVID-19 infection rates continue to fall
• Keep children in class or year group sized ‘bubbles’ and encourage older children and staff to keep their distance from each other where possible
• Encourage testing if staff, pupils or their families develop Covid-19 symptoms and provide access to easy to use home testing kits for children and staff who would otherwise be unable to get a test
• Increase the frequency of cleaning and minimise contact in corridors
• Take action in circumstances where there is a positive case in a school or college

Full details can be found using the following link - Guidance for full opening: schools

Guidance for parents about what to expect in September can be found here

Ofsted Updates

Please see the links below for updates from Ofsted

Ofsted’s Annual Report and Accounts for 2019-2020

Ofsted's corporate annual reports provide highlights of projects and set out progress in meeting objectives.

The full report can be read here

Educational plans from September 2020

Guidance for education providers about Ofsted’s phased return to inspection has been published and can be accessed using the following link - Ofsted's Phased return to inspection

Post-inspection processes and complaints handling

Ofsted revises post-inspection processes and complaints handling to bring about greater consistency across its work.

Further information can be found here

Annual Parent's Survey

This report presents the findings from online surveys on parents’ awareness and perceptions of Ofsted. Surveys conducted by YouGov between 12 and 25 February 2020.  1,101 parents responded.

The full report can be found here

Inspection reports

A recent survey found that Ofsted's inspection reports are well-received by parents.

• Over 4 in 5 parents think Ofsted’s inspection reports are useful.
• Eight out of 10 parents felt the inspection report portrayed the school/other provider accurately.
• Three-quarters of parents said information provided is reliable
• Two-thirds of parents agree Ofsted helps to improve the standard of education.

Read full details here

Medical Conditions Awareness

In response to the planned return of all children to education settings in the Autumn term 2020, Warwickshire School Health and Wellbeing Service have reviewed the delivery of Medical Conditions Training following enquiries, requests and feedback from schools.

The service will now be offering free Medical Conditions training on a cluster basis in four localities across Warwickshire. The session will include Asthma, Anaphylaxis and Epilepsy and will be delivered by School Nurses, adhering to social distancing guidance.

These cluster training sessions will have limited places due to these restrictions and we would appreciate if you could confirm if your school wishes to send any delegates to a session. We are currently looking for venues that can hold 40 delegates safely, please contact us if you are able to offer your school. 

To ensure that all schools are supported, there will be free awareness webinars providing relevant information on Asthma, Anaphylaxis and Epilepsy. A demonstration on how to use an auto injector will be shown during the webinars. The webinar will be available to schools from 1st September 2020.

Training will also be provided to staff where Buccal Midazolam is needed for a newly diagnosed, or new pupil in school.

Further details and contact information can be found here

Role of Warwickshire School Improvement – Consortium Chair

The role of Consortium Chair is an important one in a system lead school improvement model.  The Local Authority is always grateful for the work carried out by our Consortium Chairs, even more so in the last four months.  

WCC's new blending learning website

WCC’s new blended learning website offers support for teachers to make the best use of technology to support learning, within and beyond the classroom. This blog from Ofsted outlines the findings of their research into what works with eLearning in FE. The key messages are applicable across other phases of education:

• Feedback from the teacher is crucial to engagement – eLearning can provide opportunities for individual feedback which pupils value
• Live lessons are more effective than recorded lessons – teachers can check learners’ engagement regularly
• Opportunities for discussion are appreciated by learners – they miss the classroom discussion

Guidance for WCC Staff Visiting Third Party Settings

As settings focus on the government’s expectation of returning to business as usual by September, WCC are keen to ensure that you feel safe and confident as you prepare to resume service delivery. Some services will be ready sooner than others and we know that your team’s risk assessment will have considered how your service can be delivered safely. Settings will want to know how we are going to deliver our services safely too.

The following key messages will apply to any service and will help to reassure settings that our staff are ready to deliver our services effectively within the current constraints, as soon as it is safe to do so:

· Before returning to work in any of our buildings or other third-party settings you will be asked to complete a re-instatement checklist and site re-induction checklist. This will be undertaken virtually with your line manager e.g. through Microsoft Teams or over the telephone. Currently, government advice is to continue working from home where possible.

· Visits to third party settings will be limited and where possible alternatives to these visits should be considered, such as holding meetings remotely.

· Before any visits can be agreed to another setting, for example a school, we will need to request copies of that site’s risk assessment.

· In advance of any visits, make sure you are aware of the latest social distancing guidance, health and safety regulations and public health guidelines. Check the Public Health England website regularly for updates and keep up to date with information from your team or WCC.

· Once a visit has been agreed, you will need to call ahead of each visit to ensure no-one has any COVID related symptoms, if they do, you will need to re-schedule that visit.

· Each setting will have different requirements for social distancing. Make sure you familiarise yourself with and adhere to each setting’s policy on social distancing.

· Make sure you avoid touching equipment, door handles, light switches or key pads as much as possible. If you do need to touch anything, sanitise your hands before and after use and wipe the item after use.

· Make sure you wash your hands for at least 20 seconds before and after eating and after visiting the toilet. Use hand sanitiser as you enter a building and as you leave.

· If you or anyone in your household has symptoms, you must not go into any setting. You must book a test and self-isolate for 7 days. You can resume on site visits once you have received a negative test result and your temperature has been within the normal range for at least 48 hours.

· Gloves will be available to employees if required, however guidance is that they are not necessary if social distancing and regular hand washing are maintained.

