Current Issues

SAFEGUARDING SUPPORT AND SIGNPOSTING

Please find below useful information, signposting you to support and raising awareness of current safeguarding topics. It is key to remember that safeguarding children is everyone’s responsibility.

Safer Internet Day – 7th February 2023 – Safer Internet Day 2023 will take place on the 7th of February 2023, with celebrations and learning based around the theme ‘Want to talk about it? Making space for conversations about life online.

Parent Zone link – It is likely that our young people will be spending additional time online to communicate, socialise and play and it is vital that they are able to keep themselves safe online. Parent Zone are the experts in digital family life. They provide support and information to parents, children and schools, working globally to help families to navigate the internet safely and confidently. www.parents.parentzone.org.uk

​The Dangers of Gasha Studio – The NSPCC and the Police have recently shared concerns with us about a game called Gasha Studio (Anime dress up). During the game, users can choose avatars and create scenarios. Recently, a parent found a concerning screenshot on her child’s phone, which depicted a small female child character – she had labelled her ‘abused child’ – and a featureless adult labelled ‘abuser’. They appear to be in a dungeon of some kind, and the adult is holding an unknown object. The most recent reviews refer to content that includes references to child abuse, suicide, bullying and murder. Parents to be vigilant please.

Kooth – is a web-based confidential support service available to young people that provides a safe and secure means of accessing mental health and well-being support by speaking to one of the online counsellors, and/or engaging in the Kooth community which provides a range of online therapeutic support tools. Click here

Happymaps – This is a brilliant website with advice on all sorts of mental health and well-being areas, covering all age groups. Click here

St Giles Hospice – Some of our young people who have experienced bereavement have benefitted from the advice and support from St Giles Hospice. Click here

The following provides some online help and support:

Child Bereavement – Click here

Health for Teens – A website supported by the NHS on a wide range of topics from anger management and anxiety to relationships and sexual health Click here

Domestic Abuse support Click here

Mens Advice Line Click here 

If you are concerned about a child or young person in Staffordshire and want to speak to someone, please contact the Safeguarding First Response Team on 0800 1313 126 and give as much information as you can.

Parents can also access confidential support and advice through Childline on 0800 1111 via 1-2-1 chat between 7.30 am and 3.30 pm every day.

Illness and School attendance

We are aware that the COVID-19 pandemic may have caused some parents to feel less confident with assessing whether their child is well enough to be in school so we have set out some information which we hope you will find helpful. If you do keep your child at home, it’s important to phone the school on the first day to let us know that your child won’t be in and give the reason.

Coughs / colds/ respiratory illness

It is usually appropriate for parents and carers to send their children to school with mild respiratory illnesses. This would include general cold symptoms: a minor cough, runny nose or sore throat. However, children should not be sent to school if they have a temperature of 38°C or above.

Chickenpox

If your child has chickenpox, keep them off school until all the spots have crusted over.
This is usually about 5 days after the spots first appeared.

Cold sores

There’s no need to keep your child off school if they have a cold sore.
Encourage them not to touch the blister or kiss anyone while they have the cold sore, or to share things like cups and towels.

Conjunctivitis

You don’t need to keep your child away from school if they have conjunctivitis.
Do get advice from your pharmacist. Encourage your child not to rub their eyes and to wash their hands regularly.

COVID-19

If your child has mild symptoms, such as a runny nose, sore throat, or slight cough, and feels well enough, they can go to school.

Your child should try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people if they have symptoms of COVID-19 and they either: have a high temperature or
do not feel well enough to go to school or do their normal activities

Ear infection

If your child has an ear infection and a high temperature or severe earache, keep them off school until they’re feeling better or their high temperature goes away.

Hand, foot and mouth disease

If your child has hand, foot and mouth disease but seems well enough to go to school, there’s no need to keep them off.

Head lice and nits

There’s no need to keep your child off school if they have head lice.

You can treat head lice and nits without seeing a GP.

Impetigo

If your child has impetigo, they’ll need treatment from a GP, often with antibiotics.
Keep them off school until all the sores have crusted over and healed, or for 48 hours after they start antibiotic treatment.
Encourage your child to wash their hands regularly and not to share things like towels and cups with other children at school.

Ringworm

If your child has ringworm, see your pharmacist unless it’s on their scalp, in which case you should see a GP.
It’s fine for your child to go to school once they have started treatment.

Scarlet fever

If your child has scarlet fever, they’ll need treatment with antibiotics from a GP. Otherwise they’ll be infectious for 2 to 3 weeks.
Your child can go back to school 24 hours after starting antibiotics.

Slapped cheek syndrome (fifth disease)

You don’t need to keep your child off school if they have slapped cheek syndrome because, once the rash appears, they’re no longer infectious.

Sore throat

You can still send your child to school if they have a sore throat. But if they also have a high temperature, they should stay at home until it goes away.
A sore throat and a high temperature can be symptoms of tonsillitis.

Threadworms

You don’t need to keep your child off school if they have threadworms.
Speak to your pharmacist, who can recommend a treatment.

Vomiting and diarrhoea

Children with diarrhoea or vomiting should stay away from school until they have not been sick or had diarrhoea for at least 2 days (48 hours).

STREP A

You may be aware from the media that there is a national increase in cases of Strep A and Scarlet Fever and we have received information from the Department of Health, which is attached for your information.  This details signs of symptoms of Scarlet Fever and Invasive Strep A (IGAS).  There are also links below which provide further information.

We would like to ask parents to support us in preventing the spread of viruses by reminding their child to maintain good hygiene practices including:

• washing hands with soap and water often – do this for at least 20 seconds
• use hand sanitiser gel if soap & water are not available
• wash your hands as soon as you get home
• cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze
• put used tissues in the bin immediately & wash your hands afterwards

Links for further information:

NHS – Scarlet Fever

Scarlet fever: symptoms, diagnosis and treatment

Tech4Families

This is a programme run by the Digital Poverty Alliance  ( DPA) in conjunction with Curry’s Ltd. It works like this:

• When customers spend money with Curry’s they are asked if they would like to “round up* the amount, with the extra going to this charity.
• The Charity pays for laptops for young people (up to 16yrs.) whose families can’t afford to buy a computer of any sort.
• The laptop comes with programmes etc. ready to use and tech back up form Curry’s.

There is a very simple application form which would only take a few minutes to complete. It needs to be “verified” by a responsible person who must know the child in a professional capacity such as teacher, librarian, social worker, or accredited money adviser. The paper form is then posted to DPA who make the decision. There is no requirement to “make the case”.

There is no further involvement or input to the process and there is NO guarantee that an application will be successful and NO appeal.

For more information go to  https://digitalpovertyalliance.org/tech4families/

Curry’s were surprised at how many people were contributing and could already be giving away about 100 per week. Staffordshire is one of only a handful of areas benefiting from this programme at the moment”.

Water Safety During Summer

Stay Safe during the Summer Months – it’s going to be a warm one this year!

Please take 5 minutes to read the information regarding water safety for you and your family.

Drowning Prevention Week 

Open Water Safety 

Safety on our Waterways

Safety at the beach 

Water Safety Signs 

Reservoir Safety