Latest Headlines
09/01/2025: Consultation launches to tackle low numbers of suitably qualified youth workers
Youth workers are being urged to give their views on proposals to overhaul qualifications and training for the role in a bid to tackle recruitment challenges and improve their career progression.
09/01/2025: Children’s social care reform bill clears first parliamentary hurdle
MPs give in-principle backing to legislation that would introduce multi-agency child protection teams, tighten regulation of placement providers and require meetings with families to explore alternatives to care.
09/01/2025: Five Reasons To Abolish Short-Term Custodial Sentences For Children
Abolishing Detention and Training Orders is the key to meaningful decarceration according to Dr Kathy Hampson and Dr Anne-Marie Day.
08/01/2025: Government’s early years funding hikes fail to cover rising costs, IFS warns
Increases to funding for the early years sector are failing to consider the rising cost pressures that providers face, an Institute of Fiscal Studies report is warning.
08/01/2025: Cooper vows to make child abuse reporting mandatory
The government is to introduce laws that make it an offence to fail to report child sexual abuse concerns, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has confirmed.
08/01/2025: The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill explained
Tim Spencer-Lane sets out how the legislation will reform the provision, regulation and staffing of children’s social care in England.
08/01/2025: Rising costs force ‘difficult choices’ on schools
Head teachers say they face “difficult choices” over what their schools can afford, as a new report says they could be forced into further cuts next year.
08/01/2025: Child sex abuse and grooming gangs: What we know, and what we don’t, from the data
Recent debates over grooming gangs have been marked by accusations of lies and disinformation – this is what the data actually tells us about the victims and perpetrators of child sexual abuse.
07/01/2025: Social work opinion split over police involvement in mental health incidents, poll finds
Following an evaluation of the right care, right person policy, we asked social workers their opinion on police withdrawing from mental health incidents.
07/01/2025: SEND is the ‘biggest issue’ for schools – Ofsted
07/01/2025: Child mental health crisis: Better resilience is the solution, say experts
07/01/2025: Revenge Porn Helpline Welcomes New Legislation to Criminalise the Creation and Sharing of Deepfakes But Still Raises Concern Amid Remaining Gaps
06/01/2025: ‘How parent advocacy can rebalance the power dynamics of the children’s social care system’
06/01/2025: Record numbers of children in England jailed many miles from their families
03/01/2025: Care leavers missing out on home ‘essentials’, research finds
02/01/2025: Urgent referrals of children in mental health crisis in England rise 13% in year
Youth Justice
06/01/2025: Record numbers of children in England jailed many miles from their families
More than one in 10 young people in custody are held at least 75 miles from their homes
03/12/2024: What Do Children Know And Think About Sentencing?
The Sentencing Academy explores children’s knowledge and opinions about sentencing.
02/12/2024: Consultation opens on National Occupational Standards for youth justice
A consultation on the national occupational standards (NOS) impacting the youth justice sector is underway.
13/11/2024: Children In Custody Being Failed
Inspectorate says that children in custody are being failed by having to live in establishments dominated by violence, disorder and lack of education.
11/11/2024: Mission to tackle teenagers’ ‘trauma’ with police
Young people are being urged to take part in a project designed to “empower” their interactions with police.
08/11/2024: YJB trustee to lead review of girls in custody
Susannah Hancock is to undertake an independent review into the placement of girls in the children and young people’s secure estate.
08/11/2024: Making Better Use Of Non-Custodial Sentences
Dr Stephanie Wallace guest posts on making better use of non-custodial sentences using the Sentence Severity Scale.
31/10/2024: Addressing Racial Disparity in the Youth Justice System: a report into the success of local practices
This report, commissioned by the Youth Justice Board (YJB), was published on 24 October 2024. The report, authored by the charity Revolving Doors, uses qualitative and quantitative research methods to appraise local programmes in England and Wales that carry out interventions with the aim of preventing children and young people from re-offending.
