06/08/2020: Huge increase in families hitting benefits cap

The number of families affected by the benefit cap, which limits how much any one household can receive in benefits, rose by 93% between February and May. The government increased some payments to . . . help people cope with the coronavirus crisis, but charities say people with high rents have lost out. Figures show 154,000 households had their benefits capped in May.
BBC

05/08/2020: Parents of disabled children concerned over face masks

A mum who runs an autism support group is appealing for more understanding for young people who cannot wear face masks. Danielle Smith says parents have been publicly criticised because their disabled . . . children did not have the coverings. She says families who have been denied access to shops and public transport have inundated her with messages.
BBC

04/08/2020: Pandemic takes toll on children’s mental wellbeing

The coronavirus pandemic has caused a rise in mental ill health, behavioural problems and family conflict among disadvantaged children, according to latest research. A survey of nearly 1,000 frontline . . . workers supporting families living in poverty found that the vast majority reported a significant deterioration in children’s emotional health and wellbeing during the coronavirus lockdown.
Children and Young People Now

10/08/2020: Child sexual offences jump 57% in 5 years

New figures obtained by the NSPCC reveal that police recorded more than 200 child sex offences, on average, every day last year. There were 73,518 recorded offences including rape, online grooming and . . . sexual assault against children in the UK in 2019/20 – up 57% in the 5 years since 2014/15.
NSPCC

10/08/2020: Child sexual abuse: 449 crimes committed against babies in the past year

A total of 449 sex offences were committed in the past year against babies before they reached their first birthday, figures obtained by the NSPCC have revealed. UK police forces recorded 73,518 . . . crimes, including rape, online grooming and sexual assault against children in 2019/20, similar to the 73,379 the previous year, but up by 57% from 46,738 in 2014/15.
Sky

07/08/2020: High Court dismisses calls for children’s social care exemptions to be scrapped

The Department for Education did not act unlawfully by introducing emergency changes to legislation designed to protect and safeguard vulnerable children during the Covid-19 pandemic, a High Court . . . judge has found. The ruling comes following a judicial review, launched by children’s rights charity Article 39, in which the organisation called for around 65 removals and safeguards designed to protect children in care and on the edge of care to be scrapped.
Children and Young People Now

10/08/2020: Child sexual offences jump 57% in 5 years

New figures obtained by the NSPCC reveal that police recorded more than 200 child sex offences, on average, every day last year. There were 73,518 recorded offences including rape, online grooming and . . . sexual assault against children in the UK in 2019/20 – up 57% in the 5 years since 2014/15.
NSPCC

10/08/2020: Child sexual abuse: 449 crimes committed against babies in the past year

A total of 449 sex offences were committed in the past year against babies before they reached their first birthday, figures obtained by the NSPCC have revealed. UK police forces recorded 73,518 . . . crimes, including rape, online grooming and sexual assault against children in 2019/20, similar to the 73,379 the previous year, but up by 57% from 46,738 in 2014/15.
Sky

07/08/2020: Watchdog exposes ‘unacceptable’ treatment of children in English court cells

Children with Down’s syndrome and autism were among those left for hours in court cells while they waited for legal representation or transport, a custody watchdog has revealed in a damning report.The . . . t reatment of some young people, including those with disabilities, was labelled unacceptable and a “matter of embarrassment” for the criminal justice system by the Lay Observers (LO), volunteers who inspect court custody conditions and transport arrangements for detainees in England and Wales.
Guardian

06/08/2020: Student sends anti-bullying message through song

A student has released a music video in which she wipes off her body all of the names that she was called when she was bullied at school. Hannah Lou Reid, 19, is from Plymouth, Devon, but studies . . . songwriting at BIMM Bristol. She wrote the track “Left Up Down Right” to process her own feelings about bullying and body positivity, as well as to send a message to other victims that “you can heal, and the words won’t stick with you forever”.
BBC

31/07/2020: Gypsy, traveller and black Caribbean pupils at least twice as likely to be permanently excluded from school

The permanent exclusion rate for Gypsy and Roma, Irish traveller and black Caribbean children was at least double that for all students in England over the 2018-2019 academic year, new statistics . . . show. These pupils were the most disproportionately expelled over this period, a breakdown of data by different ethnicities showed.
Independent

30/07/2020: Black pupils face trebled exclusion rate in some areas of England

Black pupils are disproportionately hit with fixed-term exclusions in England – by three times as many in some places, data shows. Pupils with black ethnicity have higher temporary exclusion rates in . . . two-thirds of local authority areas, new analysis from the House of Commons library says. Discipline policies banning black hairstyles, kissing teeth and fist-bumping are being blamed in part.
BBC

06/08/2020: Huge increase in families hitting benefits cap

The number of families affected by the benefit cap, which limits how much any one household can receive in benefits, rose by 93% between February and May. The government increased some payments to . . . help people cope with the coronavirus crisis, but charities say people with high rents have lost out. Figures show 154,000 households had their benefits capped in May.
BBC

05/08/2020: Parents of disabled children concerned over face masks

A mum who runs an autism support group is appealing for more understanding for young people who cannot wear face masks. Danielle Smith says parents have been publicly criticised because their disabled . . . children did not have the coverings. She says families who have been denied access to shops and public transport have inundated her with messages.
BBC

24/07/2020: ‘Sexist policies’: mothers struggle to return to work amid lack of childcare

