County Lines – Further Updates

Update Thursday 26th September 2019

To continue to build upon county lines information, further details are outlined in this weeks safeguarding update which share the stark county lines message further. 

What is County Lines?

Children as young as 7 are being put in danger by criminals who are taking advantage as to how innocent and inexperienced these young people are. Any child could be exploited, no matter of their background.

Criminal exploitation is also known as ‘county lines’ and is when gangs and organised crime networks groom and exploit children to sell drugs. Often these children are made to travel across counties and they use dedicated mobile phone ‘lines’ to sell drugs.

No one really knows how many young people across the country are being forced to take part, but The Children’s Commissioner estimates there are at least 46,000 children in England who are involved in gang activity. It is estimated that around 4,000 teenagers in London alone are being exploited through child criminal exploitation, or ‘county lines’.

Tragically the young people exploited through ‘county lines’ can often be treated as criminals themselves.

We want these vulnerable children to be recognised as victims of trafficking and exploitation. We want them to receive the support they need to deal with the trauma they have been through.

Criminals are deliberately targeting vulnerable children – those who are homeless, experiencing learning difficulties, going through family breakdowns, struggling at school, living in care homes or trapped in poverty.

These criminals groom children into trafficking their drugs for them with promises of money, friendship and status. Once they’ve been drawn in, these children are controlled using threats, violence and sexual abuse, leaving them traumatised and living in fear.

However they become trapped in criminal exploitation, the young people involved feel as if they have no choice but to continue doing what the criminals want.

If you want to know more about county lines then please ask your tutor. If you feel you are personally being impacted by county lines then please use the ATTFE safeguarding referral process to alert us and to receive immediate support.

County Lines – Police Mapping Data (BBC)

Update Thursday 19th September 2019

County lines is a term used to describe gangs and organised criminal networks involved in exporting illegal drugs out of bigger cities into one or more smaller towns in the UK, using dedicated mobile phone lines or other form of ‘deal line.

The BBC reports that police data shows drug crimes in England and Wales have fallen by more than 50,000 in the past five years. However, the national averages hide a major shift in where drug crimes are being committed.

In London, 30 out of 36 areas saw either a decrease or no significant change in recorded drug crime over the past five years. Moving outside of the capital, in the South East and East of England, there were 74 small towns and villages that bucked the trend and saw increases in drug crime.

The BBC article (link below) is very helpful in learning more about this national issue. The interactive maps show where the changes have taken place and how this impacts upon us in Nottinghamshire.

Read more here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-48343369

Safeguarding Updates

Update Thursday 12th September 2019

Ofsted have just introduced the Education Inspection Framework (EIF) to support robustly monitoring the quality of FE providers and the quality of what we do.

The EIF has four judgements:

• Quality of Education
• Behaviour and Attitudes
• Personal Development
• Leadership and Management

Personal Development includes:

• British values
• Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development
• Relationships and sex education
• Health education, including safety
• Mental health awareness and support

Safeguarding won’t be graded specifically in the new Ofsted Education Inspection Framework for September 2019, but it will be referenced in the Leadership and Management section of the report. Leadership and Management is everyone’s responsibility.

The EIF handbook says, ‘when safeguarding is ineffective, this is likely to lead to an inadequate leadership and management judgement’. However, if there are minor weaknesses in safeguarding arrangements that are easy to put right and do not leave children either being harmed or at risk of harm then a ‘requires improvement’ judgement may be made.

Inspectors will be looking for evidence that ‘the provider has a culture of safeguarding that supports effective arrangements to identify learners who may be at risk; which responds in a timely way; and that staff recruitment is managed and any allegations are dealt with appropriately’.

As a learner at ATTFE should you raise a safeguarding issue with us as your learning provider, your expectation is that we should address this swiftly working with yourself and if required other agencies. All ATTFE staff members (in any role) are trained in safeguarding which will ensure that they professionally respond to any safeguarding issues raised.

Safeguarding Updates

Update Thursday 5th September 2019

ATTFE have a significant change to paperwork and safeguarding processes for 2019/20.  All  learners, regardless of funding stream, campus or age will be issued with our learner safeguarding card on their first session.  This card shares our revised safeguarding processes as well as the learner website safeguarding link (this page!).

