World Mental Health Day is observed on 10th October each year. For 2025, the focus is on protecting mental health and wellbeing in times of global instability. The official annual theme is set by the World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH). For World Mental Health Day 2025 the theme is: ‘access to services –...
Autism community warns about ‘dangerous’ Trump claims
Prominent voices from within the autism community – together with health officials and medical experts – have warned that President Trump’s claims about autism are “really dangerous” and could have a significant negative impact. Speaking from the White House on Monday, where he was accompanied by his Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, President...
Share support this Youth Mental Health Day
Tomorrow (19th September) is Youth Mental Health Day 2025 in the UK, with the theme of ‘Share Support’ encouraging children, young people and their families to connect, share and access vital support. Led by youth mental health charity Stem4, Youth Mental Health Day is an important annual movement, designed to raise awareness of mental...
National Inclusion Week 2025 focuses on inclusion, urgency and resilience
It’s National Inclusion Week in the UK, a campaign led by Inclusive Employers to “spark conversations and inspire thinking about inclusion,” with a campaign focus on inclusion, urgency, resilience and “the need to push forward” for change. National Inclusion Week 2025 is being observed from 15th to 21st September in the UK, and this...
Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training improves awareness and care
Healthcare workers have praised the Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training programme for providing them with a “deeper insight” into Oliver’s experiences, helping to improve patient care and enhance communication. Staff from Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust attended an Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training Tier 2 session during August. The session was delivered by leading national...
Overdue LeDeR report reveals “stark new figures”
The 2023 LeDeR report has been presented to Parliament and published online. The arguably long overdue report relates to avoidable and preventable deaths of people with learning disabilities and autistic people which occurred in the UK in 2023. It reveals some small improvements against a backdrop of “stark new figures” and “unacceptable” differences in...
LeDeR report faces ‘unacceptable delay’
Campaigners urge the government to publish the latest LeDeR report, after it experiences an unexplained and “unacceptable” delay. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is facing mounting pressure to release the delayed report into the deaths of people with learning disabilities and autistic people, with critics accusing the government of “sitting on”...
HSE highlights risks to young people at work
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has been highlighting its advice and guidance for protecting the health, safety and welfare of young people at work. As the academic year draws to a close and many young people finish secondary or further education, they may be looking to enter the workplace for the first time...
HSE publishes latest figures for work-related fatalities
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published the latest annual statistics for work-related fatalities in Great Britain. The health and safety watchdog has revealed that a total of 124 workers died in work-related incidents between April 2024 and March 2025, which is a decrease of 14 from the previous year. Two decades ago,...
Charity helplines prepare for rise in concerns about children this summer
Childline are preparing for a rise in children contacting them about loneliness this summer, while the NSPCC Helpline is also expecting an increase in adults reporting concerns about children being left home alone. Childline is reminding people that their free, confidential helpline and their Building Connections service are both available to provide support and...
Children with special educational needs could lose ‘vital’ support
The government has been urged to retain education, health and care plans (EHCPs) for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. Ministers have so far refused to rule out scrapping the education plans, but campaigners argue they provide children with special educational needs with “vital provision,” and “precious legal protections.” When...
FRT nominated at the National Learning Disabilities and Autism Awards
First Response Training (FRT) were nominated for an award at this year’s National Learning Disabilities and Autism Awards. The leading national training provider was nominated in the Employer category, and had the distinction of being the only training provider to be shortlisted in this category. Held on Friday 4th July 2025 at the ICC...
NHS 10-Year Plan outlines key reforms for healthcare
The government recently published their NHS 10-Year Plan, which outlines key reforms for the future of healthcare in England, but omits learnings from avoidable deaths. The Fit for the future: 10-Year Health Plan for England was published on 3rd July 2025 to address the “critical condition” of the NHS and “guarantee its sustainability for...
Oliver McGowan Draft Code of Practice sets standards for training
The government has published the new Oliver McGowan draft code of practice on statutory learning disability and autism training, which sets out the standards required of this training. The Oliver McGowan draft code of practice has been developed to support the implementation of the statutory requirement, introduced by the Health and Care Act 2022,...
Skills for Care focuses on developing everyday leadership
Skills for Care have launched a campaign aimed at developing and supporting everyday leadership in adult social care. The national workforce development charity is running its ‘Everyday leadership’ campaign throughout June and July to help leaders and managers in the sector identify what good leadership looks like. The everyday leaders campaign also wants to...