24/10/2024: Sure Start programme cut youth offending by a fifth, report finds
Support for children under the age of five through the Sure Start programme “significantly reduced” the chances of offending when they reached adolescence, a report has found.
24/10/2024: Youth offending not included in government sentencing review
The youth offending framework will not be included in a sentencing review launched by the government.
Education
08/01/2025: Rising costs force ‘difficult choices’ on schools
Head teachers say they face “difficult choices” over what their schools can afford, as a new report says they could be forced into further cuts next year.
07/01/2025: SEND is the ‘biggest issue’ for schools – Ofsted
Special educational needs and disabilities (Send) is the “biggest issue” affecting schools in England, Ofsted’s chief inspector has said.
17/12/2024: Plan to register children not in school takes shape
A register to identify children who are not in school in England will be part of a bill introduced to Parliament on Tuesday.
16/12/2024: ‘The school system is broken’: Why more parents are home-educating their children
“Toby was so tremendously unhappy in school,” says his father, Daniel. “We were standing outside the classroom door for an hour every morning and he just didn’t want to go in.
11/12/2024: How working parents can get 15 and 30 hours free childcare
Working parents of children from nine months old can now access 15 hours a week of free childcare.
11/12/2024: Reform SEND support or risk ‘widespread local authority bankruptcies’, warns think-tank
The system for supporting children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) must be overhauled to avoid councils going bankrupt, a leading think-tank has warned.
06/12/2024: High number of pupils regularly missing school
Almost a quarter of children in Bristol are persistently absent from school, according to Ofsted.
05/12/2024: Ofsted ‘alarmed’ by absences and ‘flexi-schooling’
The “alarming” level of children missing school has become a “stubborn and damaging issue”, according to the chief inspector of Ofsted, England’s schools regulator.
05/12/2024: Disadvantaged children hardest hit by education and social care challenges, warns Ofsted
The most vulnerable and disadvantaged children are those worst affected by recruitment and demand pressures across children’s social care and education, Ofsted is warning.
05/12/2024: Prime Minister sets school readiness target
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has promised to boost the proportion of children starting school “ready to learn” as part of the government’s reboot of its targets for this parliament.
Family
06/01/2025: ‘How parent advocacy can rebalance the power dynamics of the children’s social care system’
A parent-led network argues that peer to peer advocates can help ensure families’ voices are heard during the child protection process and overcome misunderstandings between parents and professionals.
17/12/2024: Plan to register children not in school takes shape
A register to identify children who are not in school in England will be part of a bill introduced to Parliament on Tuesday.
16/12/2024: ‘Families first for children’ model to be rolled out to all councils, says chief social worker
Approach involving family help and specialist child protection teams that is currently being tested in 10 areas to be extended across England, says Isabelle Trowler
13/12/2024: Practitioners struggling to respond to extrafamilial harm to children, finds analysis of serious cases
Staff not picking up on early signs of risk, such as missing episodes, while there is little evidence that interventions are keeping children safe, says national safeguarding panel, in annual report.
11/12/2024: How working parents can get 15 and 30 hours free childcare
Working parents of children from nine months old can now access 15 hours a week of free childcare.
09/12/2024: Two-thirds of England’s poorest families miss out on childcare, report finds
IPPR and Save the Children call for measures including new not-for-profit nursery trusts and increased funding for deprived areas
06/12/2024: High number of pupils regularly missing school
Almost a quarter of children in Bristol are persistently absent from school, according to Ofsted.
05/12/2024: Ofsted ‘alarmed’ by absences and ‘flexi-schooling’
The “alarming” level of children missing school has become a “stubborn and damaging issue”, according to the chief inspector of Ofsted, England’s schools regulator.
05/12/2024: Disadvantaged children hardest hit by education and social care challenges, warns Ofsted
The most vulnerable and disadvantaged children are those worst affected by recruitment and demand pressures across children’s social care and education, Ofsted is warning.