ATTFE will be adding safeguarding information weekly to this link which will provide you with up-to-date safeguarding information.  Please visit the site weekly to see the new article.

Upskirting Laws

Update Thursday 29th August 2019

In April 2019, the Voyeurism Act 2019 came in to force which added two new offences to the Sexual Offences Act 2003 to ensure ‘upskirting’ was addressed.

The offences include taking a photograph or video recording beneath the skirt or dress of a person without consent. In education terms, this offence can be classed as peer-on-peer abuse and is mentioned in the Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance.

For further information please visit www.gov.uk/government/news/upskirting-know-your-rights 

Online reputation

Update Thursday 31st October 2019

Your digital footprint is the mark that you leave behind when using the internet and can shape your online reputation. Your digital footprints are made up of the content you create, post and share; as well as the content that others post, and share, with you and about you.

Your digital footprints can be positive or negative and affects how people see you now or in the future. Use our simple check list to help manage and maintain your online reputation.

1. Search yourself online:do you know what is online about you? Do a simple web search of your name and see what you can find. If you find something you aren’t happy with, take the necessary steps to get that content removed. Remember if your Facebook or Twitter pages appear you can change this by adjusting your privacy settings.
2. Check privacy settings: make sure you know what information you are sharing on the websites you use, in particular on social networking sites. Most social networking sites have privacy settings to help you manage the content you share and who you share it with; you can decide if you want your posts to be shared with your online friends and followers only or with the public. Keep in mind that your friend’s content and their settings can also affect your digital footprint.
3. Think before you post: before you post that funny picture of your friend, or make that joke about someone on Twitter, ask yourself do you want everyone to see it; friends, family, grandparents, future employers? Would you be happy for others to post that type of content about you? You should be proud of everything you post online, remember once it is online it could potentially be there forever!
4. Deactivate and delete: when you stop using a social networking profile or website, it’s a good idea to deactivate or delete your account. This will mean the content is no longer live and should not be searchable online; it will also remove the risk of these accounts being hacked without you knowing.
5. Make a positive footprint: we hear a lot about the negative footprints left behind online. The best way to keep your online reputation in check is to use your time online to get creative and create a positive footprint.  For example why not write a blog to promote all the great things you are doing, fundraise for a charity using an online sponsorship page or create a video to teach others something new.

For further information go to https://www.childnet.com/young-people/secondary/hot-topics/online-reputation

Sex, Relationships and the Internet

Update Thursday 24th October 2019

SEX, RELATIONSHIPS and the INTERNET……three things that get a little complicated! The fabulous ‘thinkuknow’ website has a great link that supports sharing advice, information, contact numbers and facts https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/14_plus/. Technology makes it easier for us to ‘connect’, but it also has the ability to increase peer pressure.

The article below is also from thinkuknow. Take time to read and then follow the link previously mentioned if you required further information on how to tackle this problem.

Selfies: the naked truth

Sharing a picture of yourself takes seconds. You can even add a cute filter and before a minute has passed, loads of people who you may or may not know have viewed your selfie.

The social media platforms made just for sharing photos are getting bigger and bigger. Instagram has over 1 billion active users and there are 20,000 images shared on Snapchat every second!

Lots of people share photos of themselves regularly – like holiday snaps, silly selfies, or group shots with friends. Some people might think that sharing more revealing photos, like naked or semi naked (nude) pics happens all the time too. But that’s actually not the case – research shows it’s not something that most young people do. Although not everyone’s doing it, you might be thinking about sending a naked selfie, either:

• To a boyfriend or girlfriend
• As a way to flirt with someone you like
• To make your friends laugh
• Or because you feel pressured to

Whatever the reason, there are always risks involved, particularly if you’re not doing it because you want to. There’s always a chance that an image could be shared further, which makes it important to say no if you don’t feel comfortable.

If you have already shared something you’re worried about, it’s never too late to get help. Check out our advice on ‘What if I’ve already sent a nude image?’.

3 ways to say ‘no’

Saying ‘no’ is not always easy, especially if it’s to someone you really care about. There are a few different ways that you can say ‘no’ – choose whichever way you’re most comfortable with. Here are some suggestions for what you could say in different situations:

• Someone you’re in a relationship with: Let them know you’re not comfortable, if they respect and value you, they’ll understand.
• Someone you know: Keep it light – Zipit app has helped lots of young people to say no in a funny way.
• Someone you don’t know: Ignore, block and report, so they can’t continue to contact you.

