Violent offences involving adolescents attacking parents or step-parents have surged by over 60% in the past decade, according to Scotland Yard. Cases rose from 1,886 in 2015 to 3,091 in the first 10 months of 2025.

Jane Griffiths, CEO of Capa First Response, said the trend mirrors a national rise, with her charity seeing referrals jump 90% in two years. She cited growing awareness of support services, alongside factors like child poverty and strained family dynamics: “When you struggle externally, you struggle within the systems of your family.”

Helen Bonnick, author of Child to Parent Violence and Abuse, hopes the figures signal reduced stigma around reporting. “Fifteen years ago, hardly anyone was talking about it,” she said, noting new insights into trauma and neurodiversity, plus cuts to mental health and children’s services that weakened early support.

Child-to-parent violence is considered by experts in the field to be the most hidden and stigmatised form of family violence, with the recorded numbers likely to only hint at the true scale of the problem.

CORAM has publish From Surviving to Thriving, the richest ever insight into the well-being of children in care and care leavers.

The report highlights how vital relationships and safe homes are to care-experienced children and young people’s well-being.

• 84% of children in care aged 8-18 say that their life is getting better and around four in ten (39%) of children aged 11-18 have very high well-being.
• However, well-being scores decrease with age and there is a stark drop-off in well-being rates for young people who have left care.

Exploitation is putting thousands of teenagers at risk,  Teenage years should be about identity and independence — not being drawn into crime or dangerous situations. Yet many young people are being targeted, coerced or groomed.

12% of teenagers had been asked in the past year to sell or transport drugs, or store drugs, weapons or money

Periods of going missing make children more vulnerable to coercion – and can indicate that harm is already taking place.

11% stayed somewhere overnight without permission in the past year.

Self-identifying as being in a ‘gang’ is rare – but where it occurs, it’s strongly linked with drug storage or transport, and going missing. Bribery is the most common tactic used to exploit children.

2.4% of 13–17-year-olds said they’d been in a ‘gang’ in the past 12 months

Just under half – 47 per cent – of all Londoners have thought about moving out of the capital, with that figure rising to 54 per cent for those between 18 and 34, according to the latest City AM/Freshwater Strategy poll.

A combination of rising taxes, higher rents and food inflation has pushed many in the capital to the brink, with the difficulty of saving for a housing deposit putting home ownership out of reach. The poll found that over one in four renters as well as one in six mortgagees in London are likely to move in the next six months due to the cost of housing.

The Chancellor’s decision to extend the freeze on income tax thresholds is likely to hit young professionals the hardest – some are set to be hit with marginal tax rates of more than 50 per cent.

Chris Eldridge, CEO at Robert Walters UK&I, said that “As tax considerations continue to dampen professionals’ pay ambitions in their current company, this could drive an exodus, particularly of top talent, as they look to secure more substantial salaries elsewhere.

Between April 2024 and March 2025, the service received 4,515 contacts from local community members worried about potential neglect – a 32% rise on the previous year, when there were 3,430 such contacts. The data also shows that nearly half of the neighbour-related contacts (2,194) were serious enough to be referred to safeguarding agencies – a 17% rise on the year before.

Public concerns include children left alone, adult substance misuse, unmet basic care needs, home issues, and emotional neglect. The charity warns that without a national neglect strategy, agencies may miss early support opportunities identified by community members.

Teenage children affected by serious violence face a dramatically higher risk of mental health problems.

More children than ever are taking part, but too many are missing out on the benefits of an active lifestyle.

The ESRC Vulnerability & Policing Futures Research Centre has co-produced a Quality Standards framework in Blackpool involving all relevant services and local community members, including workshops with children, with the aim of strengthening existing responses to OCSV (May-Chahal, C et al., 2024). These quality standards required testing to establish transferability and needs in other areas, which led to the Centre funding a ‘demonstration project’ to be undertaken in West Yorkshire to do this.  read more here OCSV Demonstration Project Report 2025

Ofsted’s latest annual report reveals both inspiring work across early years, schools, children’s social care and further education, and stark challenges for the most vulnerable children.

While many young people enjoy a smooth path to adulthood, those growing up in care or facing disadvantage continue to encounter significant barriers.

The report warns that outcomes for children in care remain far poorer than their peers, due to a lack of coordinated support across education, care, and wider services. Despite a 15% rise in children’s home registrations, bringing the total to over 4,000 – the highest on record, serious issues persist around location, affordability, and suitability. More than a quarter of homes are in the North West, which accounts for just 18% of looked-after children, raising concerns about profit-driven motives distorting the system.

Relationship abuse is affecting too many teenagers

28% of teenagers said they’d been in a romantic relationship in the past year

• Of those, 39% experienced emotional or physical abuse – that’s over one in ten of all teenagers, or roughly 390,000 young people across England and Wales.
• 36% experienced emotional abuse, including:
  • Partner checking their phone or social media (19%)
  • Monitoring their location (14%)
  • Criticising their appearance (11%)
• 15% experienced physical or sexual abuse, including:
  • Being forced or pressured into sex (10%)
  • Being physically hurt (7.2%)
  • Having explicit images shared online (5.1%)

NSPCC Learning has published an evaluation of EMPOWER, a project aiming to provide young people in secondary school with a voice in shaping their sex and relationships education (SRE). The project was developed as part of Together for Childhood (TfC) in Plymouth, a place-based approach to child sexual abuse prevention. Eight pilot schools received training and support to introduce a quality assurance framework for students to assess their sex and relationships lessons and make recommendations to teachers for improvements.

Centre for Mental Health’s Empowering Minds report commissioned by the Pilgrim Trust, evaluates the first three years of the Young Women in Mind Programme which offers targeted and tailored mental health support for young women across northern England and Northern Ireland. This report affirms that targeted, trauma informed mental health support for young women is both life changing and urgently needed. It demonstrates how projects which utilise an age appropriate, and gender informed approach are providing vital support to young women and breaking down barriers, they face in accessing the support they need.

This month, the Department for Education published the Curriculum and Assessment Review. There is a clear emphasis on media literacy and citizenship education as necessary step to ensure young people are prepared for the voting age to be lowered

Children are encountering provocative, polarising content online at a highly impressionable age. What they see can shape how they view the world — and how they treat one another. We need to help them question what they hear, respond with empathy, and resist the normalisation of violence.  Today, YEF publish the first in a series of four weekly reports based on the largest-ever survey of children’s experiences of violence in England and Wales. Nearly 11,000 children aged 13–17 shared their experiences — offering unprecedented insight into the pressures young people are facing.

18% of teenagers were victims of violence, 13% perpetrators, and 50% witnessed violence in the past year.

Serious violence led to medical treatment for 29% of victims, with 2.1% of teenagers reporting carrying weapons.

Ultra-processed food (UPF) is linked to harm in every major organ system of the human body and poses a seismic threat to global health, according to the world’s largest review. UPF is also rapidly displacing fresh food in the diets of children and adults on every continent and is associated with an increased risk of a dozen health conditions, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and depression.

In the UK and US, over half the average diet is UPF, with some disadvantaged groups consuming up to 80%. Corporations drive this rise with aggressive tactics and hinder regulation.

The Lancet series reveals that ultra-processed foods harm major organs and humans aren’t adapted to them. It suggests policies to regulate UPF production, marketing, and consumption. Current global public health efforts are in early stages, similar to early tobacco control

Generation Isolation is based on responses from 5,035 young people in England aged 11-18, conducted in partnership with YouGov. This research shines a spotlight on the social lives of young people by learning more about the 85% of time they spend outside of school – so that organisations that support and care about young people, can advocate for support that better meets their needs.
Key findings show:

• 39% of young people have turned to AI chatbots for support, advice or company.
• 76% of young people spend most of their free time on screens.
• 48% of young people spend most of their free time in their bedroom.
• 49% of young people say spending time together in real life helps them feel the most connected to their friends.

24% of young people say more affordable leisure activities would make the most difference to improve their life outside of school.

The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) has published an article about child sexual abuse on end-to-end encrypted (E2EE) messaging services. A survey of 1,796 UK adults explored attitudes towards the use of end-to-end encryption to detect and remove content showing child sexual abuse.

92% of adults in the UK are concerned about the sharing of child sexual abuse on E2EE messaging services; and 88% agree that the UK government should require companies to use the upload prevention method to detect content showing child sexual abuse before they are sent through E2EE services.

The IWF says the upload prevention safety method is a technically feasible way to detect child sexual abuse in E2EE spaces that preserves privacy and upholds the rights of victims and survivors.

The IWF’s latest paper on E2EE environments provides an overview of how E2EE messaging can be protected from child sexual abuse through this method as well as a snapshot of how this issue is approached globally.

See also NSPCC – Data Shows How Criminals Are Using Private Messaging Platforms to Manipulate and Groom Children

A Lords Social Mobility Committee report warns that NEET numbers have reached nearly one million, calling this “shocking and deeply concerning”, and argues that centralised national schemes can’t address the distinct challenges faced by young people in urban, rural, coastal and post-industrial communities.

The report ‘Social mobility: Local roots, lasting change‘ recommends devolving decision-making to local authorities and expanding Youth Guarantee Trailblazers to boost job opportunities and overcome social-mobility barriers.

It also proposes several systemic reforms: raising the maintenance-loan income threshold, improving local NEET data sharing and ensuring care leavers can work without losing accommodation. On education, peers call for new functional English and Maths qualifications, improved careers advice, and a curriculum that values creative, technical and vocational routes.

The LGA supports early, preventative measures for young people at risk of being Neet. Tom Hunt, chair of LGA’s Inclusive Growth Committee, emphasises the need for long-term funding, including replacing the UK Shared Prosperity Fund ending in March 2026, to re-engage these youths through local government.

supported by TSB Bank, explores how carers are navigating work, caring responsibilities, and financial pressures one year after the introduction of the Carer’s Leave Act. The findings underline the importance of ensuring carers can access and use their rights effectively.

While there is greater awareness of unpaid carers and they now have rights and entitlements across employment, care, finances and health services, much more needs to be done to bring about equality for carers.   This report released during Carers Week (9–15 June 2025), explores inequalities faced by unpaid carers, including health and financial disadvantages and highlights that 11.9 million people are currently providing unpaid care in the UK.

This response sets out a range of measures to improve support for some of the most vulnerable young people in society, following Susannah Hancock’s independent review which highlighted the complex challenges faced by girls in custody. The response was developed in collaboration with the Youth Custody Service, Department for Education, Department for Health and Social Care and NHS England

This annual release contains statistics on children in need in England and referrals to and assessments completed by children’s social care services. Each reporting year covers the year ending 31 March. Children in need are a legally defined group of children (under the Children Act 1989 ), assessed as needing help and protection as a result of risks to their development or health. This group includes: those on child in need plans, those on child protection plans, children looked after by local authorities, care leavers and disabled children. Key findings show:

• Over 400,000 children were classed as in need (around 1 in every 30 children) and nearly 50,000 children were on protection plans (around 1 in every 250 children or 1 in every 8 children in need).
• Although the associated rate (per 10,000 children) fell for the third consecutive year, following a rise in 2022 when COVID-19 restrictions on school attendance were lifted (see referrals section for more information), the number of children in need increased from 2024. The number of referrals and completed assessments also rose from 2024.
• The number and rate of children on protection plans fell for the third consecutive year, representing the lowest figures since 2014 and 2013 respectively.

All the headline measures were lower than 2020 (which mostly pre-dates the COVID-19 pandemic in England), except for the number and rate of children in need.

Professional youth workers are qualified individuals who build voluntary, trusted relationships with young people, away from many of the other pressures they may be facing in their lives. They usually work with young people aged between 11 and 19, but may support young adults up to the age of 25 depending on their needs. Youth work needs professional youth workers (hence forth referred to as ‘youth workers’) to interact with other providers in the youth sector, as well as people working in allied sectors such as education, health, and social care. By interacting with other sectors, youth workers connect young people with suitable opportunities and services. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that integrated working between services is too often absent from the everyday experience of youth workers.Professional youth workers are qualified individuals who build voluntary, trusted relationships with young people, away from many of the other pressures they may be facing in their lives. They usually work with young people aged between 11 and 19, but may support young adults up to the age of 25 depending on their needs. Youth work needs professional youth workers (hence forth referred to as ‘youth workers’) to interact with other providers in the youth sector, as well as people working in allied sectors such as education, health, and social care. By interacting with other sectors, youth workers connect young people with suitable opportunities and services. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that integrated working between services is too often absent from the everyday experience of youth workers.

Professional youth workers are qualified individuals who build voluntary, trusted relationships with young people, away from many of the other pressures they may be facing in their lives. They usually work with young people aged between 11 and 19, but may support young adults up to the age of 25 depending on their needs. Youth work needs professional youth workers (hence forth referred to as ‘youth workers’) to interact with other providers in the youth sector, as well as people working in allied sectors such as education, health, and social care. By interacting with other sectors, youth workers connect young people with suitable opportunities and services. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that integrated working between services is too often absent from the everyday experience of youth workers

Male Allies UK has published new research on how adolescent boys feel about being a boy in today’s society, exploring their views on topics including gender, relationships and technology. The research involved surveys and listening sessions with 1,032 11- to 16-year-old boys in secondary schools across England, Scotland and Wales. Interviews with a small sample of parents were also held. Key Findings include

The Electoral Commission has convened 40 education partners and academics to provide on the ground experience of how democratic education is being taught in classrooms across England. They have included all responses received to contribute to a substantial evidence base of what works well when delivering democratic education and what will prepare leaners to become informed voters. Key Recommendations include:

• Introduce a statutory measure to ensure that all pupils are taught essential Citizenship content at primary (Key Stage 1 and 2)
• Review Citizenship content at Key Stage 3 and 4 to improve specificity and progression, with a renewed focus on topics such as media literacy and democracy and government
• Introduce more specific content on oracy within both the primary and secondary Citizenship curriculum
• Strengthen the role of media literacy in Citizenship, ensuring media literacy is better specified in both the primary and secondary Citizenship curriculum
• Improve guidance for 16-19 settings on effective non-qualification activity which supports young people to develop critical skills such as oracy, media literacy, and knowledge needed for citizenship such as understanding political and democratic processes.

On behalf of the Yorkshire and Humber SEND Youth Alliance, I’m pleased to share the Children and Young People’s Change Programme Report, co-produced with our peer researchers (SEND young people), CYP CP Report Final  where 82 young people took part across West Yorkshire. This report captures their lived experiences in education and highlights key challenges such as:

• Limited awareness of educational rights
• Inconsistent and ineffective support
• Bullying and discrimination in schools
• Lack of preparation for adulthood and independence

You said: Many young people didn’t know their educational rights.
We did: The Yorkshire SEND Youth Alliance have created an Education Rights Guide to empower SEND young people to understand and advocate for their entitlements Education rights guide for SEND young people

While the report identifies significant challenges, it also celebrates positive experiences where young people felt supported and inspired:

• Colleges and smaller schools provided safe, inclusive environments.
• Supportive staff and mentors helped young people feel valued and respected.
• Practical learning opportunities like budgeting, cooking classes, and creative subjects boosted confidence and independence.

Why this matters for staff:
These sessions are not only an opportunity for young people to have their voices heard—they also help staff gain first-hand insights into the barriers and successes experienced by SEND learners. This can inform practice, improve inclusion strategies, and strengthen relationships between educators and students.

Call to Action:
✅ If you are based in West Yorkshire (change programme pilot areas Bradford, Wakefield, Calderdale and Leeds )and you would like us to visit your setting and run an interactive workshop with SEND learners to share the findings and co-produce solutions, please reply to this email to book a date.
✅ Share our Education Support Survey with young people in your school or college to help inform your setting and review the support SEND learners receive:
https://forms.gle/u384F2DVcETX1bDy5

I just want to thank all the education settings and organisations that took part in the first phase of the peer research! We would like to re-visit your groups in West Yorkshire so please get back In touch!

This new report from the Association of Charitable Foundations (ACF) explores how UK foundations are responding to rising need. The study brings together UKGrantmaking data and expert insights on the key drivers shaping foundation giving in 2023–24 – a year marked by a continued increase in need for funding.

This report analyses decades of educational policy and demonstrates how pupils who receive free school meals (FSM) are twice as likely than their peers to end up out of work, education or training, even with the same qualifications. It highlights how educational frameworks make it difficult for educators to support disadvantaged pupils, before proposing a radical new approach to end decades of failure

Research in Practice has published a briefing on safeguarding young people as they transition from adolescence into adulthood, highlighting a disconnect between the safeguarding systems for children and adults. This briefing is for anyone interested in or responsible for safeguarding young people across the interlocking systems for children and adults. The briefing discusses the concept of ‘transitional safeguarding’ and sets out six key principles, as well as outlining challenges and enablers to developing transitional safeguarding approaches.

developed by Active Humber, North Yorkshire Sport & Yorkshire Sport Foundation, that highlights how sport and physical activity can help drive positive change across our region by boosting long term physical and mental wellbeing, helping to open doors to employment and supporting skills development.

Drawing on the priorities set out in the Get Britain Working White Paper and examples of work already taking place in this area, this document explores the role that sport and physical activity can play in helping create pathways to work and in helping people remain in work. We would welcome the opportunity to explore with you how we can embed this framework within our local & regional commitments to work, health and skills.

2881 Y&H VISION FOR WORK AND SKILLS DOCUMENT_0525_hi res FINAL

The latest YEF report uncovers how children and young people affected by, or at risk of, serious youth violence in England and Wales access mental health support — and where the system is falling short.

Drawing on literature reviews, data analysis, service mapping, and over 100 interviews with professionals, caregivers, and young people, it paints a clear picture: those with the greatest needs often face the most fragmented and complex systems.

Across education, health, social care, youth justice, and the voluntary sector, barriers persist — from long waits and restrictive criteria to stigma and bureaucracy. These challenges hit hardest for children who are already marginalised, including racially minoritised young people, those in care, neurodivergent children, and those growing up in poverty.

Our Good Childhood Report 2025 shows the latest trends in children’s wellbeing. Our research seeks to understand how young people feel about different aspects of their lives. For the first time, this year we have complemented survey data analysis with direct work with a group of Young Advisors who led peer consultations with young people, and we also consulted with professionals across the children’s sector.

This year’s Good Childhood Report reveals that too many young people are unhappy with their lives. 9% of the children and young people who completed our survey in 2025 had low wellbeing. For the first time, children’s average happiness was significantly lower than when the Understanding Society survey started for all six aspects of life – including family.

Every year, we conduct the Scout Experience Survey (SES), as we try to better understand our members’ attitudes and experiences. In this survey, we asked our young people, aged 13–17, questions about Scouts’ key Theory of Change outcomes:

A new report into how young people make decisions about contraception has found that the most effective way to ensure that young people receive accurate information about contraception is for organisations to share messaging in a variety of ways, including using the channels and platforms that young people are familiar with.

According to research from The Open University and sexual health charity Brook, young people (16-24 year olds) rely on multiple sources of information to inform their decisions – including social media, friends and family, charities like Brook and the NHS.

They prefer a blended method, where they gain factual information from trusted institutions like the NHS and Brook, together with real-life experiences from friends, family, and social media

The number of 16-24 year olds in England reporting symptoms of obsessive compulsive disorder, or OCD, has more than tripled in a decade, BBC analysis of NHS data has found.

The condition is now the second-most widespread mental health disorder for young adults, according to statistics from a major NHS England survey.

“OCD, I like to think of it as a bully, it attacks everything, everything you care about, everything you love,” says Sophie Ashcroft.

It’s young people who give me hope for the future. At Big Change, we’ve always believed in the power of young people to reimagine the future. And so, we conducted some research to better understand how they feel about stepping up to the immense challenges they face.

After surveying more than 1,300 young people aged 16-28 in the UK in a YouGov survey, we received some encouraging insights. The exciting news is that young people want to create change in their communities and beyond. Young people are ready to lead the way and help solve some of the world’s greatest challenges – but they need our support.

This week, the British Dyslexia Association (BDA) brought the voices of young people with dyslexia to the heart of Westminster.  The report shines a light on the reality that more than one million children in UK classrooms are affected by dyslexia, yet many still go unrecognised and unsupported.

The report contains sensitive content including references to self-harm and suicide   

New Amnesty International research has found that TikTok’s ‘For You’ feed is pushing French children and young people engaging with mental health content into a cycle of depression, self-harm and suicide content.

The research, ‘Dragged into the Rabbit Hole‘, highlights TikTok’s ongoing failure to address its systemic design risks affecting children and young people.

A piece of DCMS Government research (link below) has been released to showcase the value and impact of multi-agency collaboration in youth work, highlighting the benefits and challenges of making sure young people have access to a qualified professional youth worker within their communities. The findings create an acknowledgement of professional youth work and point to actions that those in power can and should take if they are committed to create change for young people.

The Centre for Young Lives has published a report exploring how the UK government can keep vulnerable teenagers safe through the Young Futures Hubs programme. The Hubs, launching later in 2025, aim to bring together community-focused services and provide support to young people at risk of involvement in violence. The report sets out a framework for the effective delivery of the Hubs which will act as a central point for young people to access opportunities and support. The report recommends that:

• To maximise impact, the DCMS should direct resources first to communities facing the greatest challenges, primarily where there are high rates of disadvantage, knife crime and mental health need.
• Hubs should be open when young people need them, offering inspiring activities to draw them from unsafe environments. Skilled youth professionals must build trusted relationships, and ambitious leaders should drive local change. They recommend £1 million per year per Hub, jointly funded by government departments, to cover staff, rent, and activities.
• The Department for Culture, Media and Sport should create a Young Futures Plan with the Departments for Work & Pensions, Health & Social Care, and Education to unify policies and enhance the Hubs.
• Departments in the Young Futures Plan should publish joint guidance and create a central ‘core offer’ of services for the Young Futures Hubs.

The soaring cost of living and childcare, gentrification, and a shortage of social housing have led to families being priced out of the capital, the London Assembly has been told.

The number of births in London in 2023 was 20% lower than the peak recorded in 2012. This decline has resulted in a sharp drop in the number of children attending the city’s primary schools, prompting closures that are expected to continue in the coming years.

High living costs, especially housing, force families to move away from central London. Despite 390,000 social homes, nearly 95,000 children live in temporary accommodations.

Katherine Hill, Strategic Programme Manager at child poverty campaign group 4in10, said: “To encourage people to have children and stay in London, affordable housing and childcare are essential. I’d also urge the mayor to work toward making London a child-friendly city. There are things London does well for children—free transport is a great example.”

