No more coronavirus hospital deaths have been reported this week. The total across the York and Scarborough hospitals remains at 210.
Safeguarding support for children updated and improved
Another step to further improve support for children and young people across the City of York has been taken.
Over 600 professionals from City of York Council, North Yorkshire Police, the NHS Vale of York Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and local health organisations have helped update guidance which extends the city’s coordinated approach to safeguarding.
This threshold document clearly sets out for all agencies consistent safeguarding assessment levels, at what point early help or intervention for a child or its family is needed, and the level or intensity of that help or intervention.
Published by City of York Safeguarding Children Partnership, the guidance builds on cross-city work already underway by York’s multi-agency safeguarding hub (MASH) which was set up in July 2019.
Reporting concerns about the neglect or abuse of a child is now done through the MASH and the updated contact details are:
Anyone who is concerned about the welfare of a child should contact the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) on 01904 551900, Monday to Friday, 08:30-17:00, or you can email them at: mash@york.gov.uk
For out of office hours, weekends and on public holidays you can contact the emergency duty team (EDT) on 01609 780780 or email: edt@northyorks.gov.uk
Primary school admission figures for entry in September show that 94.2% of York children have been given their first preference of school.
City of York Council’s figures published today (16 April) show that 98.6% of pupils got one of their first three preferences.
The percentage of children getting their first preference fell slightly on last year’s figures, by 1.7% overall. Those getting their second preference increased by 0.4% overall compared to last year’s data.
In 2020 all children within the local authority area have secured a primary school place. The majority of children got one of their first three preferences; with the number of children whose preferences were not able to be met increasing from 10 to 19. Most of these 19 applications only provided 1 school preference which was not their catchment school. The children have been allocated a place at their catchment school where spaces are available.
The total size of the cohort starting school in September 2020 is 1860 pupils, compared to 1,837 last year.
This year all parents will receive a letter to advise them of their child’s school allocation.
One family group of cyclists was seen wobbling down the A1237 today. Parallel routes are safer!
NORTH YORKSHIRE POLICE ISSUES ADVICE TO NOVICE CYCLISTS
Police are sharing safety advice for cyclists as more people take to two wheels for their form of daily exercise.
Despite quieter roads, police are warning cyclists they still need to take safety seriously, as well as observing new rules to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
Government measures allow “one form of exercise a day, for example a run, walk, or cycle – alone or with members of your household”.
The government goes on to say: “When doing this you must minimise the time you are out of your home and stay at least two metres away from anyone else that isn’t from your household.”
Major Collision Investigation Sergeant Kirsten Aldridge said:
“While North Yorkshire roads are quieter, there are still lots of things cyclists need to be mindful of.
“Firstly, quieter roads have led to some drivers dramatically exceeding the speed limit. While we’re trying to enforce this as widely as possible, it puts cyclists and pedestrians at significant risk.
“Secondly, the government measures make it clear that cyclists need to practice social distancing and should only ride alone or with people from the same household. Please remember that, as our officers are out on patrol ensuring people follow these rules.
“Finally, we’d remind drivers that they should always expect the unexpected around each corner, especially at the moment, and pass cyclists at a minimum distance of 1.5 metres when it is safe to do so.”
North Yorkshire Police has also noticed that many new cyclists are taking to the road, including families with children who have started cycling as their one-a-day form of exercise.
The force is sharing the following seven safety tips with novices:
Plan your journey in advance and advise someone of where you are going and when you intend to return, especially if you are cycling in a remote location.
If you are riding as a family with young children, consider riding routes with dedicated cycle paths to ensure the safety of young children and pedestrians. Please remember that if you are cycling on the roads that vehicles such as HGVs, are still regularly travelling routes in order to move much-needed supplies. Large vehicles might scare and unbalance young children on bicycles when overtaking them.
Ensure that your bicycle is road-worthy. If it has been unused for a while, ensure that the mechanisms such as brakes and gears are working and that tyres are pumped up before starting any ride. Brake failure can cause a serious collision.
Think about your positioning in the road and whether you can be seen by other road users. Wearing reflective clothing and ensuring that your bike is fitted with lights and/ or reflective discs helps with visibility. Assuming a position towards the centre of the lane where possible maximises the rider’s line of vision and means that other road users have a clear view of you.
If you are riding with protection around your face ensure that this does not restrict your head movement and that you are able to look around freely without restriction so that safety checks can be carried out.
If you’re riding with your family, help motorists overtake you with the safe distance of 1.5 metres, promoted by our Close Pass campaign, by filtering down to single file.
