January 2019 Newsletter

What is Self-Harm?
The phrase ‘self-harm’ is used to describe a wide range of behaviours. Self-harm is often understood to be a physical response to an emotional pain of some kind, and can be very addictive. Some of the things people do are quite well known, such as cutting, burning or pinching, but there are many, many ways to hurt yourself, including abusing drugs and alcohol or having an eating disorder.
Sometimes, it’s more important to focus on how someone is feeling rather than what they do to themselves. Quite often, people find that more helpful.

Everyone has accidents from time to time resulting in cuts and bruises – but it’s the injuries that are caused on purpose that are considered to be acts of self-harm. Self-harm often happens during times of anger, distress, fear, worry, depression or low self-esteem in order to manage or control negative feelings. Selfharm can also be used as a form of self-punishment for something someone has done, thinks they have done, are told by someone else that they have done, or that they have allowed to be done to themselves.
 www.selfharm.co.uk
 papyrus-uk.org

INITIAL RESPONSE TO A YOUNG PERSON ON DISCLOSURE OF SELF-HARM
If you are aware that a student, child or young person, has self-harmed this is the recommended approach:
 Listen calmly (Assess);
 Seek first aid treatment, if necessary (Manage);
 Contact parents/carers as soon as possible (Inform);
 Contact other professionals for advice (Assess);
 Work with the young person and their families to ensure appropriate support is in place to address both the self-harming and the underlying issues (Manage);
 Monitor the situation and communicate regularly with parents/carers (Inform);
 Consider other children and young people who may be affected (Assess).

USEFUL LINKS

The Samaritans offer training to professionals and outreach in public places, including schools. If there is a critical incident in a school, community meeting or workplace they can provide immediate support and advice, this is not only for suicide.
They have a guide for preparing a response plan in schools, details of support for students, parents and carers as well as professionals: www.samaritans.org

Support for children

Support for parents and carers

Practitioners

The LSCB offers the following free training
Youth Mental Health First Aid

November 2018 Newsletter

Message from Chris Robson, LSCB Chair

I am pleased to send this newsletter out as we launch our Neglect Strategy in Kingston and Richmond today at our LSCB Conference. I would like to thank Tracey Welding, Daksha Mistry and Ellie Boorer, LSCB, Sara Doyle, AfC and Andrea Knock, Designated Nurse, CCG for all their hard work in preparing this launch for our partnership.

Neglect in Richmond and Kingston
Neglect is an important local issue for us. Do you wonder why?
We know outcomes for children who are neglected are poorer than for the general population. There has been a 4% rise in referrals for neglect nationally last year in the UK. 20% of referrals last year in Richmond were about neglect, and 13% for Kingston.

Difficulties in working with neglect are common for practitioners in the UK yet it is the most common reason for there to be a Child Protection Plan and the lifetime cost has been estimated to be £89,000 per person.

Oldham LSCB has carried out a case review following a non-accidental head injury to an 11-week-old boy as a result of shaking. Children’s Social Care had been involved with family previously over concerns about the neglect of three older siblings, who were later removed from mother’s care. The mother was charged with neglect & the father with neglect and Section 18
wounding.

Find out more here: NSPCC 2018 Oldham Child H SCR Overview.pdf

Upcoming LSCB Training​
The LSCB offers training courses to all working with children. Here is a list of available courses in November and December;
• Safeguarding Children: Child Protection Process Refresher (Level 3) (Richmond) – 26/11/2018
• GDPR Update and Effective Recording – 06/12/2018
• Working with Boys and Men – 06/12/2018
• LSCB Safeguarding Children: Child Protection Process Level 3 (Kingston) – 07/12/2018
• Safeguarding Children: Child Protection Process Level 3 (Richmond) – 11/12/2018
• Safeguarding Children: Child Protection Process Refresher (Level 3) (Kingston) – 11/12/2018
If you work within education and are interested in going on any of these courses and you can apply here.

Otherwise you can apply for any here: http://kingstonandrichmondlscb.org.uk/training.php

So what is neglect?​
Neglect is the constant failing to meet a child or young person’s basic needs, resulting in serious effects on their health, development or learning. Neglect can occur in pregnancy through maternal substance abuse. The impact of neglect of children is often accumulative, advancing gradually and unnoticed and therefore there is a risk that agencies do not intervene early enough to prevent harm. It is common for evidence of neglect to present through signs and symptoms which may be noticed by different agencies in relation to different children in the family at different points in time. Agencies need to feel confident in the recognising and the naming of neglect.

It is important that all agencies, Health,schools /Education, Police, Probation, Housing, Voluntary and Community, Faith Organisations identify emerging problems and potential unmet needs and seek to address them as early as possible. It is equally important that practitioners are alert to the danger of drift and ‘start again’ syndrome.

Children being neglected, or at risk of being neglected, need to be seen, heard and helped. If we call all adopt these aims below, then we can make a difference
• Seen: in the context of their lives at home, friendship circles, health, education and public spaces (including social media).
• Heard: to effectively protect children and young people, all professionals need to take time to hear what children are saying and put themselves in the child or young person’s shoes and think about what their life might truly be like.
• Helped: by remaining professionally curious and by implementing effective and imaginative solutions that help children and young people. Professionals should give parents and families clear information in relation to expectations and improvements.

Visit our Neglect Huddle for guidance on our website and look at our strategy, short film and toolkit: http://kingstonandrichmondlscb.org.uk/practitioners/what-is-child-abuse-and-neglect-113/neglect128.php

If you are worried about a child or young person in Richmond or Kingston contact the SPA (Single Point of Access) 0208 547 5008 (working days 8am-6pm) Out of Hours 0208 770 500.

Road Safety Week
Road Safety Week is just around the corner this month, so if you haven’t registered for a free action pack you can sign up here: http://www.roadsafetyweek.org.uk/

This year’s theme is Bike Smart. Please sign up to support and promote this initiative within your organisation to help improve road safety for all.

The London Fire Brigade also has a page on road safety which includes a section on bikes and motorbikes, this page can be found here: https://www.london-fire.gov.uk/safety/road-safety/