In other housing related news, Guardian- London developers to be allowed to reduce percentage of affordable homes

The number of children in temporary accommodation in England has risen to over 172,000, an 8% increase from last year, and the highest in 21 years. However, households needing homelessness prevention or relief fell by 5.5% to 78,630, and families in B&Bs decreased by 43% to 3,340.

The rise in temporary accommodation has led charities to urge Chancellor Rachel Reeves to unfreeze Local Housing Allowance in the Autumn Budget. 40 housing groups sent a letter asking the government to restore housing benefits to cover the cheapest 30% of rents.

Matt Downie, chief executive of Crisis, said: “Tragically we have now become totally accustomed to seeing record levels of children growing up in temporary accommodation. – we have to ask, as living costs increase and the supply of social homes recedes, when this will end”.

Homelessness Minister Alison McGovern said: “Today’s statistics are a stark reminder that too many people have been let down by the system meant to protect them. That is why we are working to address the root causes, investing £1 billion in 2025/26, including an additional £84 million to prevent homelessness this winter, building 1.5 million homes, investing £39 billion in the Social and Affordable Homes Programme, scrapping Section 21 evictions, and raising standards to ensure safe and secure housing for all.”

Social media is reshaping how children and young people consume news, presenting both opportunities and challenges.

This report explores how children navigate the online news landscape and highlights the importance of media literacy for navigating these spaces.

Thousands of people facing homelessness will be supported this winter through a new £84 million funding package announced by the government.

The investment will help families in temporary accommodation, support rough sleepers, and strengthen local services in areas under the greatest pressure.

The funding will prioritise children and families, helping cover essentials such as food, school travel, laundry, and Wi-Fi access, ensuring children can remain in education while living in temporary accommodation.

Generation Isolation is based on responses from 5,200 young people in England aged 11-18, conducted in partnership with YouGov. We wanted to shine a spotlight on the social lives of young people by learning more about the 85% of time they spend outside of school – so that we, and organisations that support and care about young people, can advocate for support that better meets their needs.

The research shows the impact of screen time on young people, as smartphones are the most time-consuming activity outside of school. Though 52% want to cut back, 46% don’t know how. It also shows that young people continue to struggle with feelings of anxiety, and are lonely.

NHS data show that in 2024/25, 409 children were admitted to hospital after knife injuries – a 20% decrease on the previous year.

This marks a sharp reversal of last year’s rise and brings admissions back below pre-pandemic levels. While the numbers remain significantly higher than a decade ago, the decline suggests recent violence reduction efforts may be starting to make a difference. Continued focus on prevention – including interventions in A&E – remains essential.

The Inspiring Futures (IF) programme launched in June 2024 with the aim of “system change” across both Leeds & Bradford to improve the employability of young people (YP) of Pakistani and Bangladeshi heritage. Inspiring Futures is led by Hamara Healthy Living Centre, Leeds

Inspiring Futures Annual Review 2024/2025 – short film  Inspiring Futures Annual Report 24-25

The NSPCC’s Child Safety Online (CSO) Taskforce and Baringa have published new research looking at how businesses can contribute to keeping children safe online. The report discusses society’s attitudes around child safety online, how this influences consumers’ choices and the impact of this on businesses. It sets out practical actions that companies can take to help make the online world safer for children and be more successful in the process.

Family Routes is a longitudinal study intended to track the needs, experiences and outcomes of children leaving care on an adoption order (AO) or special guardianship order (SGO) in England. The data analysis strand examines Department for Education administrative data from 2002 to 2023 to examine long-term outcomes for children in permanence placements. This report focuses on the stability of permanence placements and children who return to care after an adoption or special guardianship order was made.

The Department for Education (DfE) has published new research exploring outcomes and support for children in care at risk of or subject to a Deprivation of liberty order in England. The research involved an evidence review; an analysis of social work case files for 21 children across four local authorities; and interviews and focus groups with professionals at three case study residential homes. Key findings include: an escalating use of Deprivation of liberty orders with over 2,500 children deprived of their liberty in response to mental health, safeguarding and welfare concerns in 2023-24; a lack of appropriate placement options and specialist provision across residential children’s homes; and insufficient early help.

This project was a collaboration between LSE Cities, Islington Council, and young peer researchers, exploring how young people think about and engage in the transition to a greener, fairer Islington, and how the council can better respond to their views.

Young people aged 16–26 are often under-represented in local climate and green transition discussions—only 9% of 18–24-year-olds feel they have a significant say. Partnership for Young London (PYL) supported the project by providing training sessions for peer researchers and in-kind advisory support.

The final report sets out 31 recommendations across 10 themes to make green transition efforts more inclusive and youth-led, including safer cycling, free bike provision, co-designed communications, tailored climate education, and better access to green and social spaces

The Children’s Commissioner for England has published a blog post looking at the role of the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) in overseeing how concerns about adults working with children and young people are managed. The Commissioner held a roundtable discussion with experts which focused on the importance of the role in safeguarding children, while also highlighting some issues around: inconsistencies in practice; a lack of clarity in how to handle concerns made about professionals that do not meet the test for criminal prosecution; and the role of institutional culture in influencing how well children are listened to and safeguarded.

The Department for Education (DfE) has published a new report on children in England returning to care after an adoption or special guardianship order (SGO). The report examines the stability of permanence placements, factors associated with returning to care or ‘disruption’, and what happened to the children after they returned to care. Based on an analysis of DfE data from 2004 to 2023, findings indicate low rates of children re-entering care after being adopted or living with a special guardian. About 95% of adopted children and 89% of children who left care to live with a special guardian had not returned to care by 31 March 2023. Additional findings include:

• adoption was more stable than special guardianship.
• older age at entry to care and leaving care was associated with a greater frequency of disruption for adopted and SGO children;

and most children who experienced a disruption remained in care.

Over 120 organisations have joined a joint call, coordinated by the Children’s Rights Alliance for England (part of Just for Kids Law), UNICEF UK and NSPCC for the Children’s Charities Coalition, to strengthen children’s rights in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. The child rights amendments were debated in the House of Lords at Committee Stage on Thursday 18 September, with strong cross-party support and powerful contributions from Peers including former Children’s Commissioner for England, Baroness Longfield. While the Government did not accept the amendments, the debate marked the most extensive discussion on children’s rights in Parliament in years — and the campaign continues. Find out more and to how to sign up by contacting MandeerKataria@justforkidslaw.org.

The Peer Action Collection (PAC), a youth led network, has published a new report looking at how children and young people are impacted by violence across England and Wales. The report focuses on the second phase of PAC which involved young people designing and delivering peer research, surveying young people, and drawing on their own lived experiences. Through PAC, young people affected by violence generated vital insight and understanding of experiences and challenges that they face, these include:

• Safe places and positive activities matter – spaces where young people feel safe, included and able to thrive can divert them from risk.
• Understanding the ‘why’ behind behaviour is vital – exclusion without support can push young people towards greater harm.
• Consistent mental health support is lacking – young people want safe, supportive environments to manage their wellbeing.
• Trusted adults make the difference – empathy and authentic relationships help young people feel understood and supported.
• Involving young people creates trust and engagement – when young people lead and co-design solutions, services are more creative, engaging and effective.

The Youth Shadow Panel has released their final report presenting a set of 14 recommendations to the Curriculum and Assessment Review. 

This report was created in collaboration with young people and leading youth organisations to ensure youth involvement in the Government’s Curriculum and Assessment Review. The Youth Shadow Panel is seeking the full adoption of their recommendations in the final Curriculum and Assessment Review, due to be released this autumn.

Click here to read the full report.

The Electoral Commission has published its report on the May 2025 local elections in England.

Click here to read their key findings about turnout, misinformation and disinformation, and voter ID.

The National Children’s Bureau (NCB) has published a news story discussing findings from new research exploring mental health services and support for children and young people in England with social care involvement. Analysis of 20,000 case notes for 70 young people showed CAMHS often rejects referrals with complex social factors like unstable homes or insecure immigration status. This blocks access to CAMHS for those in foster or residential care seen as unstable. The research urges more CAMHS funding, less emphasis on social stability before therapy, better parental mental health support, and more early intervention services.

The hundreds of children and young people’s testimonies captured in the brand new Children and Young People’s Voices research report reveal how the pandemic had a profound impact and long-lasting effect on their lives. The Inquiry has enabled 600 children and young people to share their experiences of living through the pandemic. Participants, now aged 9 to 22, were between 5 and 18 years old during that  period. Many describe both the devastating consequences of illness and lockdowns as well as unearthing remarkable examples of resilience. Key findings include:

• Some experienced arguing with family members or witnessed tension between adults, meaning home was not a safe or supportive place to be confined to during lockdown.
• Limited device access and space to work at home made pandemic learning particularly challenging.
• Others recalled their experiences of exam cancellations, including frustrations about the grades they were awarded – the research includes instances where young people felt less able or inclined to go to university
• Secondary school-aged young people developed worries around body image and appearance, with some accessing mental health services for the first time.
• Physically disabled children and those with health conditions described feelings of uncertainty, fear and anxiety about catching Covid-19 and its serious implications, particularly around returning to school and college environments where they felt vulnerable and exposed.

The National Audit Office (NAO) has published a new report examining the Department for Education’s (DfE) response to challenges faced by local authorities in placing looked-after children in residential care in England. The NAO drew on a range of evidence sources including interviews with DfE officials, document reviews and an analysis of published statistics. The report has several recommendations to support DfE to establish a productive and resilient residential care system. These include:

Discover the links between poverty, youth crime and violence — and what the evidence says works. Drawing on a systematic review of research, we examine how different forms of poverty — from financial hardship to housing insecurity — shape children’s vulnerability to involvement in violence. Although the evidence cannot establish poverty as a direct cause, it reveals clear patterns of risk and identifies significant gaps where further research is urgently needed.

A Life Behind the Screens provides a detailed overview of data collected in the 2024-25 academic year from over 9,000 children (aged 8-15) across Ireland. It’s a vital insight into how children spend their time online, levels of access, and children’s experiences, both positive and negative.

This briefing draws on Childline counselling sessions to explore how young people experience suicidal thoughts outside of crisis situations, where they are not acting on plans or behaviours. It highlights the range of feelings young people share and how Childline supports them in these moments. It also offers insights for professionals to help them respond effectively and sensitively. Any disclosure of suicidal thoughts or behaviours should be treated as a potential safeguarding concern, requiring an open-minded approach, confident response, and adherence to safeguarding procedures.

The Children’s Commissioner for England has published a blog post on children’s experiences in secure children’s homes. The Commissioner’s team visited three secure children’s homes and spoke with 40 children aged 13- to 16-years-old. Emerging themes included:

Placement breakdown: Before coming to the Secure Children’s Home, children experienced many ’placements’ that had broken down. They had been told they were ‘too complex’ or ‘high risk’. These children told Help at Hand the most important thing for them was having a stable home to go to when they were released, and a long transition into that home to get them ready for the change.

Nowhere else to go: Children told the team they were worried that they would be kept in secure accommodation not because they needed to be there, but because children’s social care could not find an appropriate home for them to go to.

Unexpected changes: Some of the children said that the way they were moved to the Secure Children’s Home was sudden and unexplained. They were not told that they were going until the last minute and felt this was unfair.

Following the visits, the Children’s Commissioner will use the stories and experiences shared by these children to shape her work over the next 18 months to improve the quality and availability of children’s social care and to advocate for children living in care and away from home.

Youth vaping is on the rise. UK Government action has combined legal and regulatory measures (such as banning disposable vapes) with educational programmes through schools and Local Authorities.

New research from Dr Manu Savani at Brunel University London shows that behaviour-change and education programmes can make a difference. Text-message support services, for example, have been shown to help young people quit; while stripping the marketing appeal from vape packaging could stop others from starting. How harmful young people believe vaping to be is also a strong predictor of whether they avoid it or plan to quit.

But the evidence base is still thin and largely US-focused. The brief calls for more UK-specific studies, including long-term trials, cost-effectiveness analysis and research into how to deliver and sustain these interventions on the ground.

See also BBC – How does the disposable vape ban work, and how harmful is vaping?

The report, Guidance on Improving Opportunities for Physical Activity for Care-Experienced Children and Young People, warns that this group is often “hidden” in policy and provision, with their needs and experiences overlooked.

Latest figures show there are 83,630 children in care and 50,670 care leavers aged 17–21 in England. Despite the known benefits of physical activity for mental and physical wellbeing, many face individual and systemic barriers to participation.

Report calls for education, health and care plans to be split into three tiers of support. Education, health and care plans (EHCPs) should be restricted to pupils “whose needs sit across all three sectors”, with other levels of plan created for those with one or two needs, a report from the children’s commissioner has said.

However, the report from the office of Dame Rachel de Souza said “no child with an existing plan should lose their plan”, given “just how long and how hard those with existing plans have fought to obtain them”.

The recommendations, set out in a report detailing the outcome of a survey by de Souza’s office of most schools in England, come as the government is finalising its plans to reform the system of support for special educational needs and disabilities

A fresh approach to supporting unpaid carers, a vision for delivering the NHS 10 Year Health Plan in England.

There are 4.7 million people in England who provide unpaid care to family members and friends who are older, disabled, or living with a
chronic health condition. The scale of their contribution is extraordinary: in 2021, the economic value of unpaid care in England was estimated at £152 billion a year—around the same as total NHS spending, and a 30% increase since 20112. Put simply, our health and care ecosystem would collapse without unpaid carers’ support.

The review examined research on young people aged 5 to 18. It focused on how different aspects of poverty relate to both violent and non-violent crime. It drew on studies from the UK and similar countries and also identified poverty-reducing interventions that YEF could evaluate for their impact on violence. Key takeaways from the review include:

Poverty is a risk factor: It is associated with a small increased risk of crime and violence, though the review could not establish it as a direct cause.

Different types of poverty matter: Financial problems (such as food insecurity, debt and financial worries) showed the strongest link, followed by low income, neighbourhood deprivation and low socioeconomic status.

Violence vs. non-violence: Neighbourhood deprivation was most linked to non-violent crime, while low income was most linked to violent crime.

Family structure plays a role: Higher income was more protective for children in single-parent families, while lower socioeconomic status posed greater risk.

Although the review cannot confirm poverty as a cause, it highlights how different forms of poverty affect children’s risks in different ways and identifies gaps in the evidence base.

Children and young people in Great Britain are increasingly exposed to gambling content via celebrities and influencers on social media. GambleAware urges regulators to tackle the impact of digital platforms and influencer marketing promoting gambling to young audiences.
Key Findings show:

87% of children and young people who took part in a survey said they have been exposed to gambling content online, with more than one in six (16%) having seen content creators advertise gambling.

A quarter (25%) of children and young people said they have been tempted to spend money gambling after seeing a celebrity gambling or advertising gambling. More than a third (36%) of boys aged 16-17 years old recalled taking part in gambling activities themselves after seeing a celebrity promoting or taking part in gambling.

More than half said they feel they have no control over the amount of gambling content they see online1, while almost four in five (78%) children agree that ‘nobody under the age of 18 should be exposed to content and advertising about gambling’.

GambleAware is calling for regulators to address the growing impact of digital platforms and influencer marketing in promoting gambling to young audiences.

Digital inclusion isn’t just about having an Internet connection. In this episode, experts discuss the idea of “minimum digital living standard”- covering the skills, services, and tools needed to fully take part in modern society

TikTok and Instagram were recommending industrial levels of harmful suicide and self-harm content to teens just weeks before the Online Safety Act came into effect, actively putting young lives at risk. Almost eight years on from the death of Molly Russell, new research found algorithmically driven depression, suicide and self-harm content being recommended at a vast scale to accounts opened as a 15-year-old-girl.
The report found:

Almost all of the recommended videos watched on Instagram Reels (97%) and TikTok (96%) were found to be harmful: bombarding teens with harmful content in a similar way to what happened to Molly.

Over half (55%) of recommended harmful posts on TikTok’s For You Page actively contained references to suicide and self-harm ideation and 16% referenced suicide methods: recommended videos included posts that promoted and glorified suicide, referenced suicide methods and normalised intense feelings of misery and despair.

While both platforms had enabled teenagers to offer negative feedback on content being recommended to them, as required by Ofcom, they had also provided an option to be recommended more harmful content – including suicide and intense depression posts.

Refuge’s latest data reveals a troubling increase in domestic abuse affecting young women aged 16 to 25, with psychological abuse, coercive control, and physical violence becoming more widespread

Of the 842 young survivors who received ongoing support, 73 percent reported psychological abuse, and 60 percent experienced coercive control — a manipulative pattern of behaviour intended to isolate and intimidate.

Nearly half (49 percent) of those reporting psychological abuse said they had been threatened with harm, while 35 percent were threatened with death. Both figures represent year-on-year increases, signalling a rise in the severity of abuse.

Physical violence was reported by 62 percent of young survivors, with half of those experiencing non-fatal strangulation or suffocation. This marks a nine percent increase from the previous year and is recognised as a strong predictor of future domestic homicide.

Young people accounted for 16 percent of all new referrals to Refuge’s services in 2024 to 2025. The charity continues to advocate for comprehensive education on healthy relationships and has welcomed the Department for Education’s updated Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) guidance, which aims to help young people identify and respond to less visible forms of abuse such as coercive control.

Last year, we received 623 contacts from adults across the UK with concerns about a child’s welfare in a sports setting, a 47% increase on the previous year

We handled 135 contacts from sports professionals, including coaches, club staff, and volunteers — over three times the number received the previous year. The most common concerns were about sexual abuse or exploitation, emotional abuse and physical abuse.

Keeping Your Child Safe in Sport is a year-round campaign from the charity’s Child Protection in Sport Unit that raises awareness of safeguarding children in sports settings and encourages positive behaviour by parents and carers from the sidelines.

The New Economics Foundation (NEF) warns of the growing harm caused by temporary accommodation, with one London borough having a classroom’s worth of homeless children for every primary school, according to its new report Nowhere to Grow: The Hidden Harm of Temporary Accommodation on Children.

Family homelessness in London has surged by over 50% since 2010, with councils now spending £110 million per month on temporary accommodation. Southwark is among the worst affected, with over 4,300 households in temporary housing, most of them families. Nationally, at least 74 children died in temporary accommodation last year.

Approximately 160,000 children in England are currently living in temporary accommodation, often for extended periods, with more than half missing school due to instability and poor living conditions.

Report author Holly Wright says families are “trapped in inadequate conditions” due to “delayed suitability reviews and inaccessible judicial processes”, compounded by housing shortages, underfunding, and poor coordination between services.

The report calls for urgent reforms, including piloting dedicated family support coordinator roles within local authorities to provide consistent and holistic support to families in temporary accommodation.

Community Care has published an article exploring links between poverty and domestic abuse in child protection. The article outlines findings from the Rethinking domestic abuse in child protection (RDAC) research project, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, which examined these links. Research was undertaken with three local authorities, two in England and one in Scotland. Findings include that children living in poverty were more likely to come into care and that domestic abuse was an important factor in this; yet the system often failed to recognise and examine how inequalities shaped families’ experiences and needs. The research also highlights the need to implement domestic abuse strategies that address poverty, engage with communities and place families’ voices at the heart of developments.

The Centre for Young Lives has published a new annual report examining the scale and nature of childhood vulnerability in England. Drawing on data from government departments and the Office of National Statistics, the report looks at the number of children experiencing different forms of vulnerability such as poverty, mental health problems, having Special Educational Needs or Disabilities, or growing up in care. It also recognises that there are many vulnerable children that the data does not capture, whose needs remain hidden. The report calls for the establishment of a new data dashboard on childhood vulnerability and for central government departments to make use of a single unified definition of childhood vulnerability.

This paper calls on national and local government to embed youth work in core policy and funding decisions. The report highlights the impact of youth work on strategies to protect those at risk of engaging in, or being affected by, youth violence. It also calls upon policy makers to recognise the skills of the profession as a vital lever to enhance the outcomes of all young people across the UK.
The paper outlines seven key recommendations, including:

• long-term and accessible funding models
• essential investment to strengthen the youth work workforce
• embedding youth work in national strategies such as the Government’s Safer Streets mission and the forthcoming National Youth Strategy
• empowering young people in policymaking.

Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) analysis of the latest school absence data from the Department for Education has uncovered that:

• Severe absence has hit new record levels for an Autumn term, with 147,605 severely absent pupils in Autumn 2024 – up 3.6 per cent on the previous Autumn term.
• Persistent absence has fallen (by 8.8 per cent on the previous Autumn term), but progress is slow with still 1,284,005 children persistently absent in Autumn 2024 – almost 40 per cent higher than Autumn 2019.
• Children on FSM are nearly four times more likely to be severely absent than their peers, while those with an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan are seven times more likel

The think tank found that rising school absence is contributing to the nation’s economic woes by putting thousands of pupils on a path to worklessness and welfare dependency.

CSJ analysis suggests that, without urgent action, almost 180,000 pupils will leave school to become NEETs (not in education, employment or training) due to persistent absence over the course of this Parliament. This is almost twice as many as if absence had returned to its pre-pandemic level, leaving an estimated lifetime cost to the taxpayer of £14 billion.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) commissioned an independent provider to conduct the ‘Barriers and Enablers to Participation in Youth Activities’ research.

The report explores the effect of a range of personal characteristics on patterns of participation in youth activities, and the barriers and enablers that explain why.

The research aimed to provide a better understanding of the motivations and patterns of participation amongst different groups of young people, thus informing the design of future policy interventions to engage more young people to participate in the ways they want

Over the last 7 months, 3,195 students from 6 secondary schools took part in this extraordinary Ofcom-funded programme to explore media literacy and digital citizenship. The results have been extraordinary.
Through discussion, debate and creative workshop activities, our tenacious students learned how to develop an argument, consider different perspectives and understand the risks and rewards of navigating digital spaces.
They researched and fact-checked real-world topics, then worked in teams to create short videos summarising their chosen issues. Students chose media literacy topics that mattered to them most, from fake news and freedom of speech to mental health and misogyny. You can watch the video launch celebration here.
For further information about the evaluation and key findings, email us at info@connectfutures.org

NSPCC Learning has published an updated statistics briefing on emotional abuse. The briefing looks at data and statistics about emotional abuse in the UK to help professionals make evidence-based decisions. It covers the scale of the issue and what data tells us about children who have been emotionally abused.

This research is based on in-depth interviews with specialist professionals who work closely with children and families who have experienced child exploitation.  Their views and experiences shed light on a growing awareness, but still limited understanding of financial exploitation. Key findings include:

Exploitative money laundering may be widespread but may go unnoticed by parents and carers, or professionals (teachers, social workers or others, including the police) who have a safeguarding role.

