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Monday 28 January 2019

CASPAR weekly update - 28 January 2019

CASPAR: current awareness service for practice, policy and research 

Welcome to the latest CASPAR alert from NSPCC Knowledge and Information Service for week commencing Monday 28 January 2019 

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Keeping children safe online: online course
The NSPCC has updated its online training course about Keeping children safe online. Developed in association with CEOP (the child protection unit of the National Crime Agency), this course is for anyone who works with children. Over four hours the course helps adults understand what children and young people do online, why they take risks and how to respond to these risks. Topics covered include: harmful online content; sharing and sexting; sexual offending against children online; and bullying online.
Read more on NSPCC Learning: Protecting children from online abuse
Teaching resources about positive relationships
The NSPCC, in partnership with the School of performance and media production at York St John University, has developed teaching resources to help children and young people recognise concerning behaviour and identify characteristics of positive relationships. It's Not OK includes lesson plans, short films and accompanying activities about topics such as: harmful sexual behaviour; child sexual abuse; child sexual exploitation; sexting; and grooming. The resources are designed to be used with children and young people aged 11+.
Read more on NSPCC Learning: Safeguarding and child protection in schools
Looked after children: statistics briefing
The NSPCC has published a briefing looking the range of data and statistics available in the UK that relate to children in local authority care. Statistics show that: in 2016/17 there were approximately 96,000 looked after children in the UK; and the total number of looked after children in the UK has increased every year since 2010, although this trend is not reflected in all four UK nations.
Read more on NSPCC Learning: Looked after children
Protecting children from abuse by someone in a position of trust or authority
The NSPCC has published information about protecting children from abuse by someone in a position of trust or authority. This includes teachers, care workers, youth justice workers, social workers and doctors. Topics covered include: recognising abuse; responding to concerns; and steps that can be taken to prevent staff and volunteers from abusing their position. The NSPCC is campaigning to close a loophole in legislation to make it illegal for all adults to engage in sexual activity with a 16-and 17-year-old in their care. Currently roles such as sports coaches, driving instructors and youth workers are not classed as being positions of trust.
Children and young people’s mental health: NICE consultation
NICE is consulting on a draft guideline on identifying and managing depression in children and young people aged between 5 and 18 years. Recommendations include: offering digital cognitive behavioural therapy (digital CBT), group therapy or mindfulness as a first-line treatment for children and young people with mild depression. The consultation closes on 20 February 2019.
Source: NICE  Date: 23 January 2019
Suicide prevention
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) in England has published a cross-government suicide prevention workplan. This sets out the actions being taken up to 2020 to carry out the suicide prevention strategy for England. It includes a focus on addressing the increase in suicide and self-harm among children and young people.
Source: DHSC  Date: 22 January 2019
Children and young people’s health
The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) has published reviews of the progress made against the policy recommendations in its State of child health 2017 report. RCPCH has also published a report sharing the views of children, young people and parents on health topics such as hidden illness, LGBT+ health needs, youth friendly services, children’s rights and mental health.
Source:  RCPCH Date: 23 January 2019
Children’s social care
The National Audit Office (NAO) has published a report setting out recent trends in pressures on children’s social care demand and activity in England and the response of both national and local government to these pressures. Findings include: there was a 26% increase between 2010/11 and 2017/18 in the number of children who were the subject of a child protection plan; the number child protection plans varied from 22 to 156 per 10,000 children between local authorities; 44% of this variation could be explained by local-authority-specific characteristics (such as local children’s social care practice and local market conditions), 15% by deprivation levels, 10% by national policy changes and 6% by levels of spending on children’s social care and vacancy levels for children’s social workers.
Source: NAO  Date: 23 January 2019
Research into child sexual abuse 
The Centre of expertise on child sexual abuse (CSA Centre) has published findings from a survey to map current and ongoing research into child sexual abuse in England and Wales. Findings from a questionnaire completed by 58 professionals involved in the commissioning, funding or delivery of research related to child sexual abuse found that: details of 163 projects were submitted; the most popular focus of studies was interventions, the majority of which looked at service responses for victims; online grooming and child sexual abuse imagery were key themes investigated by research into perpetration and common topics in research included responses to child sexual abuse by the police and the ways educational and sporting establishments safeguard children.
