School guidance for travellers' children
New guidance to help schools understand the needs of gypsies and travellers
and develop inclusive approaches to their education was published
today.
The guidance
was produced by the Scottish Traveller Education Programme (STEP)
and addresses issues such as how to manage interrupted learning, difficulties
experienced by gypsies and travellers in accessing education services,
and bullying.
At the
Traveller Education Centre, Collin, Dumfries and Galloway, Education
Minister Cathy Jamieson said:
"Every
child in Scotland has the right to a high quality education. Many
Gypsy and Traveller families face barriers when trying to access education
services.
"That
is why we are publishing guidance to help address barriers such as
managing interrupted learning, and the need to look at alternatives
to school education. The guidance also highlights examples of good
practice that we want to see in more areas across the country.
"We
are also working to tackle racism and bullying - an unacceptable problem
in modern Scotland but one that the Gypsy and Traveller communities
face far too often. We recently launched the ‘One Scotland’
campaign aimed at tackling racist attitudes in Scotland. The campaign
aims to celebrate the positive aspects of our multi-cultural society,
a diverse culture that includes Gypsies and Travellers.
"Much
still needs to be done, but the guidance launched today is a step
in the right direction. We are building strong links with Gypsy and
Traveller organisations and will continue to work together with them
to further improve access to education services these communities
deserve."
The Minister
will launch the guidance at the Traveller education Centre, Thistle
Grove, Collin, DG1 4JE on Monday 20th January at 10:00. After officially
launching the guidance the Minister will go across to Collin Primary
School for a tour of the school.
An Advisory
Group comprising of representatives from key organisations, including
the Association of Directors of Education, the Association of Directors
of Social Work, the Universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow, Learning
and Teaching Scotland and a number of Headteachers, supported STEP
development.
In addition
STEP has put the guidance out to wide consultation. Views were sought
from a selection of local authorities and schools, the Council of
Scottish Local Authorities, Save the Children, the Traveller Education
Network, the Scottish Gypsy/Traveller Association, and the education
liaison officers of the Showmen’s Guild.
Copies
of the guidance are being distributed by LT Scotland to all schools,
local authorities and other interested bodies across Scotland. They
are also available by contacting LT Scotland customer services on
08700 100 297.
MUMSCOVER OFFERS FREE INTERNET SAFETY
GUIDE TO ALL PARENTS
Coinciding with the Government's announcement of a campaign
to raise awareness of online dangers, a free independent Internet
Safety guide for all the family is now available at mumscover.com.
MumsCover, the UK's first insurance created just for Mums,
is offering this Guide free in association with Childalert, an online
parenting advice site.
Andy Brown, MumsCover Managing Director, said, "As a
parent, I know how difficult it can be to keep an eye on what children
are up to when they're surfing the net. At MumsCover, we hope that
making this Internet Safety Guide available free to all parents will
at the very least give them some pointers for ensuring safe and sensible
internet use for all the family."
The Guide includes basic safety rules when surfing the net,
suggestions on where to position the computer in the home and advice
on how to raise the subject of Internet safety with children. There
are also two agreements to follow - one for children, the other for
adults - to show that both parties understand the importance of sensible
Internet use.
Free copies of the Internet Safety Guide are available at
www.mumscover.com.
£1million
For Young Offenders
Young offenders across the country are being targeted with
a unique, new
£1.1m website called Rizer (www.rizer.co.uk - under construction),
which
aims to deter them from a life of crime.
The award-winning Galleries of Justice museum
(www.galleriesofjustice.org.uk) is developing the site for launch
in April
2003. Nottingham-based, the Galleries was chosen to deliver the project
because of its reputation for innovative work with young people on
issues of
crime and social exclusion through its education wing, the National
Centre
for Citizenship and the Law. Although it is a voluntary sector organisation
the initiative is being entirely funded with money from the government.
Much of the Galleries work is based around the proven value
of early
intervention to divert young people at risk from becoming involved
in crime.
