COVID-19 

The Government announced plans to reopen more businesses and venues in England if they are COVID-19 secure.

From Saturday 11 July, this includes outdoor swimming pools, water parks and team sports (starting with cricket).

From Monday 13 July: beauty salons, nail bars, spas, tattoo parlours and body piercing studios.

From Saturday 25 July: indoor gyms, fitness centres, dance studios and swimming pools

You can find the latest COVID-19 guidance and FAQs here. Please note that this guidance applies to England only

Travel corridors 

From today (10 July) you will not have to self-isolate if you’re arriving and staying in England from a country or territory on the travel corridors list. You still have to provide your journey and contact details.

You will still be required to self-isolate if you have visited or stopped in any country that is not on the list in the previous 14 days.

More information and the list of countries are in the travel corridors guidance.

Home Office news and campaigns 

Domestic Abuse Bill

The Domestic Abuse Bill completed its report stage and third reading on Monday (6 July) and was voted through by the House of Commons.

The Bill will now be debated in the House of Lords, going through the same sequence of readings and stages as in the Commons, before it receives Royal Assent and becomes law.

Find out more about the Domestic Abuse Bill in our latest blog and factsheet.

Home Secretary visit to Sussex Police

On Monday (6 July), the Home Secretary visited Sussex Police HQ in Lewes with the National Chair of the Police Federation, John Apter, to hear about how the force had adapted to support domestic violence victims during lockdown.

Sussex Police established a specialist unit called the Local Resolution Team in March this year who deal with any DA cases that are not immediately urgent by appointment.

The Home Secretary saw their new video service which enables victims to speak to an officer through their smartphone in a way that leaves “no trace” to be found by a perpetrator.

Further information on the visit can be found on the Sussex PCC website

Stakeholder news and campaigns

The Children’s Society guidance pages 

The Children’s Society, in partnership with Action for Children and Women’s Aid, have produced two young person friendly advice sheets which give practical advice to young people experiencing domestic abuse in their homes or within their own relationships.

Both pages use age appropriate language to define domestic abuse and teenage relationship abuse, give examples of common signs to look out for and advice about who to talk to if they are experiencing either form of abuse. They also give advice for friends or family who are worried about another young person.

Internet Matters online safety hub 

A new online safety hub from Internet Matters, Youthworks and Facebook was launched on Wednesday (8 July) to help children with special educational needs navigate social media safely.

Built with input from young people, the resource is the first-of-its-kind and helps equip both young people with Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and their parents and carers with the right tools to stop them ‘falling through the net’ on social media.

NCA-CEOP online blackmail education resource 

NCA-CEOP have launched a new resource which aims to help 15-18 year olds identify characteristics of blackmail online, understand the impact it can have, and how they access help if they experience it.

The resource is a structured one-hour session designed to be delivered by professionals in schools/colleges, youth groups etc. It has been informed by the latest research, intelligence from the NCA and engagement with young people and professionals.

All online blackmail resources for professionals can be downloaded from the Thinkuknow resources page and there is also information and content for parents and carers.