1) Academies told to engage with wider children's services

Children's minister Tim Loughton has called on academies to engage with other services to ensure youth work provision and safeguarding do not suffer, amid concerns many are becoming isolationist.

More than 1,200 academies have opened since June 2010. Operating outside local authority control, academies receive money from central government to run the services that councils provide for maintained schools.

However, concerns have been raised that some have been displaying a "drawbridge mentality" cutting themselves of from local joint-working arrangements. Speaking at a conference on the future role of councils in supporting young people in London, Loughton stressed that academies retain the same duties as maintained schools. However, he added that the duty would not be made statutory, as this would not chime with government policy. (19.1)

2) Action for Children - Child neglect in 2011 Review

The proportion of children who experience neglect in the UK remains at an unacceptably high level; studies suggest that up to 10% of children experience neglect at some point in their lives, and it is still the most common reason for a child to need protection services. Action for Children, in partnership with the University of Stirling, has published a comprehensive review of child neglect. Their review, Child neglect in 2011, enables us to fill in the gaps that currently exist about the situation for, and response to, neglected children across the UK.

In order to produce their review, Action for Children gathered evidence during 2011 from the public and professionals in a range of ways. These included: a telephone survey of local authorities; in depth focus groups across the UK; polls of the public and professionals, and an analysis of statistics and policy developments. As part of their review, they have produced a summary of recommendations for the UK government to inform future policies on the issue. Click here to download. (26.1)

3) A fairer society for families – where economic conditions support family wellbeing, bringing up children and the reduction of poverty for families

This paper explores what local level child poverty data can tell us about the distribution of child poverty in England and how child poverty rates at the more local level have changed over time, further developing the evidence base on the extent and distribution of child poverty. It also looks at how this data might be exploited more fully in developing local and national strategies. Click here to download. (1.12)

4) Big Lottery Good Practice Guides for working with Young People

The Big Lottery Fund yesterday publishes seven good practice guides for organisations working with young people. The new downloadable publications share learning and practical examples from projects supported by the Young People’s Fund. Since 2004 over £211 million has been invested in projects which actively involve young people in planning and delivering youth services. The seven new downloadable good practice guides are Encouraging Active Citizenship, Actively involving young people – approaches to active involvement that have worked well for BIG funded projects, Reducing anti-social behaviour and working with young people who have offended or are at risk of offending – examples of tackling ASB to minimise the risk of young people continuing with offending behaviour, Improving behaviour in schools – how youth projects have the potential to positively influence the behaviour of young people who are at risk of disengagement or exclusion, Reducing cases of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) – key learning from youth projects that have helped keep young people actively engaged with education and identifying the triggers and early warning signs of disengagement, Working with young carers – lessons from organisations working with this hidden group of young people and Working with care leavers – practical examples of ways to engage care leavers within youth projects and helping to address issues such as instability faced by individuals. Click here to download the guides. (26.1)

5) Building Engagement, Building Futures - Government releases strategy to improve opportunities for young people

Existing plans to increase the participation of 16- to 24-year-olds in education, training and work have been pulled together to create a government strategy on improving opportunities for young people. The document, Building Engagement, Building Futures, published today (15 December), includes proposals for reforms to schools, vocational education, skills and welfare provision.

Among its priorities for action are raising attainment in school and beyond to ensure that young people have the skills they need, helping local partners to provide effective and coordinated services that support all young people, and encouraging and incentivising employers to recruit young people by offering more high-quality apprenticeships and work experience places. Click here to download. (23.12)

6) CEOP Resources to support missing children and families

Resources aimed at helping children at risk of running away and the families of missing children, including an awareness raising film for use by frontline practitioners has been launched by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre.This coincides with the launch recently of the Government’s Missing Children and Adults Strategy.

Improving support for missing children and families at a local level is a key goal of CEOP and the wide range of partners it is working with around this issue. The key message of ‘My Choice’, a short animated film, is that however bad things may seem, children do have a choice about running away from home or care and there is support out there whatever their circumstances. It has been developed in collaboration with representatives from local authorities, the police, schools, the voluntary sector as well as independent experts.

My Choice can be used in a variety of settings and within a local context. It specifically looks at missing children and some of the risks they face. The film can be viewed here. (9.12)

7) Children living in poverty set to rise

Half a million more children will fall into poverty within the next three years, according to latest predictions. Government being urged to ensure the UK’s poorest families are not disproportionately hit by austerity measures.The report by the Institute of Fiscal Studies for the Family and Parenting Institute (FPI) estimates by 2015-16 the average household with children will face an income drop of 4.2 per cent. For a couple with two children this is the equivalent to £1,250 a year.