Peer on Peer Abuse

Update Thursday 17th October 2019

What is peer-on-peer abuse?

Peer-on-peer abuse is any form of physical, sexual, emotional and financial abuse, and coercive control exercised between children, and within children’s relationships (both intimate and non-intimate), friendships, and wider peer associations.

Peer-on-peer abuse can take various forms, including (but not limited to): serious bullying (including cyberbullying), relationship abuse, domestic violence and abuse, child sexual exploitation, youth and serious youth violence, harmful sexual behaviour and/or prejudice-based violence including, but not limited to, gender-based violence.

Online peer-on-peer abuse is any form of peer-on-peer abuse with a digital element, for example, sexting, online abuse, coercion and exploitation, peer-on-peer grooming, threatening language delivered via online means, the distribution of sexualised content, and harassment.

It is really important that we all take time and care to tackle peer-on-peer abuse and ensure that it doesn’t happen in any context. If you are aware of peer-on-peer abuse taking place then please follow our safeguarding referral processes by emailing t.price@attfe.org.uk.

Email Scams and Password Protection

Update Thursday 10th October 2019

Safeguarding Alert: Porn Email Scam

Over three billion fake emails are sent out each day, and many of them are phishing emails aiming to trick people into passing over their passwords and other data, especially for their bank accounts.

An insidious and alarming version of a phishing email is the ‘porn email scam’. In this scam a victim is told that the attacker has video of the person watching illegal pornographic content, sometimes even titled ‘I know you’re a pedo’ (sic). The email includes the demand that unless an amount of money is paid by BitCoin, the attackers will release the images to everyone on the victim’s contact list.

There are an estimated 8m different sextortion emails and over 200m compromised accounts that could be targeted. Could yours be one of them?

If you are sent one of these ‘porn scams’:

• Don’t panic, take a step back – Stop, Pause and Think.
• Do your research – Copy and paste the text into Google.
• Take action to protect yourself – Think about contacting the police.
• Improve your digital security – Change passwords and check your email security.
• Don’t stay silent – Talk to someone or call The Samaritans.

We have received several of these emails into our office and alarmingly, in one, the subject line was a password that we have regularly used. As you can imagine this was a huge shock.

There are many ways that passwords may be collected, but a data breach is the most common way that millions of email addresses and password pairs get out into the ‘wild’.

One way to find out whether your email address has ever been comprised is to go to the website ‘Have I Been Pwnd’ https://haveibeenpwned.com/ and enter your email address. When I entered one of my private email addresses I found I had been ‘pwned’ on seven occasions including these well known sites:

Adobe (2018)
Animoto (2018)
Bitly (2014)
Canva (2019)

More information, including examples of these scam emails can be found here: https://shop.ineqe.com/blogs/news/safeguarding-alert-porn-email-scam

Download a Sextortion Infographic: https://cofense.com/sextortion-infographic/

Test Your Password

‘How secure is my password’ is website where you can check how quickly ‘hackers’ would take to guess your password. The top ten passwords people use are:

123456
password
123456789
12345678
12345
111111
1234567
sunshine
qwerty
iloveyou
(Source: Digital Trends https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/top-100-worst-passwords-2018/)

According to ‘How secure is my password’ all these passwords can be guessed ‘instantly’. One easy way to strengthen a password is to make it longer, and add at least one special character like ! or ?. Simply adding an ! to sunshine in the above list would now take 2 hours to crack, two exclamation marks would take 4 days. By adding the name of the site you’re on, you could strengthen your password so it would need 143 trillion years to crack.

sunshine – instantly
sunshine! – 2 hours
sunshine!! – 4 days
sunshine!!sainsburys – 143 TRILLION YEARS!!

Have I Been Pwnd – https://haveibeenpwned.com/
How secure is my password – https://howsecureismypassword.net/

Jessie & Friends: online safety education

Update Thursday 3rd October 2019

Keeping safe online is hard for anyone, especially a young person. Having such easy access to the internet through computers and mobile devices simply increases risk. It is therefore really important that we all take time to ensure that we know how to keep ourselves, families and friends ‘safe’ when accessing the world wide web.