Rizer's primary purpose is to act as a deterrent to a life of crime
and to
explain and provide neutral guidance on the criminal justice system
as it
relates to young people. A combination of text, audio, photos and
video is
being used to communicate with people often suffering from low literacy
skills.
Aiming to help young people at risk of falling into crime
and the parents
and concerned adults working with them, the site will contain impartial,
confidential national information on the legal system and the consequences
of becoming involved in crime. Aside from its deterrent nature it
will also
include a 24-hour helpline and legal advice on issues such as drugs,
theft,
assault and racism as well as links to organisations providing essential
help and assistance.
The Galleries of Justice has chosen the Citizenship Foundation
(www.citfou.gov.uk) to provide the content for the site while new
media
specialists Digit (www.digitlondon.com) will supply the branding and
visual
identity. By capitalising on the particular appeal of the web to young
people Rizer aims to open up a direct and impartial communication
channel.
Heavily biased towards young people in its language and visual style
the
site contains interactive case studies showing the consequences of
becoming
involved in crime.
Work has begun with current and ex-offenders and other young
people in
Nottingham and London to find out the best ways to communicate with
young
people through the web and what visual and language styles they are
most
receptive to. Voluntary, charity and statutory organisations including
Victim Support, the Police, Youth Justice Board, Magistrates Court,
teachers
and the Commission for Racial Equality are also making a significant
input
into the development of the site and will be closely involved in its
progress.
"This is a real opportunity to open a new avenue of
communication to young
people at risk of becoming involved in crime," says Peter Armstrong,
CEO at
the Galleries. "We are consulting widely with young people and
adults
working with them to make sure we get the website right and have already
had
positive feedback on the Rizer name and some of the visual work that
is
being done."
Money for the £1.1m initiative is coming from the government's
'Invest to
Save' and Criminal Justice IT budgets. The first site of its kind
in the
UK, Rizer opens a new communication channel and brings a new element
to the
government's crime reduction strategy. With more than 80% of those
entering
a young offenders institution re-offending within two years the key
to the
project is to deter young people from becoming involved in the criminal
justice system in the first place and to support those trying to move
away
from a life of crime.
"It's crucially important to catch people at an early
age and move them away
from a life of crime. All the evidence shows that once you have entered
the
criminal justice system then it is very difficult to break out and
that the
most likely time for this to happen is during your teens.
"If Rizer deters just a small percentage of young people
from becoming
involved in crime then the benefits to society will be substantial,"
says
Steve Brookes, Crime Reduction Director at the Government Office of
the East
Midlands (GOEM).
As well as national information the site will contain local
contacts and
links specific to Nottinghamshire, which is acting as the pilot area
for
regional information links and contacts. Analysis of Notts pilot will
determine the best approach and the additional funds needed to add
local and
regional information from across the country during 2004.
Chatroom Dangers
A £1m advertising campaign to teach children about the dangers
of internet paedophiles is being launched by the UK government.
The television and radio messages, which are being broadcast
throughout January, aim to make parents and youngsters aware of how
to surf the web safely.
They coincide with a new set of guidelines for internet
service providers who offer chat and instant messaging services.
The government wants to see more measures such as clearly
written and easily accessible warning information and report buttons.
The aim is to discourage attempts by paedophiles to 'groom'
youngsters online, and help children to tell chatroom providers about
inappropriate contact or abusive incidents.
It is claimed that the guidelines, called The Models of Good
Practice and drawn up the government's internet child protection taskforce,
are the first of their kind in the world.
Advertising campaign
An estimated five million youngsters under 16 have private
access to the internet and nearly half of 16-year-olds use chatrooms,
according to research published last year.
The advertising campaign will mark the first time such advice
has featured on television and radio.
Tips for parents
Keep the computer near you
Talk to your child about what they do online
Keep a 'favourites' folder of agreed sites
Ask your ISP about safety features
It follows a successful newspaper campaign a year ago and recent moves
to tighten the laws on "sexual grooming" online.