Such a fall would plunge 500,000 children into absolute poverty, using the 2010 Child Poverty Act definition of 60 per cent of the 2010-2011 median income. The report, The Impact of Austerity Measures on Households with Children, found the largest families and lone parents will be the hardest hit financially in the coming years. Click here to download. (5.1)

8) Two-week child protection spot check inspections to start in May

Ofsted has finalised plans to begin two-week long spot checks of local authority child protection services from May. The inspectorate’s revised inspection framework of child protection, published on 31 January), will double the number of local authority case files that inspectors scrutinise and will attempt to impose greater focus on children’s experiences. Inspectors will shadow social workers during the two-week inspections and talk directly to children and families. Social workers and managers will be expected to go through each selected case file with inspectors to examine the support being offered to each child. The current nine areas local authorities are judged upon will be replaced with three:

• The effectiveness of protection provided to children, young people, families and carers
• The quality of practice
• Leadership and governance (2.2)

9) Choosing to Volunteer

This survey evaluates volunteering programmes located within a sample of schools, colleges, and youth and community settings. It reports on the experiences of the young people, particularly the most vulnerable and disadvantaged, who participate in volunteering programmes. Click here to find out more. (16.12)

10) Community action over child sexual exploitation found lacking

Child victims of sexual exploitation are continuing to suffer as many communities across the UK are doing little to protect them, Barnardo's has warned. Number of sexually exploited children Barnardo's works with has grown by 8.4 per cent to 1,190 in the past year. The children’s charity’s latest report Cutting them Free, which surveyed 21 of its specialist services, shows that awareness raising of sexual exploitation has reduced by 30 per cent due to funding cuts, while in some areas the issue is no longer a priority. Click here to download.

A year on from the launch of the Barnardo’s Cut them Free campaign, the charity is warning that without local action, children across the UK will continue to be groomed, as child sexual exploitation becomes increasingly complex. Data from the services Barnardo’s runs also revealed that the number of sexually exploited children the charity works with has grown by 8.4 per cent to 1,190. One in six young people has been trafficked across areas in the UK, while one in three services has seen a marked increase in peer-to-peer exploitation. Fewer than half of local authorities in England have signed up to the Cut them Free campaign.

A study by the University of Bedfordshire in October last year found that only a quarter of local safeguarding children boards in England are implementing government guidance on sexual exploitation appropriately. Click here to view. (19.1)

11) Commissioning Child Health and Wellbeing Services: information and guidance framework

Enable East has produced some useful information and guidance on the framework for Clinical Commissioning Groups to help them when commissioning child health and wellbeing services. Click here to download. (2.2)

12) Commission on youth service provision to launch

A commission to determine minimum levels of youth service provision at a local level is to be set up by the National Youth Agency. The work, which will involve the creation of "sufficiency measures", is intended to feed into a government consultation on plans to revise existing guidance on the duty to secure sufficient activities for young people. Proposals to slim down the existing guidance were announced in the Positive for Youth policy paper, unveiled last month. The aim is for the commission to report before the end of the consultation on the revised guidance – which is yet to launch – so that it can be submitted for consideration. (26.1)

13) Criminal records regime scaled back

The government response to the Home Office's review of the Vetting and Barring Scheme (VBS) has been published. It includes confirmation that there will be a review of the definition of a criminal record and which offences are included in national records, which could help employers decide on a person's suitability to work with children. Click here to find out more. (16.12)

14) Decisions on HEFCE funding for higher education 2012-13

The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) today announces its funding decisions for higher education in England following the annual grant letter from the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) and subsequent decisions by the HEFCE Board. This announcement covers HEFCE funding for the academic year 2012-13. The overall level of government support for teaching in universities and colleges is set to increase over the next few years as a result of higher tuition fee loans under the Government’s new finance arrangements for higher education. HEFCE’s grant will reduce accordingly, but our commitment to supporting high-cost and strategically important subjects, widening participation and smaller specialist institutions will be maintained.