This exploitation can occur alone, or alongside other forms of exploitation including sexual exploitation and children made to participate in the movement of drugs (often known as ‘county lines’).

Many complex factors — like poverty, online influences and the perception that money laundering is less dangerous than other forms of crime may increase vulnerability for children and families.

Responses from professionals and systems (like police and banks) are inconsistent, and the harm is often underestimated.

See also this report: Tackling financial exploitation: Youth voice insights

Project Hope is an innovative programme from the West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board, aimed at transforming employment and wellbeing outcomes for care-experienced young people aged 16–25. Co-designed with young people and partner organisations, the programme has provided paid placements, coaching, mentoring, workshops and holistic support across health, care, and commercial sectors.

This evaluation report outlines the impact of Project Hope so far – from 72 expressions of interest and over 1,400 funded days of

travel to life-changing outcomes such as permanent job offers and newfound confidence. It also highlights the challenges faced, the lessons learned, and the ongoing commitment to breaking down systemic barriers.

Explore how collaboration, compassion, and inclusive practice are helping young people not just to survive, but to thrive.

Britain is at risk of a worsening “climateflation” crisis amid the fallout from increasingly extreme weather that could drive up food prices by more than a third by 2050.

Sounding the alarm over the financial impact for UK households, the Autonomy Institute thinktank said that climate-induced price increases for everyday food items risked pushing almost 1 million people into poverty without urgent government intervention.

Looking back at 2024/25 – a year of change for Paul Hamlyn as they release their annual report.

Looking back on their grant-making in 2024/25, three key themes came through our work: renewal, strengthening relationships and meeting the challenge. As we publish our 2024/25 Annual Report, we have taken a moment to share how these ideas show up in the grants we make and the way we work.

The Government has published its response to the Youth Select Committee’s inquiry and report into the links between social media and youth violence.

On the 8th of April 2025, the “Youth Work Talks” held another in its series of webinars, titled “Xcelerating the recognition of youth work”. This webinar provided information about the 4th European Youth Work Convention and its themes. At the same time, it highlighted the topic of recognising youth work.

From the 27 to 30 May 2025 about 500 members of the youth work community of practice met in Malta for the 4th European Youth Work Convention. The series of Conventions serves as the most important platform for youth work development across Europe, happening every five years

This NYA policy paper collates insights from national and local youth work experts, policymakers and young people from the NYA and YEF’s Annual Youth Work Conference. It examines opportunities and challenges for youth work within the context of the Government’s missions and the local picture for youth
services and explores the risks of not utilising or recognising youth work’s value within both the prevention and intervention agendas.

The research shows that to effectively support the enfranchisement of 16-year-olds, voting rights must be accompanied by political education. The research demonstrates that that young people gain essential political knowledge and citizenship experiences through informal settings, and identifies practical policy recommendations that can ensure an integrated policy response that enables the democratic potential of youth work to be recognised and realised.

Enrichment activities can and should have intrinsic value. If young people enjoy and are positively challenged through enrichment, this improves their lives ‘in the moment’. However, enrichment can also significantly shape young people’s broader outcomes and life chances. Evidence shows that engaging in enrichment improves young people’s wellbeing, mental health and belonging – through reducing stress, enhancing social connection and combating
loneliness. Participation also helps to build important skills for work and life – promoting teamwork and collaboration, as well as fostering resilience and perseverance. It can widen horizons and raise aspirations – thereby supporting transitions into further work or study. Given all these positive benefits, it is unsurprising that a growing body of evidence is showing the positive impact of enrichment on school attendance and engagement, which is vital for closing
the attainment gap.

The proposed benchmarks are summarised in the table below, offering a contribution that can be further developed, providing a stimulus for deeper work

The Children’s Commissioner for England has published a new report on children’s experiences of living in poverty. The Commissioner heard from 128 children between January and March 2025. discussing the impact of growing up in a low-income family. The report found that children and young people often felt unsafe in their local area due to crime and anti-social behaviour and recognised the risk of criminal exploitation. Concerns were also raised around timely access to mental health support. Recommendations include the removal of the two-child limit in Universal credit and stronger community-based support.

Data from 2023/24 paints a concerning picture across England and Wales:

• Over 500 children were hospitalised with knife injuries.
• Knife crime is the leading cause of teenage homicides, with the number of 13 to 19-year-olds killed by knives more than doubling over the past decade.
• 46 children were convicted of homicide—a 77% increase on ten years ago

These numbers sit in a wider context of rising need and stretched services. Compared to ten years ago, youth service funding has halved. More children are missing school, needing mental health support, and entering care. Fewer crimes are being solved.

The School Food Resource has been written by the North East and Yorkshire (NEY) Regional Mental Health Team, in consultation with eating disorder champions within the NEY Region, as well as with specialists in eating disorders, education, and mental health. The aim of the resource is to support staff in primary and secondary schools to provide a healthy and safe environment for all students to eat food at school. It does not seek to replace existing national
policy or guidance, but to provide a useful regional resource to support schools.

NEY Regional CYPMH Schools Food Resource Final V1.0

The Lucy Faithfull Foundation has published a new report on the Everyone’s Safer project, a three-year initiative supporting schools across the UK to prevent harmful sexual behaviour (HSB). The Foundation worked with schools – including staff, students, and parents – to identify strategies for tackling HSB and creating safer school environments. The report finds that sexualised bullying and language are routine, particularly in Years 8 to 10; online coercion and image sharing are major concerns; and students often fear reporting incidents due to shame, disbelief, or lack of action. The report concludes with five recommendations for schools and policymakers:

Ofcom has published three reports on the online lives of children in the UK. The reports cover: children’s online spending and potential financial harm; passive measurement of children’s internet use; and platform design and user behaviour. The reports look at different activities and themes that contribute to children’s experiences of the online world, including children’s internet use, children’s online spending and potential financial harm, and platform design and user behaviour.

EHCJeremy Vine talks about the latest EDC plans headlines on his show talking to experts and parents. Its up first.

This report makes the case for a family hub in every community; they can play a key role in supporting children and families to thrive. Evolving from the Sure Start children’s centres of the early 2000s, hubs are a vital part of the puzzle. Working alongside other universal services like health and schools, hubs provide community-based, non-stigmatising support for families, when and where they need it – with a range of workers who can work alongside parents of children from pregnancy to age 19 (or 25 in the case of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)).

Research in Practice has published a briefing on the experiences of LGBTQ+ children and young people. The briefing looks at how practitioners can support LGBTQ+ children and young people and sets out information on: the use of language; care experienced young people and intersectionality; and messages from research and practice.

Become’s new report ‘Moved During Exams’ shows that thousands of care-experienced young people are being moved during key exam years. This educational instability is happening because there aren’t enough homes to go around. And young people are being made to leave care before they’re ready. It can have a devastating, lifelong impact. The report recommends that:

• No child should be moved during GCSE and A-Level years (unless in exceptional circumstances).
• All children in care should be moved to homes that fully meet their needs and there should be a national strategy to ensure the right type of homes in the right areas.
• End the care cliff. No young person should be forced to leave care in the lead up to or during their exams.
• Schools and colleges should be better equipped to support children in care who face instability.

Four million Londoners — including over 1 million children — are living in households with inadequate incomes. The research looks at what people need for a basic but dignified life in the city, based on detailed discussions with Londoners themselves. The report shows the stark reality of how much more people need to get by in London.

Minister for SEND’s pledge worries teachers and parents who fear reliance on mainstream staff could deny pupils the support they need.

All teachers will be SEND teachers under a reformed special educational needs system, England’s schools minister has pledged in an attempt to allay growing fears about the shake-up.

Catherine McKinnell told The i Paper that teachers would get support on SEND (special educational needs and disabilities) as part of their initial teacher training and professional development so that they could meet all the needs of pupils.

But some parents are worried that a reliance on mainstream teachers for SEND will be “too much” for the staff and could deny their children the support they need.

Rising teenage populations require local authorities and training providers to crunch the data so they can prepare for the consequences.

They say it’s good to talk, and that’s certainly the case when identifying the challenges facing FE leaders.

Here at Think we are privileged to sit down and hear the concerns of many college principals regarding post-16 provision sufficiency, which has risen the agenda in recent years.

Indeed, since last summer it’s often been the first topic principals discuss, with accounts of colleges closing applications for courses early and stories about hundreds of applicants being turned away.

Manchester was possibly the first area to sound the post-16 education alarm bell with the Department for Education in 2022. As the city’s renaissance continues apace it has seen its 16-18 population rise by a third in the last two decades.

We’ve undertaken post-16 sufficiency reviews for councils in large cities (including Manchester) and rural areas and continue to work with colleges, providers and local authorities on this issue. As FE Week recently highlighted, a shortage of FE places in Leeds has raised fears over the poorest young people being left behind.

Under the 1996 Education Act, local authorities have a statutory duty to ensure sufficient provision is available to meet the needs of young people over compulsory school age but under 19, and over 19 if they have an Education, Health and Care plan.

Now, published data – despite time lags in reporting – is telling a clearer story on sufficiency.

An exclusive investigation by openDemocracy has found that 377,000 children in England and Wales have been identified by local authorities as being at risk of domestic abuse in the past five years. Perhaps even more shockingly, 396 of these children have died in the same period. The investigation shows that children are still trapped in homes where they are in danger, often with the knowledge of the authorities, four years after the landmark Domestic Abuse Act 2021 recognised that children in households where domestic abuse is present are victims in their own right. The violence they experience can have a lifelong impact on their mental and physical health.

The Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey (APMS) series provides data on the prevalence of both treated and untreated psychiatric disorder in the English adult population (aged 16 and over). This survey is the fifth in a series and was conducted by the National Centre for Social Research, in collaboration with the University of Leicester and City St George’s, University of London, for NHS England. Key Findings show:

The proportion of young adults (aged 16 to 24), with a common mental health condition, rose from 17.5% in 2007 to 25.8% in 2023/4. Younger adults were also more likely to report lifetime non-suicidal self-harm and to screen positive for PTSD and ADHD than older age groups.

Self-harm rates have quadrupled since 2000 and risen from 6.4% in 2014 to 10.3% in 2024, with the highest rates among 16- to 24-year-olds at 24.6%, especially young women at 31.7%.

Adults with problem debt and those who were not in employment were more likely to have a common mental health condition, report lifetime non-suicidal self-harm and to screen positive for PTSD

Coram has published a rapid evidence review evaluating the impact of creative interventions with care experienced children and young people and those experiencing broader disadvantage and exclusion. The report reviews UK research studies of non-therapeutic creative programmes, delivered outside of the national curriculum, featuring art, music, theatre and multimedia. It makes a number of important recommendations for policy, research and practice, based on the findings of the review

our latest report exploring young people’s and senior stakeholders’ views on the Tobacco and Vapes Bill. Over the past year, young Londoners have taken the lead – shaping conversations, gathering data, and challenging assumptions about youth smoking and vaping government policies. From roundtables to focus groups, their voices are clear: they want a healthier, fairer future.
Key findings:

• 66.7% of young people support the UK Tobacco and Vapes Bill.
• Strong calls for education, support services, and targeted youth outreach.
• Shared commitment across generations to reduce addiction and promote wellbeing.

Data from the NSPCC Helpline shows that in 2024/25, almost 18,000 contacts about child neglect were received. This accounts for one quarter of all Helpline contacts, making child neglect the number one reason why adults reach out to the Helpline.

Adults who got in touch spoke about witnessing children not having access to food, safe shelter, clothing, shoes, being left home alone and not having their emotional and physical needs met. 41% of contacts were serious enough to require a referral to local safeguarding agencies for additional support.

Financial difficulty, a lack of access to essential services, insecure housing and other challenges can create an environment where a child’s needs can’t be met.

Childline are calling on the Government to treat neglect as an urgent, national emergency and are supporting a new amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill that would require the Government to introduce a national neglect strategy and improved guidance for better tackling neglect.

The Department for Education (DfE) has released data on the stability of placements, school provision, and professional support for children in care in England. The statistics are based on children in care on 31 March 2024. Key findings include:

• 10% of children had experienced three or more placements in the past year, a slight decrease from 11% in 2023.
• 8% of children experienced at least one mid-year school move.
• The proportion of children looked after experiencing high social worker instability (3 or more social workers during the year) in 2024 was 27%. Children looked after aged under 1 year experienced the highest social worker instability – 34%.
• 1 in 100 children looked after experienced high instability in all three stability measures (placement, school and social worker) in 2024. There is little variation between different characteristics groups.

Groundwork’s Youth Advisory Board member Bethany has shared her voice on the importance of young people being given real opportunities to make changes and help create a greener and fair future for all:

“I didn’t grow up thinking of myself as a ‘youth voice’. At 16, I signed up to volunteer mostly to get out of the house. It was something to do, a way to meet people, and (if I’m honest) a chance to travel on someone else’s budget. I didn’t know it then, but that decision was the start of something much bigger. That one opportunity led to years of involvement in youth-led groups, campaigns, and creative projects. It taught me how to speak up, and more importantly, how to listen.

“Now, as a Youth Advisory Board Member with Groundwork UK, I get to bring all that experience with me and contribute to the conversations around the importance of nature. It’s still early days, but I can already seethe value of being in a space where youth voice isn’t an afterthought. It’s part of the structure.”

Groundwork are proud to launch “Powered By Us” – a new youth strategy that puts community and climate at the centre of our work.

Developed in collaboration with Groundwork’s Youth Advisory Board, this report is a call to action for policy makers, community leaders and organisations across the UK to prioritise young people in efforts to create fairer, greener places to live and work.

Grounded in lived experiences and real concerns, Powered By Us explores what young people need when it comes to:

• Connecting with nature
• Having a voice in local decisions
• Driving practical climate action
• Accessing green careers and opportunities

This strategy is a platform for action — driven by the voices of young people who want to shape a better future for people, places, and our planet.

Permanent exclusions from schools in England have risen over the last decade. Neil Maggs explores why this might be happening – and what happens to the children who are excluded from the classroom. He visits a pupil referral unit where children are sent if they are excluded from a mainstream school; a school in the North East of England that excluded just one pupil last year to see what it’s doing differently, and speaks to experts to see what factors lie behind school exclusions.

Gap year soldiers

Jeremy Vine talks about the governments proposal to offer and encourage young people taking a gap year to sign up and serve in the armed forces for 12 months. Jeremy hears from a couple of young people who have differing views. It’s up first.

NCP partnered with the Lloyds Bank Foundation to look at how voluntary organisations in the criminal justice space are funded. We found that statutory funding plays a much bigger role here than in other sectors but that this almost all went to big charities (94%) and often didn’t cover costs. A key part of the solution is for funders to work together more on reporting requirements, reducing the burden on small organisations but without sacrificing rigour.

Digital youth work is, at its heart, just youth work. It is about meeting young people where they are at and doing what we do best: supporting, guiding and empowering them on their journeys to adulthood. The difference? We’re using technology as one of our tools, activities, topics or spaces.
It can be anything from setting up a games console in a youth centre, chatting about online safety during a game of football or heading out to deliver detached youth work with a VR headset to help discuss knife crime or identity. It is about weaving technology naturally into practice rather than seeing it as a big, scary, separate thing to all other forms of youth work.
This is nothing new: youth workers have been using tech for years. From the days of gaming with young people on Sega Mega Drive back in the 1990s to dabbling with the first 3D printers, we’ve always adapted and included tech in our practice

The Nuffield Foundation and University of Bedfordshire have published new research examining racial disparities in diversion from the youth justice system. The research looked at the decisions made when a child came to police attention and whether they were diverted through informal measures such as community resolution and avoided criminalisation, or they received a formal charge or caution. Based on a literature review and a survey of Youth Justice Teams in England and Wales. The findings show that minoritised children face harsher treatment and more intensive diversion, with Black and Mixed Heritage children most over-represented throughout the youth justice system

This article argues for youth and community work (YCW) to be recognised for its critical role in working alongside young people to enhance their well-being. We supply amalgamated vignettes as evidence from student’s placement practice and explore the value of informal education practices in YCW in more formal settings.  We assert that it is important to offer recognition of the distinctive methodologies YCW practitioners employ to enable meaningful engagement with young people.

Support for Learning – 2024 – Christtmass – Young people s right to flourish A 21st century social justice issue for youth (2)

A major new initiative aimed at tackling youth unemployment has been launched in the Liverpool City Region, as Mayor Steve Rotheram joined the Work and Pensions Secretary to unveil a £45 million Youth Guarantee scheme.

The programme will provide targeted support to thousands of 18–21-year-olds, helping them into work, training, or education.

The Liverpool City Region is one of eight trailblazer areas across England selected to pilot the scheme, receiving £5 million to support young people most at risk of falling out of education or employment. The initiative is part of the government’s wider Plan for Change, designed to break down barriers to opportunity and reduce economic inactivity.

A British survey found that almost half of young adults would prefer to live in a time without the internet. One startup from the Netherlands is trying to accommodate them by organizing offline meetups.

While adolescent mortality has declined by more than a quarter over the past two decades, comprehensive analysis of global data calculated that in five years, at least half of the world’s 10- to 24-year-olds will be living in countries where preventable health problems such as HIV/Aids, early pregnancy, depression and poor nutrition pose a “daily threat to their health, wellbeing and life chance”. Young people’s health has reached a “tipping point”, the authors warned.

• The prefrontal cortex, responsible for planning and impulse control, isn’t fully developed until age 25.
• Society applies adulthood inconsistently—allowing military service at 18 but restricting alcohol until 21.
• Young adults face life-altering decisions like student loans before their brains can assess the consequences.
• Raising the age of majority to 25 would create consistency and protect developing brains from exploitation.

The Netflix drama “Adolescence” has sparked a significant increase in conversation about the role of digital media in shaping the identities, behaviours and wellbeing of young people. Researchers at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) examine the evolving relationships between digital media, mental health, masculinity and the rise of extreme ideologies, drawing on current research and expert insight

Nearly half of all young people have been directly affected by knife crime, according to new research. More than 80 per cent of 16 to 24-year-olds are also not convinced plans making it harder to buy zombie blades and machetes will reduce crime whilst, seven in ten believe the national approach to tackling youth violence over the past decade has failed.

Despite legislation aimed at making purchasing knives more difficult, they believed young people would find alternative ways to buy them, around 71 per cent view knife crime as a societal issue, as well as a criminal one, while two-thirds believe there is too much emphasis based on the violence itself, rather than the root causes.

The study was commissioned by the Kiyan Prince Foundation, named after the 15-year-old footballer fatally stabbed while trying to stop a fight outside his north London school in 2006.

NHS employers body NHS Providers is calling on the government to act amid concerns around long waiting times children are facing to meet their mental and physical health needs. It warns that demand for mental health services among children has more than doubled since the pandemic, with 562,840 young people waiting for services in March this year.

It has released a report, detailing the work of trusts in areas including Liverpool and London to improve access to support. The report states that “long waiting times not only affect children now but will also impact their future outcomes and life chances.” It stresses that many long-term health conditions begin in childhood, making early intervention crucial.

UK charity Education & Employers is calling for urgent action to prevent a ‘lost generation youth unemployment crisis’ now taking hold in the UK. ONS figures show nearly 1 million (987,000) young people are not in education or employment (NEET) the highest in over a decade.

The call coincides with the OECD’s release of The State of Global Teenage Career Preparation, a major report surveying 700,000 15-year-olds across 80 countries. It highlights a global mismatch between young people’s career aspirations and future job markets. In the UK, 46.4% of young people are uncertain about their career options up from 24.6% in 2018 — placing the UK among the worst-rated countries.

The report shares the Youth Commission’s work throughout 2024/2025, including the successful ‘I took a seat for…’ campaign, as well as their key findings and recommendations for change on key violence and exploitation issues.

In July 2024, the government commissioned Professor Becky Francis CBE to lead a panel of experts in reviewing England’s national curriculum and statutory assessment system. The review evaluates how well the current system delivers excellence for all, prepares young people for civic and economic challenges, and breaks down barriers to opportunity. Informed by research, statistical evidence, and polling data, the review includes wide consultation with education professionals, parents, carers, young people, employers, universities, and trade unions. The interim report outlines initial findings, feedback gathered through the call for evidence, and the next steps for the review

The NSPCC are highlighting issues facing local authority home education teams in England.  Concerning new data has revealed resourcing strains are affecting local authority home education teams in England, with national figures showing that one full-time equivalent worker is responsible for an average of 388 children.

Councils across England have reported that the number of families home educating their children has more than doubled over past five years. Two thirds of local authorities saw an increase in the number of staff to match this demand.

Young people are less ready for work and risk overselling themselves in job applications as employers raise concerns about artificial intelligence (AI) use.

As Children’s Commissioner, it is my greatest privilege to listen to children and to amplify their voices on the issues that matter most to them — both those that affect them directly, and those that may appear, at first glance, to lie beyond their immediate experience.

This new report from the Excluded Lives Project offers policy and practice recommendations for developing school inclusion and reducing school exclusion in England to support vulnerable pupils. The project found that school exclusions and suspensions have profound negative medium- and long-term consequences for affected pupils’ future job prospects, physical and mental health, and behavioural outcomes.

The Women and Equalities Committee (WEC) has urged the Government to “step up efforts” to improve HPV vaccine uptake among young people, following its response to WEC’s report on rising rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

It tells the story of what has been a transformational year for Leap Confronting Conflict. From school sessions to youth-led campaigns, social worker training to creative spaces – 2024 was a year of learning, growth, and connection

Last year, we refreshed our arts funding to support organisations who work at the intersection of art and social change. Our ambition was to create a Fund which could build on our existing support and centre values like justice, community and joy – exploring roles and spaces for art and artists in the just future that Paul Hamlyn Foundation as a whole is working towards.

We are pleased to announce that we have made 29 grants in the first round of the Arts Fund. These organisations work across a broad range of art forms – but the ways they work bring them together. This new blog reflects on the themes emerging from our grant-making and what our latest grants tell us about the shape and direction of the Arts Fund.

Nearly 4,000 young arson suspects were investigated by police over just three years, data analysis shows.

Some 34% of arson suspects identified by English and Welsh police forces were teenagers or younger – with one as young as four years old, the research finds.

“A significantly concerning trend was the sheer number of children and young people the police considered to be arson suspects,” said criminal injury law specialists Legal Expert, adding that in some areas, as many as 60% of all known suspects were under 18-years-old.

“To date, there has not been a prominent nationwide review of why arson attacks specifically are so often being carried out by children and young people,” continued the company.

Children in young offender institutions (YOI) 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 have revealed.

