Attorney General unable to review sentence of ‘groomed’ teacher
The BBC reports that, after consideration, the Attorney General is unable to review an 18-month suspended sentence given to a teacher who was found guilty of 2 counts of sexual activity with a 16-year-old pupil. Judge Joanna Greenberg QC, who handed out the sentence, has been heavily criticised for saying that the teenage victim had […]
Serious case review into child sex abuse at Southbank International School in London announced
A serious case review will be launched into how teacher, William Vahey, was able to drug and abuse at least 60 children between 2009 and 2013 at the fee-paying Southbank International School in London. The review will be led by Dame Moira Gibb. Source: Guardian 27 September 2014
HMIC report criticises South Yorkshire Police for Child Protection Responses
Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) has published a critical report of child protection arrangements in South Yorkshire police. Recommendations include: South Yorkshire police undertaking a review of concerns raised about children in care homes to ensure there are safeguarding plans in place for at-risk children. Source: HMIC press release 30 September 2014 Further information: […]
Five men receive prison sentences for child sexual exploitation and trafficking
Shakeal Rehman 26, Mohammed Shapal, 22, Yaseen Amini, 37, Usman Ali, 21 and Bekir Rasheed, 37, from Bradford and Sheffield, have received jail sentences totalling more than 28 years. They trafficked and sexually exploited a 13-year-old girl who had run away from home over a period of 8 days in August 2013. Source: Guardian 03 […]
Police struggle to deal with child abuse images
An NSPCC Freedom of Information request, responded to by 16 out of 43 police forces in England and Wales, has revealed that thousands of computers are being confiscated by police forces, but there are ‘relatively few’ skilled forensic examiners available to analyse material for child abuse images. Source: BBC Online 03 October 2014
NSPCC warns against blanket anonymity in child abuse cases
Children and Young People Now reports that the NSPCC is warning against moves to offer blanket anonymity to suspected child abusers, for fear this could hinder successful prosecutions. Instead, the charity advises considering each case on an individual basis, with suspects being named if it is in the public interest to do so. Source: Children& […]
Government tells local authorities to review their responses to child sexual exploitation
Local authorities have been ordered to undertake an audit of how they respond to child sexual exploitation (CSE) cases in the wake of the Rotherham abuse scandal. This is something that we are already working on with one local safeguarding children board. Contact us if you want to find out how we can help you. […]
New taxi rules put children at risk of child sexual exploitation
The Local Government Association has warned that plans to relax taxi licensing regulations could put children at risk of sexual exploitation. New government proposals would enable minicab licence holders to allow other people to drive their vehicle when they are off duty without any vetting checks. Source: Local Government Association (LGA) 25 September 2014
New poll shows the central role of schools in safeguarding children
A TES and NSPCC poll of more than 1200 headteachers, teachers and support staff has found that more than 66% reported a safeguarding issue in the last year. Only 15% of those surveyed have never reported an issue. Source: TES 26 September 2014
Headteacher praises our E safety event for school staff
Following a recent E Safety event at a local school, we were delighted to see the following comment from the Head Teacher on her evaluation form: “This is the most valuable training I have received in a long time. Outstanding.” We are now hosting parent information sessions and workshops for primary and secondary school pupils […]
“This is the best safeguarding training I have experienced.”
“My confidence in making referrals has definitely increased and I feel I am in a better position to effectively engage with the child protection process.”