09/05/2025: School kids asking for advice on strangulation during sex – as abuse victim issues warning
Kerry Allan says her ex-partner, Michael Cosgrove, threatened to kill her before repeatedly strangling her in August 2024.
09/05/2025: My Care Story: ‘Don’t assume that everything is okay because that is the carer’s narrative’
A care-experienced advocate for children in care discusses the consequences of social workers failing to believe what young people tell them
08/05/2025: Teen girls report more social media issues than boys
social media use compared with boys, a survey has found.
08/05/2025: High caseloads putting ‘significant strain’ on home education staff
Government plans to place new child protection duties on councils to identify children not in school are at risk without extra funding to tackle high caseloads among home education teams, the NSPCC is warning.
08/05/2025: MPs grill former Conservative minister over Sure Start demise
Former Conservative minister Dame Andrea Leadsom was accused of giving evasive answers during questioning by an influential group of MPs over her role in the decline of the early years Sure Start scheme.
07/05/2025: Council pilots phone-free schools scheme
Edinburgh City Council has become the first local authority in the UK to make schools phone-free in a pilot scheme.
07/05/2025: Expansion of early support hubs ‘vital’ to improving young people’s mental health
The government is being urged to use the forthcoming spending review to commit to increasing the number of early support mental health hubs for young people.
05/05/2025: Youth project aims to inspire boys and young men
A grassroots initiative in West Yorkshire aims to empower boys and young men by helping to create more safe spaces for them, its organisers have said.
04/05/2025: Specialist therapy course launched for foster carers
A specialist course believed to be the first of its kind is being launched for foster carers of children who have suffered traumatic experiences.
04/05/2025: Teen mental health: When to seek help and what parents can do
Lucy says she’s always been a bit of worrier, but two years ago she began to get anxious and started having panic attacks.
03/05/2025: Teaching union launches legal action against Ofsted
A school leaders’ union says it is taking legal action against Ofsted over proposed changes to the way it inspects schools in England.
01/05/2025: One in eight teachers say a pupil at their school has sexually assaulted a classmate
The government is being urged to deploy a dedicated violence against women and girls (VAWG) lead in every secondary school after a survey found one in eight teachers reported an incident of a pupil sexually assaulting a classmate.
29/04/2025: Fatima Whitbread appeals to the government to overhaul care system
The former javelin world record holder has worked with fellow care-experienced people to produce a white paper with 14 action points for the government to implement
22/04/2025: Modern Slavery Victims Imprisoned For Crimes They Were Forced To Commit
Hibiscus briefing shows how victims/survivors of Modern Slavery are being criminalised and imprisoned for crimes they were forced to commit.
22/04/2025: Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel report provides recommendations for safeguarding children from Black, Asian and Mixed Heritage backgrounds
The Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel has published its report following its thematic review of a sample of safeguarding reviews in relation to Black, Asian and Mixed Heritage children.
22/04/2025: Revealed: The prisons keeping children locked in their cells for hours on end
Children in prisons in England are typically being kept in their cells for about 20 hours a day and receiving less than 15 hours of education per week, figures obtained by the Howard League for Penal Reform reveal today (Monday 7 April).
The Howard League for Penal Reform
21/04/2025: Britain’s nursery problem: Parents still face ‘childcare deserts’
The promise was to “transform the lives of thousands of women” and “build a childcare system comparable to the best”.Two years on, the rollout of what’s commonly known as the “free hours” scheme in England is almost complete
19/04/2025: Influencers fuelling misogyny in schools, teachers say
Social media influencers are fuelling an increase in misogyny and sexism in schools, according to a new poll by a teaching union.
19/04/2025: Violence and behaviour crisis in schools, union says (Wales)
The number of violent incidents by pupils in schools across Wales has almost tripled since 2019, a teaching union has said.
19/04/2025: ‘Andrew Tate phenomena’ surges in schools – with boys refusing to talk to female teacher
Online influencers such as Andrew Tate are fuelling an increase in sexism in the classroom, says a new survey from education union the NASUWT. It comes after the Netflix series Adolescence thrust concerns around incel culture into the spotlight.
17/04/2025: ‘Romeo and Juliet’ clause exempts consensual teen sex
A so-called “Romeo and Juliet” clause has been accepted in new plans for mandatory reporting of concerns around child sexual abuse.
17/04/2025: Almost nine in 10 teachers seeing poverty related fatigue in pupils
Teachers are reporting high levels of tiredness, hunger, physical under-development and poor hygiene in the classroom among pupils impacted by poverty.
17/04/2025: ‘Romeo and Juliet’ clause exempts consensual teen sex
A so-called “Romeo and Juliet” clause has been accepted in new plans for mandatory reporting of concerns around child sexual abuse.
16/04/2025: Disposable vape use falling in UK ahead of ban
The popularity of disposable e-cigarettes or vapes has fallen ahead of a UK-wide ban, external on their sale on 1 June, a study suggests.
16/04/2025: Disabled children wait ‘over a year’ for social care assessments
Research has found that almost one in five parents of children with disabilities are facing a wait of more than 12 months to receive their legal entitlement of a social worker assessment.
15/04/2025: Teachers in England move a step closer to striking
Teachers in England will vote on whether or not to go on strike if the government stands by its pay offer for the next school year.
12/04/2025: ‘I believe my son will end up killing somebody’
Parents and guardians who are being physically and mentally abused by the children in their care desperately need more help, a support service says.
11/04/2025: What goes on inside toddlers’ brains? A pioneering project is trying to find out
Two-year-old Henry is completely transfixed by the iPad in front of him. Every time a smiley face appears he taps the screen – and his tap transforms the face into a cartoon of a dancing animal.