Below is a link which is aimed at Primary school children, but remains highly relevant to us all. It shares very basic internet safety which even if we already ‘know’ provides a strong reminder as to what we need to do to continually keep safe online.

Jessie & Friends: online safety education (ThinkUKnow)

Introducing the idea of a safer internet to younger children can be quite challenging. Jessie & Friends is a series of three animations from online safety specialist at the National Crime Agency’s CEOP Command.

The videos follow the adventures of Jessie, Tia and Mo as they begin to navigate the online world, watching videos, sharing pictures and playing games. A storybook accompanies each episode, to help adults keep the conversation going with the children.

Find the resources here: https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/parents/jessie-and-friends

Peer-on-peer Abuse

Update Thursday 28th November 2019

What is peer-on-peer abuse? Peer-on-peer abuse is any form of physical, sexual, emotional and financial abuse, and coercive control exercised between children, and within children’s relationships (both intimate and non-intimate), friendships, and wider peer associations.

Peer-on-peer abuse can take various forms, including (but not limited to): serious bullying (including cyberbullying), relationship abuse, domestic violence and abuse, child sexual exploitation, youth and serious youth violence, harmful sexual behaviour and/or prejudice-based violence including, but not limited to, gender-based violence.

Online peer-on-peer abuse is any form of peer-on-peer abuse with a digital element, for example, sexting, online abuse, coercion and exploitation, peer-on-peer grooming, threatening language delivered via online means, the distribution of sexualised content, and harassment.

If you feel at any point that you are being impacted by peer-on-peer abuse then it is really important that you share this with your tutor. Peer-on-peer abuse is not limited to under 18’s, it can happen at any age. It is very real and can be frightening. All staff at ATTFE are trained to make an appropriate in-house safeguarding referral to support anyone who is experiencing peer-on-peer abuse. Don’t suffer in silence, as we will be able to help. Alternatively, please contact the bullying uk helpline via the following link https://www.bullying.co.uk/

Relaxation Techniques – Tackling Mental Health

Update Thursday 21st November 2019

Why is relaxation important?

Life is busy, whether you’re at school, college or work. Sometimes, the pressures can seem all a bit too much. Taking some time off for relaxation is vital to help your mind and body switch off from those pressures.

Some mental health problems, such as anxiety and depression can be caused by “too much work and not enough play”. And not taking time out for relaxation may make any existing mental health issue worse.

Relaxation is an important part of maintaining positive mental wellbeing.

The stimulants don’t work

It’s tempting, after a pressured day to reach for a cigarette, bottle of wine or even drugs to wind down. But these quick fixes are stimulants, and won’t help you to relax properly. They’re also bad for both your physical and mental health.

Drugs, such as cannabis can act as a depressant, making users paranoid and losing their ambition and drive. Drugs and alcohol can cause or exacerbate mental health problems.

Stress-busting relaxation techniques

Pause – make time during the day to take breaks or pauses. Pausing throughout the day can prevent stress from building up.

• Stop what you are doing
• Look out of the window
• Let your shoulders drop
• Stretch
• Allow your mind to calm down

If you find yourself in a stressful situation such as a difficult phone call, a crowded train journey home or a looming essay deadline, give yourself time afterwards to pause and calm down.

Deep breathing – Taking deep breaths after a stressful situation and concentrating on your breathing can have a calming effect and help you relax.

• Close your eyes
• Take deep breaths in and out
• Think of your favourite place, maybe somewhere that you go on holiday
• Focus on the place and picture yourself there
• What can you see? What can you smell? What can you feel?

Imagining being in your favourite place can take you away from your current stressful situation and help you relax and calm down. It can also help prevent stress levels gradually rising throughout the day.

Mindfulness

Be mindful – be more aware of the present moment, including your thoughts and feelings, your body and the world around you. Some people call this awareness “mindfulness”. It can positively change the way you feel about life and how you approach challenges.

Ask your tutor about the well-being initiatives that we have running for all staff / learners within ATTFE and how you can access them. These are designed to support and promote well-being for all.

Suicide Prevention

Update Thursday 14th November 2019

What are suicidal feelings?

You might be feeling down and sad. But if those feelings have become very deep and intense, and you don’t know what to do about them, you might think the only solution is to end your life. But there is hope for you, and you can get through it.