Ministry of Justice (MoJ) statistics show that Werrington, Wetherby and Feltham YOIs have consistently failed to deliver enough purposeful activity during the week, with children spending even longer in their cells at weekends.

Go Higher West Yorkshire (GHWY) has published a report, presenting findings from the latest impact evaluation of GHWY’s flagship metacognition programme ‘Think and Go Higher’, which is designed to support secondary learners’ academic ability by increasing their cognitive and communication skills. Access the full report and one page summary report on the new ‘Our Impact’ section of the GHWY website: https://gohigherwestyorks.ac.uk/impact/

The women and girls’ social sector plays a vital role in supporting women and girls at every stage of life. This diverse sector encompasses organisations of all sizes, from local community groups to women’s healthcare providers, as well as education and empowerment programmes for young women and girls. Many of these organisations focus on supporting women who experience additional disadvantage, including survivors of domestic abuse, refugees and asylum seekers. Despite differences in size, location and focus, these organisations share a common overarching mission: improving the welfare and wellbeing of women and girls.

What happens when you give youth workers and young people the microphone and ask them to share their thoughts on youth provision? Recently, UK Youth launched its findings from research commissioned by NCS on what youth groups want youth services to look like in the future, and what is needed to support that vision. The research found:

• The preventative role youth work can play in young people’s lives.
• The critical role that open access provision plays as a foundation for other types of youth work.
• The importance of responding to young people’s individual needs and giving them ownership of the provision and spaces they engage with.

The research shows findings on the needs of the sector’s workforce, the pressures faced by the increasing scale and complexity of challenges facing young people, and the place of digital solutions in the sector.

Check out the voices of youth workers and young people in the project’s animated film here. Read the report here.

The Global Flourishing Study drew on nationally representative samples to reflect the experiences of nearly half the world’s population. The five-year project launched in 2022 with the aim of quizzing more than 200,000 participants annually and building a detailed picture of what helps and hinders human flourishing. The findings show that Britain ranks among the poorest countries for “human flourishing”. The survey, which spanned 22 countries on six continents, rated the UK 20th based on a combined score that considered a range of factors from happiness, health and financial security to relationships and meaning in life.

Over 70 per cent of those polled said they are more concerned about the rising cost of living now than they were a year ago, and 77 per cent expressed concerns about the potential impact on their parents’ financial situation.

Nearly a third (32 per cent) of respondents voiced concerns about finding employment in the future to support themselves, with 23 per cent worried they lacked the necessary skills to thrive in an increasingly digital and AI-driven society.

Fewer than half (49 per cent) believe the current school curriculum prepares students to tackle societal challenges, despite more than four in five (81 per cent) saying they want to change the world around them.

Samsung commissioned the research as part of its Solve for Tomorrow Next Gen tech challenge. This year, young people from across the UK will take part, developing their own technological solutions to societal issues for a chance to win technology prizes

The McPin Foundation has published a new report on school exclusions and youth violence as part of the Peer Action Collective programme focusing on safer communities. A team of young peer researchers examined student experiences of school exclusions through interviews and focus groups with 12 to 23-year-olds in and around London. Findings revealed mainly negative emotions associated with exclusion such as anger, anxiety and stress, and the belief that exclusions may push young people towards violence. The report calls for schools to involve young people in discussions and decision-making surrounding both exclusions and youth violence

This group is a young men’s health and well-being group, based at Bowling Old lane Cricket Club, they meet weekly on a Tuesday afternoon. There is a wonderful culture of respect at the centre, derived from the commitment of staff to their community.

250321 Youth Action for Nature report SG final

Teenagers who go to bed earlier and sleep for longer than their peers tend to have sharper mental skills and score better on cognitive tests, researchers have said. They expected teenagers with healthy sleeping habits to score better than those who slept poorly but were surprised at the impact that even small differences in sleep made.

A study of more than 3,000 adolescents showed that those who turned in earliest, slept the longest, and had the lowest sleeping heart rates outperformed others on reading, vocabulary, problem solving and other mental tests.

A good night’s rest has long been linked to better mental performance, but researchers are still teasing apart what happens in adolescence when crucial brain development coincides with a shift towards later bedtimes and less sleep overall.

Climate anxiety is an increasingly common experience among young people and in Good Thinking’s latest video, a young person from Partnership for Young London shares their perspective on how climate change impacts their mental health – and how focusing on small, actionable steps can help manage these intense emotions

Do you often feel like you’re not doing enough? This can be a common and unfounded feeling amongst communicators, particularly those who work in small teams or on their own. Unfortunately, it was also a sentiment that came through some of the findings and responses of our recent Salary and Organisational Culture Survey 2024 report.

Recent studies have reinforced what many of us in the sector already know: outdoor learning and residential experiences play a vital role in young people’s development, enhancing confidence, communication, mental wellbeing and resilience. For youth organisations, these opportunities are not just a break from the norm, they’re a proven way to build stronger, more cohesive groups and inspire lifelong learning.

read more here Outdoor Learning Works – And the Research Proves It

Come and join us

If you are looking for a place where your group can connect with nature and each other? Come and visit Woodcraft Folk, nestled in a wild corner of the Peak District, Lockerbrook Farm offers a serene escape with stunning landscapes and a rich history of providing educational and adventurous experiences. Whether your group is looking for a peaceful retreat or an action-packed adventure, Lockerbrook Farm has something for everyone.

Children who are uprooted from their homes repeatedly throughout school go on to achieve fewer GCSE passes, according to research from the office of the children’s commissioner for England.

Each additional address move was linked to a fall in achievement of the accepted standard of five GCSE passes, including English and maths, at Grade 4 (equivalent to Grade C under previous grading systems).

Between long journeys to get to school and substandard conditions at home, the effects on the children’s physical and mental wellbeing has a wide impact. Data from the NHS National Child Mortality Database has shown that temporary accommodation contributed to the deaths of at least 74 children in England over the last five years, equivalent to more than one death a month

Analysis by the National Housing Federation (NHF) found that families wanting properties with three or more bedrooms in Westminster, Enfield and Merton would all have to wait over 100 years to get a home at current rates. The average estimate across London was much lower at 27 years, and the average across the whole of England was seven years.

Eight of the 10 local authorities in England with the longest estimated timescales to clear the backlog are in London. Waiting lists in England have been increasing over decades due to a chronic shortage of social homes.

Councils are now having to resort to more extreme measures and stricter criteria to keep their waiting lists down, such as local connection requirements, meaning the true number of households in need of social housing is likely to be much higher than the 1.33 million recorded by councils.

The government said the report highlighted the “devastating impact of the social housing crisis” and added that it was investing £2bn into social housing in England.

Children’s social care services provide vital support and care to hundreds of thousands of children and families each year. But these services, and the councils that fund and provide them, are increasingly under strain. This series of Children’s services spending reports, produced by Pro Bono Economics for the Children’s Charities Coalition, show a concerning picture. Key Findings show:

• in England council spending on early intervention services fell by more than £2billion since 2010/11, an overall drop of 42%
• funding for children in residential care rose to an all-time high of £3billion
• the most deprived parts of the country were the hardest hit by cuts, with spending per child falling by more than 50% compared to less than 30% in the least deprived areas
• as many as 1,000 children’s centres and 750 youth centres across England have closed since 2010/11
• more than 160,000 children were living in temporary accommodation in 2024, an all-time high and more than double (139%) the number in 2011
• despite a slight fall in 2024, the number of children in care remains almost 40% higher (more than 83,000) than it was 20 years ago.

The youth-led education review has launched its interim report, highlighting that young people want learning to be more interactive and relevant to life, and want to learn more about culture, climate, finances, and politics.

The Youth Shadow Panel have been leading workshops in March and April to gather further views from young people on education which will then be shared with the Government’s Education Review team. Click here to find out more

Create the Conditions is a collaborative resource developed by Plan International UK in partnership with She is Not Your Rehab and funded by Taith. This resource is designed to equip practitioners with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to foster environments that challenge deep-rooted social attitudes and behaviours contributing to Gender-Based Violence. This resource will help the reader embark on a journey of self-reflection and growth, gaining the tools to support both themselves and the young people they work with so that they can create the conditions for transformative work around gender based violence to take place

Matthew Walsham from Partnership for Young London collaborated with a group of peer researchers from LAWRS by delivering training sessions and supporting them in conducting peer-led research.
The YWAB is a group of young Latin American women aged 18–25 dedicated to addressing all forms of violence against women and girls (VAWG). Through their shared experiences, they identified a gap in research on how the intersecting identities of Latin American women influence their experiences of sexual harassment in higher education. The impact of this harassment deeply affected them as they navigated university spaces. This peer research report gives voice to these experiences

the Youth Select Committee have launched their latest report, chaired by Leeds MYP Wania.

Whilst instances of youth violence have fallen in recent years, the total number of instances of youth violence remains higher than it was 10 years ago. Young people are now increasingly living their lives online, on social media platforms, where a significant number are viewing violent content.

A summary of everything we already knew, and a few things we added just to sound insightful, compiled without any formal consultation process but with deep, unshakeable confidence in our vibes-based approach, reflecting the state of the sector, the discourse, and probably our own mild burnout, created entirely by ProjectChange who, for the record, know this won’t fix anything but felt it was important to make
i t a n y wa y, e ve n i f j u s t f o r t h e m e m e .  (wonderfully written, will make you smile)

This new report highlights the scale of ‘lost learning’ for children who are not at school, engaged in the classroom, participating in their education, or forced to move out of their community. The report also shares 10 recommendations for reversing the trend of lost learning by focusing on ways to support the learning, wellbeing, and safety needs of all children.

This new report from akt (Albert Kennedy Trust), who we support through the Youth Fund, brings to light the true scale of LGBTQ+ youth homelessness and the urgent need for change. Commissioned by akt in collaboration with and produced by the Universities of Kent, Bristol, and Southampton, this study is the most in-depth study of its kind. The findings reveal that LGBTQ+ young people, particularly trans and racialised individuals, are disproportionately affected by homelessness. To tackle this, they’re calling for better policies, targeted support and a commitment to real change.

2CV launched their research findings that explore what drives social cohesion for young people across different settings. This work spotlights the organisations making a difference and provides practical insights to enhance youth provision.

They found that despite the various challenges, there are social cohesion initiatives working around the country to reduce division and to bring communities together. Connecting communities is effortful, yet rewarding, and future initiatives can learn from the best practice principles identified.

Our work with research partners The Good Side | BCorp™ and 2CV has culminated in the release of two studies:
The Good Side have published their report Fractured Futures: A New Perspective on Youth Social Cohesion, which explores the current state of youth social cohesion in the UK.
The report reveals that despite growing up in the most diverse society in UK history, young people feel more divided, disconnected and disillusioned than ever. Young people feel unsafe, unheard and unrepresented in a society they perceive as fractured

We recently took a deep dive into how Local Authority youth services across the Northwest are responding to the updated Statutory Guidance 507b—and what we found was insightful, honest, and full of passion.

How do education policy processes and networks operate in sectors that have been chronically defunded? This article discusses elements of contestation and doubt in the context of a policy agenda around impact measurement in youth services in England.

A major new report from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) and The Difference has set out a plan to end the rapid rise in absence, exclusions and the special educational needs crisis that all drive lost learning.

Five years on from schools going into lockdown, the report brings together more than 100 teachers, leaders, students, parent groups and charities to pinpoint the root causes of lost learning, and to find solutions.

This briefing uses insight from Childline counselling sessions and NSPCC Helpline child welfare contacts to share information around young people engaging in harmful and problematic sexual behaviours. The briefing shares young people’s perspectives across the various stages of engaging in harmful and problematic sexual behaviours. This briefing is for everyone who works or volunteers with children and has a responsibility to keep them safe and this includes taking appropriate action to prevent and respond to problematic and harmful sexual behaviour displayed by a young person.

Young people with mental health conditions are nearly five times more likely to be economically inactive compared to others in their age group, according to new analysis published this week by the Keep Britain Working Review. This report sets out the economic inactivity challenges facing the UK and how this compares to other countries. It finds that:

There are 8.7 million people in the UK with a work-limiting health condition, up by 2.5 million (41 per cent) over the last decade, including 1.2 million 16 to 34-year-olds and 900,000 50 to 64-year-olds

These figures show young people (16 to 34-year-olds) with mental health conditions are 4.7 times more likely to be economically inactive than their cohort

Those who are out of work for less than a year are five times more likely to return to work compared to those who are out of work longer

The report also highlights the potential economic benefit of better prevention, retention and rapid rehabilitation: it finds that tackling sickness absence and ill-health related economic inactivity through these measures could be worth £150 billion a year to the economy.

Boys and young men are in crisis. Whilst the last hundred years have been marked by great leaps forward in outcomes and rights for women, in this generation it is boys who are being left behind. And by some margin.

From the day they start primary school, to the day they leave higher education, the progress of boys lags behind girls. The proportion of young men failing to move from education into employment or training has been steadily growing for thirty years. …..

This report will give you a sense of the Leeds Learning Alliance, its make-up, its mission, and the impact it has on its members’ work.

Of which youth work has a role .  Read about the YOUTH WORK – GROW OUR OWN project.

Over the past three years, a unique collaboration between CATCH and Leeds City  College has developed a bespoke educational programme for 16- 18 year-olds.

We asked over 2,500 young people aged 11 to 25, from across the UK, about their interest and confidence in voting, politics and democracy.

Our latest report explores how young people feel about these topics, what’s being taught in schools, and the most used and trusted sources of information.

It highlights the need for democratic education – because when young people have more information, they feel more empowered to take part.

Also see new education resources for Welcome to Your Vote Week 2025.

Mis and disinformation resources

Local democracy activities

there is also have a range promotional resources you can use to help us spread the word about Welcome to Your Vote Week and why it’s important.  Welcome to Your Vote Week promotional materials

Figures from the Office for National Statistics show there were about 987,000 young people aged 16 to 24 who were neets in October to December last year, up from 877,000 in the fourth quarter of 2023 and the highest level since 2013.

Experts say the rise in the number of neets comes after years of underfunding for employment support, alongside the impact from Covid lockdowns and a sharp rise in youth mental ill-health. The ONS said there were issues with the quality of its labour force survey, meaning the data should be treated with caution, but experts said there had been a clear rise in neets in recent years.

According to new research published by the Rees Centre at the Department of Education, University of Oxford, four times fewer care leavers and others with experience of children’s social care enter higher education by age 22. The research shows evidence that pathways to higher education for young people with experience of children’s social care tend to vary depending on the type, and period, of experience with children’s social care

This report by Ofsted explores the experiences of children aged 16 and 17 when they present to their local authorities as homeless.  The report finds that, while some local authorities work effectively with homeless children and young people, many of those surveyed felt they lacked information about their options. Some children told Ofsted they were not given enough information to decide their next steps, including the option to become a looked-after child.
To improve their provision and support for homeless 16- and 17-year-olds, Ofsted suggests some next steps for local authorities:

The Youth Index is an annual research report from The King’s Trust (formerly The Prince’s Trust) based on a YouGov survey of 4,285 16- to 25-year-olds across the UK, gauging young people’s confidence and happiness across a range of areas, from their physical and mental health to money and working life. New King’s Trust research suggests over 250,000 out of work young people are applying for jobs they don’t want because they’re desperate to work, as half say unemployment makes them feel hopeless about their future.

This report examines the current state and future potential of Violence Reduction Units (VRUs) in the United Kingdom, analysing their role in addressing youth violence and broader social challenges. The research, conducted through extensive interviews, documentation review, and analysis of successful interventions, presents a compelling case for evolving VRUs into comprehensive prevention partnerships.

Soaring mental health conditions locking unemployed young people out of the job market, warns new report

• New research from Learning and Work Institute and The Prince’s Trust, supported by HSBC UK, reveals the barriers facing unemployed, and rising numbers of economically inactive, young people across the UK
• Report highlights opportunity for almost half a million young people without a job to start work, if given the right support
• New analysis of labour market data shows the proportion of out of work young people reporting a mental health problem has increased from 11 per cent in 2011 to almost a third (30 per cent) in 2022
• Almost half (46 per cent) of young people without a job said they have additional mental health issues or caring responsibilities due to the COVID-19 pandemic which meant they were out of work

Huddersfield Labour MP Harpreet Uppal has called for more support for youth services which she says is vital to the future of young people.

Speaking during a Westminster debate, Ms Uppal said youth services played an important role in strengthening communities, insisting: “Youth services are not a luxury.”

Ms Uppal pointed out that trained youth workers created safe spaces, fostered trusted relationships and helped young people build the confidence and skills needed to thrive.

While acknowledging recent Government initiatives—such as the National Youth Strategy for England and the Young Futures Hubs—Ms Uppal raised concerns about the long-term decline in funding.

Since 2010, local authority spending on youth services in England has been reduced by £1.2 billion in real terms. In Kirklees, funding has decreased by 70%, leaving just £47.76 per young person.

“Despite financial constraints, organisations like Positive Stepz, Conscious Youth Hub and Central Stars Youth Club continue to support young people in Huddersfield,” said Ms Uppal.

“But many have had to reduce their services due to funding cuts, limiting opportunities for our youth.”

Charities across the country highlight the rising demand for emergency accommodation as costs spiral to care for those most in need.

Holly Udobang is packing the last bag: a sleeping mat, gloves, woolly hat, waterproof poncho, hand warmers. It’s the sort of kit that teenagers might need for a Duke of Edinburgh trip.

But this bag is for young homeless people, to give them a fighting chance of getting some sleep on the streets of London. Holly and her colleagues at the New Horizon Youth Centre are packing them to give to the young people they now have to turn away every day, as an increasing number of emergency shelters shut their doors.

“Things are going backwards,” says Phil Kerry, New Horizon’s chief executive. “People come to the centre and we’re not able to help them that day and they’re going out on to the streets. That’s a daily reality. There are simply not enough places for people to go, even in the winter.”

The UK Safer Internet Centre has published a report on children and young people’s exposure to online scams. The report draws data from a survey carried out with 2,013 children aged 8- to 17-years-old and their parents. Findings show: 79% of children are coming across scams online at least once a month; 27% of parents and carers say their child has been the victim of an online scam; and 26% of children who had been scammed said they blamed themselves. The report highlights the emotional impact on children and a culture of victim-blaming surrounding online scams.

A few months ago, CAST and NCS Trust launched the Youth Sector Innovation Incubator, a programme designed to help shape new digital approaches for improving social cohesion among young people. The programme consists of three challenge areas, each worked on by a dedicated cohort comprising a digital agency, three youth sector organisations and a group of young people. In a new blog, Hannah Wallwork of digital agency Neontribe provides an update on the challenge focused around supporting young people to better understand and influence how they engage with generative AI. Hannah summarises the process so far, shares the ways in which young people have been involved, reflects on key challenges and learnings – and outlines next steps.

EU Kids Online has published a report looking at the effects of digital technologies on the wellbeing of adolescents. The report examines 15 research studies carried out over six years exploring how smartphones, social networks, and online gaming influence adolescents’ psychological, social, and physical wellbeing.

A new report by the Centre for Young Lives – commissioned by NCS Trust, and The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award – shows how enrichment activities like sports, arts clubs, volunteering, social action and adventures away from home can encourage children and young people at risk of missing school to attend.

The report calls for the introduction of an enrichment guarantee, with a minimum of at least 80 hours enrichment across the academic year, an enrichment premium to create a long-term funding stream for enrichment and argues for the extension of enrichment partnership pilots to schools with high rates of absence.

View our latest blog which examines the latest data, exploring the challenges of measuring knife crime and discussing the crucial role of evidence-based interventions. Join us as we delve deeper into this critical issue.

Summer employment programmes offer paid work experiences for young adults (ages 16-25) during their summer break. These programmes often include brief training sessions and provide valuable guidance from coaches or mentors alongside the work placement.

Evidence from two studies in the US, shows these programmes can reduce violence by 36% and overall crime by 17% during programme participation.

Long-term impacts include reduced violence-related arrests and increased higher education attendance.

However, further research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of these programmes in a UK context.

This study reveals that while more students eligible for Free School Meals (FSM) are expected to enter higher education, they will fall even further behind their peers without targeted intervention.  The findings paint a mixed picture of educational access in the capital. Ethnic diversity in higher education has reached hyper-diverse levels five years ahead of forecasts, whilst about 80% of young Londoners entering university come from minority ethnic backgrounds. However, disparities persist, with educational inequality set to increase across the capital. Key findings show:

The ethnic ‘hyper-diversity’ of young Londoners accessing HE, originally projected by 2030, is already discernible in 2025. As of 2023, the share of students from Black African, Black Caribbean, and Other Black backgrounds was 22% and for students from Bangladeshi, Chinese, Indian, Pakistani and Other Asian backgrounds, the figure is 26%. White students account for just over 20% of students entering HE from London by age 19.

The study projects that by 2035, low-income students from different London boroughs could face stark inequalities, with those from some areas being twice as likely to attend university as their counterparts in other parts of the city.

The overall numbers of students progressing will continue to grow we estimate an additional 27,000 young London-domiciled students entering HE each year by 2035. This presents an acute capacity challenge, especially in the context of the financial pressures currently facing the HE sector.

New research has found that young people seem to be disillusioned with life in Britain, so Amol (Millennial) and Nick (Baby Boomer) are joined by Labour MP Nadia Whittome (Generation Z) and former Conservative minister Lord Willetts (Baby Boomer) to discuss why that might be – and what can be done about it.

In a significant move to bolster economic growth, the UK government has announced changes that will enable up to 10,000 more apprentices to qualify each year.

This initiative aims to provide employers with greater flexibility over maths and English requirements, thereby reducing bureaucratic hurdles that have previously slowed down the training of workers in key industries such as construction.

Children in primary schools should be taught to recognise and resist online misinformation and conspiracy theories, according to a landmark study.    

Researchers from the Commission into Countering Online Conspiracies in Schools – the largest ever study of its kind in English schools – carried out polling and focus group conversations with young people, school staff, and parents across the country to find out how conspiracy theories are manifesting in England’s classrooms. 

see these resources How to tackle conspiracy theories in schools | Tes

new study by researchers at The University of Manchester, using data from the #BeeWell survey, has found that sleep plays a crucial role in the mental wellbeing of adolescent girls.

Published in Quality of Life Research, the study tracked nearly 28,000 teenagers in Greater Manchester over three years and examined how sleep, physical activity, and mental wellbeing are connected.

It revealed that girls’ sleep and mental wellbeing are closely linked. When girls reported getting enough sleep, they reported better mental wellbeing one year later. Interestingly, this relationship was found to be reciprocal, meaning that better mental wellbeing also predicted the later sleep quality of girls. This connection was particularly strong between the ages of 12 and 14 – a crucial time when mental health challenges can emerge.

