Redefining Education Analyses Live

Welcome to the REAL Network. This platform is dedicated to enabling all Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSLs) to share genuine experiences and critically analyse the challenges faced by young people requiring additional safeguarding support. By collaborating openly, we aim to draw informed conclusions and create comprehensive summaries that reflect the realities across schools. Through this grassroots approach, we can collectively influence meaningful and sustainable change in safeguarding practices.

The intention is to advance the lives of young people in a meaningful and transparent way, ensuring real, measurable outcomes. Improvements must be implemented promptly, comply with legal standards, and rely on evidence-based practices. We appreciate the participation of all schools in early network meetings, where there is unanimous concern about the accountability of services aimed at safeguarding our young people. It is essential that these services demonstrate effectiveness and responsibility to truly support and protect our youth.

  1. Concerns were raised on the effectiveness and impact offered by a variety of agencies

  2. Concerns were raised about the level of integrity in analyses and the rapidity of response

  3. Experiences shared during initial meetings, all too often, indicate that the life of a young person doesn’t improve with intervention from other agencies, but instead, intervention appears in some cases to contribute to a further decline.

Building on the development work undertaken by EHS in collaboration with a nationally accredited Safeguarding Specialist, and drawing from our extensive experience, we propose establishing a network of schools across Greater Manchester. This network will focus on examining the experiences and outcomes of the young people in our care. Our objective is to identify ongoing common concerns and use this collective insight to drive meaningful and positive change for our pupils.

TERMS OF REFERENCE

  • To take a phenomenological approach to analyse and evaluate the services signposted to serve young people and their real effectiveness and impact on improving young people’s situations

    To use this approach to build a research base that can be utilised to leverage real changes impacting young people’s lives positively

    To explore better ways of utilising service funding as demonstrated from experiences at the grassroots

    To formulate local and a nationwide network to analyse comparisons within and between different areas of the UK, and influence positive change across the board

    To work together to ascertain the value brought by Local Authority and private (often Commissioned) Service providers set against the costs of these services

    To produce and publish action research, informing debate, and influencing the service quality experiences of young people in terms of safeguarding and mental health provision

  • School-based Leadership and DSLs from across all settings

    Councillors

    Children’s commissioner

    Working Together Legislation

    KCSIE

  • As with all Safeguarding matters, confidentiality is a prerequisite

    Case study material to be anonymised

    Any materials created and shared are the property of The REAL Networks

  • TBA

    One each term

    Extra one at the beginning of new academic year