04/12/2024: Parent mental health service is ‘like a lifeline’
Two mothers who have been helped by a “pioneering” adult mental health service have said it helped them keep their families together.
Diversity
11/12/2024: Puberty blockers for under-18s banned indefinitely
The ban on giving puberty blockers to under-18s questioning their gender identify is to be made permanent, Health Secretary Wes Streeting has announced.
09/12/2024: Puberty blockers: Can a drug trial solve one of medicine’s most controversial debates?
It is among the most delicate and controversial challenges in modern medicine – how to determine whether the benefits of puberty blockers (or drugs that delay puberty) outweigh the potential harms.
31/10/2024: Addressing Racial Disparity in the Youth Justice System: a report into the success of local practices
This report, commissioned by the Youth Justice Board (YJB), was published on 24 October 2024. The report, authored by the charity Revolving Doors, uses qualitative and quantitative research methods to appraise local programmes in England and Wales that carry out interventions with the aim of preventing children and young people from re-offending.
25/10/2024: Bullying victim ‘not surprised’ by race report findings
A woman who experienced “relentless” bullying at school has said she is not surprised by a report that suggests almost half of ethnic minority students in Northern Ireland have been the victims of racist bullying and harassment.
21/10/2024: ‘World-first’ study examines period pain in teens
A new study will seek to identify changes in the brain when teenagers experience period pain and whether it is linked to developing chronic pain in later life.
10/09/2024: Puberty-blocker focus disproportionate, Cass says
The focus on puberty blockers in the gender-care debate is disproportionate, the paediatrician who led the NHS review into children’s services, says.
10/08/2024: ‘Fear of missing out’ keeping girls and young women online despite sexism
Almost half of girls aged 11 to 21 in Girlguiding survey say sexism and misogyny makes them feel less safe
02/08/2024: Supporting Racially Minoritised Young People Transitioning To Adulthood
AYJ briefing explores how racially minoritised young people experience particularly destabilising transitions due to deficits in support before and after turning 18.
19/07/2024: Disabled children among hardest hit by lack of holiday childcare places
Children with disabilities are among those set to be most adversely impacted by a reduction in holiday childcare places this summer.
08/07/2024: NHS sets out ‘safer’ child gender services model
Six new regional centres created to support under 18s struggling with their gender identity will open over the next two years, NHS England has confirmed.
Care Experience
03/01/2025: Care leavers missing out on home ‘essentials’, research finds
Care leavers in England are at risk of missing out on essential items when setting up their first home due to the lack of clear national guidelines on the levels of support offered by councils, latest research shows.
12/12/2024: Care-experienced group launches in Parliament
Campaigners and MPs advocating for care-experienced young people have formed a new cross-party group in Parliament.
11/12/2024: DfE plans will curb profiteering but not without cutting care placement supply, say social workers
With the DfE having unveiled planned reforms to children’s care placements, we gauged social workers’ views on their potential impact on profiteering
02/12/2024: Sevenfold increase in number of children placed in unregistered homes over past three years
Ofsted warns unregistered provision likely to be of ‘poor quality’, with just 8% of those that sought registration being approved.
24/11/2024: More foster carers in England leaving than signing up, says Ofsted report
Children’s campaigners say ‘national crisis’ adds to trauma for vulnerable young people, amid huge fall in numbers fostering.
18/11/2024: Children’s social care strategy: new measures to tackle ‘profiteering’ providers
Curtailing profit levels made by private care providers is to be the cornerstone of a new children’s social care strategy to be launched by the government today (Monday).
18/11/2024: Government urged to end the wilful neglect of teenagers in care
As the new government promises (18 November 2024) “a more secure life for children across the country”, and legislation that will transform the children’s care system, children’s rights campaigners urge it to end the wilful neglect of teenagers in care.
07/11/2024: ‘Archaic’ model for adopted children’s contact with birth families needs reform, say researchers
The adoption system should move away from an “outdated” model of letterbox contact with birth families towards face-to-face and digital communication, according to a major new report.
