West Sussex Safeguarding Children's Board Survey on Neglect
It is important for the West Sussex Safeguarding
Children’s Board to understand the current knowledge and skills of the
workforce in identifying and tackling neglect.
In order to do this, a survey has been created which should take you no more than 10 minutes to complete. Your response will be used to plan the most effective way
to provide information and training to the workforce around this type of abuse. We value your input into this piece of work and value
your feedback.
The closing date for completion is Friday 17th March.
Free Carbon Monoxide Awareness Training
 ‘Think CO’ are offering free Carbon Monoxide Awareness Training across the UK. The training is designed to help frontline workers know the signs and risks of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning and what to do if you suspect CO may be present in a home. Please see the flyer for more information or contact Think CO directly, enquires@gassafecharity.org.uk.
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Keep Warm this Winter
 An updated Financial and Practical Help briefing for February 2017, outlining the help available to vulnerable West Sussex residents struggling to keep warm this winter is available to view. It has been updated with details of:
- The Emergency Heater Scheme which continues to run until the end of March for vulnerable and low income households within no working heating system
- The West Sussex Affordable Warmth Scheme which re-commenced in January, providing access to grants for new electric or oil fired heating systems plus loft and cavity wall insulation
- The SGN Locking Cooker Valve - a new scheme from SGN offering a free safety device that can be attached to gas cookers, enabling the carer to switch the gas on or off, as needed
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Local authority schemes and / or networks offering support or advice
For those of you in the Mid Sussex area, drop in events continue to be offered to residents by the Heat for Health team. Visit www.westsussexenergy.co.uk and go to the ‘What’s On’ page for further information. The project team are also hosting a ‘Heat for Health’ conference for volunteers or frontline workers with clients in the Mid Sussex area on Monday 27 March in Haywards Heath. For more information contact katja@msopc.org.uk or call 01444 242760.
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Baby Grow with Five to Thrive
 Your
child's body grows better when you give the child good food. Your child's brain
grows better when you do five simple things.
Respond
* Cuddle * Relax * Play * Talk
Relax:
Stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol can injure the human brain.
Under the impact of unregulated stress, these excessive hormones change blood
supply to key areas of the brain such as those that control language and the
self-regulation of mood and impulse. This is the organic explanation for the
survival mechanism of fight or flight, in which brain functions that slow down
response times (such as thinking) are switched off.
Read more about baby
brain development here.
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Think Family and Early
Help Performance
 1) The number of Early Help Plans in January 2017 stands at 5732.
2) We
are currently achieving measurable improvements in the lives of 81% of
the families we are working with (through analysis of their ‘distance travelled’).
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Corporate Parenting 5k Fun Run / Walk
 Have you heard? West Sussex County Council and Chichester District Council have joined together to organise a fun run / walk for Corporate Parenting, to raise funds for our children looked after and care leavers.
It is taking place on Thursday 23 March at 12.30pm in Oaklands Park, Chichester and follows the parkrun 5k circuit. Anyone can take part and all we ask for is a £5 entry fee per person.
All funds raised will go directly to our Corporate Parenting Fund, which will be used to help celebrate excellence and to provide the additional support our children looked after and care leavers often need.
Remember, all employees, elected members and partner agencies have a responsibility as Corporate Parents, so why not choose this as your way to show your support.
To register yourself or a team email corporate.parenting@westsussex.gov.uk and to find out more information visit our newsroom article.
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Understanding Autism Event
 Asperger's Voice is holding a 2017 Understanding Autism event which will take place at Roffey Millennium Hall, Horsham on Friday 28 April 2017, 11:45am - 5:30pm.
This free event provides an opportunity for adults with asperger's and autism in West Sussex to find out more about what it means to be autistic and about the resources available locally.
For more information on what will be there and the timings for the day, view their flyer. To book, contact James Parmenter at aspergersvoice@gmail.com / 07471 353062.
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Lenehan Review - Action for Parents and Young People
Dame Christine Lenehan’s Review into the care and
treatment of children and young people with complex needs (and behaviour that
challenges) involving mental health problems and learning disabilities and / or
autism has just been published. The full report can be found here.
The review, called These Are Our Children,
is calling for urgent action at a national level to prevent these children
being institutionalised at an early age, at huge cost to the taxpayer and with
low ambitions for improving their lives. The next step for the Department of
Health is to look with other Government Departments, NHS England and external
stakeholders at how they can take Christine’s conclusions and recommendations
and use them to inform improvements for this group of children. She found, for
example, "A lack of ownership or accountability across a fragmented system
of care is depriving children of their right to an education, and community and
family life."
To ensure that the review is informed by a wide
range of views and evidence from the sector, Dame Christine has launched a call
for evidence and is asking for contributions from people working in residential
settings, students attending these residential schools and colleges, their
parents or carers, and others. The call for evidence can be read.
(ii) ensure that parent carers whose children and young people are
in residential special schools and colleges respond to the call for
evidence to Lenehan.Review@education.gov.uk
by 17 March 2017. They should focus on answers to the
following questions:
How did you find the process of getting a residential
place?
• Are you happy with your child's residential placement?
• Are you supported to keep in touch with your child?
• What outcomes would you like to see from this placement?
First Steps to Adulthood
 The West Sussex Parent Carer Forum who we work in partnership with, are running a 'First Steps to Adulthood' event for parent carers who have children 14 or over with Special Educational Needs and / or Disabilities. The event is being held on Wednesday 8 March, from 6 - 8pm at Horsham Youth Centre, Hurst Road, Horsham, RH12 2DN.
Information and stalls will be there to discuss benefits, the Local Offer, discount cards, specific disability organisations and much more.
No need to book, just drop in. Email office@wspcf.org.uk for more information.
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Family Support Network
(FSN) Updates
Chichester FSN
The 'Chichester
Locality Schools Early Help Event' was held on Monday 30 January and was well conceived, running jointly by Chichester Locality Schools group and
the Chichester Hub. The aim was to explore,
share and develop approaches to Early Help in schools. The event was well attended by Headteachers, SENCOs, School
Improvement and representatives of Early Help teams (Think Family, Family
Support Network, Young People’s Service, Police, District Council, Children and Family
Centres, CAMHS & MASH).
The
evaluation showed that all valued the event and appreciated the chance to discuss practice and experiences in schools. Good
feedback was obtained from this discussion on what is felt to be going well,
concerns and suggestions around Early Help. There was wide support for the idea of providing schools
with more information on handling attachment issues and from this, it was agreed that a small
working party would be led by Gill Moss (Head of West Dean Primary School) to
progress ideas for a future event to develop Early Help approaches across
Chichester Locality Schools.
For further information contact Phillip Finlinson ChichesterFSN@westsussex.gov.uk / Gill
Moss head@westdean.w-sussex.sch.uk.
Training in March and April
 Funding for External Training:
Application
forms for external training and conferences can be accessed on the
Learning and Development Gateway. The funding
page provides details of how to apply.
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Local Safeguarding
Children Board Newsletter
Young People's Service and Local Offer Newsletter
 
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