Educational settings have raised mental health as an area of concern following the pandemic, due to an increase in children presenting with mental health concerns including anxiety, disordered eating and self-harm.
A catalogue of services directed at young people, carers and professionals has been published by the CCG which can be found on the CCG website.Bristol Mental Health and Wellbeing - Directory of Services for Children and Young People | NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire CCG (bnssgccg.nhs.uk)
The catalogue also incudes a section - What to do in a crisis. It is recommended that colleagues make their senior leadership teams/safeguarding team aware of this number in case of acute mental health presentation –
24/7 Mental Health Crisis Line which offers support for adults and children in crisis 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Telephone: 0800 953 1919
The contract for the recommissioning of youth services will be up for retendering. Schools are the highest percentage of referrers in the city. The commissioning team colleagues scoped thoughts out and ask what the best approach to engage the workforce was moving forward. Education reference group members fed their initial feed
It was agreed that protected time at the next DSL networks would be most suitable.
Inclusive Mainstream Education in Bristol
Bristol City Council’s People Scrutiny Commission has launched a Working Group to examine issues around enabling Inclusive Mainstream Education in Bristol. The Working Group is made up of cross-Party Councillors. Cllr Tim Kent, Chair of the Working Group, invites you to engage by providing a short response to the following question:
What can help enable all children reach their potential within mainstream education?
This may include local policy and practice (the Council, and Education, Health and Community Safety Partners) and national policy and good practice; and also, whether you feel admissions policies have an impact on enabling inclusive mainstream education. This new working group will examine issues around enabling inclusive mainstream education.
Can you support? Insight and views based on your response will help the Working Group achieve its objectives, which are;
Any colleague can contribute their views:
Attendance and belonging update slides
Lesley O’Hagan provided an update on:
For further queries around questions around the above topics please email the Attendance and Belonging Team Attendanceandbelongingteam@bristol.gov.uk
We regret to announce disruption to the development of the changes of the s. 175 Audit 2021-22. This has mainly been due to COVID -related staff shortages, responding to competing priorities and the technicality of setting up a secure new SharePoint space.
The Local Authority’s duties under s. 175 of the Education Act 2002 ensure all education settings within its jurisdiction have effective safeguarding arrangements to promote the safety and welfare of learners. This is important audit work to complete but we aware that you may not have the capacity to complete a new audit for this year. We, therefore, respectfully request that you submit your 2020-21 audit action plans that you have been working on this academic year to ensure that you have demonstrated areas of development.
You can send in your action plans in any format (for example any that you have created locally). Please submit these by Friday 20th May 2022 via the Safeguarding in Education Team safeguardingineducationteam@bristol.gov.uk.
The working group has extended the membership to now include Operation Ruby (the Police team responsible for child protection work) to develop work with the police and develop better multi-agency responses.
The working group are supporting development of guides and tools for managing cases which don't meet the threshold for statutory assessments or interventions from social care or the police. This looks to coincide with work with the publication KBSP Harmful Sexualised Behaviour Protocol.
Whilst work continues in this area it was discussed that work is likely to be sensitive to developments in statutory guidance (the new draft version of Keeping Children Safe in Education 2022) which will delay publications along side developments systemically
In the interim - colleagues with need for advice and guidance can continue to contact members of the Safeguarding in Education Team.
There were also questions regarding training opportunities:
Thank you to Ruth Pickersgill for all her work and contributions towards developing safeguarding in education systems in Bristol. Ruth is stepping down as the Governor's Rep and we will be seeking expressions of interest from active Governors/Trustees/Councilors who can provide challenge and scrutiny to the Local Safeguarding Partnership and activity in the safeguarding in education area.
The commitment is a meeting Termly (6 times a year) - meetings tend to be on Monday mornings between 9-10.30.
If anyone is interested please do contact henry.chan@bristol.gov.uk
At the beginning of April, Lesley O'Hagan took part in a charity relay called the Hope Alive Tour for Operation Orphan. We’re a team of 8 running 390 miles in half hour time slots around the clock (from Hull to Liverpool, down to Nottingham and ending in Cambridge). The Hope Alive Tour is a charity challenge like no other. Inspired by William Wilberforce's stand against slavery, the tour aims to support Operation Orphan in addressing the modern-day crisis of child exploitation. If you are able to donate this would be much appreciated Operation Orphan: Hope Alive Tour - UK April 2022 (enthuse.com).