06/11/2024: Care leaver was ‘terrified’ ahead of 18th birthday
A woman who was “terrified” when she left the care system when she turned 18 is now helping young people going through the same experience.
06/11/2024: LGA calls for council tax and health costs exemptions for care leavers
Care leavers should not have to pay council tax or health costs such as for prescriptions, dental treatment and eye tests, according to the Local Government Association (LGA).
Cost of Living
11/12/2024: Reform SEND support or risk ‘widespread local authority bankruptcies’, warns think-tank
The system for supporting children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) must be overhauled to avoid councils going bankrupt, a leading think-tank has warned.
14/11/2024: Youth club closures increase crime rate and exam failure among young people, report finds
Young people are more likely to perform worse at school and be involved in crime due to “austerity-induced” youth club closures over the last 14 years, a report has found.
24/10/2024: SEND system failing children and cash-strapped councils, NAO finds
The National Audit Office (NAO) has criticised the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system in England for failing to improve the lives of children and young people or prevent councils from facing “significant financial risks”.
23/10/2024: Government publishes first details of 10-year child poverty strategy
The Cabinet Office has laid out its long-term strategy to tackle child poverty in the UK.
22/10/2024: Free school meals trial feeds 20,000 more children
Thousands more children from England’s poorest households are eating a free school meal because of a new trial scheme.
22/10/2024: Most councils describe children’s services as biggest financial pressure
More than nine in 10 councils say children’s social care costs is putting the most pressure on budgets as a quarter of all local authorities face applying for government bailouts to avoid bankruptcy within the next two years.
29/08/2024: Increase in teachers providing food for hungry pupils
Record numbers of teachers took food into school for hungry pupils during the summer term, according to research by charity Fareshare.
29/08/2024: Cost-of-living crisis impacting children’s wellbeing, research finds
Children living in households worst impacted by the cost-of-living crisis report having lower levels of wellbeing than their peers, major research from the Children’s Society reveals.
24/08/2024: Youngsters not in work or education rise to 870,000
The number of 16-24 year-olds not in employment, education or training (NEET) across the UK reached 872,000 in the period April to June 2024, official estimates suggest.
03/08/2024: Blanket approach to cost-of-living support ‘impacting youth mental health’
The “one-size-fits all approach” to supporting children through the cost-of-living crisis “overlooks the unique challenges faced by young people”, the Youth Select Committee’s new report has found.
Drugs
05/12/2024: Welcome Rise Of Numbers In Drug & Alcohol Treatment
2023/24 treatment stats show welcome (7%) rise in numbers in drug & alcohol treatment.
25/11/2024: ‘I had no idea being a social drinker would damage my liver by 31’
At 31 years old, I was told by doctors that if I didn’t stop drinking alcohol, I could die.
06/11/2024: What is the UK smoking ban and how many people still smoke?
It will be illegal for anyone currently aged 15 or under to ever buy cigarettes in the UK, under new laws proposed by the government.
04/11/2024: ‘I wish I’d never taken it’: More young people seeking rehab as ketamine addiction spirals in the UK
Casey Innalls was left in excruciating pain and was hospitalised for 12 days with a condition known as k-bladder
31/10/2024: Students taught about spiking dangers in new campaign
Students are being taught about the dangers of drink spiking using goggles that simulate how it might feel to be drugged.
31/10/2024: Youth club on wheels hoping to improve young lives
A mobile youth club that aims to stop children “going down the wrong path” has launched with an amnesty bin to allow knives to be surrendered.
28/10/2024: The Tragic Rise Of Drug-Related Deaths
There were 5,448 deaths related to drug poisoning in 2023; the highest number on record.
24/10/2024: Disposable vapes to be banned from June
The sale of single-use disposable vapes will be banned in England and Wales from June next year, the government has confirmed.
21/10/2024: Smoking, Drinking & Drug Use Among School Children
Latest stats show a fall in the number of school children taking drugs.
