15 October 2015 weekly update

Local Children's Partnership Groups

New Local Children's Partnership Groups are being established in each of the 12 Districts.

Their purpose is to drive improvement in specific outcomesfor local children and young people. The work of each LCPG should be highly-focussed, data-driven and underpinned at all times by delivering measurable improvements through partnership working. The activity of the group will include: sharing information to provide understanding of local services, providing a vehicle for identifying and addressing local needs and gaps in provision and facilitating and pooling resources to meet the needs of local children and families.

The work of LCPGs will support the alignment of key priorities for education, early help, health, police, social care, community safety, District Councils and work with voluntary sector organisations and commissioned services. LCPGs have a key role in relation to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people, and as such provide an important link between the Kent Safeguarding Children Board (KSCB) and local services and organisations working with children and young people.

The partnership groups will be supported by the Early Help District Managers and other key staff in Education and Young People's Services.

I hope Headteachers will be willing to be members of these partnership groups. If you are interested in doing so can you please contact your Area Education Officer: Marisa.White@kent.gov.uk (East), Jared.Nehra@kent.gov.uk (West), David.Adams@kent.gov.uk (South), and Ian.Watts@kent.gov.uk (North)

Schools Mental Health

Time to Change will be running a mental health anti-stigma campaign during November. They are asking every Secondary school in England to take their pupils through the Make Time 4 Mental Health programme, aimed to make it easier to talk about mental health. The free resources consist of 4 'scripted' 10 minute sessions which can be delivered in an assembly or class room setting. 

Information About the Prevent Duty

From 1 July, local authorities, schools, and childcare providers are under the duty to have due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism. To help schools and childcare providers keep children safe from the risk of radicalisation and extremism the DfE has issued practical Prevent duty advice which complements statutory Prevent duty guidance.

The DfE launched a dedicated webpage for the education sector on GOV.UK, detailing what the government is doing to prevent extremism in the education and children's services sectors. The department has also alerted LSCB Chairs to the duty and asked them to reflect it in their threshold documents and training policies. You can contact the department for more information on this communication by emailing Counter.EXTREMISM@education.gsi.gov.uk

If you are concerned about the radicalisation of a young person or other family members please refer the case to the County Channel Panel, or contact Early Help or the Central Referral Unit. Please see the prevent presentation (PPTX, 1.8 MB) for more information.

For advice and support please contact Nick.Wilkinson@kent.gov.uk County Lead for Prevent, and Head of Youth Justice and Safer Young Kent, Early Help and Preventative Services.

Patrick Leeson
Corporate Director of Education and Young People's Services