The government has launched a consultation on children’s social media use as part of a raft of new measures to make children safer online. Aiming to deliver a safer ‘digital childhood’, the government has opened a “swift, 3-month consultation” on a range of proposed measures to help ensure children have a healthy relationship with...
Childline launches new campaign to support youth mental health
Childline has launched a new campaign to support positive youth mental health and encourage device-free time. The free and confidential helpline for children said that mental health concerns accounted for more than half of all counselling sessions they delivered to children and young people last year. They delivered almost 83,000 counselling sessions on the...
Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training through an approved NHS Framework
First Response Training (FRT) are pleased to be awarded a place on the Training and Development Services framework delivered by the NHS Collaborative Procurement Hub. We are an approved provider of Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training via this framework, which provides a fully compliant, pre-approved route to market for all NHS organisations, part or fully government funded organisations and blue-light...
Mental Health Act 2025 to put patients ‘back in control’
The landmark Mental Health Bill has received Royal Assent, meaning it is now law, and will finally modernise outdated mental health legislation. The government says the new Mental Health Act 2025 will ensure that patients with severe mental illness will be better protected and receive better care and support. The Mental Health Act 1983...
New finger-prick test could indicate Alzheimer’s risk
A new finger-prick blood test could be used to assess a person’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. The test is being assessed in an international trial involving 1,000 volunteers aged over 60 across the UK, US and Canada. It aims to detect biomarkers in the blood associated with Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form...
Skills for Care campaign urges care workers to keep learning
Once again, Skills for Care have kicked off the New Year with their annual spotlight on learning and development, the Keep Learning campaign. Running throughout January and February, the 2026 spotlight campaign is focused on the message of ‘Keep learning to build your future,’ and explores the pivotal role of learning and development in...
First autistic Barbie doll launches to mixed reaction
Toy giant Mattel have launched their first autistic Barbie in a bid to improve “representation and inclusion,” but the doll has been met with a mixed reaction. Launched on Monday 12th January 2026, Mattel’s first autistic Barbie was created in collaboration with US charity the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) and research included testing...
Health and safety statistics show ‘workplace health challenges persist’
The latest workplace health and safety statistics have served to highlight that “workplace health challenges persist,” in Great Britain. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) which publishes the annual summary of workplace health and safety statistics for Great Britain, has highlighted Britain’s leading health and safety record, but also cautioned that many health challenges...
IOSH report sets out roadmap to ‘Fixing sick Britain’
A recent report from the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) sets out a plan for healthier, more productive workplaces. IOSH’s Fixing sick Britain whitepaper draws on the expertise of the UK’s foremost occupational health organisations and experts to address how to get people back to work by applying good occupational health and...
Only 5% of people with learning disabilities are in paid employment
A new report has revealed that less than 5% of people with a learning disability are in paid employment (4.8%). A landmark review into supporting people to stay in work found that people with disabilities face significant barriers to entering the workplace and to staying in work due to a lack of appropriate adjustments....
Embrace the power for good this Anti-Bullying Week
It’s Anti-Bullying Week, with the theme Power for Good chosen to inspire people to do something positive to counter the harm that bullying causes. Organised by the Anti-Bullying Alliance (ABA) and taking place from Monday 10th – Friday 14th November 2025 across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the annual Anti-Bullying Week aims to raise...
Optimise employee wellbeing this Stress Awareness Week
It’s International Stress Awareness Week, and the theme this year is all about optimising employee wellbeing through strategic stress management. International Stress Awareness Week takes places from 3rd-7th November, with today (5th November) marking Stress Awareness Day and the sixth Global Online Stress and Wellbeing Summit. Led by the International Stress Management Association (ISMA),...
CQC’s State of Care report reveals ‘severe strain’
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has published its annual State of Care report, which reveals a health and social care system under “severe strain.” The care watchdog has warned that a lack of funding for community services threatens the proposed shift towards care outside of the hospital environment and also risks an “erosion” in...
Government urged to end physical punishment against children
High profile campaigners have signed a letter urging the government to end physical punishment against children in England. The letter has been signed by a powerful coalition of nearly 300 public figures alongside parliamentarians, academics, health professionals, charities and other organisations. They are demanding urgent legislative change, removing the legal right for adults to...
Is the idea of an autism spectrum misleading?
The latest thinking about autism suggests the idea of a single autism spectrum may be misleading, outdated and unhelpful. A concept which has shaped thinking around autism since the 1980s, the idea of a single autism spectrum, ranging from mild to severe, is now being called in to question by researchers and many people...