09/09/2024: Fitness of youngsters who vape ‘is just as bad as smokers of same age’, study reveals
Young vapers perform worse in exercises than their peers who do not use e-cigarettes and record performances similar to smokers the same age, according to a study.
Domestic Violence
04/12/2024: Murdered teen’s mum fears more lives will be lost
The mother of a teenager killed by her ex-boyfriend fears others are likely to die if more is not done to tackle abuse and violence in young people’s relationships.
04/11/2024: Home Office to examine domestic violence age thresholds after teenager’s murder
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has pledged to “look at” lowering the age at which a person can be classed as a victim of domestic abuse after the murder of a 15-year-old girl by her ex-boyfriend.
04/11/2024: Mother of girl, 15, stabbed to death by boyfriend calls for teenage domestic abuse law change
Under current laws, the victim and the perpetrator must be over 16 for it to be deemed a crime of domestic abuse.
13/09/2024: Inspectors to probe agencies response to child victims of domestic abuse
Joint targeted area inspections to examine how councils, NHS, the police and probation work together in response to domestic abuse, particularly where victims are unborn or young children.
28/08/2024: ‘We make mothers responsible, but don’t work with men’: Brid Featherstone on child protection
Professor Brid Featherstone reflects on her three decades of research into domestic abuse and child protection and why she feels social work needs to become more poverty aware.
08/05/2024: Invest £50mn in evaluating child domestic abuse support, ministers urged
The government is being urged to invest £50mn in evaluating support for child victims of domestic abuse as Foundations warns that more children could experience abuse than start primary school this year.
07/05/2024: Domestic abuse: I was quite controlling, things needed to change,
“I just thought it was normal,” says Peter looking back at how volatile he used to be with his partner, Amy.
28/02/2024: ‘State of crisis’ for domestic abuse services because of cuts, warns commissioner
Reductions already being made to domestic abuse provision due to funding shortfalls and uncertainty, watchdog tells levelling up secretary Michael Gove.
10/01/2024: Critical Success Factors For Working With Domestic Abuse Perpetrators
Nicole Renehan & David Gadd set out key ingredients for effective work with domestic abuse perpetrators.
Exploitation
08/01/2025: Child sex abuse and grooming gangs: What we know, and what we don’t, from the data
Recent debates over grooming gangs have been marked by accusations of lies and disinformation – this is what the data actually tells us about the victims and perpetrators of child sexual abuse.
04/12/2024: Telegram U-turns and joins child safety scheme
After years of ignoring pleas to sign up to child protection schemes, the controversial messaging app Telegram has agreed to work with an internationally recognised body to stop the spread of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
24/11/2024: AI increasingly used for sextortion, scams and child abuse, says senior UK police chief
The fast-developing technology is providing opportunities in ‘any crime type’ – and police must ‘move fast’ to catch up.
08/11/2024: SWGfL Advocate for Legislative Change on Intimate Image Abuse at Parliament
SWGfL attended a session at parliament on Wednesday 6th November to share their insights on intimate image abuse with the Women and Equalities Committee presenting evidence detailing the immense impact of non-consensual intimate image abuse (NCII) and the critical need to modernise current legislation to protect adults facing this form of abuse.
07/11/2024: “I don’t want to go down that road”: The harms inflicted on criminally exploited children – follow up to the Jay Review
In March 2024, Action for Children published the findings of the Jay Review, an extensive UK-wide review of exploitation. In October 2024, Action for Children published a follow-up report.
04/11/2024: Online grooming crimes against children increase by 89% in six years
As offences rise to record levels, we’re calling for a strengthened approach from Ofcom and for tougher legislation from the UK government.
01/11/2024: Snapchat most-used app for grooming, says NSPCC
The messaging app Snapchat is the most widely-used platform for online grooming, according to police figures supplied to the children’s charity the NSPCC.