Effectively communicate with other road users, by using hand signals when turning left or right. Try to make eye contact with other road users and pedestrians to ensure that they have seen you.
Sgt Aldridge added: “As long as people follow the government’s rules about how they exercise and observe social distancing while they do it, we want to give people the knowledge they need to ride safely.
“North Yorkshire is a beautiful county with a strong cycling scene and 6,000 miles of roads. That’s plenty of road for everyone if all road users stick to the law, take sensible precautions and look out for one another.”
In west York they list Buongiorno (tel. 07985 797754), Bengal Lounge (tel. 01904 796666), Taverna Yamas (tel. 07960 920979), Woodthorpe Spice (tel. 01904 700070), Salsa Pizza (01904 788888), Pizza Hut (01904 606222), Tea on the Green (01904 789380) and several others.
Not sure how up to date it is.
More deaths from coronavirus at York Hospital
A total of 19 patients with confirmed coronavirus have now died at York Hospital, following a further three fatalities.
Grass cutting and weed control
This service continues.
The Council are maintaining the public highway, which includes highway verges and pavements to keep them in a safe and accessible condition, because:
• If the grass gets too long it will grow onto
pavements causing slip/trip hazards and cause sight line issues at junctions
• if weeds grow on pavements they will become unsafe to walk
on
• it will cause longer term damage to pavement surfaces,
causing the breakup of the surface
• If we don’t keep the weeds under control at the beginning
of the year this will put greater pressures on the service for the whole year.
All frontline staff, whether gardening or street
cleaning are working alone to ensure social distancing.
NB. Please also keep boundary hedges/tree cut trimmed
back from public footpaths
Food deliveries
The Council says that “Staff and volunteers of
our community hubs and in the customer centre are continuing to work incredibly
hard to support residents who need it. We have attached a document (who we are
helping) which sets out who is deemed to be ‘extremely clinically vulnerable’
and the types of support we are offering them and others in communities across
the city.
The extremely clinically vulnerable above are supported by food parcels from community hubs.Government guidance on this group and how to protect and work with them Click
In terms of wider support for residents who have asked
for help with food:
Those who are generally able and financially secure
but who are not able to shop are given a list of food delivery businesses
and/or link them to the COVID-19 Mutual Aid facebook groups *
Older or disabled
residents who need help with shopping and are financially secure are
referred to specialist voluntary organisations such as Age UK, Good Gym
The medically shielded are
delivered the Government-provided food which the council supplements
especially for those with special dietary needs eg diabetics or coeliacs
People eligible for Food
Bank vouchers are sent a delivery from the food bank where appropriate
People struggling for
other reasons ie anxiety, caring responsibilities, mobility etc are
delivered a Council-sourced food box put together at the hubs.
In addition, parents of children eligible for Free
School Meals are given vouchers.
As well as this support volunteers are helping to
check on people’s wellbeing by calling individuals to check they are ok and
also chat to them for a while to help them feel they aren’t alone.
Vulnerable people who can ask City of York Council for
help on COVID19help@york.gov.uk or
01904 551550.Anyone can ask for help from COVID19help@york.gov.uk
if they don’t currently get help from CYC or the NHS, or have any
help from family or friends”.
*NB. The Council have still not published a list of shops
undertaking home deliveries despite many requests.
Morrisons
Morrisons now providing an “essentials” telephone ordering/doorstep delivery service for the vulnerable
Yorwaste
Yorwaste has become the latest employer to deploy theuir
workfioece in support of street level public services.
Business grants
The Council started to make payments to local businesses on
Monday. They will be working over Easter to complete the process. They are also
making checks to weed out any fraudulent claims.
We have started making payments, with several million pounds
worth of grants processed today. This is an entirely new process and we have a
duty to quality assure every payment and protect York businesses grants from
potential fraud. We have had 2,500 applications so far and need to run each one
through the government’s anti-fraud software before we can process payments;
this is to verify bank account details of organisations which have never had a
financial relationship with us before. We’ve started contacting businesses as
part of that process and appreciate your patience with us whilst we carry this
out. Please remember we will only ask you to verify your details and would
never ask you to make payments.
Support for children and young people
Kooth (www.kooth.com) is commissioned by TEWV to offer mental health and well -being support to young people in York and North Yorkshire aged 11-18 years. The service provides young people with:
An opportunity to access
support services anonymously
Access to BACP accredited
counsellors via online chat
Access on to online
articles and magazines written by counsellors
An opportunity for young
people to write their own articles and to share their story
Young people can set their
own personal goals and are supported by the counsellors online
Young people can access
the support service from any internet device, 365 days a year.
