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DSCP Newsletter - June 2024
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Welcome to the latest edition of the DSCP newsletter. We hope you find it useful and informative. Please contact us by email if you have any comments or suggestions for future newsletters (DSCPSecure@durham.gov.uk)
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Latest News from DSCP
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The DSCP structure has been updated to reflect the changes in the DSCP subgroups and the reporting structure for all the groups in the partnership. The diagram below is available to download or view here.
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Priorities
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Priority One: Domestic Abuse
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Cyber Stalking and Domestic Abuse Training
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This virtual training session is delivered by Simon Finch.
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The aim of the session is to increase participants awareness of cyber stalking.
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- An overview of cyber and digitally assisted, stalking and legislation.
- The challenges and benefits of relationships in the digital age.
- How technology and social media are used to stalk and harass.
- Key strategies and actions to identify and remove surveillance apps and technology.
- Sources of help and support.
The delivery of this briefing will be via Microsoft Teams:
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- Durham County Council staff only - book HERE
- Multi-Agency Partners - book HERE
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Priority Two: Harm Outside The Home
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Within our focus group for Priority Two, children and young people stated that they would share information with their friends, however they would be hesitant to share information with practitioners owing to a worry that they would be breaking a friend’s trust. The DSCP would like to raise awareness with children and young people about Fearless. Whether they are worried about sharing information because of a fear of the process, fear of repercussions or a distrust of the police, Fearless aims to empower young people to speak out.
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Fearless is an organisation where young people can pass or share information about a crime, this is 100% anonymous via an online form at Fearless.org or by calling our 0800 555 111 phone lines, 24/7, 365 days a year.
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Fearless also offer workshops in County Durham, aimed at 11-18 year olds in a school or youth setting and they also provide awareness sessions to professionals who work with young people and for parents/carers. Sessions are fast paced, emotive and engaging; using a variety of media to deliver our message. Sessions are flexible and can be adapted to meet the needs of our young people.
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All of the sessions are FREE. There is no cost for the service, as Fearless is fully funded.
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If you would like further information or to book some sessions, please contact:
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Sharon Gray - Fearless Outreach Worker for County Durham
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Priority Three: First 1,001 Days
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On 22 May 2024, we hosted a Development Day focused on the first 1,001 days of a child’s life (conception to 2 years old). The sessions offered to partners were identified within the Priority 3 piece of work.
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The five sessions and number of attendees:
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- Concealed Pregnancies - 39
- Safe Sleeping/Safe Handling - 29
- Learning from Practice Reviews (information sharing, cross boundary sharing and professional curiosity) - 52
- Enhance Parenting Pathway Program - 30
- Whole Family Approach/Family Networks - 37
The following analysis of the day was identified:
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Knowledge on the subject prior to the briefing (1 being limited and 10 being in-depth)
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If you were unable to attend the briefings, they were all recorded and will be available to view in the coming weeks on Me Learning.
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Priority Four: Mental Health and Wellbeing
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Mental Health and Wellbeing is the fourth priority for the DSCP, this priority is now in Phase 3 of the learning cycle where the Improvement Delivery Group will be completing work with children, young people, parents, carers, and practitioners.
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What are the barriers to accessing mental health services earlier before families are in crisis? What are we doing around prevention and promoting good mental health for children and families – Whole Family Approach?
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How do we identify families at the earliest opportunity for support, looking at the journey of a family that have gone into crisis and whether there was an opportunity to offer any intervention or support at an earlier opportunity to prevent families reaching crisis point.
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To gather information about this, the IDG are going to do a deep dive on three children’s case files, looking at their life story and trying to understand if earlier intervention could have led to a different approach to the care and support, they are offered.
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The IDG are also creating and sharing a short survey with young people and their parents to gain a better understanding of their experiences of services in County Durham. Asking for feedback on the barriers to accessing support and whether a different approach to support could have been offered. Further information around this piece of work will be shared in the September 2024 newsletter.
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What's New
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Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews
As described in Working Together 2023, Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews are the statutory reviews held in response to notifiable serious incidents.
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In May 2024 the DSCP shared on their website a Child Safeguarding Practice Review (CSPR) that considers systems and practice within and between partner agencies in the Durham area. The review considers two children where similar themes were identified within a three-month timeframe, a thematic CSPR was undertaken to consider learning from both children.
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Please visit the DSCP website, Key Learning, to access the full report and the Practice Learning Briefing.