24/10/2024: Charity campaign highlights signs of child sexual exploitation
Crimestoppers has launched a new campaign aimed at reducing the number of children being sexually exploited in the North East of England.
24/10/2024: Meta Announces New Measures to Protect People from Sextortion
Meta has launched new safety measures to protect people from sextortion scams. The latest features will restrict users from screenshotting or screen recording images and videos sent in private across Instagram DMs and Messenger.
18/10/2024: Public exposure to ‘chilling’ AI child sexual abuse images and videos increases
AI generated child sexual abuse content is increasingly being found on publicly accessible areas of the internet, exposing even more people to the harmful and horrific imagery, says the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF).
Technology and Online Safety
07/01/2025: Revenge Porn Helpline Welcomes New Legislation to Criminalise the Creation and Sharing of Deepfakes But Still Raises Concern Amid Remaining Gaps
The Revenge Porn Helpline welcomes the UK Government’s recent announcement to introduce new offences targeting the creation and sharing of sexually explicit ‘deepfake’ images and other forms of non-consensual intimate image abuse.
30/12/2024: Lisa Nandy urges YouTube and TikTok to promote better content for children
UK culture minister says government wants to ‘open a dialogue’, but will intervene if platforms do not comply
19/12/2024: New pilot shows way for smaller platforms to play big part in online safety
A new pilot scheme is showing how even the smallest platforms can help play their part in preventing the spread of child sexual abuse imagery online.
18/12/2024: Threat against UK ‘smouldering’, top counter terror officer warns
The UK is facing a “smouldering” terror threat level with children as young as 10 accessing extreme online material, one of the country’s most senior counter-terrorism officers has warned.
17/12/2024: Illegal casinos are using Roblox to draw children into online gambling
A Sky News investigation has found a network of illegal casinos allowing children to gamble using their accounts on the hugely popular children’s game Roblox. In response to our investigation, the Gambling Commission has taken action against the “criminal” websites.
09/12/2024: Introducing the X (formerly Twitter) Checklist – Keeping Your Profile Under Control
Whether you’re new to X or an experienced user, managing your profile can sometimes feel overwhelming. The X Checklist simplifies this process by addressing the most common questions people have about their profiles
04/12/2024: Telegram U-turns and joins child safety scheme
After years of ignoring pleas to sign up to child protection schemes, the controversial messaging app Telegram has agreed to work with an internationally recognised body to stop the spread of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
29/11/2024: ‘I couldn’t stop watching’: Personal stories of how porn obsession takes over lives
Shaun Flores was 11 years old when he first started watching porn, after being introduced to it by a friend.
28/11/2024: ‘It’s so easy to lie’: A fifth of children use fake age on social media
Ofcom has warned social media companies they will be punished if they fail to take significant extra steps to address the problem of children pretending to be adults online.
24/11/2024: AI increasingly used for sextortion, scams and child abuse, says senior UK police chief
The fast-developing technology is providing opportunities in ‘any crime type’ – and police must ‘move fast’ to catch up.
Trauma Informed and Early Intervention
30/11/2024: ‘Early intervention for psychosis saved my life’
Craig Mackie started experiencing the symptoms of psychosis when he was in his 20s, saying: “I have heard voices and I have seen things.”
21/08/2024: Kinship care children ‘overlooked and ignored’ for trauma support
Children living in kinship care arrangements are being ‚’overlooked and ignored’ for support to help them recover from abuse, neglect and bereavement.
11/07/2024: Consistent lead workers vital to supporting vulnerable older teens, report finds
Vulnerable older teenagers could become ‘disengaged’ from education, training and work opportunities without the continued help of a lead support worker, a report has found.
06/06/2024: ‘How admitting I disliked a child helped me grow as a social worker’
A social worker recalls struggling to connect with a boy she was supporting when newly qualified and how supervision helped her understand the trauma behind his behaviour.
23/05/2024: Conference to examine what works for early help amid cuts to services
The role of innovative and evidence-based interventions to support vulnerable families against a backdrop of cuts to local authority services is the focus of CYP Now’s Early Help Conference.