Contacts
If you have significant concern regarding a vulnerable pupil please contact MASH: 01904 551900, out of hours: 0845 0349417
If parents have questions regarding childcare, i.e. OOSC/PVI please direct them to: FIS@york.gov.uk
House building
To The Council says it is working to avoid delays to the council’s ambitious housing projects which might incur costs or slow the delivery of much-needed homes.
Lowfield Green
Following a 48-hour pause on construction at Lowfield Green (to complete a thorough risk assessment) a new site working procedure has been drawn up which allows construction of the 140 new homes to continue. The new way of working also keeps building contractor Wates’s employees and their self-employed contractors safely on site.
Ordnance Lane
Momentum around resident engagement has kept going! A workshop for residents on intergenerational living moved online to involve 19 residents and officers. It used a combination of pre-recorded presentations and a live panel with local residents taking centre stage.
More than half of York’s primary schools will take part in Walk to School Week 2019, which runs from 14 to 18 October.
The national, awareness-raising event is staged annually and aims to encourage children and their families to walk, cycle or scoot to and from school, rather than travelling by car.
Locally, in excess of 8,000 students from 28 different schools will get involved. City of York Council’s iTravel team will present the Jack Archer Award to the school with the highest proportion of its students walking, cycling or scooting throughout the week, as well as cash to spend on sports equipment, which has been donated by Age UK. The Jack Archer Award is now in its sixteenth year and Age UK has supported the competition since it was first launched as part of its intergenerational work to encourage children to be more active.
Councillor Andy D’Agorne, the council’s Executive Member for Transport, said: “It’s fantastic to see so many local schools getting involved in Walk to School Week and competing for the Jack Archer Award.
“The council is committed to promoting sustainable forms of transport and it’s important that children are encouraged to adopt these habits from a young age. In addition to the health and wellbeing benefits for the children themselves, walking, cycling or scooting benefits everyone by reducing traffic congestion and emissions, and improving air quality.
“Good luck to all the schools taking part!”
Residents of all ages can find out more about sustainable travel options by visiting www.itravelyork.info.
City of York Council is urging local residents to help change a child’s life in 2019 by fostering.
With around 150 children and young people being supported by foster carers in York at any time, the authority is always looking for new foster carers to join the team.
Fostering involves looking after children in a safe and secure environment when they can’t live with their own families.
And as James Lee, from the council’s Fostering Team, explains, they’re not looking for just one type of carer:
“The children and young people who need our care are from a wide range of backgrounds and have very differing needs, so we need foster carers with different experiences and skills to help them. Many people consider fostering when their own children have left home and they have a bit more time and space, while others foster young people alongside their own children. If you have experience of living or working with children and young people, either in a work setting or at home, and think you might be able to help then please do get in touch.”
To find out more about how you can help local children by fostering call 01904 555678 or visit www.york.gov.uk/fostering
New research published by Sport England yesterday, carried out independently by Ipsos MORI, reveals the nation-wide challenge to help children lead more active lives.
Sport England report
In the face of this, the City of York is reported to have higher than average levels of children engaging in sports and physical activity on a daily basis.
The largest ever survey of its kind, Active Lives Children and Young People, has provided comprehensive insight into how children in England are taking part in physical activity both in and out of school. It shows that around 3 million children (43.3%) lead active lives, doing an average of 60 or more minutes of physical activity a day. However, just over 2.3 million children and young people (32.9%) are less active which means they do less than 30 minutes of physical activity a day.
The report is based on responses from over 130,000 children aged 5-16 in England during the academic year 2017 to 2018. It also reveals that there are significant inequalities based on family income, showing that children from the most affluent families are more active than those in the least affluent families.
The report was released on the same day as the York Council decided to demolish the only, free access, all weather games area in west York. A Sport England request for the facility to be replaced was ignored by planning Councillors
For York, the report shows encouraging results, with the city having a higher percentage of children meeting the Chief Medical Officer’s physical activity guidelines of at least 60 minutes of moderate intensity per day, and lower than average percentages of children falling into the ‘less active’ category (see below).
Cllr Carol Runciman, Executive member for adult social care and health said, “It’s encouraging to see the high percentages of children in York taking up the opportunity to live active lives and benefit their physical health early in life. We still want to see these figures continue to rise as we ensure children of all backgrounds can access opportunities to make healthy life choices and get active.