10/04/2025: National child protection agency to provide oversight of practice in England
Government accepts Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse recommendation to create Child Protection Authority for England, which will initially form part of Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel
09/04/2025: A third of teachers reported misogyny among pupils last week, survey suggests
More than a third of secondary teachers have reported misogynistic behaviour from pupils at their school in the last week, a survey commissioned by BBC News suggests.
2024 Update
“It’s Silent”: Race, racism and safeguarding children
Findings are relevant to youth practitioners seeking to embed safeguarding into their practice.
Race, racism, and racial bias have, in recent years, had increased prominence in serious case reviews and their ‘successor’ reviews, rapid reviews and local child safeguarding practice reviews (LCSPRs).
Link
(The Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel, Pub: 15/04/2025)
A Profile of Repeat Offending by Children and Young People in England and Wales
Research and analysis
This report presents the findings of an exploratory analysis of repeat offending by children and young people in England and Wales. It focuses on one cohort of young people with repeated contact with the criminal courts, examining their characteristics, offending patterns, and needs.
Link
(MoJ, Pub: 20/03/2025)
Crime and Policing Bill
Information relating to the Crime and Policing Bill, which was introduced in the House of Commons on 25 February 2025.
The Crime and Policing Bill has been laid before Parliament. It includes provisions to introduce: new offences of child criminal exploitation and cuckooing (where a vulnerable person’s home is used by others to commit criminal activity).
Link
(Home Office, Ministry of Justice, Pub: 25/02/2025)
Tackling violence against women and girls
Home Office update
Meeting the ambition to halve violence against women and girls will require strong cross-government leadership and the commitment of all departments that have a role in preventing and reducing VAWG
Link
(Home Office, Pub: 31/01/2025)
Generative Artificial Intelligence
Child safety risks highlighted around Gen AI include sexual grooming, sexual extortion and exposure to harmful content.
NSPCC Learning has published new research on Generative (Gen) Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its impact on children’s safety and wellbeing. Child safety risks highlighted around Gen AI include sexual grooming, sexual extortion and exposure to harmful content.
Link
(NSPCC, Pub: 28/01/2025)
Archive
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Training for Educational Settings: Schools, Colleges and Universities
Young people are living in a world that is increasingly diverse, recognises various identities and can sometimes be challenging towards differences that can lead to hateful and harmful behaviour and affect their lives deeply.
Our training addresses topics such as prejudice, discrimination, hate crime, online hate, fake news, exploring inclusion and diversity framed around critical thinking skills.
We work with young people in all settings and deliver content to meet their needs
Stop Hate UK | | Information
Prevent duty training:
Prevent sits alongside long-established safeguarding duties on professionals to protect people from a range of other harms such as substance abuse, involvement in gangs and physical and sexual exploitation.
DfE | Free | Information
Domestic Violence Awareness
In this Domestic Violence course you will learn of the existing legislations surrounding domestic violence in order to protect individuals. You will consider the key elements of domestic violence in relation to the behaviours that are experienced by both the abuser and the victim.
CPD Online College | £20.00 | Information
Talk Relationships: delivering sex and relationships education training
Online training to support secondary school teachers to deliver inclusive sex and relationships education. We want all young people to grow up understanding healthy behaviours in relationships and to get help from a trusted adult if they need it. This elearning course is part of our Talk Relationships service that supports people working in secondary education to overcome any challenges they may face when delivering sex and relationships education.
NSPCC | £9.50 | Information
Harmful sexual behaviour in schools training
Are you aware of the differences between healthy sexual behaviours and those which are of concern? Do you know what to do if a child or young person has experienced sexual harassment and abuse or is displaying sexualised behaviour? Get the knowledge and skills you need to recognise, report and record sexualised behaviour concerns with our elearning courses for primary or secondary schools.
NSPCC | £35.00 per person | Information
2024 Update
Online safety – a young person’s perspective (28 Feb 2025)
Learn what young people think about the online world, including content moderation, misinformation and Generative AI
In this podcast episode, you’ll hear from Will and Zara, two young people from the NSPCC’s Voice of Online Youth group. They provide an insight into what life online is like for them, what makes them feel safe online and what online safety topics they’d like to learn more about.
Child mental health
Mental health first aid kits
NSPCC Learning has published a podcast episode about the use of mental health first aid kits to help young people manage their mental health if they are struggling. The episode features a discussion with a practitioner in the Childline Online Services team and members of the NSPCC’s Young People’s Board for Change, covering: what a mental health first aid kit is and what it is useful for; recognising when a young person would benefit from using one; and supporting a young person with the creation of their kit.
The legacy and impact of life story from a parent’s perspective
Community Care Live
Listen to practitioners and parents from Wiltshire speaking about the impact of life story work.
NSPCC: How to plan meaningful participation work with victims and survivors of child sexual abuse (CSA)
In collaboration with the IICSA Changemakers
The voices of people with lived experience of child sexual abuse play an important role in understanding how to respond to and prevent this form of abuse. This podcast episode, hosted by the IICSA Changemakers, contains advice on how you can carry out participation work with adult victim-survivors of abuse in a way that is both safe and meaningful.
Podcast: How domestic abuse affects children
The effects of domestic abuse on children, young people and babies.
NSPCC Learning has published a podcast episode on the effects of domestic abuse on children, young people and babies. The episode features representatives from Childline and the NSPCC Helpline discussing: what children are telling Childline about domestic abuse and how this differs from what adults are telling the Helpline; the ways in which the effects of domestic abuse may present through a child’s behaviour; the importance of listening to the voice of the child; and safeguarding actions for professionals who identify domestic abuse.