The research lays bare the devastating consequences of the cost-of-living crisis on young people's lives and opportunities outside of school.

report investigates what parents and carers are struggling with in relation to school refusal and anxiety – now the most common issue requested in Parent Talk support. 3 key issues Parents don't know where to turn, Parents struggle to access specialist support for their children, Learning from home can help and hinder school attendance Parents and carers need better support to help reduce school absences.

statistics show that the number of young people classed as ‘children in need’ because they have been assessed as needing support by social services are holding steady at around 400,000. The latest statistics, which show 403,090 children in need on March 31st 2023, equate to about one child in every class (1 in 29) being classified as a ‘child in need’.

An estimated 1.8m UK households containing nearly 3.8 million people, including 1 million children, were destitute at some point in 2022, according to the study, published by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF). Poverty campaigners, teachers and frontline welfare workers have expressed growing alarm about the damaging effects of destitution, particularly on children, including physical ill health, undernourishment, mental illness, social isolation, school absences and poor classroom behaviour.

Two in three young Londoners support building on the green belt, according to a poll commissioned by developer Pocket Living. The research showed 66% of Londoners aged 25 to 45 years agree with the idea of development on the green belt if it leads to more affordable housing. More than a quarter (27%) strongly agree. Over three-quarters (78%) of those surveyed said they felt that the current government isn’t doing enough for affordable homes in London. The report also found that 67% of young people in London would vote for a candidate at the next election promoting more housing delivery regardless of their political stance.

New government data shows that the number of children in care being moved far away from their local area has gone up by 62% in the last decade

In the new report ‘The Missing Link – Social Prescribing for Children and Young People’ Barnardo’s outlines how social prescribing, with adequate funding, could make a real difference to the mental health of children and young people as part of a range of sustainable options to suit a person’s specific needs. It highlights the need for social prescribing services on a national scale to help children and young people with their mental health by nurturing self-confidence and developing a sense of belonging.

The largest independent providers of children’s social care brought in profits of more than £300 million last year, a new report commissioned by the Local Government Association revealed.

This report is a key milestone in the evaluation of Your Choice, a London-based programme to tackle violence affecting young people. The report recommended progression to a full-scale Efficacy trial, indicating that the design of the programme’s evaluation known as the London Young People Study (LYPS) works, and that sufficient promise of the Your Choice programme has been shown during the Pilot trial to warrant further funding. The Efficacy trial, which began in August 2023, will run until December 2024 and is expected to involve around 1500 young people.

This year’s The Children's Society Good Childhood Report reveals that too many young people are unhappy with their lives. 10% of the children aged 10 to 17 who completed our household survey in May and June 2023 had low wellbeing, and almost a third were unhappy with at least one specific area of their lives. This is unacceptable. The Government must act now to protect every childhood.