“Since that academic year we have launched our #MoveMoreYork campaign, encouraging everyone across the city, all ages and abilities, to move more in their everyday life and make healthy choices which can benefit them for the rest of their life.”
With the new school year in full swing, City of York Council is reminding parents of the importance of making sure their children attend all their school sessions.
York’s school attendance rate is high with only 4.4 per cent absence, compared to a national average of 4.7 per cent and a Yorkshire and Humber region average of 4.9per cent.
City of York Council rarely prosecutes parents who don’t ensure their children are at school because it believes that working with schools and parents is the best strategy to maintain high levels of attendance at school.
However, last week a prosecution was heard by York Magistrates against a parent whose child had been marked as absent from over 70 per cent of sessions during a four month period earlier this year.
The child, then in year eight at secondary school, was absent for 87 out of a possible 122 sessions between 29/01/18 and 18/05/18, only two of which were authorised absences.
The parent had previously been issued with a fine due to raised concerns regarding the child’s attendance over a number of school years. The parent also failed to provide the school with acceptable reasons for much of the child’s absence and failed to engage with the schools and local authority to support the child’s education.
At York Magistrates Court, the parent pleaded guilty to failing to ensure the regular attendance at the school of their child; an offence under Section 444 of the Education Act 1996. She was ordered to pay a £20 court surcharge with a conditional six month discharge.
For more information on school attendance click here
For details of term dates visit your school website or click here
York has been chosen as one of only 17 areas of the country to trial new safeguarding arrangements for children and young people.
The Government has introduced a new guidance around safeguarding children this month, which sets new legal requirements for Children at risk of abuse or neglect to be protected through improved partnerships between local police, councils and health services.
York has been chosen as an ‘early adopter’ under the new guidance: an area which will work with the National Children’s Bureau to implement new local safeguarding arrangements before they are established across the rest of the country.
The 17 areas will develop new and innovative approaches to set up partnership safeguarding processes and share best practice with other areas, before they adopt new arrangements in the next 12 months.
The work of City of York Safeguarding Children Board was assessed as ‘Outstanding’ in an independent review by Ofsted in December 2016.
The focus of York’s work as an early adopter will be to fully engage schools with the new safeguarding arrangements. This will build on and extend the existing strong partnership between the city’s schools and the Safeguarding Children Board. Schools play an important role in keeping children safe and the work being undertaken will ensure that they remain central to the city’s safeguarding arrangements.
Simon Westwood, chair of City of York’s Safeguarding Children Board, said: “I’m really pleased that York has been chosen to help shape the future safeguarding children arrangements in this country. It’s testament to the hard work and dedication of all the organisations who have worked together tirelessly over a number of years to help protect children and young people across the city.”
The much loved children’s magazine Shine, has re-launched to ensure locals to York are kept up to date with the latest clubs, events and sports happening across the city of York.
After some time away the magazine has now re-launched online and serves as a one-stop website for all you need to know about local activities for children and young people .Aimed at those aged between 5 and 18 years old, this resource has launched just in time to prepare your diaries for the 6 week holidays.
Browse the online calendars for Sports, Play, Parks, Arts and Library activities and events across the York area. You can also read the Shine Blog to find out a little bit more about courses, holiday camps and clubs to get involved in.
Organisers and leaders of children’s groups can register as a Shine user and have activities listed in the magazine’s calendar. The full magazine can be downloaded online.
Some of the exciting highlights happening this summer include:
West Bank Park Summer Fair 2018:
Free entry and on-site parking available at this year’s Summer Fair at West Bank Park from 1-4pm on June 24th.
‘Play In A Week’ – York Theatre Royal:
Join a fast-paced rehearsal week at York Theatre Royal. This year ages 8-14 years old can partake in the performance of the Jungle Book. Places cost £95 and are open to ages 8-14 years old. The course runs from August 13th to August 17th. For those aged 5-8years old, The Dream Play rehearsal week is taking place August 20th to August 24th.
‘Squash Camps 2018’ – Queen Margaret’s School:
Take part in a 3 day course to learn and develop you squash skills. The course runs between 9am-12pm a day for 3 days. Courses cost £45 per person. Course dates are July 17th-19th and July 31st– August 2nd.
With the new school year in full swing, City of York Council is reminding parents of the importance of making sure their children attend all their school sessions.
York has been chosen as one of only 17 areas of the country to trial new safeguarding arrangements for children and young people.
The much loved children’s magazine Shine, has re-launched to ensure locals to York are kept up to date with the latest clubs, events and sports happening across the city of York.