Source: CSA Centre  Date: 23 January 2019
Online child sexual abuse
The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) has released figures which show that 105,047 webpages showing child sexual abuse material were removed from the internet by the charity in 2018. The figures show that 4 out of 10 webpages actioned for removal displayed the sexual abuse of children aged 10-years-old and younger, with infants and babies featuring more than 1,300 times.
Source: IWF  Date: 23 January 2019
Read more on NSPCC Learning: Protecting children from online abuse
FamilyLine helpline launched
The Guardian reports on the launch of the free FamilyLine service in England and Wales to support parents and carers through telephone calls, email and text messages.
Source: Guardian  Date: 21 January 2019
Further information: FamilyLine
Draft Domestic Abuse Bill
The Home Office has published its response to the domestic abuse consultation carried out in March 2018 along with a draft Domestic Abuse Bill for England and Wales. The statutory definition of domestic abuse in the draft Bill includes economic abuse and controlling and coercive behaviour. The NSPCC has responded to the Domestic Abuse Bill in Children and Young People Now, calling it a missed opportunity to recognise children as victims in law. Key points from the consultation response include: recognition of the impact of being exposed to domestic abuse on children; provision for including teaching about domestic abuse in relationships education in schools; and support for children exposed to domestic abuse. The Home Office has published a research report looking at economic and social costs of domestic abuse which includes a literature review on the impacts of witnessing domestic abuse on children in England and Wales. 
Source: Home Office Date: 21 January 2019
Read more on NSPCC Learning: Protecting children from domestic abuse 
Online abuse and the experience of disabled people
The House of Commons Petitions Committee has published a report, following an inquiry and consultation, looking at the level of abuse that disabled people, including disabled children, receive online. Recommendations include: the government and social media companies must directly consult with disabled people on digital strategy and hate crime law; the government needs to challenge stereotypes and prejudices about disabled people, particularly among children and young people; the law on hate crime must give disabled people the same protections as those who suffer hate crime due to race or religion.
Source: UK Parliament  Date: 22 January 2019
Read more on NSPCC Learning: Safeguarding d/Deaf and disabled children
Child trafficking
The Independent reports that the government has made cuts to the Independent Child Trafficking Advocate (ICTA) scheme, which provides specialist independent support for trafficked children in addition to existing statutory service provision. The cuts mean that advocates will not be available to children trafficked within the UK, including those involved in county lines drug-dealing gangs.
Source: Independent  Date: 19 January 2019
Safer Internet Day: top tips and advice
The UK Safer Internet Centre has published top tips and advice pages for Safer Internet Day on 5 February 2019. The pages include age specific tips for children and young people about staying safe online, as well as tips and advice for parents and carers.
Source: UK Safer Internet Centre Date: 18 January 2019
Read more on NSPCC Learning: Protecting children from online abuse
Looked after children and young people: NICE scope guideline consultation
NICE is consulting on the draft scope guideline on looked-after children and young people. The guideline will update and replace the current NICE guideline, and will also be used to update the NICE quality standard for looked-after children and young people. The consultation closes on 11 February 2019. NICE is also looking for people who have an understanding of looked-after children and young people and the issues important to them to join the looked-after children and young people guideline update committee.
Source: NICE Date: 14 January 2019
Read more on NSPCC Learning: Looked after children  
The impact of Brexit on children and families crossing borders
Children and Families Across Borders (CFAB) has published a factsheet looking at the impact of the UK leaving the EU on children and families who are crossing, or separated by, international borders. Aimed at social workers within local authorities and professionals working to safeguard children, the factsheet explores: the rights of EU children in care in the UK, the Government’s settlement scheme; and future international cooperation in relation to family law cases.
Source:  CFAB  Date: 15 January 2019
Violence against women, domestic abuse and sexual violence indicators: consultation 
The Welsh Government is consulting on draft proposals for a set of national indicators to measure progress against the Violence against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence (Wales) Act 2015. Objectives to be achieved by November 2021 include an increased awareness in children and young people of the importance of safe, equal and healthy relationships, and that abusive behaviour is always wrong. The consultation closes on 29 March 2019.
Source: Welsh Government 
Read more on NSPCC Learning: Protecting children from domestic abuse

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