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Events
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Drowning Prevention Week (DPW): 15th-22nd June 2024
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Please visit the link within this newsletter to share resources with families, carers, teachers and instructors of children aged five to fifteen years old with the aim of educating them about water safety. No child should drown, and with the right water safety education, such as knowledge of the Water Safety Code, accidental drownings are preventable.
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Drowning Prevention Week is deliberately timed ahead of the school summer holidays when children spend more time outdoors and when vital water safety skills can help keep children safe.
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Please help us to spread the word this year and encourage everyone to have the water safety conversation with children. DPW is critical in raising awareness and encouraging the public to enjoy water safely.
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Gypsy Roma Traveller History Month
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5th-11th June: Child Safety Week
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17th -23rd June: Learning Disability Week:
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Training
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Multi-agency Training Programme
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We launched our new website on 7 May along with a new training booking system which requires you to set up an account where you can book courses on the training programme and view all bookings in your account.
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We have 13 courses delivered on Teams/Zoom or face to face for you to book. The courses are delivered by professionals who are experts in the topic areas. Book HERE to avoid disappointment as spaces are limited.
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- Gypsy, Roma Traveller Awareness
- Neglect and Poverty
- Neglect Basics and Toolkit
- Impact of Parental/Carer Mental Ill Health on Children (PAMIC)
- Parental Substance Misuse
- Safer Recruitment – DBS Eligibility Workshop
- Safeguarding Children from Sexual Abuse
- Safeguarding for Managers and Designated Leads
- LGBTQIA+ Awareness
- Trauma Informed Approaches
- Understanding Gangs and Exploitation from a Child’s Perspective (Accredited)
- Unconscious Bias and Cultural Competence
- Being Part of a Team Around the Family (TAF)
In the coming weeks, we are migrating our existing Me Learning system onto a new platform.
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There are currently 30 courses available for you to access and these same courses will be available on the new system. We are also adding some new briefings which were recorded from The First 1,001 Days Development Day.
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If you have existing course history on the current platform, please download and save any training certificates as they will not be available once the system immigrates. Log in HERE to access your existing account.
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In recent months we have seen an increase in partners wanting bespoke training delivered to their own organisation at a date, time and venue that is best for them. All bespoke training is tailored for the needs to the individual organisation and are delivered by Amy Armstrong DSCP Training and Development Coordinator. This training does incur a charge to all agencies (£400 per half day and £600 per full day).
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Local Resources
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Information Sharing Advice for practitioners
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HM Government has issued advice outlining the importance of sharing information about children, young people, and their families in order to safeguard children. It should be read alongside the statutory guidance Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023.
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All Durham practitioners should familiarise themselves with this updated advice on Information Sharing.
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Coming soon to the DSCP we are launching:
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- Regional Information Sharing Agreement: see here
- Durham’s Tier 1 and Tier 2 Agreements these set good practice standards for Durham: see here
- Information Sharing Me-Learning session: Information sharing: E Learning
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Start for Life Fund 2024-2025
Guidance Notes
Safe sleeping (including prams/pushchairs/strollers), home safety equipment to support families (County Durham households with children 0-5 years) facing financial difficulties.
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This fund will close to applications on the 21st February 2025 and the last date to submit applications is Thursday 20th February 2025 (please note the fund may close sooner if it is oversubscribed).
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In County Durham, we are increasingly finding families that are struggling to cope with the rising cost of living, and this can result in unsafe practices of sleeping arrangements for babies and a lack of basic safety equipment when children become mobile.
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To support families with these costs, Durham County Council are providing a ‘Start for Life Fund’. DCC Children and Young Peoples Service (Social Inclusion Team) will coordinate and administer this fund ensuring that our most vulnerable families (with children 0-5 years) who are facing financial difficulties have access to safe sleeping and home safety equipment to keep children warm, safe and secure.
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Applications must be submitted by a professional that is working with the family. The family must be living in County Durham with children aged 0-5. Applications received directly from families will not be considered.
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Online application forms can be found at SFLF application (from 20th May 2024), alternatively please scan the QR Code below.
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Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel
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The fourth annual report from the Independent Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel examines the child safeguarding system, focusing on serious child safeguarding incidents that occurred between January 2022 and March 2023 in England.
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The report outlines patterns in practice for both national government and local safeguarding partners, aiming to enhance the protection of vulnerable children.
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Frontline practitioners in Durham should take of the note of specific areas and themes highlighted in the report to improve their practice when working with children and families.
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National Guidance and Useful Resources
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Council Offices, Green Lane, Spennymoor, DL16 6JQ
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