HEFCE will invest in the interests of students and for wider public benefit. Our funding will support home and EU students in all years of study. Funding for students already in higher education will remain broadly as before. For new entrants, their funding will increasingly be focused on those costs incurred by universities and colleges which cannot be met entirely by tuition fees. They recognise the importance of postgraduate provision, and we are therefore providing additional funding for taught postgraduate students, who are not eligible for publicly funded tuition fee loans. HEFCE is committed to ensuring a smooth transition to the new funding arrangements for higher education. The total amount the HEFCE Board agreed for distribution for the 2012-13 academic year is £5,311 million. A full breakdown of the elements of teaching funding can be found here. (2.2)

15) DfE Only the highest quality qualifications to be included in Performance Tables

Only the very highest quality qualifications will be included in future secondary school Performance Tables, the Department for Education has announced. The announcement follows recommendations made in a report by Professor Alison Wolf last year. She highlighted how the current Performance Table system creates perverse incentives for some schools to put pupils on courses which might boost their Performance Table positions – but are not qualifications which benefit pupils’ prospects

At the moment there are 3,175 so-called equivalent qualifications accredited and approved for study by 14- to 16-year-olds, all of which count in the tables. Under the last government some of these were worth as much as four, five or even six GCSEs. But from the 2014 Performance Tables (published in January 2015), just 125 of these qualifications (3.9 per cent of the current total) will count. Full-course GCSEs, established iGCSEs, AS levels and music exams at grade six and above will also be included. All will be included on the same one-for-one basis.

The characteristics of high-quality qualifications, as set out in the Government consultation, are that:

• they offer pupils proven progression into a broad range of further qualifications or careers post-16, rather than narrowing students’ options
• they are the size of a GCSE or bigger
• they have a substantial proportion of external assessment and require students to use knowledge across their subject
• they have grades such as A*-G (those with simple pass or fail results will be excluded)
• they have good levels of take-up among 14- to 16-year-olds, if taught for at least two years (2.2)

16) Electronic common assessment framework (eCAF) system abolition confirmed

The national IT system that allows professionals to record details of assessments for children and young people is to be scrapped. Government will consider if there is any way of getting value for money out of the system, as part of the decommissioning process. Children’s minister Tim Loughton confirmed plans to decommission the national electronic common assessment framework (eCAF) system in a statement to parliament.

The government had been consulting on getting rid of the system since the Munro report into child protection argued that nationally prescribed IT systems constrain local innovation. The government is working to revise the statutory guidance Working Together to Safeguard Children. A consultation on the revised version will be launched early in 2012, with new guidance to be published by July 2012. The consultation will also include proposals on removing the distinction between initial and core child protection assessments and scrapping nationally prescribed timescales for assessments. (16.12)

17) First national food guidelines for under-fives released

Childcare providers have been armed with guidance on what food to provide for young children in their settings, after calls for clearer national support on the issue. Guidelines designed to help children get a healthy start in life.

It is the first time that providers will have nationally recognised advice covering portion sizes, food types, sample menus and guidance on how to tackle fussy eating. The School Food Trust, which has published the guidance, said that while many childcare providers do well in this area, some are giving young children food more appropriate for older children and adults. A government-commissioned report published by the Advisory Panel on Food and Nutrition in Early Years in November 2010, recommended that childcare providers and parents need clearer guidance on what under-fives should eat and drink while in childcare. (19.1)

18) Focus on child poverty to shift to under-fives

The government should focus on lifting 800,000 children aged under five out of poverty because the target of eradicating child poverty by 2020 will be missed, social mobility adviser Alan Milburn has said. In a speech to The Children's Society, Milburn said the "all or nothing" approach to child poverty is not working and that focus should be shifted to early years services with the aim of lifting 800,000 children under five out of poverty.

Milburn called for a clear sense of purpose on the issue; improved support for parents; improved childcare and early years services; and links between welfare-based solutions and increased opportunities. Justin Forsyth chief executive of Save the Children called on Milburn not to give up on children over the age of five, and not to abandon the target of beating child poverty by 2020. (16.12)

19) Free childcare for two-year-olds under criticism

Local authorities will be required to provide free early years education to all disadvantaged two-year-olds from 2013 - but, according to directors, this goal will be undermined without capital funding and improved links between councils and private and voluntary childcare providers.

All local authorities in England have been delivering between 10 and 15 hours of free early education to some disadvantaged two-year-olds since September 2009. But the Education Act, which received Royal Assent on 15 November, put the entitlement for all disadvantaged two-year-olds on a statutory footing. Announcing the consultation on the expansion of the scheme, the Department for Education estimated that up to 140,000 two-year-olds will be eligible for the offer when it comes into force in 2013, with some councils having to provide in excess of 2,000 places. (9.12)

20) Funding Guide for Workforce Development

Catalyst consortium, NCVYS has published the 5th edition of the Funding Guide for Workforce Development. It is aimed at employers, training providers and learners who work with children, young people and families in the VCS, as well as local support and development organisations.  A new addition this year is a section devoted to funding schemes for training providers. Click here to download. (19.1)

21) Future of Children's Workforce Development Council (CWDC)