Online advertising will also run on teen websites and chat
rooms from January to the end of March.
The Home Office hopes the campaign will give parents the
skills and confidence needed to address the issue without demonising
the internet.
Last year's campaign, according to the government, resulted
in an 11% increase in awareness among children to not give out their
personal details online.
Trust abused
Home Office Minister Hilary Benn said: "The internet
has opened up a new world for children which is educational, informative
and, most of all fun.
"But we are aware of the potential for paedophiles to
misuse modern technology to abuse the trust that children place in
them by attempting to 'groom' them through chat rooms.
"We want to encourage parents to help their children
protect themselves so they can surf safely."
Tips for young surfer
Never give address or phone numbers to strangers
Do not meet a stranger alone
Tell your parents if exposed to anything you dislike
Nicholas Lansman, Secretary General of the Internet Services Providers'
Association (ISPA UK) said: "Just like the offline world, the
online world has its hazards.
"ISPA and its members want to make the UK Internet as
safe as possible for younger users."
The guidelines and awareness drive follows recent proposals
outlined in the paper 'Protecting the Public' for a new offence of
sexual grooming.
There could also be a new civil order intended to protect
children from inappropriate sexual behaviour by adults.
BBC 6 January 2003
Honoured
Services for children and young people are well represented
in the New Year’s Honours List, which is a good thing in itself.
People who get honours usually say that they are representing their
colleagues or their organisations, and in a sense that is true. It
is good, therefore, that the value attached to meeting the needs of
children and young people is publicly recognised in this way.
But the individuals also earn their honours for their own
efforts, and there are some interesting awards this year.
The Vicar of Soham, Rev. Timothy Jones, is honoured for his
services to the community. Dealing with a tragedy such as the disappearance
and murder of the two little girls earlier this year suddenly directs
a spotlight on ordinary people facing tragedy, who have to produce
extraordinary qualities to cope with both the glare of publicity and
their private grief. His honour is representative of the community
of Soham and of his profession, which often works unobtrusively helping
people face trauma, but it is also a recognition of his personal contribution.
Neville and Doreen Lawrence, co-founders of the Stephen Lawrence
Charitable Trust, are honoured for their services to community relations.
No doubt they would have preferred to have their son to be with them
still than to have the honours, but it is good to see positive action
emerging from such a loss, and they deserve the wider community’s
congratulations.
It will give great pleasure to a lot of her colleagues and
friends to see Professor Sonia Jackson getting the CBE for services
to young people in the public care. She has built up an outstanding
reputation in the profession throughout the country for her work,
and is Emeritus Professor of Social Sciences at the University of
Wales in Swansea.
The President of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child
Health (who is also Professor of Community Paediatrics in Sheffield),
Professor David Hall, gets a knighthood. Tim Wylie, Chief Executive
of the National Youth Agency gets the CBE.
And a string of other people who have given services to children
and young people, either directly or indirectly through organisations,
have earned recognition. So hats off to Fatmata Zubairu, Careers Adviser
with Connexions, Maurice Williamson from Bangor, Northern Ireland,
Dorothy Willard, working with Save the Children in Sussex, Pat Wade,
a play specialist working with burned children, Susan Ryrie from the
Brook Advisory Centre, Mary Sillibourne for work with Scouts and Guides,
Anne Partington, a Senior Social Worker in Dundee, Patricia Amos for
her work with young badminton players, Julie Fisher, the Founder of
Child of Achievement Awards, Thomas Davies from the Wales Youth Agency,
William Garland of Community Service Volunteers, Judith Gibbons for
services to physically disabled children, Patrick McKeever for services
in Belfast, Ronald and Sheila Purbrick, fosterparents and June Duggan,
school crossing warden at Lymm in Cheshire. Apologies to those we’ve
missed out.
These people make up a good cross-section of society, and
represent only a fraction of the thousands of people working hard
in the interests of children and young people, but we hope that they
and their families and colleagues enjoy the recognition they have
earned and have a happy New Year.
