Daily roundup: Teacher-pupil relationships, council services and children's centres
Neil Puffett
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Councils divulge details of teacher relationship claims; government orders action at Norfolk children's services; and Essex children's centres' opening hours to be cut, all in the news today.
At least 959 teachers and school staff have been accused of having a sexual relationship with a pupil in the past five years. The BBC reports that a Freedom of Information request to local authorities resulted in 137 councils returning cases they were aware of in state schools between 2008 and 2013. Teaching unions say many claims are false.
The government has ordered an independent review of plans to improve child protection and looked-after children's services in Norfolk. The move follows inadequate ratings in both areas following Ofsted inspections last year. The direction notice also requires the council to incorporate improvement activity for looked-after children services alongside ongoing improvement work around child protection.
Opening hours at six children’s centres in Basildon are to be scaled back, despite hundreds of objections. The Basildon Echo reports that Essex County Council’s cabinet will vote on the proposals next week. If passed, the plans will save £2.5 million from the county’s children’s centre budget.
New figures reveal that Cafcass has received received 808 care applications in December 2013, a decrease of 6 per cent compared with the number received in December 2012. The data also reveals that between April and December 2013 a total of 7,896 applications were received, four per cent lower than the same period in 2012, when 8,190 applications were received.
Southwark’s director of children’s services Romi Bowen is to retire after 14 years with the authority. Bowen, who is also in charge of adults services at the council, will leave the authority in July.
A guide to help parents who are worried about their child’s development has been published by support charity, Contact a Family. The booklet, Developmental Delay, includes a pull-out poster to help parents recognise key skills most children develop between birth and five years of age, and to encourage them to consult their health visitor or GP if they are concerned their child isn’t reaching important developmental milestones.
Sir Tony Hawkhead is to take up the post of chief executive at Action for Children at the end of March. Hawkhead, who was previously chief executive at environmental regeneration charity Groundwork UK, takes over from Dame Claire Tickell who left Action for Children last month.