From April 2012 onwards the leadership of CWDC's programmes of work will move to new organisations. The Early Years and Educational Psychology programmes will move to The Teaching Agency; the Department for Education (DfE) will maintain the strategic lead for the CWDC Sector Leadership programme; and support for integrated learning will be led by the Children's Improvement Board. Click here to find out more. (9.12)

22) The Good Childhood Report 2012: A review of our children’s well-being from the Children’s Society

The latest well-being report, The Good Childhood Report 2012 from The Children's Societyreveals that half a million children across the UK are unhappy with their lives. It outlines six key prioritiesneeded for a happy childhood, after interviewing more than 30,000 children aged eight to 16. Children who have low levels of happiness are much less likely to enjoy being at home with their family, feel safe when with their friends, like the way they look and feel positive about their future. Children unhappy in this way are also more likely to be victimised, have eating disorders or be depressed. Click here to download. (26.1)

23) Government's Positive For Youth paper is a welcome step

Positive for Youth sets out all the Government's policies for 13-19 year olds within a vision for how all parts of society can work together to support parents and help all young people succeed. It urges LAs to give young people a voice locally, to publicise to them the local offer of services, and enable young people to audit the quality of this offer. It recognises the value of youth work, emphasises the need for early intervention, and encourages a focus for public funding on those most at risk of poor outcomes. It calls on LAs to support communities and grow the role of voluntary organisations. LAs' duty on youth activities will be retained and new guidance published for consultation shortly. Click here to download. (26.1)

24) Government response to the Munro Review- Two steps forward, one big step back

On the 13th December 2011, Tim Laughton, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families gave an update to Parliament on progress being made across the range of commitments in the Government response to the Munro Review, published in July. There appear to be some steps forward and inevitably some steps back. Please see a view of the changes that are, or are not taking place – to view the Blog, please follow this link. (23.12)

25) Free IT Support Helpdesk

As part of the Department for Education’s overarching strategic partnership, i-trust (part of the Cover Group), in association with Children England, are opening a free IT helpdesk for voluntary, community and social enterprise sector organisations that work with children, young people and families. The helpdesk will be able to give advice and guidance on IT/ICT matters as well as 1st Tier IT support which may include but is not limited too;

• Confirming general hardware set-up  
• Initial information gathering – including details of the reported issue and what happened just before the problem presented itself
• Resolving basic user issues
• General software support and advice
• Verification of correct hardware/software set up and configuration
• Assistance with general navigation and usage of core software applications
• Sign-posting to further sources of advice and support including remote support and onsite technical assistance

The service will launch on Monday 30 January. The IT support can be accessed in two ways. To speak to an adviser, call the helpline on 0800 028 0085. This will be available from 09:00 to 16:00 Mondays to Fridays, excluding Public and Bank Holidays. Any calls outside of the core hours will be dealt with when the helpdesk is next open. (2.2)

26) Kensington and Chelsea outlines vision for tri-borough children's services

Politicians in Kensington & Chelsea have outlined their vision of standards for children's services for a new combined department across three authorities, stating that outstanding inspection ratings are expected. A "mandate" from the council outlines a series of ambitions and expectations for the new service and follows one issued by Hammersmith & Fulham last month which can be viewed here. It includes a desire to protect service quality against a background of falling government grants, extending choice and respecting the different priorities of the three partner councils.

The mandate sets out the target that 75 per cent of students in the three boroughs should achieve five GCSE A*-C grades, including English and mathematics, in 2012 and that 90 per cent of schools should be judged good or outstanding by Ofsted. It also sets standards for services to vulnerable children and young people. The ambition is for children's services overall to be consistently judged as outstanding and for every children's home to be judged as good or outstanding by inspectors. The new combined family and children's department is a key part of the three councils' strategy for responding to funding cuts. By combining services, the boroughs said they have been able to focus spending reductions on management and back office costs and thereby ensure relative protection for frontline services. (13.1)

27) Lack of routine jeopardises pupils' chance of achievement, study finds

Young people's chances of succeeding at school are being hampered by a lack of routine at home, according to the latest Prince's Trust report. The trust found that only 45 per cent of those with poor grades had a set bedtime.

The charity’s fourth annual Youth Index, which is based on interviews with more than 2,000 16- to 25-year-olds, found that a quarter of those with fewer than five GCSEs (A*-C) lacked structure and direction during their childhood. Only 45 per cent of those with poor grades had a set bedtime, compared to 60 per cent of those with five or more GCSEs (A*-C).

