Handsam Reminders
In the hustle and bustle of other responsibilities, you may have overlooked some articles from Compliance Matters Issue 34. Below are some of the things making the news in the world of compliance in spring 2022.
How Covid has Affected Mental Health
IOSH Magazine has revealed that in 2020, the number of adults in Britain who reported experiencing some form of depression increased from 10% before the pandemic to 21% in early 2021. This figure dropped slightly to 17% in the summer of 2021 (Office for National Statistics, 2021). Sixty-five per cent of 10,000 UK adults said their mental health had got worse since the first lockdown, and 26% said they had experienced mental distress for the first time (Mind, 2021).
Mental ill health remains the most common cause of long- and short-term absence, with stress in particular leading to considerable sickness absence: 33% and 48% of respondents placed it among the top three causes of short- and long-term absence respectively (CIPD, 2021).
Diabetes Week 2022
Diabetes Week takes place from 13–19 June this year. This awareness week is for celebrating people living with diabetes who are constantly balancing the ups and downs of the condition, and the people who support them too.
Diabetes UK have a range of activities you can get involved in to support and celebrate Diabetes Week, including the Big Diabetes Week Dog Walk, how to order materials for Diabetes Week and to find out more about the free online CPD course.
If you’re tweeting about Diabetes Week, you can use the hashtag #DiabetesWeek.
There's a lot to think about if a child or member of staff at your school has a medical condition. For pupils, it's important they feel confident and don't miss out on opportunities in their education because of their condition.
New UKCIS Guidance: Sharing Nudes and Semi-Nudes
The UK Council for Internet Safety (UKCIS) have updated its non-statutory guidance on Youth Produced Sexual Imagery (YPSI), which is entitled ‘Sharing nudes and semi-nudes: advice for education settings working with children and young people’ and replaces ‘Sexting in schools and colleges: responding to incidents and safeguarding young people’ (2016).
The guidance has been released in England and Wales and has been developed alongside the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC).
This advice is for designated safeguarding leads (DSLs), deputies, headteachers and senior leadership teams in schools and educational establishments in England.
Harmful Sexual Behaviour
In this article, Marilyn Hawes of Freedom From Abuse examines Harmful Sexual Behaviour (HSB) - a term used to describe sexual actions that are outside what is safe for a young person’s stage of development. It includes actions that can harm either the child or young person themselves, or another person.
Child sexual abuse is an important public health issue, and parents, carers and families have a vital role to play in keeping children safe.
Children and young people are most likely to be at risk of sexual abuse within their family and community. But not all sexual abuse is carried out by adults.
Updated Guidance on Separate or Single-sex Services
Under these provisions, your approach must be a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim. This will depend upon the nature of the service and may link to the reason the separate or single-sex service is needed. For example, a legitimate aim could be the privacy and dignity of others. You must then show that your action is a proportionate way to achieve that aim. This requires that you balance the impact upon all service users.
If the toilets you provide for service users are also used as staff toilets, you will also need to take account of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 which require employers to provide a certain number of toilets and to provide separate toilet and washing facilities for men and women in some circumstances.
The Education Staff Wellbeing Charter
The DfE have created The Education Staff Wellbeing Charter which aims to help support a whole-school wellbeing culture. The charter was co-created with unions, mental health charities, schools and colleges to help schools and colleges create strategies that protect, promote and enhance the wellbeing and mental health of staff.
The charter is a declaration of support for, and set of commitments to, the wellbeing and mental health of everyone working in education.
The charter is for education staff in England. This includes temporary and support staff. All state funded schools and colleges are invited to sign up to the charter, as a shared commitment to protect, promote and enhance the wellbeing of their staff.