Dear Colleague

First of all have you booked SID, on 5th February, into your diary?

If you work with children & young people, their carers, parents and families, the ninth annual global Safer Internet Day, SID 2019, is a must. 

To celebrate Safer Internet Day (SID) 2019 SAFE has launched a short survey and organisations and schools are asked to encourage their children and young people to take part. Up for grabs in the SAFE survey prize draw for entrants' organisations or schools are:

• First prize: 20 free online SAFE eSafety courses
• Second prize: 10 free online courses
• Third prize: 5 free online courses.

Terms & conditions apply

Public Training Course Schedule

For the latest training dates and a comprehensive list of available courses click here.

International Day of Persons with Disabilities was held on the 3rd December 2018
The annual observance of the International Day of Disabled Persons was proclaimed in 1992 by the United Nations General Assembly resolution 47/3. It aims to promote the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities in all spheres of society and development and to increase awareness of the situation of persons with disabilities in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life.

Public Health England (PHE) have published good practice guidance, Safeguarding children affected by parental alcohol and drug use December 2018
The PHE Parental alcohol and drug use toolkit provides local authority level estimates of the numbers of children affected by parental dependent use of opiates and alcohol. It details the numbers of parents and children already known to alcohol and drug treatment services, which allows local authorities to see if the needs of alcohol and opiate dependent parents are being met in their area.
The figures in the toolkit show that an estimated 21% of alcohol dependent parents, and 52% of opiate dependent parents, were in treatment for their dependence in 2016 to 2017.

1. Open Consultation; The Department for Education is seeking views on a draft voluntary safeguarding code of practice for out-of-school settings providers, and associated parental guidance.
The Department for Education is consulting to inform the development and dissemination of a draft voluntary safeguarding code of practice for out-of-school settings (OOSS); and accompanying guidance for parents setting out the key questions they may wish to consider when choosing an out-of-school setting for their child.
When referring to OOSS, they  mean any institution which provides tuition, training, instruction, or activities to children in England without their parents’ or carers’ supervision, that is not a:

• School
• College
• 16-19 academy
• Provider caring for children under 8 years old which is registered with Ofsted or a childminder agency.

The consultation closes on February 24th 2019.

1. New campaign was launched to fight festive fraud this Christmas.
Action Fraud and City of London Police reminded shoppers to take extra care when shopping for gifts online. As consumers search online for bargains and gifts for loved ones, fraudsters are seeing this as an opportunity to trick people with the promise of great deals and big cash savings.
The latest report by Action Fraud shows that fraudsters conned 15,024 shoppers out of more than £11 million over the Christmas period last year.
People are being defrauded on popular social media websites and online auction sites. Action Fraud works together with platforms including Gumtree to combat fraud and to issue protect advice to consumers.
Mobile phones were once again the most common item that people tried to buy from fraudsters. Victims reported being hooked in with bargain deals on some of the most popular models of smart phones, only for the phone to never actually arrive and leaving them without presents to give on Christmas Day. Apple iPhones accounted for 74% of all mobile phones purchased that turned out to be fraudulent.
Electrical goods (including games consoles), household items, computers, clothing, and accessories also featured in many of the reports. Examples including Fingerling toys, UGG Boots and Apple MacBook’s were among the most popular items victims reported losing money to fraudsters on.
Last year, more than 30% of reports were made by women aged between 20 and 29, however anyone can fall victim to Christmas shopping fraudsters during the festive period.

Useful fraud and cyber crime prevention tips for all year round:
• If something seems too much of a bargain, it’s probably poor quality, fake or doesn’t exist.
• Don’t pay for goods or services by bank transfer unless you know and trust the person. Payments via bank transfer offer you no protection if you become a victim of fraud.
• Make sure you’ve installed the latest software & app updates. Criminals use weaknesses in software to attack your devices and steal information, such as your payment details.
• Use a strong, separate password and 2FA (two factor authentication code) to protect your email account. Criminals can use your email to access other online accounts, such as those you use for online shopping.
• Don’t click on a link in an unexpected email or text. The volume of online shopping related phishing emails increases during the holiday period. Remember, if a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.
Every Report Matters – if you have been a victim of fraud, report to Action Fraud or call 0300 123 2040.