While 13 per cent of those with good GCSE grades did not have regular mealtimes, this rose to 30 per cent among those with poor grades. Click here to download. (5.1)

28) Learning and Skills Improvement Services Excellence Gateway improves

The Excellence Gateway, LSIS’s online service for everyone who works in the Further Education and skills sector, has undergone a major makeover. The portal that provides practical help to all professionals in the sector has been redeveloped to make it easier and faster to use. The new version of the Excellence Gateway will be delivered using open source software in order to ‘futureproof’ the system and to keep costs down. The new system will be live and ready to use on Wednesday 1 February. The changes include: news tailored to the page the user is viewing, simplified navigation around the website, improved search functions and access to older content via The Treasury – a collection of valued resources that are no longer updated. The changes were made following consultation with leaders, managers, teachers, librarians and partner organisations within the sector.

The Excellence Gateway is increasing in popularity and latest figures show that up to 7,000 sector professionals use it every working day. The Excellence Gateway provides practical support and information to professionals working in the FE and skills sector in England, helping them to improve their everyday work, and innovate in teaching and learning. It enables them to share their professional knowledge and examples of effective practice with other practitioners, creating communities and supporting quality improvement across the sector. Click here to find out more. (2.2)

29) Local authorities urged to draw up youth action plans

All local authorities and government departments must publish their own youth action plan if the government's vision for youth services is to make a difference, the head of The National Council for Voluntary Youth Services (NCVYS) has said. NCVYS says urgent action is required to implement youth strategy. The organisation wants young people to be involved in identifying priorities that need to be addressed. Political backing at ministerial or lead member level with young people is also needed in "steering its implementation".

NCVYS is also calling for the newly announced annual youth service audits to be presented to parliament so that the welfare of young people is considered at the highest level. Click here to download. (23.12)

30) Managing My Way

Managing My Way is an innovative project that aims to help disabled children and young people take responsibility for managing their own health conditions. The Department of Health funded the Council for Disabled Children to carry out research with disabled young people and healthcare professionals looking at the barriers to young people’s involvement and to develop tools to overcome those barriers.

The Managing My Way research report sets out current policy and published research evidence. It details the barriers, challenges and solutions to supporting disabled young people with long-term health conditions to manage their conditions more independently. The Managing My Way participation poster is for display in clinic rooms and is designed to encourage children and young people to participate in consultations, as well as acting as a prompt for health professionals.

The Managing My Way animation is a short animated film that sums up very simply and powerfully what young people told us about their experiences of health services. Click here to download the toolkit. (1.12)

31) New data reveals the truth about school performance

New data, released yesterday for the first time, reveals the truth about every secondary school’s performance. The publication of the results of more than 3,300 secondary schools’ GCSE and A Level exams is part of the Government’s drive for greater transparency - giving parents more information than ever before about how their child’s school is performing. The Department for Education is this year publishing 400 per cent more data about secondary schools than in 2010. Click here to read on. (2.2)

32) Payment-by-results outreach service to further bolster support for troubled families

The government has invested £200m in a payment-by-results scheme offering outreach support to the UK's most troubled families. Service providers will receive final payment when the family member finds work.The focus will be on helping them find work and tackling family and school problems.

It is based on the same principles of the government’s Work Programme, which pays private providers and charities only when they have shown success in turning around families’ lives.Providers will be paid in three stages, when they have signed a family member up to the scheme and agreed a personal action plan with them, when the plan is completed and when the family member finds work. Work Programme providers, including Reed in Partnership, Skill Training UK and The Wise Group, are among those involved in this latest scheme. Also involved are 200 local charities and organisations. (5.1)

33) Positive for Youth

The Department for Education has published its strategy for young people and youth services, setting out all government policies for young people aged 13 to 19 in England. Proposals include empowering young people to get involved with local services and government policy. Click here to view. (13.1)

34) Poverty central to the summer riots, young people claim

Young people believe that poverty was one of the key reasons behind the August riots, a survey by The Children's Society has found. Most people surveyed believe poverty was the main cause of the riots The charity surveyed 1,004 adults and 1,077 13-to 17-year-olds between 3 October and 10 November.

Behind the Riots found that most 13-to 17-year-olds and adults believed the main reasons behind the disturbances was "to get goods and possessions they couldn’t afford to buy". Both young people and adults surveyed felt children and young people would be viewed more negatively following the riots. And the majority of adults and children (51 per cent and 56 per cent respectively) believe the government should be doing more to support young people following the riots.

Click here to download. (23.12)

35) PM celebrates first anniversary of Street League partnership

The Prime Minister has hosted a reception at Downing Street to celebrate a successful year of charity partnership between the staff at 10 Downing Street and the football charity Street League.