Caroline Nowak is among thousands of parents who cannot find a summer holiday club for her child, a 10-year-old boy, and will be forced to continue juggling her job and childcare across mammoth . . . 18-hour days, stretching from 6am to midnight. “I feel very let down by the government failing to provide an outlet for isolated and increasingly distressed children,” says Nowak, who works as a scientist.
Guardian

16/06/2020: Early intervention services ‘unable to cope’ as lockdown measures lift

Early intervention services could be left “unable to cope” as lockdown measures lift due to the impact of school closures and social distancing on vulnerable families, new research warns. A new report . . . by the Early Intervention Foundation (EIF) and Action for Children, based on interviews with professionals across the children’s services sector, finds that the “knock-on effect” of the coronavirus pandemic on early help services will have a “profound” impact on families not eligible for local authority support.
Children and Young People Now

01/05/2020: Police need ACE training to better understand impact of child violence, study says

Police officers should be trained in understanding the impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on young people in order to tackle an increase in child to parent violence, new research suggests. . . . A report commissioned by Northumbria Police, Policing Childhood Challenging Violent or Aggressive Behaviour: responding to vulnerable families, makes the recommendation as part of a wider strategy to help its police officers better understand the causes of child to parent violence.
Children and Young People Now

10/04/2020: How does a traumatic event impact child behaviour?

“Children do make choices to misbehave,” states professor Essi Viding, “but the tools they bring to make the choices are different. Someone who has very stable developmental history is making a . . . particular choice with a completely different toolkit than a child who has an unpredictable developmental history.”
Times Education Supplement

06/08/2020: Rise in care children being ‘deprived of liberty’

The number of children in care in England and Wales who have restrictions placed on their freedom has tripled in the last two years, BBC News has found. Deprivation of liberty orders are increasingly . . . being used to detain children in homes when suitable accommodation cannot be found. Campaigners say it shows a “wilful neglect” of young people at risk of exploitation. The government said supporting vulnerable children “is a priority”.
BBC

28/07/2020: Children’s homes providers forced to challenge schools to secure places, ICHA warns

Children’s homes providers were forced to “rigorously challenge” schools to secure a return to education for residents throughout lockdown, the Independent Children’s Home Association (ICHA) has said. . . . Despite children under local authority social care and those with education, health and care (EHC) plans being classed as vulnerable under government guidance and, therefore, entitled to school places throughout lockdown, anecdotal reports from a number of members of the ICHA revealed a number of challenges in securing places for residents even as lockdown measures eased.
Children and Young People Now

21/07/2020: ‘It’s just too long’: children in detention may face Covid-19 restrictions until 2022

The Ministry of Justice has said that new rules that allow youth detention facilities to hold children in solitary confinement for up to 22 hours a day to prevent the spread of Covid-19 could remain . . . in place for two years despite lockdown measures being relaxed for the rest of the UK. Lawyers have told the Guardian that time out of cells and access to education are still being severely curtailed in many facilities across the country.
Guardian

07/08/2020: Third of youth workers ‘not trained’ to deal with online harms, new study warns

More than a third of frontline youth workers do not feel sufficiently trained to deal with the increasing risk of online harms to young people, new research shows. The results of an Online Harms . . . Survey, compiled by social enterprise Catch 22, shows that 38 per cent of frontline youth workers asked said they did not feel confident in supporting young people dealing with problems online.
Children and Young People Now

27/07/2020: Are we creating a generation of problem gamblers?

Children as young as 11 are becoming problem gamblers as apps and websites make betting easier than ever. Journalist Jenny Kleeman investigates how it has been allowed to happen. Jack Ritchie was . . . still at school when he had his first big gambling win. It was the start of an addiction to betting that would cause devastation to his family. As Jenny Kleeman tells Anushka Asthana, problem gambling among children is rife in Britain and is causing untold harm.
Guardian

16/07/2020: Huge rise in reports of online child abuse images

Reports of child abuse images online increased by almost 50% during lockdown, according to the Internet Watch Foundation. In the 11 weeks from 23 March, its hotline logged 44,809 reports of images . . . compared with 29,698 last year. The increase follows months in which both adults and children, many of whom who are working at home, have spent significantly more time online.
BBC

16/07/2020: Charity receives Home Office funding to expand county lines service

The Home Office is providing £860,000 in 2020/21 for the service to be run by St Giles Trust, a charity that has led the way in providing specialist support for young people and their families . . . affected by county lines activity. The money pledged is part of a wider £25m investment by the government to tackle county lines gangs, a form of organised crime where vulnerable young people are coerced to transporting and selling drugs in towns across the UK.
Children and Young People Now

05/07/2020: County lines gangs disguised drug couriers as key workers during coronavirus lockdown

Criminal gangs have been dressing young drug mules as nurses and Deliveroo workers to deliver cocaine, heroin and illegally acquired prescription drugs during lockdown, according to a senior officer . . . in charge of tackling county lines dealing at one of the UK’s biggest police forces. Supt Andy O’Connor of Merseyside police said Liverpool drug lords forced to return home during lockdown were operating a “click and collect” service for couriers disguised as key workers to travel in and out of the region with drugs.
Guardian

18/06/2020: Experts call for action as telltale silver canisters from laughing gas use litter our parks in lockdown

Ministers have been told to clamp down on the dangerous ‘hippy crack’ craze which is booming during the lockdown. Thousands of bored and frustrated teenagers are said to have started abusing the drug . . . in recent weeks, leaving the nation’s parks and streets littered with silver canisters. Nitrous oxide or laughing gas – also known as ‘hippy crack’ – is used as an anaesthetic by dentists and during childbirth.
Daily Mail