The NSPCC has launched a new campaign to tackle the “heart-breaking” loneliness experienced by children and young people across the country. The ‘Day in the Lonely’ campaign uses day-in-the-life style videos to illustrate how three young people experience loneliness. The videos, based on real-life calls received by Childline, are designed to encourage children to...
Let’s Connect for Children’s Mental Health Week
This week (6th-12th February 2023) is Children’s Mental Health Week and the theme for this year is Let’s Connect, as data suggests more than two-thirds of children experiencing mental health problems feel socially anxious. The annual awareness week is run by children’s mental health charity, Place2Be, and was first launched in 2015 to help...
Parents urged to keep sick children at home
Parents have been urged to keep children away from school or nursery if they feel unwell and have a fever, as flu, Covid-19 and Strep A infections continue to rise. The advice was issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) as families across the UK prepare for children to return to school and...
Childline supports young people with sexuality and gender identity
During Pride Month, Childline has voiced its support for children and young people struggling with their gender identity or sexuality. The national charity helpline says that, over the past year, it has seen a 29% increase in the number of young people contacting them to talk about concerns relating to coming out. The helpline...
Department for Education had ‘no plan’ to deal with pandemic
A group of MPs has claimed that the Department for Education (DfE) had “no plan” to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic. A report from the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) says the DfE struggled to react to the unfolding pandemic in a timely and effective way and that their failure to set standards for both...
Childline counsels 90,000 children during pandemic
The NSPCC’s confidential helpline, Childline, delivered nearly 90,000 counselling sessions for young people worried about mental health or abuse during the Covid-19 pandemic. The national children’s charity said they had grown increasingly concerned about the “huge toll” the pandemic has had on young people. Data from Childline for the period 1st April 2020 until...
More parents facing mental health issues due to pandemic
The NSPCC has reported that the number of people contacting them about parental mental health concerns has risen by 44% since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. The national children’s charity says that, between April 2020 and January 2021, its confidential helpline received 3,608 contacts from adults worried about parental mental health, representing a...
Public support strict laws to protect children online
A survey commissioned by the NSPCC has found that 90% of adults support the introduction of tougher laws to protect children from online abuse. The YouGov poll questioned more than 2,000 adults and found that the vast majority backed new laws aimed at keeping children safe on social media, with 9 in 10 agreeing...
Survey reveals impact of coronavirus on UK children
A new survey capturing the experiences of children and young people during the pandemic has revealed many have faced mental health challenges over the past year. Conducted by Survation for Newsround, the survey asked over 2,000 6–16-year-olds from all across the UK about their experiences during 2020-21, questioning them about a range of issues,...
Concerns about parental substance misuse rise 66%
The NSPCC has reported a 66% rise in the number of people contacting them with concerns about parental substance misuse. The national children’s charity says that long-term drug and alcohol misuse among parents has become a growing concern for members of the public, who are contacting their helpline with fears for children being put...
Vulnerable children must be put ‘centre stage’ post-Covid
The Children’s Commissioner for England has called on the government to put vulnerable children “centre stage” in forthcoming plans to “build back better” after the Covid-19 pandemic. In her final speech after six years in the role, Anne Longfield said that plans to “level up” the nation must start with its most vulnerable children...
Childline raises concerns over mental health of children
Childline has raised concerns about the mental health of children and young people after delivering over 50,000 counselling sessions since the first peak of the coronavirus pandemic. The NSPCC’s confidential charity helpline delivered 54,926 counselling sessions to children and young people between April and December 2020. This represents a 16% increase in the average...
Ofsted warns of ‘invisibility of vulnerable children’ in lockdown
Ofsted have warned that vulnerable children at risk of harm have “slipped out of sight” during the national coronavirus lockdown. England’s Chief Inspector of Schools, Amanda Spielman, has warned that, when schools were closed during the first national lockdown, children may have missed out on the help they needed due to teachers being unable...
Children more likely to catch Covid in second wave
Children are now more likely than adults to be infected with Covid-19 and bring the infection into a household, it has been revealed. The government’s scientific advisors say that the number of school-age children with coronavirus has risen “significantly” during the second wave compared with the first, and that people living with secondary-school-age children...
More than 100 online sex crimes against children recorded each day
The NSPCC has revealed that online sex crimes recorded against children have passed the equivalent of 100 per day. Analysis of the latest Home Office data shows that, between January and March 2020, the number of online sex crimes against children recorded by police reached the equivalent of 101 per day across England and...