Key topic areas covered include: Communities, Safeguarding and Workforce & Leadership.

Heightened Cyber Threat on the Voluntary Sector: Blackbaud Case

The current cyber threat to the voluntary sector in the UK remains significant, with a diverse range of threats facing these organisations. Recent reports indicate that approximately 14% of UK charities have experienced cybercrime in the past year. The Blackbaud data breach in 2020 underscored the critical importance of cyber security in the public sector.

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Online Safety in Education: Safeguarding in the Digital Age

As technology becomes an integral part of education, ensuring online safety for students is increasingly important. The digital age offers vast educational opportunities, but it also poses significant risks, including cyberbullying, data breaches, and exposure to inappropriate content.

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Reducing Reoffending Rates Through Digital Inclusion

In 2021, adult offenders in the UK had a proven reoffending rate of 24%, according to the Ministry of Justice. In this article, Leeds City Council share the impacts of the 100% Digital Leeds programme on prison leavers and how the programme has helped improve their real-life digital skills.

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Training and Funding Opportunities for Social Care Teams 2023

Training is an integral part of any social care team to ensure skills and support of patients are continually improved. Skills for Care discuss some of the training schemes social care teams can access this year and funding opportunities available to cover the costs of these development programmes.

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What the New Spring Budget Childcare Proposals Mean for Families and How Employers Can Help

In the 2023 Spring Budget, the Chancellor announced an increase in childcare 0f £288 million by 2024/25. Working Families discuss what these changes to the budget mean for families and the ways workplaces can support their employees who have young children.

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The creation and implementation of the ‘Peer Wellbeing Project’

Between 2021 and 2022, one of the primary concerns for young people contacting childline was mental health. In this article Harry Dixon, Engagement and Participation Worker for Compass...GO Lincolnshire Mental Health Support team discusses supporting children's mental health in schools and the implementation of the peer wellbeing project across North East Lincolnshire.

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Co-Producing Direct Payments that Work for Everyone in Adult Social Care

With £5.4 billion of revenue from the new Health and Social Care Levy going towards social care reforms, there is renewed funding for local authorities to meet demands in adult social care. Kirklees Council share how they have implemented co-produced direct payments to support carers and those in care.

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Combatting the Challenge of Gambling Harms

Around 7% of the population are found to be negatively affected by someone else’s gambling, according to the 2021 Public Health England review. In this article Paul Dent, Strategic Engagement Lead at Gordon Moody, discusses the current landscape of gambling and the challenges organisations face when supporting problem gamblers.

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The Cybercrime Awareness Clinic: Lessons in Training Individuals within the Organisation to Become More Cyber-Aware 

Between 2021 and 2022, 39% of UK businesses identified cyber attacks on their businesses, according to the Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2022. Dr Vasileios Karagiannopoulos, a Reader in Cybercrime and Cybersecurity at the University of Portsmouth discusses the Cybercrime Awareness Clinic they have in place at the university to support stakeholders and businesses, educating them on the challenges of cybercrime.

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Developing Secondary Students’ Skills Through Community-Based Projects

Professor Tom Dobson is a Professor of Education in the School of Education, Psychology and Linguistics at York St John University. He shares how providing young people with the opportunity to engage with projects in their local community can help develop skills needed to transform the workplace and improve education outcomes.

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Why it’s Time for a Holistic Approach to Supporting Returning Parents

Helping new mothers to return to work and planning for maternity leave are just two of the challenges employers face when supporting pregnant and postnatal employees. Returning Works® Founder Dr Emma Waltham explains why it’s time for a more systemic approach to supporting expectant and returning parents.

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The Benefits of Using Intergenerational Programmes in Care Settings

Rochdale Boroughwide Housing are the UK's first tenant and employee co-owned housing society. They discuss working in partnership with Rochdale Sixth Form to deliver an intergenerational programme to both improve tenants technological skills and help students understand the positive impact they have on the older generation.

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