· If a safe social distance can be maintained it is not a requirement to wear a mask, but employees can do so if they wish to.

· Employees required to drive work vehicles will be limited to just the driver in the vehicle.

For Staff working in schools or other educational settings:

· National guidance for schools and out of school settings states that children should be taught and supervised in bubbles as far as possible. This means that you may be asked to work with ‘bubbles’ of children which might be different to the normal groupings you would expect.

· It is important that bubbles are maintained to reduce the impact of the virus. If any member of the bubble becomes symptomatic, the bubble can self-isolate without affecting the rest of the school or setting. This is one of two main control systems that the government advises schools and out of school settings to apply.

· The second control measure is social distancing for staff. There is no requirement for individuals to remain 2 metres apart from those in the same bubble. However, the national guidance expects teachers and other staff to maintain 2 metres distance as far as is possible. Failing that, keep 1 metre away from others. If you need to provide individual support, avoid touching equipment as much as possible and do not stay closer than 1 metre to anyone for more than 15 minutes.

· Some settings may have access restrictions due to one-way systems or staggered start and finish times. Please ask the school or setting to give you any relevant information about this and plan your visit to comply with their systems.

· Staggered breaks and lunchtimes in schools or settings might make normal service delivery difficult to accommodate. Check with settings what their arrangements are and work with staff to find solutions where this might be challenging for your service.

· Make sure you know the contact details of someone on site who can help you if there are any issues.

· In advance of any visits, make sure you are aware of the latest social distancing guidance, health and safety regulations and public health guidelines. Check the Public Health England website regularly for updates and keep up to date with information from your team or WCC.

· If you are working in a school, the national guidance states that PPE and face masks are not required, except in exceptional circumstances such as dealing with a child with symptoms or for personal care. It is therefore not a requirement for visitors to wear PPE or face masks whilst on a school site. Special schools may have different requirements, depending on pupils’ needs.

· In some settings, activities are being conducted outside as much as possible. Check whether this is the case before you visit and whether there is an outside space suitable for delivering your service.

· We will reassure settings that you and your teams are preparing thoroughly for restarting service delivery as soon as it is safe to do so.

Thank you for your cooperation as we seek to find creative solutions to the challenges we are all facing.

Home visits during the COVID19 pandemic

In September, there may be a need for staff to conduct home visits. Leaders should consider whether a visit could be done remotely, rather than face to face, depending on the level of risk. Staff should only carry out one home visit per day and will need to go straight home to shower and change their clothes straight away.

If a home visit is agreed, staff should follow this guidance:

· Ensure that a risk assessment has been carried out prior to the visit.

· Prior to a visit, contact the family to check if anyone has coronavirus symptoms. If they have, staff should consider conducting the meeting remotely.

· Upon arrival at the home, do not enter until observations have been made of the presentation of the family e.g. any visible signs of symptoms.

· If possible, conduct the visit in the garden or private, well-ventilated space. If indoors, try to meet as close to the entrance as you can.

· For each visit, wash/sanitise hands prior to entering the property. Avoid direct contact and as much as possible keep a safe distance (at least 2 metres).

· Wash/sanitise hands after leaving the property.

· Staff should shower and change clothing as soon as they arrive home.

· In extreme circumstances, if a visit must be completed where the family are self-isolating due to symptoms or have the infection, then staff should be provided with PPE - face masks, gloves and hand sanitiser. Note that such visits should only be carried out where there are serious concerns about the safety or wellbeing of a child or young person.

· Do not share any equipment, such as pens or books, or exchange paper documents with the family. Any records of the meeting should be sent electronically.

If a meeting can be carried out safely remotely, staff should follow these steps:

· Ensure that a risk assessment has been carried out prior to the meeting.

· Confirm with parents/carers how they would prefer to be contacted - phone, what’s app, Zoom, Facetime, etc.

· You must ensure you see the child. If the child or young person is able, speak to them during the call.

· Calls should be made using work mobile phones or laptops. Do not use personal equipment.

· Staff should ensure that, when they are working from home, they can maintain confidentiality and that they will not be disturbed or overheard by other people.

· If using video conferencing, opt for an appropriate neutral background setting, so that your home environment is not shared with families.

· No video recordings of meetings should be made. Staff should use the normal school record-keeping documentation and records shared electronically.

General guidance

When contacting families during COVID-19 pandemic, please include the following:

· During each visit or meeting, talk about how the family are manging emotionally, focusing on protective factors and reducing stress. Be aware of any signs of increased risks from domestic abuse and/or violence. Refer to the Warwickshire Talk2Someone website. Victims can also call 0800 408 1552.

· Make sure parents or carers are aware of sources of support and contact details. Offer to send any information to them via text message or email. You will find contact details of many support services on our webpages. It is a good idea to familiarise yourself with the many different support teams before contacting parents or carers.

· Encourage families to sign up for the Family Information Service (FIS) newsletter at https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/fis 

COVID-19: Guidance for managing playgrounds and outdoor gyms

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-for-managing-playgrounds-and-outdoor-gyms/covid-19-guidance-for-managing-playgrounds-and-outdoor-gyms

This guidance provides the owners and operators responsible for playgrounds and outdoor gyms with practical advice on how these can be reopened and managed effectively to enable their use while minimising the transmission risk of COVID-19. This may be helpful for school leaders and caretakers in preparing risk assessments for outdoor play areas and equipment.