2.  925 new FGM cases have been recorded in July to September 2018 There were 1,630 individual women and girls who had an attendance where FGM was identified or a procedure related to FGM was undertaken in the period July to September 2018 (the comparative figure in the previous quarter was 1,710). These accounted for 2,025 attendances reported at NHS trusts and GP practices where FGM was identified or a procedure related to FGM was undertaken.
The figures are derived from the latest statistics report produced by NHS Digital.
There were 925 newly recorded women and girls in the period July to September 2018 (the comparative figure was 1,040 in the previous quarter). 'Newly recorded' means this is the first time they have appeared in these data. It does not indicate how recently the FGM was undertaken, nor does it mean that this is the woman or girl's first attendance for FGM.

3,  The new Domestic abuse best practice framework details measures, which have already helped to drive up prosecutions in domestic abuse cases are to be rolled out across England and Wales.
Figures show that a targeted approach to making sure victims of domestic abuse get better support through the criminal justice system is having a significant impact on conviction rates, guilty pleas and reducing the number of cases that fail due to victim and witness reasons.
At a pilot site in London, four measures which were put in place to increase support saw an almost eight per cent increase in guilty pleas and conviction rates.
These included simple steps such as making sure victims were given the chance to visit court before the trial, given the option of giving evidence behind a screen and being allocated an independent Domestic Abuse Advisor to support them.
They have proved so successful across three pilot sites that they are being rolled out across the country.
Max Hill, Director of Public Prosecutions, said: “The criminal justice system can be daunting and we must make sure people feel supported - especially if they have particular vulnerabilities such as being victims and witnesses of domestic abuse. We must always aim to provide fairness for all participants in criminal cases, and that means victims and witnesses as well as defendants.
“We know that often, by putting simple measures in place like ensuring people are familiar with court surroundings in advance, we can make a big difference. The work of Independent Domestic Abuse Advisors is also important.
“I want to see these measures extended to other parts of the country so everyone receives excellent support, regardless of where they live.”
The measures – called the– are to be introduced in domestic abuse courts across England and Wales from January.
The framework results from a joint project between the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) and Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS). Teams carried out an analysis of high-performing local criminal justice areas, and the reasons why they were achieving positive results in domestic abuse cases.
The framework looked to identify and test ways of working to improve performance, particularly in relation to achieving earlier guilty pleas, preventing victim attrition, and improving the rate of convictions after trial.
A pilot to test the new support measures yielded significant improvements.

1. A teacher has been jailed for 10 years for having sex with two pupils, one of whom he "groomed".
The girls were at different secondary schools in north-east Suffolk where Alex Brown had taught between 2015 and 2017.
Brown, 35, now of Leeds, admitted 11 offences at an earlier hearing.
The judge at Ipswich Crown Court described one of the victims as a "damaged, vulnerable, easily-targeted 15-year-old in your care".
Brown, now of Spibey Lane, Rothwell, admitted eight charges of sexual activity with a female and three of taking indecent images.
The court heard one girl was just under 16 years old, while the other was just over 16.

Suffolk Police said they were alerted to Brown's activities in October 2017 by one of the schools.
In mitigation, defence lawyer Andrew Oliver said the teacher was remorseful and had apologised.
"He knows he has devastated his direct victims, and also those close to him," he said.
Mr Oliver said the teacher, who has two young children, had been having marriage difficulties and was "lonely".
Since the case came to light, he said, his marriage had ended and he had moved back in with his parents.
Sentencing, Judge David Goodin said he had "betrayed" the trust of children "who, as often as not, are not aware of what their best interests are".
With regard to the younger victim, the judge said "I think grooming is the word", while the older victim had "respected, admired and liked" the teacher.
The judge said: "You're not a fool - you've had safeguarding training. You knew exactly what you were doing."
He described some the messages found on Brown's phone as "recording in the most explicit detail the activities you were engaged in".
Brown will be the subject of a Sexual Offences Prevention Order on his release.

