22/09/2026: Feeling unsafe ‘inevitable’ for many children in youth custody, inspectors find
Feeling unsafe is “inevitable” for some children in youth custody, inspectors have found, amid high levels of violence, long periods locked in cells and poor education.
21/09/2026: Young people aren’t snowflakes – mental distress is rising, says head of official review
Accusations that the young are a snowflake generation are wrong, the head of an independent review into mental health, ADHD and autism has told the BBC.
21/09/2026: CYP Now Youth justice reform – experts flag 4 key issues
A Justice Committee session on the youth secure estate heard evidence on a range of issues including when custody should be used, the role of community sentences, conditions in young offender institutions and the criminalisation of children.
21/09/2026: Five ways youth professionals can mitigate gambling harm in young people
Youth workers and trusted adults can play a crucial role in supporting young people who display problem gambling behaviour, explains Ciarán McGinley, participation manager at charity GamCare.
21/09/2026: Building trust in youth justice research with peer researchers
A pilot evaluation of mentoring for young people at risk of involvement in violence suggests that peer researchers with lived experience close to young people’s own helped them open up, share sensitive information and stay engaged.
21/09/2026: Families First programme – progress implementing child protection reforms
Implementation of the government’s child protection reforms is uneven across the pathfinder areas testing them, an interim evaluation of its flagship Families First programme has found.
18/09/2026: UK teenagers have lowest life satisfaction rates in Europe
The UK’s young people are the least satisfied with their lives in Europe, according to latest analysis by The Children’s Society who say it should be a “wake up call” for ministers.
18/09/2026: How Can We Rebuild Trust In The Justice System?
New Common Ground Justice report on public perceptions of the CJS.
17/09/2026: Snapchat open to putting time limits on teens, boss tells BBC
The boss of Snapchat-parent Snap Inc says the firm would be “willing to implement” time limits for teens, following a call from Meta for it to take action.
09/09/2026: Drug gangs exploited and raped us as teens, then police failed us, women tell BBC
“It was the thrill of being with a bad boy.” Christine was 13 when she began exchanging messages online with someone she believed was a teenage boy.
03/09/2026: MASHs associated with more child protection investigations but not better outcomes, study finds
Rates of section 47 investigations higher in multi-agency safeguarding hubs areas, but MASHs not associated with lower rates of child deaths or serious harm, concludes research, prompting questions about government reforms
02/09/2026: Children as young as six going to A&E in mental health crisis
There has been a sharp rise in children and young people – some as young as six – attending A&E units in England in a mental health crisis, NHS doctors are warning.
25/08/2026: Young care leavers dying early a ‘national tragedy’
Young adults who have left care have a death rate around four times higher than the general population, a new review, external shows.
24/08/2026: Children are ‘not safe’ on the internet: Stark warning as head of ‘Britain’s FBI’ tells Mail there are now up to 900 reports of child abuse online EVERY day
It is ‘not safe’ for children to go online, the head of the National Crime Agency has warned. Graeme Biggar issued a stark message to parents amid rocketing reports of child abuse on social media and gaming platforms.
24/08/2026: New guidance for parents and carers as AI-manipulated images of children become a growing concern
Parents and carers are being alerted to the growing threat of children’s images shared online being manipulated into AI generated sexual abuse material.
24/08/2026: Disrupting Livestreamed Child Sexual Abuse
Research briefing on the scale of livestreamed child sexual abuse in the UK and abroad; including technological solutions and regulatory approaches.
23/08/2026: ‘Let young people lead the way on anti-social behaviour’
For Sienna Ahir and her peers, witnessing the impact of anti-social behaviour has become a normal part of life.
22/08/2026: More students planning to live at home for university over ‘insane’ living costs
More new students are choosing to live at home for university this year than in the last nine years, new data shows.
20/08/2026: GCSE results: Childhood mental health shapes lifelong outcomes
Each August, hundreds of thousands of young people across England wake up to one of the most important mornings of their lives: GCSE results day brings anticipation, relief and celebration for many.
20/08/2026: ‘The problem of poor record keeping in children’s homes – and what to do about it’
Writing daily logs on children in residential care is a key part of the job. But, argues former children’s home worker David Jones, it is too often neglected, with adverse consequences for children and for relations between staff
20/08/2026: Young vapers ‘at risk of breathing problems and becoming smokers’
Review by paediatricians links child vaping with poor respiratory health such as coughing, wheezing and asthma.
19/08/2026: New Research Briefing: Children’s Pathways Into and Out of Care in England, 2021-2025
Who is entering care in England, how long do children stay, what kinds of care arrangements do they experience, and how do they leave?
18/08/2026: Meta hooked children on Facebook and Instagram, US court hears
A court has heard claims Meta intentionally hooked a generation of children on Facebook and Instagram, as the biggest legal challenge faced by the social media platform began.
18/08/2026: Commissioner calls for overhaul of Prevent child referrals process
Nine in 10 children sent back to schools and colleges after a Prevent referral received no further intervention through the programme, leading the Children’s Commissioner for England to call for changes to the process.
18/08/2026: England’s children’s commissioner says Prevent failing to help young people ‘fixated with violence’
Report by Rachel de Souza finds 71% of children referred to UK anti-terror programme do not have a clear ideology
18/08/2026: Adults contacting our Helpline about children experiencing domestic abuse reaches record levels
Last year, our Helpline handled 8,448 child welfare contacts where the main concern was domestic abuse, an increase of more than 80% since our records began.
17/08/2026: Parents pushed to breaking point by Child Maintenance Service, BBC told
Parents have told BBC Panorama that the agency tasked with helping to secure financial support for children after separation or divorce is driving them to breaking point.
17/08/2026: Mentalising and Emotion Regulation in Children and Families
Children referred to mental health services frequently experience a mixture of emotional and behavioural difficulties. Anxiety may coexist with anger, withdrawal with disruptive behaviour, or sadness with conflict at home and school.
13/08/2026: Half of children’s home placements end in move within a year, study finds
Half of children’s home placements probed in a major study ended in a placement change within 12 months, with almost one in five ending in an unplanned move.
12/08/2026: SafetyMode partnership will help protect children from child sexual abuse images and videos online
Child safety software co-designed by Mumsnet will gain additional safeguards thanks to a partnership between social impact company SafetyMode and the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF).
11/08/2026: Howard League responds to government decision to extend the use of PAVA spray in children’s prisons
The Howard League for Penal Reform