New guide to help teachers spot sextortion risks
The National Crime Agency (NCA) has issued new guidance for teachers to help them spot and address the growing threat of sextortion among children. Sextortion happens when an individual manipulates, coerces, or threatens a child into providing sexually explicit images or videos, and then uses these materials to blackmail them.
The guidance aims to educate teachers on recognising signs of abuse and supporting victims effectively.
Government offers £6,000 incentive for teachers in STEM subjects.
In a recent announcement, the Department for Education has said it will invest £200 million to support schools and colleges attract and retain teachers in vital subjects. Starting from September, teachers in key STEM and technical subjects, including maths, construction, and engineering, as well as early years education, will be eligible for an incentive of up to £6,000.
King's College London's EDI policy under the spotlight
King's College London has recently come under legal scrutiny due to its policy requiring academic staff who wish to be promoted to endorse its equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) ambitions. The policy requires staff to provide evidence that they have promoted inclusion, such as participating in activities run by Stonewall or by promoting the university’s community networks.
An employee sought advice from the charity Sex Matters and they obtained legal advice from Akua Reindorf KC whose opinion has been published. It concludes that the requirement to support the university’s EDI ambitions:
- Is likely to be unlawful and amounts to indirect philosophical belief discrimination against potential applicants who hold gender critical beliefs; and
- If the policy isn’t changed, will breach the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 which is expected to come into force later this year.
The barrister also found that the university’s various policies, training materials and guidance relating to the protected characteristics of sex and gender reassignment are incorrect as a matter of law: ‘many of the errors and misstatements [relating to gender identity] have their genesis in materials produced by Stonewall and Athena Swan.’
New call for evidence on child safeguarding in schools and colleges
The Department for Education has launched a 12-week call for evidence to gather insights from schools, colleges, and professionals on safeguarding practices, in advance of the Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) 2025 guidelines.
The government is looking for views on:
- The role of designated safeguarding leads
- Child safeguarding information
- Safer staff recruitment
- Filtering and monitoring
- Supporting children following reports of sexual violence and harassment
- Protecting children in boarding and residential special schools
- Quality assuring safeguarding
- Children bringing their own devices to schools
- Artificial intelligence.
The deadline for responses is 11:59pm on Thursday, 20 June 2024.
TUC wants the law to protect workers from AI
The Trades Union (TUC) has drafted a bill aimed at regulating the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the workplace. The proposed legislation seeks to safeguard employees against unfair dismissal and discrimination that may arise from AI-driven decision-making processes.
The Artificial Intelligence (Regulation and Employment Rights) Bill applies to ‘high risk’ decision making and, if enacted, will require employers to:
- Carry out detailed AI risk assessments of AI decision making, with rolling 12 month reviews
- Break open the ‘black box’ to ensure that workers understand how AI operates
- Give staff the right to have a human review AI decision making, and to provide protection for staff dismissed by AI.
This Bill has not been presented to parliament and will need a sponsor to proceed. However, the House of Lords has started the process of debating another AI Bill: Artificial Intelligence (Regulation) Bill which is sponsored by a Conservative peer.
Workplace stress on the rise for UK women
Nearly half of working women in the UK are experiencing higher stress levels compared to last year, with return-to-office policies and long hours being significant contributors. Deloitte Global's latest report, 'Women @ Work: A global outlook', surveyed 5,000 women across ten countries, revealing that 47% of UK participants report increased stress.
The report indicates an improvement in hybrid work experiences, with fewer women feeling excluded from important meetings or decisions. However, the struggle for flexibility persists, especially as 50% of UK women have been asked to return to the office either full-time or on specific days.
27% of women returning full-time to the office report a negative impact on their mental health, and 24% believe it has decreased their productivity. Additionally, many have sought to reduce their working hours, and some have had to relocate closer to their workplaces.
