Support for schools and colleges to tackle Sexual violence and sexual harassment.
The Department for Education (DfE) announced today that more support is to be offered to schools and colleges to tackle sexual abuse. Following an Ofsted review into sexual abuse in education, schools will be expected to dedicate staff training during inset days to responding to sexual abuse and harassment among pupils. This will coincide with introducing allocated time for staff training on how to deliver the Government’s new compulsory Relationships, Sex and Health Education curriculum (RSHE). Read the full article here.
Click here for the full Ofsted review.
Training
- The Safeguarding in Education team are offering training for the education workforce in Bristol and the surrounding areas, to support the systems and practice to ‘Tackle Peer on Peer Harm in education settings’. This course will provide materials for information to be cascaded to other colleagues in the workforce but also consider strategically how practice and policy is effectively developed. You can sign up to this training here.
- The Be Safe Annual Conference is being held virtually this year. Please click here for more details.
Quality assurance
- We encourage colleagues to review their actions under the S. 175 audit 2020-21. This may provide assurance and demonstrate due diligence.
- A significant amount of settings have not yet completed the ‘Contextual safeguarding beyond Referrals Audit’. Whilst non-statutory we encourage you to complete this to provide you with assurance in being able to minimise the risk and prevent occurrences of sexual violence and sexual harassment.
Responding to concerns or incidents
- If you have not completed the training to use the Brook Assessment Traffic Light Tool to assess and take proportionate action when an incident has occurred we strongly encourage you to prioritise this. Sexual Behaviours Traffic Light Tool – Brook. Please liaise with Rebecca.cant@brook.org.uk if you require more information.
- Sexual Health Support continues to be available through the school nurses and free sexual health services such as Unity or Brook.
- The Safeguarding in Education team often respond when we receive Ofsted complaints, concerns from other multi-agency partners or self-referrals – An advisor will meet with DSLs and governance to ensure that practice demonstrates due diligence and will make recommendations where appropriate.
Advice and Guidance:
- If there is clear indication a referral should be made to children’s social care then make a referral to First Response.
- If you need advice on a case as to whether to make a referral, you need to liaise with one of the Families in Focus duty workers.
- For advice about organisation policy, process and practice liaise with the Safeguarding in Education Team.
- For specialist advice around Harmful Sexualised Behaviour you can contact Be Safe.