Street League engages young people in structured football and education programmes, helping them to harness their strengths on the pitch like teamwork, leadership and motivational skills, and apply them to the world of work. During 2011 Street League have helped more than 400 young people into work or education and training – many of whom have been among the hardest to help and from some of the most troubled or disadvantaged backgrounds.

The reception was attended by Arsenal football captain Robin Van Persie, around 40 young people who have benefitted from Street League’s work and some of the employers who have taken them on over the course of the year.

Over the year Downing Street staff – including the Prime Minister himself – have been volunteering with Street League. This has included running mock job interviews and hosting Street League events such as the Summer graduation with Cesc Fabregas, the then Spanish Prime Minister Jose Zapatero and Adrian Chiles; and the session with Pele in the Downing Street garden in August. (19.1)

36) Protecting our Children

Protecting Our Children is a new three part series about Bristol City Council's child protection teams filmed over the course of a year to see frontline work first-hand and explore how the crises of the last decade have had an impact on their ability to safeguard children. The academic consultants connected to this series are the Social Work Department’s Dr Lucy Rai and Dr Barry Cooper. These programmes are recommended viewing for all students on the social work degree programme and students have been alerted to them via their module websites.   

The OU’s Open Learn site has extensive content in connection with the programme and subject area. Visit their website to view the FREE educational resources available. For those who missed the first programme (30.1.12), please click here. The next programme can be downloaded here.

Also look out for Lucy Rai’s comment pieces in Community Care following each broadcast. These will be aimed specifically at social workers and social work students and the ‘lessons learnt’ from the programmes. Click here for more information. (2.2)

37) Raising the Participation Age

The Raising of the Participation Age (RPA) means that all young people will continue in education or training to 17 from 2013 and to 18 from 2015. This will be the first time in nearly forty years that the education leaving age has been raised. This publication brings together key commitments from recent Departmental reports and strategies, and signals the next steps required in preparing for successful delivery of full participation. Click here to download. (19.1)

38) Reforming Early Years

The Department for Education has published the government response to Dame Clare Tickell's review of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). It includes plans for: simplified assessment at age five; progress checks for children aged 24 to 26 months; and refinement of early learning goals. A further one month consultation on early learning goals has been launched. The final framework is due to be published in spring 2012. Click here to read on. (13.1)

39) Revised standards for early years professionals unveiled

Graduate-level early years professionals will be required to meet a new set of standards that are more closely linked with standards in health and social care professions, from September. The Children’s Workforce Development Council (CWDC) has launched a 10-week consultation on the revised standards, which will be implemented by training providers.

There are currently 39 standards covering six areas, including communicating and working with families, and relationships with children. The consultation sets out proposals to reduce the number of standards and make them fit more closely with standards in social care and health services to improve joint working. More than 8,500 staff across England have gained the status, which launched in 2007. Staff working with young children are being encouraged to give their views on the standards by 23 March. After CWDC ceases to be a non-departmental public body at the end of March, the early years professionals programme will be led by the new Teaching Agency. (19.1)

40) SAFE Network

The Safe Network has secured funding from the Department for Education (DFE) for the next two years to continue its work. The DFE recognises the need for tailored safeguarding support for the voluntary and community sector and has announced a further two years funding for the Safe Network. Following this, they have launched the Safe Network Standards.

For more detailed information visit the website.

41) Social workers 'powerless' to intervene in suspected neglect cases

Half of social workers feel powerless to intervene in suspected cases of child neglect, according to latest research. The Action for Children survey of the public, police and professionals working across health, social care and education found widespread concern that the thresholds for intervention were being set too high. Of those social workers polled, 42 per cent felt thresholds where too high. In addition, 52 per cent said they struggle to intervene even when thresholds are met because of a lack of resources. More than 4,000 people took part in the survey.

The situation has got worse since 2009 when a third of social workers felt powerless to intervene. During this latest survey 51 per cent of social workers and 36 per cent of police officers said they felt powerless to intervene in neglect cases. Action for Children is calling for government support to help councils, police and health trusts collect data about the scale of child neglect and effectiveness of their response. Parents and the public need to be encouraged by government to report concerns about neglect. Support services for families at risk of neglect need to be more widely available, the charity said. Meanwhile, the British Association of Social Workers (BASW) is preparing a submission to the parliamentary education select committee on the child protection system. (26.1)

42) Start of a 'Year of Service' celebrating faith inspired local volunteering

Communities Secretary Eric Pickles recently announced that throughout 2012, faith communities will lead a series of volunteering days encouraging communities to come together to help improve their local neighbourhoods.

