23/06/2025: Mobile phones banned in schools from September (Jersey)
The Government of Jersey will not allow mobile phone use at its schools and colleges from the start of September, parents have been told.
23/06/2025: One in 10 looked-after children have high care placement instability
Rates of high care placement instability decreased slightly in 2024 according to latest official statistics – with the percentage of children facing three or more placements in a year falling from 11% to 10% compared with the previous year.
23/06/2025: Reducing The Over-Representation Of Looked After Children In The Criminal Justice System
Clare Birtwistle of Manchester Metropolitan University guest blogs on reducing the over-representation of looked after children in the CJS
23/06/2025: IWF joins with partners to transform the global response for victims and survivors of online child sexual abuse
The Internet Watch Foundation has joined with a consortium of partners to develop the Artemis Survivor Hub (ASH) – a revolutionary, victim-focused response to online child sexual exploitation.
23/06/2025: New YJLC Legal Guide in Out of Court Disposals
The YJLC team are delighted to announce the publication of their latest legal guide Out of Court Disposals.
20/06/2025: Councils face millions in extra Send costs as overhaul delayed
High-needs deficits kept off council books for two more years in England, but some say it prolongs financial pain.
19/06/2025: Be ready to be shocked and offended at university, students told
Students should be ready to be shocked and offended at university, according to the man in charge of ensuring free speech on campuses.
19/06/2025: Pupil drug and alcohol use sparking violence, teachers warn
Teachers are warning that drug and alcohol use among pupils is contributing to violence and disruption in schools.
19/06/2025: Barrier lifted to care leaver social housing from next month
“Unfair barriers” to social housing for care leavers are to be lifted within weeks, the government has confirmed.
19/06/2025: Inspectors call for better support for young child victims of domestic abuse
Failures in support for young children who are victims of domestic abuse in Redcar and Cleveland have been highlighted by inspectors.
18/06/2025: Child violent crime suspects ‘getting younger’
An increasing proportion of children aged between 10 and 14 years old are suspected of committing violent crime in London, in comparison to other young people, a report has found.
18/06/2025: Professional Curiosity In Probation
Helen Amor, Effective Practice Lead at HM Inspectorate of Probation, guest blogs on professional curiosity in probation.
18/06/2025: AI puts real child sex victims at risk, experts say
An increase in sophisticated AI-generated images of child abuse could result in police and other agencies chasing “fake” rather than genuine abuse, a charity has said.
17/06/2025: Cooper backs national inquiry to ‘root out scourge of grooming gangs’
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has launched a new national inquiry as part of the “biggest programme of work ever pursued to root out the scourge of grooming gangs and child sexual exploitation”.
12/06/2025: Report calls for further free school meal reform to tackle regional differences
A think tank is calling for the government to bring in further reform of the free school meal system and bring in national auto-enrolment to tackle regional differences.
12/06/2025: Pupil SEND numbers exceed 1.7mn
The number of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) has risen by 5.6% to more than 1.7 million, according to data released by the Department for Education today.
10/06/2025: Child neglect concerns the number one reason for adults reaching out to our Helpline
We’re calling for neglect to be considered a ‘national emergency’ as well as a new amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill to introduce a national neglect strategy.
09/06/2025: MET Police dissolve the role of Safer School Officer: 371 police officers stationed in London schools have been removed
In June 2025, in response to an FOI request, the Metropolitan Police announced that on the 1st of May 2025, the Safer Schools Officer (SSO) role in London was to be dissolved. A new role, Designated Ward Officer – Children and Young People (DWO-CYP) has been created and aligned to neighbourhood policing wards, with all 371 former Safer School Officer posts being transitioned to this new role profile.
08/06/2025: UK government looking at social media ‘app caps’ for children, minister suggests
Peter Kyle, understood to be considering two-hour curfews, says he wants to foster healthy relationships with tech.
05/06/2025: Greater awareness behind ADHD surge, study suggests
ADHD is not becoming more common despite the surge in people in people asking for help, research suggests.
05/06/2025: Free school meals to be extended to 500,000 more children
Any child in England whose parents receive Universal Credit will be able to claim free school meals from September 2026, the government has said.
05/06/2025: Safeguarding First: Children and the criminal legal system
Hear from experts on how to use safeguarding and welfare law to better defend children in the criminal legal system.
05/06/2025: The highs and lows of a children’s services’ transformation journey
Senior leaders from Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council’s children’s services describe the turbulent ride after a negative Ofsted inspection and how they have turned it all around.
01/06/2025: ‘Every child will have contact with a stranger online’
Sophie was just 17 when she was contacted online by someone she believed to be a boy of her own age.
01/06/2025: Black and mixed heritage young offenders ‘given harsher penalties’
Black and mixed heritage children are being handed tougher penalties than their white peers, even when they have committed the same offences, researchers are warning.
01/06/2025: 38 youth justice organisations condemn UK Government’s decision to introduce PAVA spray in Children’s prisons
The Alliance for Youth Justice (“AYJ”) have joined forces with 37 supporting organisations to condemn the government’s decision to introduce PAVA spray, similar to pepper spray, for use against Children in Young Offenders Institutions.
31/05/2025: Action urged to tackle ten-fold increase in complex care placements
Extra government funding for early help services is needed to help tackle a more than tenfold increase in high-cost placements for children with complex needs over the last five years, say council leaders.
29/05/2025: Government extends neurodiverse pupil support programme
The government is extending a programme to train teachers and help schools meet the needs of neurodiverse pupils.
29/05/2025: Reports of Harmful Content Rise by 20% in 2024
In 2024, the Report Harmful Content service experienced a substantial growth compared to the previous year. With 6,222 cases handled (a 20.5% increase from the previous year) it’s clear that the demand for impartial, trusted support in navigating harmful online experiences is more critical than ever.
28/05/2025: YJLC Director, Aika Stephenson on the Netflix show adolescence
Aika Stephenson has spent her career seeking to raise awareness of how easily children can end up in the criminal justice system.