You’re not the only one who feels this way – many people feel suicidal at some time in their lives. What’s important for you to know is that there are lots of ways of dealing with this feeling and overcoming it. It’s possible to come out the other side and feel okay again.

You might experience suicidal feelings if you:

• Are depressed or have another mental illness
• Struggle with low self-esteem
• Use drugs or alcohol, especially when you’re upset
• Feel anxious about pressures you face today or in the future
• Feel under pressure from family or your peers

These feelings can get in the way of everything else – so much that you might find it hard to believe that you can feel better. But you can, whatever the problem is.

If you feel like this at any point, alert your tutor who will undertake a safeguarding referral where we can support you further. We have access to a counsellor who is exceptionally well trained in supporting people who feel like this. You are not on your own, simply alert us.

Emergency Contact Details – Wellbeing

Update Thursday 7th November 2019

Learner wellbeing is at the heart of what we do, from safeguarding to focusing upon it in lessons. If you are struggling at any point, you can alert your tutor. This can be in person (at the start, end of discretely in the middle of a class) or via a comment on your Individual Learning Plan [ILP].

At ATTFE we try and ensure that we embed social and emotional skills in to our curriculum to build resilience and frame how we can all manage our mental health and wellbeing on a day to day basis.

If you are struggling at any point and are not able to alert your tutor for help then these emergency contact details may be able to help you.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS	0115 9417100 / 0845 769 7555
ALZHEIMERS SOCIETY 36 Wood Street, Mansfield, Notts NG18 1QA	01623 429419 / 03002221122
ANXIETY UK	03444775774 www.anxiety.org.uk
APAS – ALCOHOL PROBLEM ADVISORY SERVICE 36, Park Row, Nottingham, NG1 6GR	0845 762 6316 info@apas.org.uk
APTCO A PLACE TO CALL OUR OWN Unit 15 Botany Park, Botany Avenue, Mansfield, Notts NG18 5NF	01623 629902
ARTHRITIS CARE HELPLINE	0800520520
ASHFIELD DISTRICT COUNCIL Council Offices, Urban Road, Kirkby in Ashfield, NG17 8DA	01623 450000 / info@ashfield.gov.uk
ASHFIELD VOLUNTARY ACTION The Health & Wellbeing Centre, Ashfield Health Village, Portland Street, Kirkby in Ashfield, NG17 7AE	01623 555551 info@ashfieldvoluntaryaction.org.uk
ASHFIELD COMMUNITY PROTECTION SERVICE The Ashfield Neighbourhood Wardens are in your neighbourhood, helping to improve the quality of life for residents, reduce crime and the fear of crime, and build confidence in the community	0800 1838484
AUTISM HELPLINE	0808 800 4104
BEGIN 12 Bath Street, Nottingham NG1 1DN	0115 978 0942
BEN MENTAL HEALTH & WELLBEING	08081 311 333
BIPOLAR UK	0333 323 3885
BRITISH HEART FOUNDATION	0300 330 33322 / WWW.bhf.org.uk
BEAT The UK’s Eating Disorder Charity	0808 801 0677
CASHFIELDS – CREDIT UNION 3A, Vine Terrace, Hucknall, Notts NG15 7HN	0115 9521 455
CHILDLINE	0800 1111
CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU	0344 411 1444
CRUSE BEREAVEMENT SUPPORT 1 Grove Street, Mansfield,  NG18 1EL	01623 647643 WWW.cruse.org.uk
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE run in partnership between Women’s Aid and Refuge	24 hour help line 0808 2000 247
DEPRESSION ALLIANCE	0300 123 3393 / www.mind.org.uk
FAMILY LIVES, PARENTING AND FAMILY SUPPORT Play works, North Alfred Street, Notts NG3 1AE	0115 896 770 / 0808 800 2222 WWW.familylives.org.uk
FRAMEWORK HOUSING ASSOCIATION Val Roberts House, 25 Gregory Boulevard, Nottingham NG7 6NX	0115 8417 711
FRANK – NATIONAL DRUGS HELPLINE	0300 1236 600
GAMBLERS ANONYMOUS	Email info@gamblersanonymous.co.uk
GLORIA DE PIERO MP FOR ASHFIELD 8 Station Street, Kirkby, Notts NG17 7AR	01623 720399
HETTYS Marlborough House, 23 Woodhouse Road, Mansfield Notts NG18 2AF A confidential network, designed to support people helping parents, partners, friends and families with either drink or drugs problems.	Free Phone 08000 850941 Helpline Text 07896228547
Job Centreplus	08001690190
Kings Mill Hospital Mansfield Road, Sutton in Ashfield Notts NG17 4JL	01623 622515
Library – Sutton in Ashfield Idlewells Precinct, Sutton in Ashfield Notts NG17 1BP	01623 677200
Mind Concord House, 12-14 St Johns Street Mansfield, Notts NG18 1QJ  Monday – Friday 9am-4pm	01623 658044
Mens Health Forum	020 7922 7908 www.menshealthforum.org.uk
Mencap	0808 808 1111
MAS – Money Advisory Service	0800 138 7777
NHS Non Emergency number	111
Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Lesbian and Gay Network Nottingham Voluntary Action Centre 7, Mansfield Road, Nottingham, NG1 3FB	0115 9348485
NSPCC – National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children	0808 800 5000 www.nspcc.org.uk
Narcotics Anonymous	0300 999 1212
OCD Action	0845 390 6232 www.ocdaction.org.uk
British Pregnancy Advisory Service Oak Tree Lane Surgery, Jubilee Way, Mansfield, Notts, NG18 3SF	0345 730 4030
Nottingham Rape Crisis Centre The Women’s Centre, 30 Chaucer Street, Notts,NG1 5LP	Help Line 0115 9410440
RSPCA Nottingham & Notts 137 Radford Road, Hyson Green, Nottm, NG7 5DU	0115 784 1110
Refuge Against Domestic Violence for Women & Children	0808 2000 247 24 hour helpline www.refuge.org.uk
Relate – The Relationship People Nottingham Relate Centre, 96 Mansfield Road, Nottingham, NG1 3HD	0115.958 4278 www.relate-nottingham.org.uk
Rethink Mental Illness – East Midlands Regional Office 182 Kirkby Road, Sutton in Ashfield, Notts, NG17 1GP	01623 510992
Samaritans 1A, Grove Street, Mansfield, Notts NG18 1EYL	01623 422224 / 08457 909090 Or any time 116 123 free phone
Sexual Health Ashfield	01623 672260
Scope – Disability Support	0808 800 3333 helpline@scope.org.uk
Support Line – Confidential Emotional Support for Children, Young Adults and Adults	01708 765200 info@supportline.org.uk
The Maltings, Substance Misuse Services Mansfield Recovery Centre, 3-5 Beech Avenue, Mansfield	01623 408432 / 0300 300 1234
Victim Support Mansfield and Ashfield The Court House, Rosemary Street, Mansfield, Notts, NG19 9EE	0808 168 9111 / 0300 303 1967 01623 424948
W.A.M (what about me) Confidential support service for children and young people aged 5-19 who are affected by someone else’s substance misuse. Room F38, 1st floor Ransom Hall, Ransom Hall Business Park, Mansfield, Notts NG21 0HJ	0115 9691 300
Youth Minds – Fighting for young People’s Mental Health	0808 802 5544 www.youngminds.org.uk