For boys, sleep was also a predictor of their wellbeing, but the study did not find a reciprocal effect – wellbeing did not predict their later sleep quality.

English transport devolution is delivering real change across major cities, from enhancing connectivity to boosting housebuilding, but must go ‘further and faster’ to unlock additional economic growth.  That is the key message of a report by the Urban Transport Group (UTG), the UK’s network of transport authorities, which charts the history and success of English transport devolution to the present day, and sets out recommendations on how to fully realise the benefits it offers for future growth.

“penny fall machine” which is a film/spoken word performed by Jodie Langford. This was a part of the Recruitables Research into young unemployment. We used the words of young people from surveys, focus groups, interviews and journey maps to create the piece. It is about barriers to employment

the link to our evaluation film from the same piece of research. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhHg0HuKvO0

The children’s mental health crisis will cost them more than £1 trillion in lost earnings over their lifetime, campaigners are warning. The findings have been released by the Future Minds campaign, which warns that the scale of the problem will impact economic growth unless action is taken, with employers facing losses of £24bn a year through lost productivity.

Better early help should be provided to prevent problems reaching crisis point, when more expensive in-patient care and emergency services help is required, campaigners also urge. They say the cost of deteriorating mental health caused by delays between young people being referred and receiving support is £295m a year.

“The cost to an individual young person who is struggling with their mental health without the right support is devastating, and the toll is felt on families, friends and the communities around them. But it also has a huge cost to the economy, one that will impact the whole of society.” Said Young Minds chief executive Laura Bunt.

The Youth Justice Board (YJB) is sharing its Knife Crime Insights Pack to add context to the YJB’s Annual Statistics which include data on knife crime and offensive weapons.

Given what gen Z have been through, it’s no wonder they’re not impressed by democracy. But giving them a real stake in it could change everything.

For God’s sake don’t give them the vote! Many people said that after a shocking poll published this week appeared to show young people rejecting democracy. But that’s utterly wrong. On the contrary, this should prompt Labour to accelerate its manifesto pledge to give 16- and 17-year-olds the vote. They need more democracy, not less, and soon.

The Channel 4 poll found that 52% of 13- to 27-year-olds think “the UK would be a better place if a strong leader” were in change “who does not have to bother with parliament and elections”, and 33% thought the country would be better run “if the army was in charge”, among other dark impulses.

Galaxy Gas may sound like something found in a gaseous location like Saturn, Jupiter or Uranus. But in this case, it’s the brand name of a nitrous oxide-filled cartridge that’s designed to convert cream into whipped cream. The problem, though, is that many young people aren’t exactly cooking with this type of gas. No, instead, they are getting baked, so to speak, inhaling the nitrous oxide from these products in attempts to get high.

Stick Together, Stand Together explores the lack of representation of young, working-class people in political spaces. Through interviews with MPs, trade unionists, campaigners, researchers and youth workers, 18-year-old RECLAIM campaigner Binish explores the ways in which politics is exclusionary, and how we can create and shape political spaces which are fit for young and working-class people. Can we increase the amount of working-class people in Parliament? Is party politics always the answer?

Politics in Action supports a youth-led Votes at 16 campaign in Northern Ireland. On December 19th, members met with Hilary Benn MP, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, who reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to legislating for Votes at 16. He commended the group’s efforts and emphasised the importance of securing legislation in Westminster ahead of the 2027 local and Assembly elections. The group is now reaching out to local party leaders and MPs to push this higher on the Government’s agenda.

The Politics Project is hosting a network meeting for those interested in  Votes at 16

Third Wednesday of the Month @ 10am:

19th Feb, 19th March, 16th April, 21st May

If you would like to join our Votes at 16 meetings then please email Wendy on wendy@thepoliticsproject.org.uk

Evidence and Good Practice on Lowering the Voting Age to 16 – UK Democracy Fund

A new report by Dr Christine Huebner and Dr Jan Eichorn has been published to share international evidence and good practice on Lowering the voting age to 16.

The report was commissioned by the UK Democracy Fund and shares a range of examples that may be of interest for partners working on Votes at 16

The Warren – Hull, has had their work recognised as an example of best practice, a significant accolade and testament to The Warren’s constant efforts to widen the sphere of influence for young people at every opportunity. The research with the British Council has just been published – UK Arts, Culture & Young People .

The research was especially interested in identifying interesting and effective practice relating to the following categories:
• Supporting artistic expression and cultural participation
• Inclusion-focused
• Using a co-creation or youth-led model
• Focused on enhancing young people’s agency to address challenges
• Encouraging awareness-raising/activism
• Providing access to networks and/or showcasing work
• Addressing barriers to engagement
• Providing capacity-building and leadership opportunities

So in that context, it’s perhaps no surprise that The Warren also features prominently as a 3-page Case Study example of best practice – starting on page 60:

After more than two decades of work campaigning on food poverty in the UK, Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming takes a step back to reflect on where we are, what we have learned, and what next. The Sustain alliance first came together 25 years ago to champion food system change. Its founding purposes were to champion the policies and practices that would enable a healthy, accessible and sustainable food supply. Yet throughout, food poverty has remained persistent and intractable, as has the continued shocking rise in need for emergency food banks.

There is a tendency to believe youth homelessness does not exist, so it is not properly funded, writes Phil Kerry, chief executive of New Horizon Youth Centre, as part of Inside Housing and Homeless Link’s Reset Homelessness campaign. One of the young people at New Horizon Youth Centre once asked me if their age entitled them to a 25% discount off everything they ever had to buy: their bills, their food and even their rent. The answer was of course no, but I could see why they thought it.
As a young person, the stated minimum wage for their pay was less. Their Universal Credit was 26% less and because they needed housing benefit and were under the age of 35, they also found that was less – almost half of what mine would be in fact. People are often surprised when they hear the dud hand that young people are dealt financially, but become more so when they realise, they don’t benefit legally from being young either. If a person is under 18, they are under care of the state, but as soon as they turn 18, they are on their own.

This new research from Coram Institute for Children finds that local authorities are routinely failing in their legal duties to provide support to homeless children aged 16 and 17. Ten years ago, the study ‘The Door is Closed’, which examined the advocacy case work of Coram Voice, found that children were being allowed to become or remain homeless because local authorities were failing to give them the support they are legally entitled to. This new report finds that little progress has been made in the intervening decade. Examination of legal rulings, case work and published reports shows that all too many homeless 16- and 17-year-olds are still being left unassessed, unsafe and denied the support and security that vulnerable children need.

The report highlights the continued challenges facing local authority expenditure on youth services across England and Wales. Despite repeated calls for action from the sector, it reveals the ongoing persistent funding shortfalls and their impact on young people and local communities. Instead of the much-needed reinvestment, YMCA’s latest report has revealed a stagnated 73% decline in funding for England (0.5% fall year-on-year), and a 6% year-on-year decline in Wales. This represents a real-terms cut of £1.2bn to youth services between 2010-11 to 2023-24 in England, and £16.6m in Wales.
Key findings of the report reveal:

• The decline in youth services expenditure in England marginally continued in the last financial year, and levels remain critically low following more than a decade of cuts.
• Council-run youth centres continue to close, and youth workers have fewer hours to support young people. In the past decade, some 643 youth centres have closed, and 1536 qualified youth workers have been lost.
• Many councils face financial pressures, with 63% anticipating further cuts to services for children, young people, and families in the coming year.
• Denise Hatton, Chief Executive of YMCA England & Wales, commented: “Our latest report paints a stark picture of the ongoing crisis in youth services. Local authorities have navigated unimaginable challenges over the past decade, but there is simply nothing left to cut. Without long-term, sustainable investment in youth workers and community programmes, the next generation of young people risk losing access to the support and opportunities they need to thrive.”

Police have received hundreds of reports of child sexual abuse in high street hotel chains, data shared exclusively with BBC News shows. Of the 504 offences recorded in hotels in 2023, 92% (464) involved physical contact with a child, while 40% (203) were recorded as rape.

The figures, provided by the National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC), reveal where specific hotels were recorded most were budget chain hotels. The NPCC says police forces are “working with hotels to try and raise awareness of child sexual exploitation”. Under the name Operation Makesafe, hotel staff have been trained to identify signs of sexual exploitation and told how to report issues to the police.

“Once you’re behind that hotel bedroom door, there’s a degree of privacy that perpetrators often don’t find elsewhere when they commit abuse,” says Phil Ashford, from the NPCC child sexual exploitation taskforce.

Assistant Chief Constable Becky Riggs from the NPCC says Operation Makesafe also aims to highlight the positive work being done by hotels. She said the impact of the partnership “cannot be overestimated”.

Economic growth alone will not cut child poverty, warns the Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s annual UK poverty report. It warns that even with strong growth, child poverty rates may remain unchanged or rise if higher-income households benefit more than lower-income ones.

The report calls for targeted policies, including scrapping the two-child limit and introducing a protected minimum level of Universal Credit support. Action for Children’s chief executive Paul Carberry also urges removing the two-child limit and benefit cap.

The warnings come as the deaths of at least 74 children over the last five years were linked to temporary housing – more than one death every month – according to latest official data collected by the NHS-funded Child Mortality Database.

The government plans to tackle housing issues with £1bn for councils. Andy Smith, president of the Association of Directors of Children’s Services, said the report echoes findings on pressures facing children’s services. He stressed that early intervention and family support must be central to England’s new child poverty strategy.

Youth clubs are community-based after-school programmes, typically offered free of charge to teenagers in underprivileged neighbourhoods. I provide the first causal estimates of their effects on education and crime, leveraging quasi-experimental variation from austerity-related cuts, which led to the closure of 30% of youth clubs in London between 2010 and 2019. I use difference-in-differences research designs and novel data to compare neighbourhoods affected by closures with those unaffected. Teenagers in areas affected performed nearly 4% worse in national high-school exams. Youths aged 10 to 17 became 14% more likely to commit crimes. Youth clubs provide key support in a lasting manner, particularly to teenagers from low-income backgrounds. The effects are due to youth clubs offering unique amenities that support positive behaviours rather than mere incapacitation. Closing youth clubs was not cost-effective; for every £1 saved from closures, there are associated losses of nearly £3 due to forgone returns to education and crime costs.

Kayleigh Wainwright, who is youth work charity UK Youth’s director of youth sector innovation, is starting on secondment as head of youth strategy engagement at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

The news comes after the new £185 million National Youth Strategy, which includes the winding down of the National Citizen Service (NCS), was unveiled by Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy in November.

Children and teenagers bring unique value to research as advisers and participants — raising ethical and practical issues about how best to compensate them.

The office for the Children’s Commissioner spoke to around a fifth of the children charged over the trouble which broke out in the aftermath of the murders of three young girls in Southport.  A distrust of the police, curiosity, and the “thrill of the moment” were some of the reasons behind young people joining in last summer’s riots, research has suggested.

Politics Home

Professor Philip Cowley explores Mark Franklin’s argument that 18 is the worst age to start voting, as life’s transitions at that stage hinder turnout and habit formation. Franklin suggested lowering the voting age to 16 could better instil lifelong voting habits and address declining participation in democracies since the 1960s.

The Civil Society Group (CSG) has called on the government to prioritise long-term financial support for charities and their local commissioners as part of its ongoing spending review.  The CSG represents over 80 infrastructure and membership organisations.

The letter – signed by 22 charity leaders including the chief executives of NAVCA, ACEVO and NCVO – urges the government to move to a multi-year local government funding settlement and the removal of competitive funding pots.

It says it would bring greater stability to local councils and their partnerships with the voluntary and community sector, particularly regarding charities’ delivery of public services.  “For a strong voluntary and community sector, high-quality public services, and resilient communities across the UK, fair and sustainable funding multi-year settlements are essential,” it states.

The Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS) has published the latest report in its safeguarding pressures series looking at changes in demand for, and the provision of, children’s social care services in England.  The research covers the period from April 2022 to March 2024 and examines data and surveys from local authorities in England and interviews with children’s services leaders.  The report identifies changes in safeguarding activity related to the impact of Covid-19, housing concerns and poverty.
The research also highlights that poor parental mental health overtook domestic abuse as the most common factor in children’s social care assessments during this period and three quarters of survey respondents reported an increase in safeguarding demand over the last two years due to children’s mental health.

A report by the Edelman Trust Institute found that young people have lost trust in systems and are more ready to find it acceptable to fight against it; around 70% of young people believe that government leaders, business leaders, journalists and reports purposely mislead people. 4 in 10 see hostile activism as a viable means to make change. It also found that trust in all news sources declined.

Rape Crisis and other charities wrote to England’s education secretary Bridget Phillipson and Jess Phillips, the safeguarding minister, last week, calling on the government to step in with clearer statutory guidance on how schools in England and Wales should address sexual violence when both the victim and the alleged perpetrator are pupils.

The charities warn that peer-on-peer abuse is increasingly widespread and is affecting younger children, including in primary schools, in part due to the prevalence of online pornography. They believe serious assaults are being mischaracterised by some schools as “exploratory play” or “age-related exploration”.

In 2021, the campaign group Everyone’s Invited collected thousands of testimonies of abuse in UK schools, while the same year Ofsted said that sexual harassment had now become such a routine part of school life that schoolchildren often didn’t bother reporting it.

Andrew Lord, a solicitor at the law firm Leigh Day who co-signed last week’s letter to ministers, said he has sympathy for schools, which he said are walking a difficult line trying to support both pupils. But he said he often works with “despairing families” who have been “left to deal with their child’s traumatic disclosure on their own or placed on a long waiting list for mental health support”.

Research from the Sutton Trust, a social mobility charity, says the gap between the two demographics is growing – driven by employers continuing to underpay interns, and giving opportunities to family and friends rather than advertising them.

A poll of more than 1,200 recent graduates shows half have undertaken an internship, an increase of 12% since 2018, but the gap between working class and middle-class graduates has widened in that time from 12% to 20%.

In many cases, those undertaking unpaid internships were able to do so because they received money from parents, lived at home or with family or friends, or used savings, the Sutton Trust’s research found.

As part of its ‘Make Work Pay’ plan,  issued before the election, Labour said it wanted to ban unpaid internships, aside from those that form part of an education or training course. Details on when that might happen have not been confirmed.

Acute hospital wards are facing “real challenges”, as a study showed the number of children being admitted due to mental health concerns has gone up by two-thirds in 10 years. The research, led by a team from University College London (UCL), looked at data on all admissions for 5 to 18-year-olds to general acute medical wards in England from 2012 to 2022.

Annual admissions for children and young people, aged 5 to 18 with mental health issues, increased by 65% in a decade – from 24,198 in 2012 to 39,925 in 2022, according to the study. More than half (53.4%) were due to self-harm.  The rise in mental health admissions was particularly high in girls aged 11 to 15, climbing from 9,901 to 19,349 – an increase of 112.8%, said researchers. And the number of admissions for eating disorders jumped from 478 to 2,938.

Dr Karen Street, from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said: “A 65% increase in mental health admissions further evidences the alarming deterioration in the mental health and wellbeing of our children and young people.” She also highlighted that while the COVID-19 pandemic had a “profound impact” on youngsters, it was not the “sole factor” in the increase in admissions

• The Liberal Democrats have proposed extending the Youth Mobility Scheme to EU countries, aiming to allow 18-30-year-olds to live and work in Europe. They criticised ministers for “mischaracterising” the plan as full freedom of movement and used the 10-minute rule process—a mechanism enabling a backbench MP to pitch a new law in a brief speech—to introduce the Youth Mobility Scheme (EU Countries) Bill.
• While a debate is scheduled for 25 July, any resulting vote would not be binding but could increase pressure on Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer. Starmer has pledged to reset EU relations following years of strained ties under Conservative leadership, though the specifics remain undefined.
• The Lib Dems highlight existing youth mobility agreements between the UK and countries like Australia, Canada, and South Korea, which allow a limited number of young people to work and live abroad temporarily.

Naomi Smith, CEO of Best for Britain, noted that polling consistently shows strong public support for a reciprocal mobility scheme with the EU, describing it as a “win-win” for young people and businesses struggling with labour shortages.

Action for Children has published a blog post on children affected by homelessness in the UK. The blog discusses the scale of the issue and the main causes of youth homelessness including family breakdown; leaving care; and mental health problems.  It also highlights minority groups who are at higher risk of youth homelessness due to discrimination or disadvantage and looks at the impact of homelessness on children and young people.

• Young people met with Josh MacAlister MP in Westminster to discuss the Safer Phones Bill ahead of its second reading, highlighting that smartphones and social media are “an integral part” of their lives.
• MacAlister, who led the independent review into children’s social care, is considering raising the digital age of consent from 13 to 16. The meeting, organised by charities including the NSPCC and Barnardo’s, involved young people aged 13 to 17.

• “They explained to Josh MacAlister how they want the online world to be safer for them and shared concerns about risks such as unwanted communication from strangers, addictive scrolling, and exposure to distressing content,” said the NSPCC.
• “At the same time, they stressed that having a smartphone and access to social media is an integral part of their lives, helping them to learn about issues they care about, communicate, feel safe in unfamiliar environments, and explore new interests.”
• NSPCC associate head of child safety online, Kate Edwards, said, “We must not penalise young people for the failures of these companies to properly embed child safety into the services they design.”

The new study followed young people for about a decade, tracking their brain development, eating habits, and genetics.

The Revenge Porn Helpline supports adults (18+) in the UK who have been affected by intimate image abuse. This includes the criminal acts of sharing, taking or threatening to share intimate images without consent, including voyeurism and sextortion. This analysis provides an insight into the experiences of 127 clients who were victims of sextortion. Our conclusions reinforce the gendered nature of the offence as around 85% of sextortion victims who were surveyed identify as men, while 64% of the respondents were aged between 18-34. Young men are the group most affected by sextortion and this report aims to shed light on the experiences of those affected, by analysing the behaviours and patterns of those who target individuals online. Victims reported significant uncertainty and stress regarding the potential exposure of their intimate content, with 54% unsure if their material had been made public.

The Youth Endowment Fund (YEF) has published the next two reports as part of its annual Children, violence and vulnerability research. The YEF surveyed over 10,000 13- to 17-year-olds in England and Wales about their experiences of violence. The third report focuses on girls’ and boys’ experiences of violence. Findings include that 24% of boys and 16% of girls said they had been a victim of violence in the past year. The report highlights the importance of education and support in promoting healthy relationships among children and young people, with findings indicating that these lessons are not universally taught or consistently reaching those who need them the most. The fourth report explores what young people think about the police.

his is a pilot survey of young people aged 10-19 in England. It explores young people’s participation in a range of after school activities from sports clubs and classes, arts, music groups and clubs, youth clubs, uniformed youth and any other clubs.

This report summarises the findings of the pilot which ran from June to August 2023. The mode of the survey was online and 1,981 young people took part.

The survey is based on 1,981 aged 10-19 young people who took part in June to August 2023. Key findings

• Around two thirds (66%) of young people have taken part in at least one of five key activities (sport clubs or fitness classes, arts or music groups courses or clubs, youth clubs or centres, uniformed youth and any other group or club) outside of school over a 12 month period.

• Around two in five young people (44%) have done some volunteering in the past 12 months and a similar proportion (47%) have taken part in some kind of social action.

• The survey asked young people about participation in activities in DCMS sectors, 88% reported they played video games in the last 12 months, followed by 87% going to the cinema and 70% visiting historic places. The least popular activities were watching live dance events (24%) and going to live music events (41%).

• The mean overall life satisfaction score was 7.33 out of 10 (which is similar to other findings like the Children’s society survey).

The SNAC European Academy on Youth Work commissioned a piece of research in 2023 to look to the future and to explore the potential role and function of youth work in the years and decades to come. Additionally, practical tools such as a game and a toolbox are available to support you in reflecting about possible futures and bringing innovation to your youth work practice. This is our reading tip for the turn of the year!

This two-year study maps the experiences of organisations working with the Power of Youth Charter (POYC) and explores how they are embedding youth social action in their practices. The Power of Youth Charter (POYC or the Charter), aims to recognise young people’s efforts and give more young people across the UK more opportunities. This report shares findings to support learning about youth social action in practice – insights are from a wide range of organisations that vary in size, geography, and sector. This report shares tips and principles for enhancing and progressing youth social action.

The Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel is calling on the government to ensure that children at risk of being harmed, both inside and outside their families, are at the heart of its strategies to break down barriers to opportunity. This comes as the Panel’s latest annual report reveals that 485 children were affected by serious child safeguarding incidents between 1 April 2023 and 31 March 2024. This is when a child dies or is seriously harmed, and abuse or neglect is known or suspected.

Study reveals younger generation ‘lack important social skills’, as commentators call for bolder action to enhance workplace readiness

Half (52 per cent) of UK employers say young people entering the workforce are generally not ‘job ready’, citing significant gaps in workplace skills and social adaptability, according to a new study from the CIPD.

It can be hard work to find the right college for your young person, then to get that college named on the Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) and the necessary funding secured. But once you’ve done that, you can put your feet up and relax, right?

Children and young people’s activity levels have been maintained and remained stable across the 2023-24 academic year.

Our latest Active Lives Children and Young People Survey Report, which we’ve published today, shows that 47.8% of children are meeting the Chief Medical Officers’ guidelines of taking part in an average of 60 minutes or more of sport and physical activity every day.

A report by St James’s Place found that young people are more likely to turn to social media than a financial advisor.  SJP’s Real Life Advice Report, found that, when looking at where young people get information about finances and money, 18-34-year-olds are twice as likely to use social media channels on average than 35-54-year-olds.

While turning to parents and friends remains important for 18-34-year-olds, the growing trend to seek financial information about finances through social media shows the “importance” for the industry to embrace digital channels further.

SJP is calling on the industry to help people overcome the barriers and benefit from financial advice, such as training more advisers.  The report also suggested the industry could change perceptions around financial advice by illustrating how advice can make a tangible difference and extend its outreach to those who feel that advice isn’t for them.

Article 39 has published a briefing for social workers outlining information about local authority legal duties concerning children aged 16 or 17-years old in need in England without a home and parental care. The briefing breaks down information from the Children Act 1989, looking at child protection duties, as well as human rights duties and professional standards.

Online Nation is an annual report that looks at what people are doing online, how they are served by online content providers and platforms, and their attitudes to and experiences of using the internet. Much of the data is drawn from Ofcom’s Online Experiences Tracker and Ipsos iris. Findings show:

• Older children were more concerned than younger ones about the time they spent online.
• One in five 8- to 15 year-olds have a user age of at least 18 on a social media platform.