The stigma surrounding mental health discussions at work remains, with 65% of women saying they are uncomfortable disclosing mental health issues as a reason for taking time off. This is particularly pronounced among women from ethnic minority backgrounds, with only 20% feeling comfortable discussing these matters with their employers.
Prime Minister announces welfare reform to tackle economic inactivity
In a recent speech, the Prime Minister has said that the government will introduce a comprehensive package of welfare reforms aimed at addressing the sharp increase in economic inactivity and changing the benefit system to ensure that it targets those who need it most.
It plans to:
- Review the current fit note system
- Test shifting responsibility for issuing fit notes from GPs to specialist work and health professionals
- Help people, particularly with mental health conditions, to get back into work.
Government announces call of evidence on fit note reform
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has announced a call for evidence to explore reforming the fit note process to support those with long term health conditions to access timely work and health support.
The call for evidence is part of a wider suite of activity to reform the fit note and will act as a prelude to a full consultation on specific policy proposals which will be launched later this year.
This call for evidence closes at 11.59 pm on Monday 8 July 2024.
EHRC updates its discrimination toolkits
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has released revised guidelines on preventing discrimination against pregnant women and those on maternity leave in the workplace. These updates to various toolkits have been implemented to mirror several changes that took effect in April 2024.
The toolkits now include advice on:
- Broadening the scope of redundancy protection to cover pregnant women, those on maternity, adoption, and shared parental leave and for a period after they return to work
- Prioritising offering suitable alternative roles to pregnant women and those on maternity, adoption, and shared parental leave if they are provisionally selected for redundancy
- The right for employees to request flexible working arrangements from the first day of employment
- Changes to the rules about statutory paternity leave.
Updated toolkits can be accessed using links below:
Pregnancy and maternity: Pregnancy toolkit
Pregnancy, adoption and maternity: Return to work toolkit
Maternity, paternity, adoption or shared parental leave and pay toolkit
New disability employment guide
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has introduced a new guide designed help managers hire, maintain, and promote the career growth of employees who have disabilities or chronic health conditions. It was developed with the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and forms part of the government’s Back to Work Plan.
The guide:
- Offers advice on recruitment, management, and development of employees with disabilities or health conditions
- Covers a number of health conditions including long-Covid, neurodiversity, mental health, learning difficulties and sensory impairments
- Explains how employers can gain 'disability confident' status by adhering to a set of inclusion criteria
- Explains how managers can make and review reasonable adjustments and consider flexible working
- Contains details about the legal obligations of managers to assist employees with disabilities or chronic health conditions in the workplace
- Provides guidance on the appropriate terminology to use when referring to or communicating with individuals with disabilities.
Holiday entitlement and pay guidance updated
On 1 April 2024, the Department for Business and Trade released a revised edition of its guidance on the calculation of holiday entitlements and holiday pay. The updated guidance makes a number of changes to the original, including clarifying that term-time workers engaged under contracts which pay them a fixed amount each month may meet the definition of a 'part-year worker' and referring to when annual bonuses may need to be included in holiday pay.
The updated guidance can be accessed here.
ICO updates guidance on special category data
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has updated its guidance on inferred special category data for data processing and protection purposes. It explains what is meant by ‘inferred special category data’ by reference to some helpful examples which are easier to understand. For example, a statement that Mr X is married to Mr Y clearly reveals information about Mr X and Mr Y’s sexual orientation.
The new guidance can be found in the 'What is special category data?' section, specifically under the heading 'What about inferences?'
Statutory sick pay reforms
A recent report released by the Work and Pensions Committee argues that SSP should be increased to the same rate as Statutory Maternity Pay. It believes that this adjustment:
- Would strike a fair balance between offering additional financial aid and avoiding undue financial burden on businesses; and
- Help support those most in need when they become ill.
It also says that SSP should be available to all employees, not just those who earn above the lower earnings limit, and also calls for a new contributory sick pay scheme for self-employed individuals.
Read more – May 2024
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