Recognising the role of faith in inspiring charitable work, the Department for Communities and Local Government is supporting a Year of Service. During the course of 2012, nine faith communities will in turn hold volunteering days, inviting people of other faiths and people of non-religious beliefs to join in. Each of the days will focus on a different social action theme, such as 'community clean ups', planting trees in a local park, or cooking lunches and could be based around an existing religious festival like Lent or the Sikh festival commemorating the Martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev, or an existing volunteering day such as the Jewish-led Mitzvah Day or the Hindu-led National Sewa Day. A Year of Service will also be an opportunity for faith communities to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in a practical way - service being an important theme of Her Majesty's long reign. The private sector is also being encouraged to get involved and business-led charity Business in the Communityis encouraging businesses across the country to back the Year of Service.

A new website, run for A Year of Service by Mitzvah Day, will provide details of each volunteering day, ideas for activities, background on why volunteering is important to each faith and suggestions as to where people can get involved and go for advice.(19.1)

43) Targeting children’s centre services on the most needy families

This report commissioned by the LGA and produced by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NfER) investigated how children’s centres are targeting services on families in the greatest need of support. Using a literature review and six case studies, the report found that there was no definitive definition of such families. The process of identifying such families is not straightforward, and depends on service providers working together, drawing on multiple sources of information and interpreting data intelligently to improve services and outcomes. This work has implications for practice, including staff training and capacity. Click here to download. (5.1)

44) Things To Do

The BBC is offering promotional opportunities for charities through its new Things to Do website, calling on charities to sign up as partners and post their upcoming events. Things to Do launched earlier this year with 6 different project themes; arts and crafts, history, nature-based activities, outdoor and adventure-based activity, and dinosaur-based activity. Users can search for activities online either by location or type. To be eligible as a partner, which is FREE, organisations must run free or cost-recovery events. (1.12)

45) Urgent action to stop the sexual exploitation of children and young people

A new action plan calls on all local areas to take urgent action to stop the sexual exploitation of children and young people. Children's Minister Tim Loughton warned of failure by local agencies to recognise and deal with the problem of child sexual exploitation in many areas of the country. He said tackling child sexual exploitation must be a priority and Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCBs) must now act to establish the severity of the problem in their areas, make sure they are tackling it effectively, and put in place robust preventative strategies. The plan can be downloaded here. (1.12)

46) Urgent reassessment of the impact of ‘Cuts’ on the needs of vulnerable children

The four UK Children's Commissioners have called for an urgent reassessment of the impact of the Coalition Government's Spending Review on the needs of vulnerable children. In a joint report launched on 21 November (International Day of the Child), the Commissioners outline serious concerns at the high levels of persistent poverty across the UK. They highlight the need for children to be given priority in national and local budgets so that vital children's services are protected. The report also examines progress made in five areas - participation, children with disabilities, child poverty, children seeking asylum and juvenile justice - against the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, an internationally binding minimum standard for all children and young people that was ratified by the UK Government twenty years ago. Click here to download. (1.12)

47) Violence against women and girls - Tackling and prevention

The government has taken action aimed at preventing violence and providing more support for victims as part of a comprehensive strategy 'a call to end violence against women and girls'. Recent measures include committing £28 million of central funding for specialist services to tackle Click here to read the action plan progress review and other new information on theviolence against women and girls website. (1.12)

48) Volunteers help prevent children going into care

A charity scheme that uses volunteers to support families in the child protection system could reduce the number of children entering care and save councils in excess of £81,597 for every 50 families it works with. Community Service Volunteers’ (CSV) Volunteers in Child Protection scheme, which has been endorsed by children’s minister Tim Loughton, is running in Bromley, Lewisham, Southend and Coventry, and is due to launch in Cambridge in April.

Research by Anglia Ruskin University found the scheme improves mothers’ and children’s emotional wellbeing and reduces the need for high-level child protection interventions. CSV matches volunteers to families in which there is at least one child on a child protection plan and trains, screens and supervises them.

An analysis of 37 families in Southend Council’s scheme found 87 per cent of cases were moved to a lower level of safeguarding concern on the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) after receiving support from the programme. This includes 11 families who were removed from child protection plans altogether. (9.12)

49) What is a Social Enterprise?

Social enterprises are making a difference all over the place but few people know about them. The Social Enterprise Mark helps people to identify them, understand them and buy from them. If you want to get your organisation officially certified as a genuine Social Enterprise, click here.

50) Welcome to YoungDads.TV!

YoungDads.TV is the Fatherhood Institute's exciting new project to support and empower young dads. The channel features videos made by young dads, as well as opportunities and services for young dads. Click here to find out more.