Teenage boys were more likely to encounter content showing dangerous stunts, while girls were more likely to encounter potential harms relating to body image.

A worrying new report from the Youth Endowment Fund (YEF) reveals that nearly half of teenage children who have been in a relationship have experienced violent or controlling behaviours from a partner.

Based on a survey of 10,000 children aged 13 to 17 across England and Wales, the report examines how boys and girls experience violence. It found that 27% of teens have been in a relationship over the past year, and of those, 49% experience some form of violent or controlling behaviour.

Recent ONS labour market data shows a worrying rise in NEET young people, now the highest number in a decade. Discover the complex problem behind being NEET and the warning the data provides

This summer’s racist riots did not happen in a vacuum. A difficult but important read, this new report from Runnymede Trust shows that Islamophobia is growing, and highlights its structural nature across British society. This report is an opportunity to understand both the nature and breadth of Islamophobia in the UK, with the scope to build anti-racist solidarities as an outcome, to eradicate its existence.

During #iwill week, the #iwill Movement unveiled a landmark report, Can You See Us?, revealing the persistent gap between public perceptions of young people and their significant contributions to society. Spanning three years, from 2022–24, and gathering insights from more than 1,000 UK respondents annually, the report highlights how misconceptions about young people hinder their empowerment and leadership opportunities.

Some key findings include:

Negative stereotypes persist: Many older age groups continue to describe young people as “naïve”, “entitled”, and “lazy”;

Awareness influences attitudes: People familiar with Youth Social Action are far more likely to have positive perceptions of young people.

The SEND (special educational needs and disability) system in England is ‘failing to deliver for children, young people and their families’ and ‘despite the continuing and unprecedented investment, the system is not financially sustainable.’ This was the previous government’s
verdict, set out in the national SEND review, 10 years on from the landmark SEND reforms that were introduced through the Children and
Families Act 2014.  This research, commissioned by the Local Government Association (LGA) and County Councils Network (CCN), has taken as its starting point the fact that there is broad agreement on the need for fundamental reform of the SEND system in England.

The rate at which primary school pupils are being suspended from state schools in England has more than doubled in a decade, BBC analysis suggests.

New data released on Thursday showed over 37,000 suspensions in primary schools in the autumn term of last year – almost as many as in the whole of 2012/13.

Mission 44 – Nothing Happens in Isolation Report  Figures from earlier in the year show that school exclusions have reached record numbers, with 9,400 children permanently excluded in the 2022/23 school year. Children at most risk of exclusion are those from vulnerable backgrounds. In this report teachers, parents and young people shared their views on exclusions and how best to address the rising cases. The findings – based on extensive polling and qualitative research – show that all groups agreed that an approach which ‘tackles the causes of poor behaviour’ would be most successful

Care leavers are about nine times more likely to not be in education, training or employment when they enter adulthood, according to Plymouth City Council, which has launched a campaign to help them find work.

Serious youth violence in England is widespread and not restricted to particular ethnic or demographic groups, according to investigators who were told that children as young as 11 are carrying knives for protection.

The joint report by school, police and probation inspectors found that youth violence could be reduced by careful early intervention but warned that the dangers facing children were more far-reaching than realised by many adults.

The report is based on joint targeted area inspections carried out since September 2023. The teams inspected services and interviewed hundreds of young people and their families in Leeds, Manchester, Coventry, the London borough of Merton, Lancashire and Somerset.

Almost 23,000 young people could face homelessness this Christmas across England, a youth charity has predicted.

The South East, London and the West Midlands are expected to have the highest numbers of 16-24 year-olds enduring this challenge during the winter period, according to Centrepoint.

A report published by The Open University shows that young people in Wales are more likely to be dissatisfied with democracy and less likely to participate in formal politics.

The report sets out specific examples of how we have made a difference to people on issues of public concern and includes real-life case studies demonstrating our mission to improve policing, hold the police to account, and ensure that learning from our work leads to change. These examples are about real people, with their opinions of our work expressed in their own words. We hope you find our report of interest and would welcome your feedback. Please share your views on this year’s report by completing this short survey.

This report represents the voice of the UK youth sector and sets out key recommendations for the future of EU-UK relations in the field of youth.  The report has been informed by a consultation with 120 youth organisations and young people across the UK, as well as with sector specialists and with the support of our Youth Advisory Board. The consultation also included youth organisations from across the EU, who have contributed their perspectives and who support the final recommendations.
The picture is clear. Young people and youth organisations in the UK want a closer relationship with the EU. They want to connect and collaborate more, and see the value of this for the country, their organisations and for the lives and concerns of young people.

Generation Isolation is based on responses from 5,200 young people in England aged 11-18, conducted in partnership with YouGov. OnSide wanted to shine a spotlight on the social lives of young people by learning more about the 85% of time they spend outside of school.  Key findings include:

• 76% of young people spend most of their free time on screens. Whilst 52% of young people that spend most of their time on their smartphone would like to reduce this.
• 85% of young people do not attend a youth centre. 93% of young people that attend a youth centre say it has made a positive difference to their lives.

35% of young people do not have opportunities to meet new people and make friends. Whilst 29% of young people say more affordable leisure activities would make the most difference to improve their life outside of school.

A new report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) highlights the consequences of major funding cuts to youth services across England, where spending dropped by 70% between 2010 and 2020. This decline has led to a rise in teenage crime rates and worsened educational outcomes, particularly in disadvantaged areas. This report provides insights into the consequences of these cuts, particularly in disadvantaged areas where youth services are vital for young people’s development, social engagement, and safety.
Key findings include:

• Increased crime rates among teens in areas hardest hit by youth service cuts, with the lack of structured activities leaving young people more vulnerable to anti-social behaviour.
• Negative impacts on education, as youth clubs often support academic performance through mentorship and homework help, especially for those from low-income backgrounds.
• Experts now urge renewed investment in youth services to offer safe, constructive environments for young people outside of school.

This report aims to share highlights from the year, priorities for our communities, and an insight into how we work with our partners across West Yorkshire to improve access, experiences and outcomes for children and young people. It also provides a forward view on what we will be working on in coming years.

The plain text version of the annual report can be accessed by visiting our Children, Young People and Families page on the West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership website.

This map tool draws from the latest data to show prevalence of mental health difficulties across the UK, including rates of eating disorders and self-harm, hospital admissions and secondary care referrals, and wider factors such as loneliness, school absence and bullying. It reveals stark disparities in children’s mental health across the four nations of the UK and between local areas. The accompanying briefing Mapping the mental health of the UK’s young people pulls out striking details from the data, and pinpoints areas where children face higher risks of disadvantage linked to poor mental health – including those living in poverty, in care, or facing abuse and neglect.

A report from Horizon scanning has highlighted the challenges with the decline of young people’s mental wellbeing. They found that the decline has partly been linked to educational attainment gaps for disadvantaged and/or marginalised pupils, who face barriers to education. Key findings show:

• A mental health survey by the COVID Social Mobility and Opportunities (COSMO) found that young people who reported high distress were almost 85% more likely to say they were less motivated to learn than those with average or low psychological distress.
• Girls and nonbinary children were more likely to report high psychological distress, self-harm, and attempted suicide than boys. Another survey in 2023 found that 37% of young people reported not feeling recognised, respected, or supported in school and 50% of pupils said that they experienced unfair treatment or bullying by their peers.
• Another survey from Mind found that 70% of young people who had experienced racism at school and reported that it has impacted their mental health. It also found that 45% of LGBTQ+ young people experienced bullying based on their sexual orientation or identity.
• The report highlights that the long-term effects of the pandemic on children of different ages are still not yet known, and there is uncertainty about how this may develop in coming years.

One Million voices: The Big Ambition calls for children’s solutions to be at the heart of election manifestos

The Big Ambition was a survey carried out by the Children’s Commissioner between September 2023 and January 2024. It asked children about their experiences, views and what they wanted government to do. The results from the survey have informed the Children’s Commissioner’s own priorities for the rest of her time in office, and the work she does to influence the government’s plans. Read all about it here.

Recent reports highlight key recommendations and raise questions on striking the right balance between apprenticeships and skills in the Growth and Skills Levy.

In June 2024, the Labour Party launched their manifesto for the impending general election. As part of this, they pledged to reform the Apprenticeship Levy to a flexible ‘Growth and Skills Levy’.

They have since committed to this reform, which will allow employers to use a portion of levy funding for non-apprenticeships skills training.

The aim of this ‘Growth and Skills Levy’ is to increase opportunities for young people in the UK by creating an apprenticeship and skills system that works more effectively for employers.

However, there is concern that introducing flexibility for skills training will impact the availability and participation for apprenticeships. The key will be getting the balance right in the design and implementation of the new system.

Youth Employment UK

Discover the gaps in work experience access for young people and how these challenges affect skills development, career confidence and future opportunities.

Within the last week we have seen the launch of two new reports exploring work experience with The Key Group finding that 147,000 Year 10 pupils, fewer than half, actually do work experience. In addition, the Speakers for Schools ‘Assumed Knowledge’ report lays clear the disadvantage that young people from disadvantaged backgrounds face.

Both reports build on the research gathered by Youth Employment UK over the last 12 years, but in particular the Youth Voice Census. Our annual report has asked young people about their opportunities for work experience for the last 7 years.

In 2024 more than 5,000 young people aged 11-30 took part in the Census and some of the key findings relating to work experience are:

• 36% of young people in secondary school had access to work experience
• Of that 36% only 38% of young people had work experience in a job that they were interested in
• 51% of young people had help to find work experience
• 67% of young people stated their work experience was good/excellent
• Those young people who are Black African, Black British or Caribbean, care experienced or those with additional needs and eligibility for free school meals are often the groups receiving less opportunity
• Cost, access and safety of travel plays a big part in what young people can access, and where you live really matters

We understand the importance of work experience, it is often the only time young people get to really experience what it is like to be at work before making their Post-16 education choices, and that can feel like a lot to choose your study/apprenticeship options without having experienced any form of work to know if those choices are right for you.

It is also a key time to build some of those critical work skills (employability, essential, soft, so many names!) before you begin to apply for your first paid roles. Often employers are looking for examples of when you have used or shown your work-skills as a selection criteria at interviews. So without any work experience this can be a real barrier for that all important first job.

Youth Employment UK

What Does the Employment Rights Bill Mean for Our Young People?

The Government’s new Employment Rights Bill aims to secure better conditions for UK workers – but how will it impact young people?

This week, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) released their latest labour market data, highlighting the pressing need of tackling youth unemployment. The data shows that 13.6% of young people are unemployed and the number of young people in long-term unemployment has increased by 30,600 (53%) over the past year. Young people are now more than three times as likely to be unemployed than any other age group.

In our 2024 Youth Voice Census report, we heard that accessing good quality work locally and having access to fair pay is important to young people. However, our data shows that half of young people (50%) said that travel/location was one of their biggest barriers to work. Nearly 3 in 10 (27%) young people in work disagree that they are paid fairly for the work they do. In addition, 15% of respondents indicate that flexible working has decreased in the last 12 months. It has been well established that young people want to work; they want good terms of employment with pay above minimum wage, flexibility, and stable contracts. Yet, over the last seven years, our census data shows that accessing good quality work is a challenge.

A coalition of charity and non-profit organisations have joined forces to call on the government and the environmental sectors to do more to create accessible pathways into nature-based jobs, to diversify the sector and deliver our ambitions for nature recovery.

The call to action – led by Groundwork, The King’s (formerly Prince’s) Trust, Mission Diverse, Disability Rights UK and Youth Environmental Service – sets out the need to ensure equity in the transition to a greener economy, through the creation of entry level green jobs that help tackle the climate and nature crises.

The call is made in ‘Force of Nature – Reversing Nature’s Decline and Promoting Equity in the Green Transition’, a publication written by the five charities and endorsed by a wide range of key nature-sector organisations including RSPB, the National Trust, Wildlife & Countryside Link, WWF-UK and Bumblebee Conservation Trust.

The Green Influencers Scheme was a three-year £3 million programme (2020-2023) designed to help young people (target age range 10-14 years old) create deep, lasting and meaningful connections with the natural environment.  The Scheme funded Green Mentors in organisations, including the YWU  across England to work with groups of young people and support them to learn and build skills to help them to contribute to their local community through environmental social action.

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.

This report assesses how well the current system is delivering for children and young people (from birth to 25 years) in England identified as having SEN. It also looks at DfE’s progress in addressing the underlying challenges to providing a sustainable system that achieves positive outcomes for children.  The report finds that the Department for Education has begun implementing its 2023 improvement plan, yet significant concerns remain as to whether current actions will address the challenges facing the system. None of the stakeholders interviewed believed that the current plans would be effective.

This report concludes that young disabled people yearn to work and to thrive in their careers but far too many are written off and told that ‘people like them’ can never succeed. The Committee believe this needs to change. Starting with the presumption that young disabled people are fully capable of thriving in work, as long as they have the appropriate support, with aspiration and ambition at its heart. Key recommendations include:

• Co-production: Young disabled people, both in and out of education, must be fully involved in designing the services that support them.
• Supported internships: The Government should honour its commitment to double supported internships and expand eligibility beyond those with EHCPs, especially for those with the highest support needs.
• Education: The Government must improve support for young disabled people in education and ensure local authorities can deliver EHCPs effectively and on time.

Careers advice: The Government should require specialised training for careers advisers, as current advice for young disabled people is often inadequate.

The SEND Futures Discovery Phase study is a national study carried out by the National Centre for Social Research, in collaboration with the National Children’s Bureau (NCB) on behalf of the Department for Education. Across two round of data collection, the study has gathered information and views from around 3000 parents of young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, as well as form many of the young people themselves.

Key findings – parental views of support

• Views among parents whose child attended a special school were much more positive than among parents whose child attended a mainstream.
• Among parents of young people in mainstream schools, those whose child had an EHCP were more positive than those whose child did not have an EHCP.

As a Sector that employs and utilises the many skills dyslexic individuals being, this might be of interest.

Our reports show Dyslexic Thinking skills are the most sought-after skills in every job, across every sector, globally — NOW as it’s the perfect co-pilot to AI thinking in the new 5th Industrial Revolution world.  As this report finds, creativity, problem-solving, and communication skills are now the most sought after characteristics in every job, in every sector, worldwide.  And these skills are inherent to one particular group of people… dyslexics. These skills are not accounted for in traditional measures of intelligence, yet they’re vital in moving businesses forward.

The research highlights a wide range of interrelated tensions and challenges. Many of the issues raised below are somewhat encapsulated in what we might refer to as ‘power dynamics’. 4 This, interestingly, is not amongst the language used by either the young people or the practitioners. Yet, some of the issues highlighted and explored in this section, which emerge from the question of ‘being identified’, assume a passive position and therefore whether overtly named or not, there is power at play. We must recognise this as we move forward.

The full report is quite long, as the topic is complex, young people and practitioners generously shared a lot about their experiences, and we wanted to share their quotes word-for-word as much as possible. With this in mind, we have also created several shorter, more bite-sized documents and resources. You can find all this content on our website here.

What next?

We are now taking these outputs out for discussion through a short consultation from 2 – 16 October 2024. This consultation will inform a series of recommendations for how this work could be moved forward within the youth sector, in future.

What is the purpose of this review?

We want to sense check our interpretation of the findings and ask you:

• Do any of the key findings resonate with you/your experiences?

• Is there anything that does not resonate with you/your experiences?

• What would make the biggest difference to your experience/practice right now?

• Is there anything else you would like to add to the conversation?

How can you get involved?

1. If you are a young person, youth practitioner, researcher, funder, or someone else involved in demographic data practice, we invite you to share your thoughts and responses via an online survey. Please complete this form to give your consent and share your responses via our online survey. We are offering individuals a £10 high street voucher as thanks for responding to the survey and answering the questions.
2. If you are a youth practitioner, researcher, funder, or someone else involved in demographic data practice, we are also inviting you to book an online conversation with one of our project team members. This will be a relaxed space in which we will explore the insights and questions above with you. Please complete this form to give your consent and book a call with us. We are offering £50 per organisation as thanks for your practitioners taking the time to have a call with us.

E4P insights review and consultation: Fact sheet

The review is part of a series of evidence reviews funded by the Greater London Authority (GLA) to build the evidence for reducing health inequalities in London through action on specific social determinants of health. This review by the UCL Institute of Health Equity (IHE), focuses on the effects of racism on health and its contribution to avoidable inequalities in health between ethnic groups – a particularly unacceptable form of health inequity. It is urgent that society tackle the damage to health and wellbeing as a result of racism

The Education Policy Institute has published a report on the availability of non-specialist mental health services for children and young people in England. The new research, using data collected from integrated care systems, local authorities and NHS trusts, shows substantial geographic variation in the range of non-specialist mental health support services for young people – with no clear link between the level of need and the range of support on offer.  The report makes the following policy recommendations:

The Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) should commission research to investigate how all existing mental health services, including non-specialist and specialist services, delivered in all relevant settings including schools, are meeting demand for young people’s mental health at all levels. To improve understanding of need and demands for services, additional research should examine incidence patterns in more depth, with a particular focus on specific groups such as girls and young women, ethnic minority groups, and LGBTQ+ youth.

The Office for Health Improvement Disparities (OHID) should work with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to develop guidance laying out what the local early intervention service offer should look like.

NHS England should develop guidance on effective governance to address persistent weaknesses in provision, identified by this research and that of others.

The rollout of Young Futures Hubs, a key pillar of the new government’s youth mental health support programme, should address provision gaps and integrate with existing open access services identified through existing research, including this report.

• IPPR and The Difference recently published a new report, Who is Losing Learning? The Case for Reducing Exclusions Across Mainstream Schools. You can contribute your experiences with the Who’s Losing Learning? Coalition as they move into the next phase of their work.

Families in poverty are having to sleep on the floor because they cannot afford beds, according to a children’s charity. The charity’s research also found that most of the families it surveyed struggled to find the money to heat and power their homes, and that the cost-of-living crisis had strained parents’ relationships with their children.
Buttle UK, which supports children and young people in crisis, surveyed 1,567 of the families it supports. The report said: “Parents and carers described high levels of sacrifice and self-denial to ensure that their children still ate. They themselves often went completely without, reporting the dire effects on their health and wellbeing.”
“The charity is calling on the government to lift the two-child benefit cap and significantly increase universal credit payments, as well as introduce a health strategy for young people in poverty and overhaul NHS children’s mental health services.”

A new report from Carers Trust has found that young carers are missing more than a month of education per year, on average, with this being accompanied by a call for the government to provide them with further support.

A study by price comparison website Compare the Market found that 53 per cent of people feel poorer than they did at the end of last decade, with six in 10 having no confidence that their energy bills would be lower over the next year under the new Labour Government.

Sharp rises in rental values have a greater disproportionate impact on young people, who are less likely to have made it on to the housing ladder and more likely to be living in rental accommodation. As such, further research from Creditspring previously found that money worries are creating a mental health time bomb for young people, with almost 40 per cent of 18- to 34-year-olds saying their mental health has significantly worsened as a direct result of the cost of living crisis.

The lender also found a third of young people say they are more in debt now than they were 12 months ago, with a further third saying their financial worries have reached the point where they are unable to sleep

This report focusses on one of the key foundations young people need to thrive: access to food. Young people tell Barnardo’s that getting good, nutritious food, in the places and spaces that work for them is key to them getting on in life.
Key recommendations include:

• Local authorities should establish a local food partnership in every area, directly involving young people from the start. The Government should review how it could support this, learning from funding and legislative initiatives in Scotland and Wales.
• Retailers should consider ways that 16 and 17 year-olds can access discounted food by amending the terms of their retail discount schemes or considering the introduction of other discounts.
• The government should make food available to young people in existing afterschool clubs and youth services, including in Family Hubs and the proposed Young Futures Hubs. Consult young people on food provision and on opportunities to develop cooking skills in these services.

Dear Secretary of State,
You asked me to undertake a rapid investigation of the state of the NHS, assessing patient access, quality of care and the overall performance of the health system. I have examined areas such as the health of the nation and social care system in so far as they
impact on the NHS, although these were outside the formal scope of the Investigation.  My attention has also been drawn to some worrying health inequalities that will require further examination than has been possible in the time available, although I do highlight
some particular areas of concern.  read further for recommendations

Women in the North of England face unequal challenges and inequalities in their lives and health compared to those in the rest of the country.  They are more likely to work more hours for less pay and to be in worse health.  On top of this, they are more likely to be an unpaid carer, live in poverty and to have fewer qualifications.  The inequity between women living in the North of England and those in the rest of the country has grown over the past decade harming women’s quality of life, work, their families and communities

The report is the eighth in a series by Child of the North –Centre for Young Lives to be published in 2024. Each report focuses on how the new government can put the life chances of young people at the heart of policy making and delivery. This report calls on the new government to develop a national child oral health strategy and makes recommendations to reduce sugar consumption, optimise fluoride exposure, and increase access to dental care.

Over 5,000 young people across the UK shared their voices with us at the beginning of 2024. We’ve collated their feelings on life, work and education into expert insights inside the Youth Voice Census report

This year’s findings indicate that young people are increasingly worried about their safety, and the impact of the cost of living crisis continues to take its toll on their ability to access support and opportunities.

Key insights include:

• Anxiety is one of the biggest barriers young people face, with 3 in 5 young people indicating feeling anxious in their daily life.
• Confidence continues to decline for those in education, with young people feeling less confident about their employability skills and only a third feeling like their school supports them.
• Work is a positive place for young people, with 83% agreeing that their workplace is supportive and 70% feeling happy in their current job.

Following the Children and Young People’s Conference in 2023 the CYP Alliance team’s ambition was to co-create the third Children and Young People Alliance Conference with South Yorkshire children and young people. They wanted to make sure that children and young people’s representation was equal to that of professionals. They based conference content on the information children and young people in South Yorkshire told us most matter to them about their health and the social determinants which directly link to the Child Health Equity Collaborative and the developing framework.

Unemployment among young people is at its lowest level since 2014, according to the Social Mobility Commission. Its State of the Nation report found that, according to most recent available data, 11% of young people were out of work in 2022.

In contrast, in 2014, when data on 16- to 24-year-olds in work was first recorded, the unemployment rate was at 17%. In pandemic-hit 2020, 16% of young people were out of work. The report looked at social mobility across a range of areas of children and young people’s lives. It warns those who are out of work are finding it more difficult to secure a job, as vacancy rates have fallen over the last year.

A new Groundwork report has found that more needs to be done to encourage young people towards a career in the waste and resource management industry to tackle plugging the green skills gap.