Kooth – Online Support

Update Thursday 19th December 2019

What is Kooth?

In 2001 they led the way in putting counsellors online, reaching those less likely to walk through the therapist’s door. Today, they are breaking ground again, using data and Artificial Intelligence to create new models in preventative, early response mental healthcare.

Their website holds a range of different tools and resources that can be embedded in to sessions. In addition, young people can contact them directly to receive direct support which is really important. This website is of particular value as it shares information on why we might feel how we do.

https://www.kooth.com/

Tips for a safe festive night out

Update Thursday 12th December 2019

12 top tips for a Festive safe night out

• Don’t be tempted to drink too much before the night begins. People who preload are more likely to become involved in violent crime or injure themselves.
• Make sure you have something to eat before a night out and drink water regularly.
• Don’t make yourself vulnerable by getting too drunk – know your limits.
• Stay with friends, look out for one another and make sure you all get home safely.
• Arrange a meeting point and rendezvous times in case you get separated from friends.
• Pre-book safe transport home and do not accept lifts from strangers.
• Save the number of a licensed taxi firm in your mobile phone. Always check the driver’s identification and never get into an unlicensed taxi.
• Avoid walking alone and never take shortcuts through dark alleys or large open spaces.
• Stash some cash in case you lose your purse or wallet.
• Store an ICE (in case of emergency) number on your phone.
• Keep an eye on your drinks and never leave them unattended. Even soft drinks could get spiked.
• Getting behind the wheel after drinking can have tragic consequences, the advice is simple, don’t drink and drive and never be a passenger of a drunk driver.