2. A police officer who only joined the force "to gain the keys to a sweetshop" has been jailed for raping a girl.
Cheshire Constabulary PC Ian Naude, 30, met the 13-year-old after being called to her house over a domestic incident.
He contacted her over social media and eventually raped her in his car, while filming it on his mobile phone.
The "committed paedophile" was found guilty at Liverpool Crown Court of raping the teenager and jailed for 25 years.
Naude, of Market Drayton in Shropshire, was also convicted of four charges of attempting to arrange the commission of a child sex offence and one charge of arranging a child sex offence, relating to five complainants aged between 12 and 15.
The father-of-one, originally from South Africa, previously admitted 31 offences including charges related to grooming underage girls via a fake Facebook and Snapchat profile.
Sentencing him, Judge Clement Goldstone QC said his rape victim had been just three weeks past her 13th birthday.
"In order to impose your will on a young girl and to commit offences of rape and sexual assault against her, you used and abused your position as a Cheshire Police officer, thereby enabling you to satisfy your lust and perversion," he added.
He said Naude was "out of control" with an "insatiable appetite" for young girls and described a selfie he took after raping his victim as showing his "smug self satisfaction and total lack of shame".
During his two-week trial, Naude denied rape and sexual assault as he claimed the sex with the girl was consensual and that she "seemed to be enjoying it".
Prosecutor Owen Edwards described Naude as a "committed paedophile" and said he joined the police "with the intention of exploiting the access he would gain to vulnerable young girls".
"In essence, he was hoping to gain the keys to a sweet shop," he added.
Naude met the girl after he was called to her house over an incident in October last year, the court heard.
After looking her up on Facebook and exchanging sexual messages and photos, he returned to her home three days later to pick her up while her mother was out.
He then drove her to a country lane where he attacked her.

An alert for charities was sent out by Action Fraud before Christmas about the risk of CEO fraud through Christmas gift cards.

The information in this alert is based on reports made to Action Fraud, the UK’s national fraud reporting centre, and follows previous advice from the Commission about the threat from CEO fraud.
This fraud involves the fraudulent impersonation of a senior figure within a charity, often the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), with subsequent requests for the fraudulent transfers of funds by the charity to the fraudster’s bank account, see the Charity Commission regulatory alert about CEO fraud.
Action Fraud are reporting a new variation on this type of fraud whereby charities are targeted by fraudsters falsely claiming to be the CEO (or a similar senior position within the charity) requesting that gift card vouchers be purchased for staff as a form of Christmas gift.
Once the vouchers have been purchased, the fraudster requests copies of the cards and their codes, allowing the fraudster to spend up to the value of the card.
Contact is typically made by email, usually from a spoofed or similar email address as the one the CEO or director of the charity would use.
What you need to do.
• ensure that you have robust processes in place to verify and corroborate all requests requiring a payment or transaction
• get in touch with the purported originator directly, using contact details you know to be correct, to confirm that the request you have received is legitimate
• all employees should be aware of these procedures and encouraged to challenge requests they think may be suspicious
• sensitive information you post publicly, or dispose of incorrectly, can be used by fraudsters to perpetrate fraud against you. The more information they have about you, the more convincingly they can purport to be one of your legitimate employees – always shred confidential documents before throwing them away
Reporting Fraud
If your charity has fallen victim to insider fraud, or any other type of fraud, you should report it to Action Fraud by calling 0300 123 2040, or by visiting Action Fraud.
Charities affected by fraud should also report it to the Charity Commission as a serious incident, using the dedicated email address: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Serious incident reporting helps the Commission to assess the volume and impact of incidents within charities, and to understand the risks facing the sector as a whole. Where appropriate, the Charity Commission can also provide timely advice and guidance.

Welcome to our summer round up of safeguarding news for July and August which includes several important statutory changes and updates across all sectors, including the revised Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018. SAFE has also published its latest public course list for face to face training in Eye, Suffolk.

If you would like to know more about SAFE please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Regards

The SAFE Team

01379-871091