In Planning for the Future: Recruiting diverse talent into waste and resources management, 70% of 16-24 year olds surveyed have never received any careers advice on the skills required or roles available in the waste and resources management sector, while around half cited a lack of information as a career barrier, despite the UK government legislating a Net Zero emissions target in 2019 for 2050.

However, in spite of so many young people admitting to not considering a career in the sector, almost half (47%) reported that having a job that helps the UK reach carbon neutrality was important to them, with more of those in the older 18-24 age group considering it important (49%) than those aged 16 and 17 (28%). This suggests that more work needs to be done for employers and those with influence to educate Gen Z on the role they play in achieving Net Zero.

The London Community Foundation sent out a survey in early August to assess the impact of the Far-Right Riots on London local organisations and the communities they serve. The survey captured feedback from various organisations, from newly established groups run by volunteers to large charities. Several critical themes emerged from the survey, highlighting the multifaceted impact of the riots on London’s communities:

This briefing looks at what data and statistics are available about child neglect to help professionals, and the organisations they work for, make evidence-based decisions. This includes information from different sources such as services that work with children and research into children’s and adults’ self-reported experiences.

Schools cannot give children the opportunities they deserve if they are not in lessons. Lost learning is a risk to education standards and a loss of potential. And there is a stark social injustice in who is affected: the children losing the most learning are those facing the greatest challenges in their lives. This report explores the rising tide of lost learning, and sets out a strong economic case to invest in reducing escalations. The report findings include:

New analysis for this report finds lifetime costs of at least £170,000 per child directly associated with permanent exclusion – for last year’s excluded cohort alone this means costs to the state of £1.6 billion over a lifetime.

Children from low-income backgrounds, with special educational needs, and those with mental health issues are the most likely to miss learning. Children who are Black Caribbean are two and half times more likely to be placed in alternative provision than their peers, while Roma, Romani and Irish Traveller children are four times more likely.

The poorest students – those who get free school meals – are nearly five times more likely to be permanently excluded and four times more likely to be suspended than their peers.

There are overwhelmingly poor outcomes for excluded children, with over half of children not entered for maths and English GCSEs in alternative provision schools and fewer than 5 per cent gaining a standard pass.

This is the first article in a series dedicated to the forthcoming second edition of the Adolescent Safeguarding in London (ASIL) handbook.  In this first piece, Colin Michel and Luke Billingham put forward a framework for relational practice in adolescent safeguarding systems. To download as a pdf, click here.

In recent years, the United Kingdom has seen a surge of hate crime offenses, particularly in England and Wales, where police forces reported 145,212 hate crime incidents in 2022/23, an increase of almost 103,000 when compared with 2012/13.

For those that missed this, Simon Reeve’s Return to Cornwall highlights a range of challenges experienced by rural communities such as housing, but also highlights how companies can employ young people with disabilities – a great watch.  

The Good Childhood Report 2024 is The Children’s Society’s 13th annual report on the wellbeing of children and young people in the UK. It explores what children and young people are telling us about how their lives are going. One in 10 children aged 10 to 17 report having low wellbeing with the cost-of-living crisis weighing most heavily on their minds.

Digitally Excluded Children at Greater Risk of Fake News, Researchers Warn.  A lack of digital skills is leaving children “more open to the risks of disinformation, fake news and other online harms”, according to a report by former children’s commissioner Anne Longfield’s think-tank the Centre for Young Lives and eight universities in the North of England.  Longfield says recent racist and Islamophobic rioting “have shown the consequences of disinformation and its impact on the real world”. This violence was sparked by fake news around the identity of a teenage boy charged with the murder of three girls, who were stabbed to death in Southport last month.

his research set out to take a snapshot of what JNC practitioners in youth and community work defined as ‘Professional Maturity’ and to explore if this notion impacted on practice. To achieve this, the researchers worked with the Institute for youth work, to garner responses from practitioners in the youth work sector via an online questionnaire and an online semi-structured interview. In the inductive phenomenological approach taken to data analysis, some surprising patterns emerged that will require further exploration. The result of these findings has generated an ‘in the moment’ snapshot of ‘Professional Maturity’ for youth work in the shape of a model for practice that will still require critical examination. The data generated and the subsequent analysis highlights six themes: Qualification, Professional Transference, Attributes, Values, Beyond Self, and Chameleon. The key finding of this research has shown that Professional Maturity is an ever-evolving aspect of a youth workers journey rather than a final destination. However, research respondents did appear to have different expectations on what Professional Maturity should look like and how it affects individuals practice across the field.

Analysis of 71,000 records from a large NHS trust found that children on child protection plans were two-times more likely to have their referral for support rejected by CAMHS, while children with social care involvement were more than three times more likely to be rejected.  In addition, children from the most deprived areas were around two times more likely to be rejected than those from the least deprived areas. Researchers say further analysis indicates that this may be because these children’s circumstances are considered too “unstable” for mental health support. However, children in care were less likely to be rejected by CAMHS, with this thought to be because the trust studied has dedicated mental health services for looked-after children.

Children’s rights and justice charities have called for the urgent closure of all youth custody settings because a review of evidence shows they cannot be made safe or suitable for children.  The review, undertaken by four youth justice experts, examines 10 areas of policy and practice in relation to child imprisonment, including recurring government assurances that: children will be kept safe; solitary confinement will not be used for children; children will receive at least 30 hours of education a week; and restraint will only be used as a last resort.  The review concluded that “despite the best efforts of the many individuals and organisations involved, the evidence unequivocally shows that the multitudinous attempts to reform child imprisonment have ultimately failed and continue to fail”.

Juvenis, a grassroots organisation in Lambeth whose vision is a future where all young Londoners have more than one chance to fulfil their potential. This research is the first known study focusing on the qualitative accounts of trauma responses from Young Black Men (YBM)  in London exposed to gang affiliated violence, and their sensemaking within these experiences. This research offers a detailed, nuanced account of YBM’s experiences of trauma related to gang affiliated violence. 8 YBM in London between the ages of 19- 32 were interviewed in order to gather the stories of their lived experiences of gang affiliated violence and trauma.

In response to Pathway Fund’s survey of 1,000 Black and ethnic minoritised-led organisations, 76% reported having funding rejected because of their race or ethnicity. Moreover, 55% of respondents said they would not trust and approach social investors

Pathway Fund is set to open a £1m programme, funded by the government’s dormant assets scheme, to support 31 Black and ethnic minoritised-led charities and social enterprises in England through the cost-of-living crisis.

Dilys Winterkorn, project director at Pathway Fund, said: “Existing economic disparities are being intensified by the rising cost of living; this threatens the sustainability of many Black and ethnic minoritised-led organisations – like those supported by this programme – and consequently, adversely affects Black and ethnic minoritised-led institutions, too.”

A partnership in North West London has seen a 40% reduction on pre-pandemic admissions to acute mental health wards for children and young people.

The North West London CAMHS Provider Collaborative, in partnership with Real World Health, has resulted in children and young people being less likely to be admitted to a mental health ward. Most are now cared for outside of hospital, with only 5% of children presenting to CAMHS in crisis going on to be admitted to Tier 4 inpatient care.

Mental health issues among children and adolescents have been a growing concern, with many young people facing prolonged inpatient stays and limited access to appropriate community-based care.

Richard Lyle, head of commissioning and contracting West London NHS Trust/the NWL CAMHS Provider Collaborative, said the approach had consolidated previously ‘scattered data’ and helped provide evidence for where resources would have the biggest impact.  ‘We’ve become better informed about what works, enabling us to have more meaningful discussions with our commissioning ICB and local authority partners.

Child mortality and looked-after children rates could be slashed by around a third over the next decade if measures are put in place by the government to tackle child poverty, according to academics. The University of Glasgow study, has mapped the potential impact of child poverty reduction measures on social and health inequality in England from this year until 2033.

The study found that infant mortality numbers could be reduced by 293 compared to 2023’s level and the number of children being taken into care cut by 4,696. In addition, 32,650 emergency admissions to hospital could be prevented and the number of children attending hospital with iron deficiency could fall by 458.

The report points out that child poverty is “a key determinant of population health and health inequalities” and that government policy “exerts a major influence over rates of child poverty” such as through social spending. Since the 2008 global financial crash, European countries with higher social spending have had lower rates of child poverty, says the research.

The aim of the research was to capture the voice of young people and use their unique perspective to influence a design template for Employment & Skills-related activity in Youth Hubs across West Yorkshire.

Around 70 young people were interviewed across West Yorkshire and the report looked at a number of areas including:

• Why do young people in West Yorkshire typically engage with Youth Hubs?
• What may be limiting engagement in Youth Hubs?
• What common barriers to work are Youth Hub participants encountering?
• What are the opportunities for Youth Hubs in West Yorkshire in terms of increasing engagement and removing barriers to work?

In partnership with the Children and Young People’s Mental Health Coalition and Save the Children UK, this report explores the impact of poverty and benefit conditionality on families’ mental health. Based on research with parents and children, and a review of the evidence, the report finds that children are being failed by the state’s inability to combat the dual crises of poverty and mental health

Trends in violence affecting children in England and Wales over the last 10 years.

In this report, they aim to simplify the complexity surrounding violence affecting children and young people in England and Wales. Their goal is to provide a clear account of whether the situation is improving or worsening, and to evaluate the performance of key sectors supporting these children and young people. To achieve this, they’ve selected 11 core indicators (see dashboard below) to track over time. These include:

• three primary measures of violence,
• a measure of racial disproportionality in the youth justice system,
• six measures related to our sectors of interest, and a measure of child poverty.
• Additionally, we’ve examined a range of other data to provide context and delve into the details behind the main figures.

KidsRights has published its annual data on how children’s rights are respected worldwide and to what extent countries are committed to improving the rights of children. The data indicates improvement in the UK’s performance regarding children’s rights but highlights concerns including: racism, bullying and discrimination against minority and LGBTQ+ children; disparities in the criminal justice system; and child poverty. Recommendations include: measures to address discrimination and overrepresentation in the criminal justice system; and implementing child rights impact assessments.

The Department for Education (DfE) has a strategic priority to improve the attainment of disadvantaged children. It has introduced a range of interventions, alongside its funding to support all children, specifically to improve the attainment of disadvantaged children.

This report examines whether DfE is achieving value for money through its funding to support the attainment of disadvantaged children in educational settings in England, from early years to the end of key stage 4 (the end of compulsory schooling).

It assesses:

• whether DfE has a coherent approach to support the attainment of disadvantaged children, and its progress against its objectives
• how DfE understands the attainment of children and how it evaluates what works to effectively allocate resources
• the accountability arrangements and support DfE provides schools and early years providers to ensure value for money

​​How are charities coping with a rise in children and young people seeking mental health support? ​ 

Young people’s mental health is facing an unprecedented storm of pressures and crises, with charities often providing vital shelter. With demand for NHS mental health services at record highs and waiting times for NHS treatment varying significantly across the UK, children and young people are increasingly being left at the mercy of the postcode lottery. For those left behind, charities provide a vital lifeline. 

How are charities responding to the rising mental health needs of children and young people? And how can funders better support the charity sector as it grapples with unprecedented demand? 

Six key areas where funders have the potential to create long-term positive change for children and young people:

1. Preventative work and early intervention.
2. Supporting children from minoritised groups.
3. Building and diversifying the mental health workforce.
4. Funding research on what works.
5. Enabling collaboration across the mental health sector.
6. Exploring a systems-based approach to funding.

We develop our identities, including our racial and ethnic identities, as we take in cultural messages during our adolescent and young adult years. While some research shows that young people may change their racial and ethnic identity over time, this demographic characteristic is often treated as static and typically captured only once in longitudinal data. The percentage who re-identify may be more pronounced (or otherwise experienced differently) among young people who are currently (or were formerly) in foster care

The McPin Foundation has worked with young people with lived experience of mental health issues to highlight priorities for improving children and young people’s mental health. The ten asks of the next government include: improving training for primary, emergency and mental health care providers; a commitment to provide personalised care for young people at risk of self-harm and suicide; and raising awareness around anxiety

The findings highlight the consuming concerns of young adults, around body image, loneliness and sense of self – all amplified by the pervasive presence of social media in almost every aspect of their daily life.   As well as this, one in four (25 per cent) 18–24-year-olds are unsatisfied with the way they look. A correlation between body image concerns and excessive time on social media is clearly demonstrated. Indeed, 70 per cent of people with poor mental health say they want stricter regulations on social media beauty filters.

Together with the NYA’s Higher Education Institution (HEI) Annual Monitoring Report and National Youth Sector Census, the newly published Workforce Survey offers a clearer picture than ever before of the youth sector and individuals involved in youth work delivery. Key findings of the NYA’s Workforce Survey:

• Over half (59%) of respondents have worked in the sector for ten or more years
• Only 6% had worked in the sector for less than a year
• Only slightly over a third (37%) are professional youth workers (have a Level 6 / degree level qualification)
• The East of England has the lowest proportion of Level 6 qualified youth workers (18%)
• The North East has the highest proportion of respondents with a Level 6 qualification (53%) followed by North West (53%) and Yorkshire and the Humber, West Midlands and South West (each 41% respectively)

The NYA’s research aims to provide the evidence needed to galvanise key decision-makers, including policy-makers, funders and training partners to work together to rebuild the youth work sector, which has seen a loss of 70% of council-funded provision due to over a decade of austerity cuts.

This volume presents the financial literacy results of the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2022 and examines 15-year-old students’ understanding of money matters in 20 countries and economies. It explores the links between their financial literacy and their competencies in mathematics and reading, and differences across socio-demographic groups. It also offers an overview of their experiences with money, their financial behaviour and attitudes, and their exposure to financial literacy at home and in school.

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Children in care being placed far from home due to a lack of local placements is hindering the support youth justice services (YJS) can offer, according to the probation inspectorate. The trend is also increasing the “safeguarding risks such as missing episodes and exploitation”, says HM Inspectorate of Probation in a report into the supervision of care-experienced children within the youth justice system.

This year’s Youth Culture Uncovered looked at things through the world of news. The Reuters Digital News Report in 2023 highlighted the rise in young people avoiding news, alongside a lower sense of value placed in public service broadcasting relative to older cohorts. Key takeaways:

• The news as a product is broken – not young people. Young people are not ‘not interested’ in the news per se, but they have to work hard to navigate news in a world of information overload. The news needs to reinvent itself to be relevant to young people – considering factors such as topic relevance, format type (embracing cues of infotainment), and a storytelling approach that delivers solutions and clear call to actions.
• Young people may not trust the media as an ‘establishment’, but they do trust independent voices of reliable news – individual journalists and content creators who they share an affinity with and a shared sense of lived experiences. Being a legacy news brand with a strong reputation isn’t enough.
• The best news storytelling comes firstly from a place of listening and knowing what people care about, and then presenting a point of view in language that is easy to understand and in formats that are information dense yet entertaining, inviting further conversation.

More than a quarter of young people are worried they or someone they know will become homeless in the next 12 months, according to new research.

A UK-wide poll was carried out by Opinium on behalf of Places for People (PfP) and surveyed 550 young people aged 16 to 24.

People in this age group were the least likely to oppose new affordable housebuilding in their area, at just one in 10.

They were also the likeliest to associate social housing with positive words such as ‘togetherness’ and ‘unity’.

By comparison, those aged 55 and over were most likely to connect it to words like ‘unemployment’ and ‘anti-social behaviour’.

They are ‘Austerity’s Children’, born in 2010. A modern-day equivalent of ‘Thatcher’s Children’ – born into cuts, cost-of-living crisis, Covid and Brexit, and the tearing of the social safety net.

After months of chatting to 13 and 14 year-olds across the country for a special Daily Mirror project it’s clear these young people have been starkly affected by the last 14 years of Conservative government. But what if today’s Year 9s had the keys to No 10?

When we asked them to finish the sentence ‘If I were in Number 10…’, they said they would cut NHS waiting lists, reopen youth clubs, prioritise the climate, give teenagers free public transport, pay people in the public sector fairly, guarantee free sport, introduce Votes at 16, get justice for the Covid Bereaved families and sort out the housing crisis.

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust have today (5^th June) published the first-ever State of Yorkshire’s Nature report, which for the first time gives an accurate insight into how the whole of Yorkshire’s nature is faring – and, crucially, where action is now needed to create healthier, resilient and more abundant landscapes.

Yorkshire is not immune to the UK-wide nature crisis, where 1 in 6 of our species are now assessed as being at risk. Today’s report concludes that the declines here are similar to those that are happening across the UK, but for the first time identifies which species in Yorkshire are declines and which are increasing, where and – crucially – why.

A steady decline in children’s health over the past two decades in the UK means they are now shorter and more likely to have obesity and type 2 diabetes.  A report from the Food Foundation found the height of five-year olds has been falling since 2013, with UK children now shorter than those in nearly all other high-income countries.

A critical three-year period between the ages of 11 and 14 has been identified as the point at which talented children from low-income backgrounds fall behind their wealthier peers at school, according to new research.

NPC have launched new research showing the impact of climate & nature loss on people in poverty and experiencing health inequalities

Children’s services leaders have questioned Home Office plans for the police to make a referral to children’s social care every time they perform an intimate search of a child.

The proposal, included in updated draft guidance to the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) codes of practice, has been introduced in response to failings in the case of Child Q in 2020.

The 15-year-old black girl was strip-searched at her London school by police officers while on her period after being wrongly accused of possessing cannabis.

“Unless the child is already known to the local authority, the referral may not meet the threshold for a social work intervention, so the purpose of a referral is unclear and may risk adding to a child and family’s distress,” its consultation response states.

Lloyds Bank Foundation has published an intriguing report highlighting their findings from a decade of delivering skilled volunteering programmes.

Three weeks ahead of the general election, UK charities reveal that 70% of young people under 18 years old don’t know the name of their MP.   59% are unable to name which party their local MP belongs to and 79% are unaware of which issues matter most to their elected representative.

Young people’s mental health is facing an unprecedented storm of pressures and crises, with charities often providing vital shelter. With demand for NHS mental health services at record highs and waiting times for NHS treatment varying significantly across the UK, children and young people are increasingly being left at the mercy of the postcode lottery. For those left behind, charities provide a vital lifeline. 

How are charities responding to the rising mental health needs of children and young people? And how can funders better support the charity sector as it grapples with unprecedented demand? 

Their paper aims to chart the current landscape by exploring these questions and providing some answers.   

General election 2024: Key party manifesto pledges for the children and young people’s sector

The three main parties have published policy pledges in a bid to win the general election on 4 July.

From a Conservative promise to implement at national service programme for 18-year-olds to the Labour Party and Liberal Democrats promising mental health practitioners in every school, services for young people have factored heavily in campaigns so far.

CYP Now examines policies put forward across six key topics, how they could impact practice and the reaction to key proposals from the sector: Education, Early Years, Health, Social Care, Youth Justice, and Youth Work.

According to new research from three major mental health organisations – Children and Young People’s Mental Health Coalition, Mind and YoungMinds Young people don’t think politicians care about their mental health. Voters think politicians have not done enough to tackle this issue.

Less than half of young people (43%) say the main political parties running for the next election care about their mental health1. And nearly three in five adults (59%) say that politicians have not done enough on this issue over the last decade and less than a quarter of voters (23%) think it will be prioritised in this election.

The charities say the findings should serve as a wake-up call for politicians on the need for mental health to be a priority this election and for the next government. They add that there are very clear solutions that should be taken forward.

Number of EHC plans at January 2024 – 575,963

The number of EHC plans in place as at January 2024 increased by 58,914 (11.4%) from January 2023.

This publication provides data on children and young people with an education, health and care (EHC) plan in England and, historically, for those with a statement of special educational needs (SEN).

This report charts the disconcerting deterioration in children’s health and wellbeing we’ve seen in the 21st century as a result and the measures we’re challenging all political parties to commit to in order to ensure all children can grow up healthy and well nourished.

19,000 young adult carers could be missing out on vital support during studies because of Carer’s Allowance rule.  The so-called “21-hour rule” prevents people from claiming Carer’s Allowance if they study for 21 hours or more a week, even when they meet all the benefit’s other criteria

Abuse hotline, Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), sees most extreme year on record and calls for immediate action to protect very young children online.

The first-of-its kind new analysis shows three to six year old children being manipulated into sexual activities.

wider results – 92,665 reports were assessed by IWF (5% increase from 2022):

• • 392,620 were reports of webpages, and
  • 45 were reports of newsgroups.

275,652 URLs (webpages) were confirmed as containing child sexual abuse imagery, having links to the imagery or advertising it (8% increase from 2022).

In an article from the Public Sector Executive (PSE) talks about a report published by the Institute for Government that looks into how the funding of all local and combined authorities can be improved, whilst warning why the current method doesn’t work.

The report, titled Funding Local Growth in England, has claimed that local growth is being held up by the government’s ‘over-reliance’ on competitive bidding over local and combined authority funding. This has been explored in three different features of the funding landscape, which the IfG claims is undermining the government’s attempts to fund levelling up and other priorities.

These three features include the fact that there is a wide range of different funding methods available to authorities, but these have tight ringfences inhibiting how the money can be spent, as well as the fact that funding is often only for the short-term. The report has found that almost half of the grants that were issued in 2022/23 were due to expire after a year, with this making it harder to achieve stability or long-term planning.

If you want to keep your child connected while avoiding some online content or apps, a feature phone (or ‘dumb phone’) could be the answer.

Mobile phones can be an important and exciting piece of tech for kids to receive while growing up, but which type of phone to choose can be an equally challenging decision for any parent or carer.

Amid calls to address smartphone access and usage among under 16s, Vodafone has updated its ‘best phones for kids  hub to better highlight an alternative choice.

What are feature phones?

Basic feature phones are non-smartphones that often don’t have the ability to download apps, providing only the most essential functions, such as texting or calling. Some don’t even have web browsers.

Durable, affordable and easy to use, they can be a great alternative to smartphones for kids and teenagers.

The National Lottery Community Fund (NLCF), the largest community funder in the UK, has published its new Corporate Plan covering the next three years (2024 -2027). The plan sets out ‘ambitious targets’ to deliver on its strategy to support what matters most to communities across the UK.

The NLCF aims to distribute at least a further £4 billion by 2030 to support activities that create resilient communities that are more inclusive and environmentally sustainable – activities that will strengthen society and improve lives across the UK.

