National Children's Bureau

As part of the Sector Awareness and Provider Preparedness programme, we developed this toolkit to support local authorities in undertaking quality assurance processes with supported accommodation providers.    The toolkit includes:  ➡ Quality Assurance Tool  ➡ Quality Assurance Process Map  ➡ Quality Assurance Timeline    View the resources here: https://lnkd.in/eHdSN7nx 

It’s time to give children a seat at the table! As children head back to school this autumn, we know many families are facing huge challenges – from poverty to mental health, to worries about safety online. This month, we’ll be working alongside children and young people to make their voices heard at the Labour and Conservative party conferences. If you’re heading there too, please join us at our events. We are excited to announce that our speakers include the Rt Hon Bridget Phillipson MP, Secretary of State for Education and Janet Daby MP, Minister for Children and Families and Andrew Gwynne MP, Minister for Public Health and Prevention. The event is convened by the Children’s Charities Coalition of Action for Children, Barnardo’s, National Children’s Bureau, NSPCC, and The Children’s Society. 🔗 To attend, please visit: https://lnkd.in/eNWtF896

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health have published a major new report: ‘From left behind to leading the way: a blueprint for transforming child health services in England’. This calls on the UK government to commit to restoring health services for children in England. Across seven themes, it sets out a series of detailed and intersectional recommendations. These are intended to act as a guide to the transformational change that is needed across child health services in England. 1. Ensuring fair funding for children. 2. Prioritising children in Integrated Care Systems. 3. Supporting a sustainable child health workforce. 4. Improving data and digital. 5. Reducing pressure on urgent and emergency care. 6. Reinvesting in community health services. 7. Improving the interface between primary and secondary care. Underpinning this is a call for ambitious action on to prevent illness and address the wider determinants of health with a child health in all policies approach. Additionally, there are two core principles in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child to further help to improve children and young people’s health: 1. Be active in how children and young people’s views are asked for, listened to and acted on (Article 12) 2. Do all you can to implement these rights, protecting children and young people from the harm of being overlooked and forgotten in health planning (Article 4, Article 24). Find out more: https://lnkd.in/erux-MgA

As part of the Sector Awareness and Provider Preparedness programme we have developed a tool to support providers to be prepared to submit their application to register with Ofsted and meet the requirements of the four Quality Standards. This tool is available free to use and download until the end of September.  https://lnkd.in/euyrVqQg  

ICYMI: Our Making it REAL programme was featured in Times Education Supplement last month as an example of innovative ways to tackle staffing issues in the early years sector. Making it REAL (Raising Early Attainment in Literacy) offers literacy training sessions to early years practitioners and teachers, making them more confident in their role. Read the full article and find out more about the programme 👇

Early intervention spending on children’s social care has dropped by almost half since 2010/11, a new Pro Bono Economics report for the Children’s Charities Coalition shows. The care system has reached a tipping point: last year more was spent on residential care placements than on early intervention, among spiralling numbers of children in care and funding cuts. It’s time to turn the tide. The Children’s Charities Coalition is calling on the Government to reform the current system, invest more in prevention and early intervention, and to tackle the key drivers of demand – poverty, homelessness, unaffordable housing, wellbeing and mental health. Read the report: https://buff.ly/4gcs3Yc #ChildrenAtTheTable

The supported accommodation sector is on a transformative journey. We need continued focus and investment to ensure the rights of young people living in supported accommodation are met and they are supported to thrive, NCB's deputy director Caroline Coady writes for Children & Young People Now:

🥳FREE Anti-Bullying Week 2024 Packs Are Now Available!🥳 There are less than 10 weeks to go until #AntiBullyingWeek 2024: #ChooseRespect, which is taking place from Monday 11 to Friday 15 November. The Anti-Bullying Alliance have created everything you need – entirely free of charge – to help you get ready to choose respect in your school/setting: ❤️School Packs: Resources for primary and secondary schools which include lesson plans, films, cross-curricular ideas, and assembly plans. These school packs are focused on developing children’s understanding of respect, including how to disagree respectfully. 💙Odd Socks Day Pack: Odd Socks Day is taking place on Tuesday 12 November. We have a school pack with an assembly plan ready to go – alongside an amazing song and video from Andy and the Odd Socks currently in the making! 🧡Parents and Carers Pack: A tool to help parents and carers have conversations with their children about bullying. Find these resources, alongside other opportunities, on the Anti-Bullying Alliance’s website here: https://lnkd.in/ebYR3_-p

We’re delighted that the government has chosen to extend the Early Years Stronger Practice Hubs programme in England until at least March 2025. The programme, for which NCB is the Department for Education’s delivery partner, supports nurseries by bringing groups together across 18 local areas, to share evidence-informed practice, advice and build lasting local networks.   The extension is part of a package of early years investment that includes from next week expanding the provision of government-funded hours of early education to eligible working parents of children from 9-months-old and making available new wraparound childcare places for primary school aged children. From next September the government will extend the entitlement of parents’ childcare to 30 hours a week. We welcome the extension of the Early Years Stronger Practice Hubs programme and the inherited expansion of childcare provision. We urge the government to build on this positive momentum and to continue an open dialogue with the children’s sector in this period of rapid expansion in early years entitlements. Most importantly, we must work together to ensure high-quality, inclusive provision is at the heart of the offer for every child. Find out more about the Early Years Stronger Practice Hubs programme and access evidence-informed resources and development opportunities for practitioners at https://lnkd.in/eyNYwpyR

As part of the Sector Awareness and Provider Preparedness programme, we have developed two eLearning courses in relation to the new Ofsted regulation regime for providers of supported accommodation for 16- and 17-year-olds in and leaving care. These courses will be available free to use until the end of September. Access the courses here: https://lnkd.in/efg3TPmq