Prevent

Update Thursday 5th December 2019

STOP

The main aim of Prevent is to stop people from becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism.

PROTECT

At the heart of Prevent is safeguarding children and adults and providing early intervention to protect and divert people away from being drawn into terrorist activity.

PREVENT

Prevent addresses all forms of terrorism, but continues to ensure resources and effort are allocated on the basis of threats to our national security.

For further information on PREVENT go to https://www.ltai.info/what-is-prevent/

Safer Internet Day – Are you free to be yourself online?

Update Thursday 30th January 2020

Are you free to be yourself online? A powerful question and one which ATTFE will be focusing on during Safer Internet Day 2020 which is being held on Tuesday 11^th February 2020. This short film targeted at 11-18 year olds explores the question further, prompting and allowing us all to ask relevant probing questions that guide us as to what is and isn’t safe to be sharing on line.

https://www.saferinternet.org.uk/safer-internet-day/safer-internet-day-2020/i-am-educator/film-are-you-freetobe-yourself-online

Drugs Awareness

Update Thursday 24th January 2020

Keeping safe means many things to many different people. Taking drugs can seriously impact upon your own ability to keep yourself safe. This excellent resource shared by Sam Youd our Head of 16-19 Curriculum Manager really does help to share a stark and insightful message about drugs. If you feel that you need someone to talk to once you have read it, please contact at well-being ambassador.

KCSIE Quick Reference

Update Thursday 16th January 2020

The Three Safeguarding Partners	These three partners replace the old LSCBs for Sept 2019: ·         The Local Authority ·         The Chief of Police ·         A Clinical Commissioning Group
The Serious Crime Act 2015	This Act in 2015 clarified the offence of child cruelty. It makes explicit that ‘cruelty’ includes psychological suffering or injury as well as physical harm and introduced a new criminal offence of sexual communication with a child for the purpose of obtaining sexual gratification.
Up-skirting Act 2018	This Act in 2018 made it illegal to attempt to take photos of people’s genitals or buttocks without their knowledge or permission.
Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018	This guidance covers the legislative requirements and expectations on individual services to safeguard and promote children’s welfare. This guidance makes clear how the three safeguarding partners should make arrangements to work together to identify and respond to the needs of children.
Keeping Children Safe in Education 2019	This statutory guidance contains information on what education institutions must do to safeguard children. This guidance is in five parts and all staff must read at least part 1 and annex A.
Mandatory reporting of Female Genital Mutilation	This ensures that that professionals must report to the police ‘known’ cases of FGM in under 18s
Children Missing Education 2016	This statutory guidance sets out key principals to enable local authorities in England to identify children missing education and the process that should then be followed.
Contextual Safeguarding	This is an approach to understanding and responding to young people’s experience of significant harm beyond their families. It recognises the wider environmental factors present in young people’s lives for example the different relationship that young people form in their neighbourhood, school or online.
Safeguarding Children	·         Protecting children from maltreatment ·         Preventing impairment of children’s health or development ·         Ensuring children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care ·         Taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes.
Child Protection	This refers to the action that is taken to protect a child who is suffering or is likely to suffer significant harm.
Child Abuse	This is a form of maltreatment of a child. Somebody may abuse or neglect a child by inflicting harm or by failing to prevent harm.

The 4 types of abuse:	·         Physical ·         Emotional ·         Sexual ·         Neglect
Physical Abuse	Hitting, shaking, throwing, drowning, burning, scalding, poisoning, suffocating
Behavioural signs for victims of physical abuse:	·         Flinching when touched ·         Inability to recall how injuries occurred ·         Avoiding getting changed for sport or other activities ·         Wearing heavy clothing even on hot days ·         Reluctance to go home ·         Excessively eager to please ·         Being aggressive or withdrawn
Sexual Abuse	This involves someone forcing or enticing a child to take part in sexual activities; whether or not the child is aware of what is happening such as: ·         Assault by penetration ·         Non penetrative acts ·         Non-contact activities such as watching activities
Physical signs of Sexual Abuse	·         Stomach pains ·         Genital soreness, bleeding or discharge ·         Recurring genital-urinary infections ·         Discomfort in walking or sitting ·         Sexually transmitted infections

