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Work experience 2025
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.
(Source: Youth Justice Legal Centre)
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.
(Source: Youth Justice Legal Centre)
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.
(Source: Children and Young People Now)
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.
(Source: Youth Justice Legal Centre)
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.
(Source: Children and Young People Now)
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.
(Source: Children and Young People Now)
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.