09/05/2024: 102% increase in the number of children in care in the past 12 years
Declining spending on early intervention services means many families are not receiving support before they reach crisis point.
24/04/2024: Essex University’s AI brain study brings ‘hope’ to childhood trauma survivors
The world’s largest study into how childhood trauma affects the brain has offered new hope to survivors.
09/04/2024: GCSE results for disadvantaged children ‘greatly improved by Sure Start’
Children eligible for free school meals (FSM) who live near a Sure Start centre saw increased performance at GCSE by three grades, six times higher than children not eligible for FSM, new research has found.
09/04/2024: Residential care spending outstrips early intervention for first time, research finds
Councils‚Äô spending on children’s residential care is outstripping early help budgets for the first time, research commissioned by a coalition of charities has found.
02/02/2024: The Sequential Intercept Model – Trauma-Informed Diversion
HMI Probation Academic Insight on the Sequential Intercept Model – a trauma-informed diversionary framework
Health and Wellbeing
07/01/2025: Social work opinion split over police involvement in mental health incidents, poll finds
Following an evaluation of the right care, right person policy, we asked social workers their opinion on police withdrawing from mental health incidents.
07/01/2025: Child mental health crisis: Better resilience is the solution, say experts
Jane Graham has been a school nurse for nearly 20 years – and during this time the nature of her work has completely changed. “When I started, the majority of the support we provided was for physical health, like asthma, allergic reactions and injuries,” she says. “Now it’s mental health.”
07/01/2025: Revenge Porn Helpline Welcomes New Legislation to Criminalise the Creation and Sharing of Deepfakes But Still Raises Concern Amid Remaining Gaps
The Revenge Porn Helpline welcomes the UK Government’s recent announcement to introduce new offences targeting the creation and sharing of sexually explicit ‘deepfake’ images and other forms of non-consensual intimate image abuse.
02/01/2025: Urgent referrals of children in mental health crisis in England rise 13% in year
Charity says NHS failure to help more young people sooner is a ‘shocking betrayal’.
19/12/2024: Covid Inquiry to hear children’s personal accounts of loneliness and lost learning
The Covid Inquiry is to hear children’s first-hand accounts of life during the pandemic and lockdowns following the completion of a project to collect hundreds of their stories.
11/12/2024: Puberty blockers for under-18s banned indefinitely
The ban on giving puberty blockers to under-18s questioning their gender identify is to be made permanent, Health Secretary Wes Streeting has announced.
11/12/2024: Services will shut, Mencap warns on National Insurance rise
A leading charity that supports people with learning disabilities says it may be forced to stop running at least 60 of its services as a result of increasing National Insurance costs.
09/12/2024: Puberty blockers: Can a drug trial solve one of medicine’s most controversial debates?
It is among the most delicate and controversial challenges in modern medicine – how to determine whether the benefits of puberty blockers (or drugs that delay puberty) outweigh the potential harms.
08/12/2024: ‘I want to show teens it’s ok to talk’
A 13-year-old boy who is starring in a short film about mental health has said he hopes it will show teenagers that it is “okay to talk”.
05/12/2024: Welcome Rise Of Numbers In Drug & Alcohol Treatment
2023/24 treatment stats show welcome (7%) rise in numbers in drug & alcohol treatment.
Harmful Sexual Behaviour
07/01/2025: Revenge Porn Helpline Welcomes New Legislation to Criminalise the Creation and Sharing of Deepfakes But Still Raises Concern Amid Remaining Gaps
The Revenge Porn Helpline welcomes the UK Government’s recent announcement to introduce new offences targeting the creation and sharing of sexually explicit ‘deepfake’ images and other forms of non-consensual intimate image abuse.