Behavioural signs of victims suffering sexual abuse:	·         A change in behaviour ·         Not wanting to undress ·         Sexual knowledge, language and behaviours beyond their age, sexualised drawings ·         Self harming ·         Fear or avoidance of being with a person or a group of people
Emotional Abuse	This is the persistent emotional maltreatment of a child such as to cause severe adverse effects on the child’s health and emotional development.
Types of emotional abuse	·         Rejecting or ignoring a child completely ·         Using degrading language or behaviours towards them ·         Responding to their attempts to interact with detachment ·         Threatening them or encouraging them to develop behaviours that are self-destructive ·         Preventing a child from interacting socially with other children or adults ·         Causing a child to feel frequently in danger
Signs of Emotional Abuse	·         Self-harm marks ·         Erratic behaviour ·         Delayed development, physically or emotionally ·         Difficulty in forming relationships ·         Inappropriate attention seeking ·         Bed wetting or disturbed sleep
Neglect	The persistent failure to meet a child’s basic physical and/or psychological needs, likely to result in the serious impairment of the child’s health or development. It may occur during pregnancy as a result of maternal substance abuse.

Physical signs of Neglect	·         Unattended medical or dental problems ·         Lack of energy due to inadequate food intake ·         Poor personal hygiene ·         Untreated skin or hair problems ·         Very thin or swollen stomach ·         Constantly hungry ·         Lack of muscle tone ·         Constant tiredness
Behavioural signs of Neglect may include:	·         Demanding constant attention ·         Difficulty in making friends ·         Missing or irregularly attending school ·         Frequent lateness ·         Stealing or begging food from others ·         Emotional withdrawal ·         Lack of aspirations ·         Poor social relationships

Forced Marriage	Where one or both people do not consent to a marriage and pressure or abuse is used. It is recognised in the UK as a form of violence against both men and women.
Honour based violence or abuse (HBV)	This encompasses incidents or crimes which have been committed to protect or defend the honour of the family or the community.
Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE)	This is illegal actively by people who have power over children and use it to sexually abuse them either directly or indirectly. It can seem consensual in return for something and it can also include serious organised crime.
Radicalisation	This refers to the process by which a person comes to support forms of extremism and terrorism. It can happen in many ways and settings. An extremist group may appear to offer an answer to a child’s unmet needs.
Domestic Abuse or Violence	Any incident or pattern of incidents of controlling, coercive, threatening behaviour, violence or abuse between those age 16 or over who are, or who have been, intimate partners or family members regardless of gender or sexuality.
Online Abuse	This can be categorised in three areas of risk: Content – being exposed to illegal, inappropriate or harmful material Contact: being subjected to harmful online interaction with others (i.e. being groomed) Conduct: personal online behaviour that increases the likelihood of, or causes, harm; for example online bullying.

Peer on peer abuse	This can be physical, sexual, emotional and financial abuse. It can be coercive control exercised between children and young people within their relationships.
Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment	This is where a child or children sexually assault or sexually harass a single child or a group of children. It can occur face to face, online, physically or verbally. It should not be seen as banter, part of growing up or just having a laugh.
Fabricated or Induced Illness (FII)	This can be known as Munchausen’s syndrome by proxy and is a rare form of child abuse. It can involve children of all ages, is very hard to detect and requires multi agency working and effective sharing of information.
Breast Ironing/Flattening	This is the practice where a pubescent girl’s breasts are ironed, massaged and flattened in order to delay the development of the breasts. It is a form of physical and emotional abuse against women.
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)	This is the term used to describe highly stressful and potentially traumatic events or situations that may occur during childhood. It can be a single event or prolonged threats to and breaches of the young person’s safety, security, trust or bodily integrity.

County Lines

Update Thursday 9th January 2020

County Lines is something which is becoming very real within the communities that we serve with several high profile incidents within the last few months. Criminal exploitation goes hand in hand with the County Lines initiative. The ‘parent guide’ shared in this newsletter is relevant for us all giving us all key points to be aware of to support remaining alert at all times.