51) Work Inspiration - Join the campaign

Work Inspiration is a national employer led campaign that primarily targets 14-19 year olds in full-time education to make their first experience of the world of work more meaningful and inspiring. Click here for full details. If your organisation would like to be part of the campaign then please email Maggie Bliss or call 077959 81558.

52) Working Together to Safeguard Children

This document comes into force with immediate effect and can be viewed here. You can also download a summary of the changes between Working Together 2006 and Working Together 2010 here. Tri-x childcare are also pleased to give free access to their Web enabled version of working together. Not only are they making it freely available, but they will keep it updated.  They are also in the process of updating the Interagency Safeguarding Procedures which will cover both Bedford Borough, Central Bedfordshire and Luton. Click here to view. 

53) Youth homelessness on the rise in England

Relationship breakdowns are causing a rise in homelessness among young people, a new Homeless Link study has revealed. The findings reveal the extent to which rising homelessness is affecting young people aged 16-24. The report makes a number of recommendations to help prevent youth homelessness and reduce the impact that it has. See below for more details.

• The number of households accepted as homeless by councils in England has increased by 13% (compared to same period in 2010).
• The number of people becoming homeless because of an end to their short hold tenancy has increased by 35 % (compared to same period in 2010). However, comparing this to the same period in 2009 showed that the number has increased by 73%.
• The number of people placed in B&Bs by local authorities once accepted as homeless has increased by 30% (compared to same period in 2010).
• The number of people that councils accept as homeless but are unable to house has increased by 26 % (compared to same period in 2010).

The statistics from the Department for Communities and Local Government are available here. (9.12)

54) Youth organisations urged to overcome fears of working with businesses

Scepticism over companies' motives for working with youth groups must be overcome to successfully deliver improved services, a charity central to the government's youth policy has warned. Plans to break down barriers between businesses and the youth sector in order to provide better services were outlined in the government’s Positive for Youth policy paper, published last month which can be viewed here. The initiative, which is backed with £320,000 of government funding, will be developed by UK Youth, the National Children's Bureau (NCB) and Business in the Community – a responsible business charity. The group aims to develop a simple model for brokering relationships between businesses and the youth sector at a national, regional and local level, and has revealed this will be done based on existing best practice rather than new ways of working.

This is likely to include a degree of focus on schemes including Starbucks’ Youth Action Programme, O2's Think Big social action programme and the Co-operative’s Truth about Youth programme. A number of project supporters have been enlisted, including The National Council for Voluntary Youth Services, Clubs for Young People, the nine Regional Youth Work Units and the Private Equity Foundation. During 2012, the group, which will meet for the first time later this month, will consult with the business and youth sectors across England and then through events and other promotional activity to raise awareness of the opportunities this kind of work presents. The 15-month project will culminate in a regional pilot early in 2013 ahead of a planned nationwide expansion. (13.1)

54) £10m boost for youth volunteer training

Funding of £10m to train thousands of new volunteer leaders for youth groups like the Scouts, Guiding and Police Cadets has been announced by Communities Secretary Eric Pickles. The money will go to Youth United – a coalition of the major youth volunteering organisations – to recruit and train up 2,700 new adult volunteers over the next two and a half years to run 400 new youth groups. The government said it would mean more than 10,000 additional young people would be able to join a pack or troop. The areas identified where the money can have the biggest impact are: Birmingham, Bradford, Knowsley, Hackney, Haringey, Manchester, Middlesbrough, Newham, Redbridge, Rochdale and Tower Hamlets. Additionally, four areas that will be targeted as HRH The Prince of Wales’s priority areas for helping young people - the Broadwater Farm Estate in Tottenham, Burnley, Burslem, in Stoke-on-Trent, and Redcar. (2.2)

55) Highest youth unemployment levels since records began

The latest release of unemployment figures by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows the worst outlook for 16 to 24-year-olds since 1992. UK unemployment jumped to 2.68 million in the three months to November, giving the UK a jobless rate of 8.4%.

Unemployment amongst 16 to 24-year-olds increased by 52,000 over the quarter to 1.04 million, the highest since records began in 1992. Britain’s jobless generation are losing hope for the future. Unemployment can have a devastating effect – not just on future job and wage prospects, but also damaging wellbeing and mental health. Our research shows that unemployed young people are feeling less confident about the future than they did this time last year. Read Third Sector's recently released research about young people’s overall wellbeing, The Youth Index 2012, here. (26.1)

56) You are not on your own

You are not on your own.....is a booklet  to help children and adults talk about a parent's drinking, produced by The Children's Society. Click here to download. (2.9)