Key points include:

• More than 50% of all grants will go to communities experiencing greatest poverty and disadvantage.
• At least 15% of funding will go to projects that have environmental sustainability as their primary aim.
• The largest expansion of grassroots funding in three decades, with a target of reaching more than 80% of areas across the UK.
  • The National Lottery Awards for All small grants programme will include piloting a £50,000 grant award.
• The primary focus of more than 90% of grants is on one of four community-led missions:
  • Supporting communities to come together.
  • Be environmentally sustainable.
  • Help children and young people thrive.
  • Enable people to lead healthier lives.
• New funding portfolios will be launched in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, complemented by a UK-wide portfolio in 2024.

CIPD research shows UK employer investment in training continues to decline and overall apprenticeship numbers have dropped, especially for young people who most benefit from and need apprenticeships. This report calls for a reform of the existing Apprenticeship Levy to enhance employer investment in skills and boost opportunities for young people to secure apprenticeships that lead to quality employment.

New SFM research reveals schools are taking drastic measures to support increasing numbers of hungry children.  Current government policies and low-income thresholds exclude one million children living in food-insecure households from vital free school meals.

This review is focused on developing understandings around youth participatory
research and evaluation methods. This was achieved through a review that aimed to identify
and consolidate the existing literature across both academic and practice contexts. The
review responds to the following research questions:
• What can be learnt from previous research, and emerging practice, about how to
effectively design and implement youth participation approaches?
• What conditions, practices, skills or processes do research organisations develop or
embed to enable meaningful, impactful, ethical youth participation in research?

The report explores how the charity sector has fared over the last year and the challenges they face in 2024, from fundraising to recruitment.

The Children and Young People’s Mental Health Coalition and Centre for Mental Health have published a report on school absence. The report reviews Government data and examines the evidence base which finds a link between increases in school absence and the rise of mental health difficulties. The report discusses groups of children facing barriers to attendance such as care experienced children, children experiencing bullying, and children living in poverty. Recommendations call for the Department for Education to introduce a mental health and wellbeing absence code.

The report published by Child of the North and Anne Longfield’s Centre for Young Lives think tank, “Building the foundations of a new ‘Sure Start’: An evidence-based plan for connecting and coordinating support and services in and around education settings”, sets out the case for a new updated model of Sure Start that puts schools and nurseries at its heart. It proposes a national network of ‘hubs’ in educational settings that can provide services.

Children who are physically inactive may have high cholesterol in early adulthood and subsequent heart health issues in their mid-forties, according to new research published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

Age has long been a strong predictor of British voting behaviour: younger people identify more with the parties on the left, and older people with the parties on the right. This gap in preferences was relatively small and stable over the last few decades, but it has become remarkably wide since 2015, and was also well-evidenced at the EU referendum.

The briefing paper from the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel is part of an ongoing series of publications to share information arising from work undertaken by the panel

It warns that “children educated at home may not have access to people working in universal services that can act to protect and help them.”

The Youth Endowment Fund has published findings from research into children and young people’s experiences and opinions on youth violence in England and Wales. Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) was used to analyse qualitative research undertaken with 4,600 young people aged 16-25. Findings included: social media is generally viewed as contributing to escalating real-life violence; a lack of positive influence from adults can lead to involvement in violence; and the belief that positive activities help deter youth violence.

This research is about the lived experiences of Black/Global Majority Disabled pupils, aged 11-16 and their parents about schooling. It explores experiences of mainstream school placement, participation, support, and attitudes of school staff. The research found that there is inadequate support for Black/Global Majority Disabled pupils and their families in terms of advocacy, peer support to share information and provide clarity on entitlement, help to empower them and protect children’s right to mainstream education.

Children Should Stay at School Until 18 to Mitigate Covid Learning Loss, Think-Tank Suggests  A global think-tank has suggested that compulsory education should be extended to 18 to make up for lost learning during Covid lockdowns. A report by the OECD finds that the pandemic “posed significant challenges to education systems and students worldwide”, and that in the wake of the pandemic and various lockdowns there was “a pressing need to assess the effectiveness” of measures put in place to address these challenges.   The report also praises England’s use of “attendance advisers” in schools and local authorities and a national communications campaign aimed at reducing the numbers of children taking “preventable” days of absence.

How partnerships between the education and youth sectors can improve the accessibility, quality and impact of enrichment activities.

Enrichment activities include sports, arts clubs, volunteering, social action and adventures away from home. Evidence shows that  enrichment can improve young people’s essential skills, health and participation in education. However, evidence also shows wide disparities in access to enrichment. While schools and youth organisations work hard to provide enrichment to young people, they often
face challenges in working together to achieve the same goal.    This report was commissioned by the National Citizen Service Trust (NCS Trust) and the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) to understand how formal education and youth sector organisations can partner, collaborate and coordinate to improve young people’s access to high-quality enrichment opportunities.

Educational damage from the COVID-19 pandemic will have an impact on school pupils well into the 2030s, according to a study – A generation at risk Rebalancing education in the post-pandemic era involving the University of Strathclyde.

This paper from York St John University,  reports on a research project exploring the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on secondary school children’s mental health and wellbeing in York England

The Diana Awards are conducting this research to understand young people’s perspectives of the current landscape, identify barriers to political engagement, and create a picture of best practice.

The first stage of our research is a survey for 13–25-year-olds based in the UK.  https://form.jotform.com/thedianaaward/youthinsightsurvey

You can also access our toolkit here:  Youth Insights Survey_Toolkit.pdf

The new World Happiness Report based on surveys in 140 countries indicates young people are getting happier around the world but steadily less happy in North America and Europe. The UK ranks 32^nd out of the 140 countries for happiness among the under 30s, but 20^th among the over 60s.  also read  LSE Politics & Policy – Why Are Younger People Becoming Unhappier? Blog by Ben O’Loughlin and James Sloam

Mental health experts have criticised a lack of action by the government to tackle underlying issues behind persistent school absences such as poor emotional wellbeing and poverty

While many young people have grown up in a digital world, navigating information online can be tricky. Algorithms and search engine optimisation are designed to maximise profits, rather than with young people in mind.  There are a variety of services and resources aimed at young people experiencing problems, however, these are of no benefit if they can’t find them. This can lead to frustrating experiences for young people when they need support.  NPC, are imaging a world where digital infrastructure is open and well-funded, where different collaborators come together towards the common goal of providing young people with relevant information when they need it.  To read more on their work check out their blog.

Decarbonisation and net zero:

How the NHS can unlock its long-term sustainable future.

The NHE E.ON report on how the NHS is paving the way to becoming the world’s first net zero health service by 2040.

Learn about groundbreaking initiatives such as the first net zero surgery, sustainable tech adoption, and partnerships with energy experts like E.ON. This guide showcases the NHS’s efforts in tackling climate change, enhancing healthcare, and overcoming economic hurdles through innovation and strategic energy management.

Two weeks before the 2 May election, the incumbent mayor described his vision of a “Fairer, safer, greener London,” with a dizzying array of policies.

A large part of his stall concerns young Londoners. He promised to continue funding free lunchtime meals for state primary school children, and also announced ‘baby banks’, which would supply free food, nappies and other essentials to those who need them.

The Yorkshire and Humber Climate Action Plan was developed by the Yorkshire and Humber Climate Commission with the help of more than 500 people from across the region.

The Action Plan calls for meaningful climate leadership from larger institutions in government and the public and private sectors to deliver “significant, tangible contributions” to help tackle the climate and ecological emergency.

Fostering shared responsibility, moving from targets and planning to action, and putting climate and nature at the heart of all areas of decision making are three of the key recommendations from the Yorkshire and Humber Climate Commission, which also commits to undertake a raft of ambitious actions itself.

Gemma Lockyer Turnbull highlights the inconsistencies found in determining the age range when we describe work with young people and argues the need for more distinction between work with children and young people.

in this issue of the World Happiness Report we focus on the happiness of people at different stages of life.

The position of the young is discussed in finer detail in Chapter 3. This draws on a wide range of data sources and also includes data for young people aged 10-15.

In many but not all regions, the young are happier than the old.

To find out what else the report had to say click ‘read the report here’ button

This article reviews the impacts of the UK Conservative Party’s government policies on ‘open access youth work’ since 2010, giving particular attention to the period since 2018 and to impacts in England. After clarifying the practice’s distinctive features, it outlines the ‘austerity’ demolition of its local provision and—amid continuing wider financial pressures—changes in the role and contributions of the voluntary youth sector.

A landmark healthcare review has called on the NHS to ensure gender identity services for young people match the standards of its other forms of care and support.   “It is absolutely right that children and young people, who may be dealing with a complex range of issues around their gender identity, get the best possible support and expertise throughout their care.” — Dr Hilary Cass

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and the Department for Education (DfE) have published an annual report on the work of the Supporting Families programme in England from 2023 to 2024.  From April 2024, the programme is moving from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to the DfE. The report includes the latest performance figures, research findings and policy developments for the Supporting Families programme

The Children’s Commissioner has published findings from The Big Ambition, a large-scale consultation of children and young people aged 6-18-years-old in England carried out between September 2023 and January 2024.

Findings include:

• Only 22% of children agreed that the people who run the country listen to what they have to say
• 93% of respondents agreed that they live with people who make them ‘feel loved and cared for.
• 75% of respondents agreed they feel safe online.

A review of youth work policy and practice over the current parliament has set out a series of recommendations for how to reform services under a new government to better meet young people’s emerging support needs. The rapid review by MPs Lloyd Russell-Moyle and Ben Bradley follows a call for evidence published with responses from frontline youth work organisations and practitioners informing the recommendations on priority areas for the next parliament.

MP’s review has 3 recommendations

1. Under the next government there should be a minister who has a portfolio focussed on young people.
2. With youth work seen as an essential service a national youth workforce strategy is needed.
3. There needs to be a standardised and national system for evaluating the sufficiency, suitability and quality of youth work.

Young homeless people feel dismissed and ignored when they approach local authorities for help, according to a new LSE report.  The report found there were several barriers experienced by young people when approaching a local authority for support and that having a charity advocate on their behalf was often crucial

In this article Gemma Lockyer Turnbull highlights the inconsistencies found in determining the age range when we describe work with young people and argues the need for more distinction between work with children and young people.  This article will explore what age means in the context of youth work in England and how this relates to the profession in 2024. It will pose questions about why the age range may have been lowered and the impact that reductions in children’s work and funding, along with access to youth work qualifications, may have had on this. It will provide my own reflections, as a manager working in the sector, about what this change could mean for practice, and the funding and profile of youth work.

Make your Mark 2024 Draft Results – over half a million young people shared what was important to them.   Please note these are draft, keep a note of any inaccuracies, for the final version.

Health and wellbeing

Crime and safety

Culture media sport

congratulations to Barnsley for being one of the highest turn outs. BYC MYM Results 2024 v1

FAO’s insightful new report, “The unjust climate: Measuring the impacts of climate change on rural poor, women, and youth,” lays bare how climate change disparately affects people, with a special focus on those in rural areas. Urgent action is needed to address vulnerabilities & support adaptation strategies for those in need. The report is based on over 109,000 households in 24 countries from 5 regions of the world, and it draws on 70 years of rainfall and temperature data.

New review finds criminally exploited children being harmed by failing system.  The review heard there is currently no agreed legal definition of the criminal exploitation of children, which is a complex type of child abuse where a young person is manipulated or pressured to take part in criminal activity. 

Youth workers are stepping in to cover for a lack of help from parents and families to prevent children in London from being involved in violent crime, a report has found.

People under the age of 30 are experiencing the equivalent of a mid-life crisis in some parts of the world, a new report has found.

Average happiness of young people is on the decline across the West.  Lithuania took the top spot for young people, with its under-30 population rating their happiness an average of 7.6 out of 10. Israel and Serbia followed in second and third. The shift has driven the US out of the top 20 happiest countries overall for the first time since reporting began. The UK placed 32nd for young people and the US at number 62.

also see World Happiness Report: Young people in the West becoming unhappier – BBC News

In 2024, the combined impact of the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis has exposed and worsened inequalities in our society. Families are struggling to make ends meet, children are going to school hungry and coming back to a cold home. Meanwhile, years of underfunding have left vital services increasingly unable to cope with rising levels of need for support.
In this report, Barnardos highlight some of the biggest challenges facing children and young people today and explain how we’re driving the change they need now and in the years to come

Bracknell Forest youth justice team (YJT) has received an overall rating of ‘good’ following an inspection by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation in November last year.

The YJT was rated ‘good’ across three broad areas – the arrangements for organisational delivery of the service, the quality of work done with children sentenced by the courts, and the quality of out-of-court disposal work.

New figures sourced from NHS England using the Children’s Commissioner’s legislative powers reveal that in 2022/23, 949,200 children and young people were referred to child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) – equal to 8% of the 11.9 million children in England.

The De Souza’s Children’s Mental Health Services 2022-23 report found that 32% of children and young people referred to mental health services received support but 28% – close to 270,300 – were still waiting for support from mental health services.

A further 39% of those waiting for help had their referral closed before accessing support.

The report shows that waiting times for mental health support continue to vary significantly.

For the 305,000 children and young people who accessed support the average waiting time was 35 days, however, in the last year nearly 40,000 children experienced a wait of over two years.

In The Glass Cliff, Sophie Williams explores how structural inequality in the workplace disguises itself as the personal failures of women, and how we can change the world of work for the better. Here, she discusses the reversal of women’s rights in recent years and what we can do about it

Young Londoners on Low Incomes Spend 77 Per Cent Of Earnings on Housing, Report Finds  Londoners in their late 20s on low incomes are now spending 77 per cent of their income on housing costs, a new report has found. The City Hall investigation found that in other parts of the country, people aged 25-29 and on below-average incomes spend less than half that amount, at 33 per cent of their income.   The report found that while 40 per cent of people across England aged 16-39 are homeowners, the figure in London was just 30 per cent. According to City Hall data, the average London house price in June 2023 was £528,000, with the average deposit being £143,000.   The report concluded that “young Londoners face an almost impossible situation of high rents and house prices that are out of kilter with incomes”. It pointed out that the median annual income for Londoners aged 22-29 in 2023 was £33,343, while those aged 30-39 had a median income of £43,193.

Almost a quarter of a million children are waiting for mental health support despite being referred to services in 2022/23, analysis of NHS figures by the Children’s Commissioner for England finds.  New figures sourced from NHS England using the Children’s Commissioner’s legislative powers reveal that in 2022/23, 949,200 children and young people were referred to child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) – equal to 8% of the 11.9 million children in England.  The report found that 32% of children and young people referred to mental health services received support but 28% – close to 270,300 – were still waiting for support from mental health services. A further 39% of those waiting for help had their referral closed before accessing support.

Pupils with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND) are among the most likely to be suspended by schools multiple times, researchers have found.  Those suspended 10 times or more are almost three times as likely to be pupils with SEND compared to pupils who are suspended once. Pupils with social, emotional or mental health special needs are the most common group among suspended pupils.  The report also found that suspended pupils are around a year behind their peers by the time they take their GCSE’s and pupils with multiple suspensions are likely to be in an mainstream school.

Corporate parenting duties on councils should be extended across a raft of other public sector organisations, including the NHS and government departments, according to a cross-party group of MPs and peers.

The Youth Select Committee have launched their report investigating the cost of living’s impact on young people’s health and wellbeing.

key findings and recommendations include:

• Many young people feel excluded from the policy-making processes that directly have an impact on their lives
• The high cost of living is negatively affecting young people’s ability to secure stable jobs, with lower wages preventing young people from applying to certain roles.
• The current eligibility criteria for free school meals does not capture all of those in need, instead resulting in a “postcode lottery”.
• British Youth Council | Youth Select Committee (byc.org.uk)

Barnardo’s commissioned a YouGov poll of 1,001 children aged 14-17 across Great Britain. They were asked to imagine themselves aged 30 and answer a set of questions about what their lives would be like at that age. Key Findings show:

• 55% of children responding believe that their generation will not be as well off as their parents.
• 34% think their own children will be even worse off than they are.

61% don’t think they’ll own their own house – 24% think they’ll still be at home with their parents and 10% in shared accommodation.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport commissioned an independent provider to conduct the youth provision and life outcomes research. They conducted three research projects to address specific evidence gaps:

A study of longitudinal research. The report explores the effects of weekly participation in youth clubs on outcomes later in life. Including education, employment, mental health and life satisfaction.

A study of international evidence. This report is a systematic review and identifies and critically assesses the available international evidence on the impact of youth services.

A study of the local impact of youth clubs. This report explores the effects of reducing youth provision funding on community outcomes in local areas.

The authors conclude:

There is a clear association between participation in youth provision and positive short-term outcomes relating to physical health and wellbeing, pro-social behaviours and education. There is also strong evidence that these short-term outcomes are sustained over decades and, compared with non-participants, people who attended youth clubs continue to score more highly for several of these indicators of wellbeing.

comment: These are really important findings, but sadly set against a backdrop of stark cuts in services since 2010 which have been exacerbated as a result of the pandemic. Hopefully despite the huge funding challenges for LAs, this report will help make an ‘invest to save’ case for increasing youth work provision again.

Children’s Services Spending ‘Biggest Short-Term Pressure for Councils’, Say Leaders Spending on children’s services, including support for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), is the biggest short-term pressure facing local authorities struggling to balance their budgets, according to two-thirds of councils. The findings have emerged in the Local Government Information Unit’s latest report on the state of local government finance in England.

Action to improve young people’s mental health, education and employment  The transition to adulthood is a tumultuous time: leaving education, entering the labour market, living independent of family and managing one’s finances all come with their stresses and strains. But this crucial part of the life course can be especially challenging for young people with mental health problems who are more likely to struggle in the adult world than their healthier peers.  Key finding Over one-in-three (34 per cent) of young people aged 18-24 reported symptoms that indicated they were experiencing a common mental health disorder (CMD) like depression, anxiety or bipolar disorder – a big increase since 2000 when less one-in-four (24 per cent) reported these problems. As a result, more than half a million 18-24-year-olds were prescribed anti-depressants in 2021-22.

has published their latest annual report – The Road Ahead 2024, which looks at major trends and issues for 2024 for the VCSE sector in order to ‘chart a path through the year’. Highlights from the report focus on the following areas:

• An election year brings uncertainty – but also opportunity
• Tough economic times set to continue
• Adapting to the big social, environmental and technology shifts

Technology, online spaces and digital communication are now so embedded in children’s daily activities that it is almost impossible to separate online interactions from other aspects of their social lives.

While not necessarily inappropriate, children’s involvement in sexual behaviour through technology is complex. Often children will create images of themselves consensually as part of a sexual relationship, but some – particularly girls – share images because of coercion, sexual extortion or trafficking. Understanding children’s exposure to and experiences of viewing pornography can improve understanding of their sexual behaviour.

Agenda Alliance has discovered that growing numbers of Black Caribbean girls were kicked out of school during 2021/22. Data obtained from the Department of Education via Freedom of Information requests has found that in the 2021/22 academic year, girls from a Black Caribbean background were excluded at double the rate of white British girls.

Analysis of the latest data across local authorities, policing, criminal justice and sexual assault referral centres collated to explore how child sexual abuse is being identified and responded to in England and Wales.

Latest report finds that children are the victims in 40% of all sexual offences – including rape and sexual assault – yet make up just 20% of the population in England & Wales.

In partnership with Unicef UK and the Equality and Human Rights Commission, CRAE has published three new briefings to help parliamentarians and civil society organisations hold government to account to ensure the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child’s (UN Committee) latest Concluding Observations on the UK are taken forward.

The Concluding Observations set out the UN Committee’s verdict on how well the UK is respecting children’s rights following its examination last year on the UK’s implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).  While the UN Committee noted some areas of progress since its 2016 report on the UK, it highlighted a wide range of issues that are detrimentally impacting on children and made nearly 200 recommendations for action.   It is crucial that these recommendations are now implemented.

Downloads of the briefings are available from the website (click read this report).

The Department for Education should produce guidance for schools on the implementation of good emotional health for children, a new report has urged.

A shift towards supporting children to understand emotional health from a young age could prevent NHS England spending £36.7bn on mental health services by 2040, finds the research by the Centre for Emotional Health and think tank Demos.

The new survey has revealed that 3 in 4 UK parents with children under five are anxious about their child’s emotional and mental wellbeing.

New research suggests that transgender people are 5x more likely to have a long-term mental health condition compared to cisgender people, and more likely to have their mental health needs unmet by their GP.

Latest NHS data, analysed by  YoungMinds, shows that the number of open referrals to Children and Young People’s Mental Health Services is the highest on record.

Improved partnerships between justice services and youth workers are needed to better support racially minoritised young people when they transition between children’s and adult services, according to a report.

Social prescribing: Moving pediatric care upstream to improve child health and wellbeing and address child health inequities.

The number of children entering the youth justice system has increased for the first time in 10 years, with more younger children becoming known to services

Study finds growth over past decade in share of cases involving multiple factors, including where children face risks inside and outside the home and domestic abuse is combined with other concern.  A lack of joined up working with children’s social care and education settings is contributing to inconsistencies in addressing the needs of babies, children and young people in local health plans, according to research.

The UK Trauma Council (UKTC), a project of Anna Freud, has produced a short animation to support children and young people affected by trauma after war and conflict. The UKTC has also produced toolkits for professionals working in the UK with children and young people who have sought refuge and asylum, often as a result of war and conflict

The Youth Index is an annual research report based on a YouGov survey of 2,239 16- to 25-year-olds across the UK, gauging young people’s confidence and happiness across a range of areas, from their physical and mental health to money and working life

Youth unemployment increased in 2023, after a period of improvement in 2022, according to data by the ONS and Trust for London

he typical understanding many people have of modern slavery involves foreign nationals exploited in prostitution or forced to work in inhumane conditions under threats and violence. Yet the most prevalent form of modern slavery in the UK reported by the Home Office over the past four years primarily involves the exploitation of British nationals, mostly teenagers and vulnerable adults, forced, coerced or groomed into committing crime for someone else’s benefit known as ‘criminal exploitation

The North West, North East, Yorkshire & Humber and the West Midlands have the highest percentage of children affected by the two-child limit across the UK. The data also reveals a strong correlation between the two-child limit and areas with high rates of child poverty.

Rochdale Council and police failed to protect children at risk of sexual exploitation in the Greater Manchester town more than a decade ago, an independent review has found

The Children’s Commissioner for England has published a report looking at children’s views on video gaming. Findings from a survey of 8- to 17-year-olds in England show around two thirds of children viewed video games as beneficial to children’s health and wellbeing

This publication looks at the data for the youth justice system in England and Wales for the year ending March 2023. Key findings: In the year to 31 March 2023, the number of children entering the justice system for the first time increased by one per cent on the previous year to 8,400 – the first increase since 2012.