04/12/2024: Telegram U-turns and joins child safety scheme
After years of ignoring pleas to sign up to child protection schemes, the controversial messaging app Telegram has agreed to work with an internationally recognised body to stop the spread of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
29/11/2024: ‘I couldn’t stop watching’: Personal stories of how porn obsession takes over lives
Shaun Flores was 11 years old when he first started watching porn, after being introduced to it by a friend.
08/11/2024: SWGfL Advocate for Legislative Change on Intimate Image Abuse at Parliament
SWGfL attended a session at parliament on Wednesday 6th November to share their insights on intimate image abuse with the Women and Equalities Committee presenting evidence detailing the immense impact of non-consensual intimate image abuse (NCII) and the critical need to modernise current legislation to protect adults facing this form of abuse.
24/10/2024: Meta Announces New Measures to Protect People from Sextortion
Meta has launched new safety measures to protect people from sextortion scams. The latest features will restrict users from screenshotting or screen recording images and videos sent in private across Instagram DMs and Messenger.
22/10/2024: New report estimates half a million UK teenagers have encountered AI-generated nude deepfakes
New report by Internet Matters urges the new Government to crack down on AI-generated sexual imagery ‘epidemic’ after survey reveals 13% of teenagers have had an experience with nude deepfakes.
18/10/2024: Teachers want better support to deal with misogyny
Teachers have called for better support to deal with the “alarming” misogynistic influence of social media on children in schools, specifically teenage boys.
10/08/2024: ‘Fear of missing out’ keeping girls and young women online despite sexism
Almost half of girls aged 11 to 21 in Girlguiding survey say sexism and misogyny makes them feel less safe
31/07/2024: Unis told to improve sexual harassment protection
Universities in England need to step up efforts to protect students from sexual harassment, their watchdog has said.
30/07/2024: Girl, 12, victim of ‘deepfake’ bullying porn image
A family have said that police did not do enough to protect their 12-year-old daughter after school bullies posted a “deepfake” pornographic image of her on social media.
Safeguarding
08/01/2025: Cooper vows to make child abuse reporting mandatory
The government is to introduce laws that make it an offence to fail to report child sexual abuse concerns, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has confirmed.
19/12/2024: New pilot shows way for smaller platforms to play big part in online safety
A new pilot scheme is showing how even the smallest platforms can help play their part in preventing the spread of child sexual abuse imagery online.
16/12/2024: Archbishop of York ‘deeply sorry’ for not being able to act sooner over sex abuse case
Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell is due to take over from Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby next month as the Church battles serious sex abuse allegations.
14/12/2024: Inexperienced social worker did not identify Sara Sharif’s father as posing any risk
The murdered girl had been allowed to live with her father, who had repeatedly attracted the attention of police and social workers.
13/12/2024: Practitioners struggling to respond to extrafamilial harm to children, finds analysis of serious cases
Staff not picking up on early signs of risk, such as missing episodes, while there is little evidence that interventions are keeping children safe, says national safeguarding panel, in annual report.
12/12/2024: Sara Sharif ‘safeguarding failures’ criticised following murder convictions
Schoolgirl Sara Sharif was “failed in the starkest terms” by child protection services, the Children’s Commissioner for England has said following the convictions today of her father and stepmother for her murder.
12/12/2024: Our response to the Sara Sharif verdict
Maria Neophytou, Acting Chief Executive of the NSPCC, has responded to the Sara Sharif verdict.
04/12/2024: Telegram U-turns and joins child safety scheme
After years of ignoring pleas to sign up to child protection schemes, the controversial messaging app Telegram has agreed to work with an internationally recognised body to stop the spread of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
03/12/2024: Case reviews ‘silent’ on racial bias in child protection decision making
Reviews relating to black, Asian or mixed heritage children inconsistently feature the voice of the child and their recommendations fail to provide high-quality learning, according to analysis.
24/11/2024: AI increasingly used for sextortion, scams and child abuse, says senior UK police chief
The fast-developing technology is providing opportunities in ‘any crime type’ – and police must ‘move fast’ to catch up.
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