New legal duty to report cases or suspicions of FGM

Are your staff aware that a new mandatory reporting duty for FGM (female genital mutilation) came into force in October 2015? Do teachers and front-line staff understand the implications of this new legal duty? Have you integrated the requirements of this new duty within your safeguarding policy and within safeguarding training?

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How robust are your equality information and objectives?

Did you know that voluntary organisations can challenge you and hold you to account on how you are meeting your duties to publish equality objectives and equality information? For example, did you know that voluntary organisations can alert the Equality and Human Rights Commission about concerns if they believe that you are not to be meeting your legal duties, and can apply for a judicial review?

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Publishing equality information due Jan 2015

Education providers need to publish their equality and diversity report on an annual basis. Your latest report should be published on your website by the end Jan 2015. But how compliant is your publication against the legal duties? Have you included your progress in meeting your equality objectives, and your approach to assess the impact of your work, for example your approach to carrying out equality impact assessments?

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SEND (special educational needs and disabilities) reforms

The Children and Families Act (CFA) 2014, in force from September 2014, places new statutory duties for inclusive approaches and person-centred planning to permeate all practice. The reforms will require significant changes to policy, procedure and practice in supporting disabled students in further education colleges. Do your staff and governors know about these duties and are they ready to meet them?

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Radicalisation and extremism – an issue for your organisation?

The counter-terrorism and security bill, recently introduced to parliament by the home secretary, Teresa May, will require universities and colleges to have anti-extremism policies to guard against radicalisation and extremism. What policies do you have in place?

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