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Refugee Council sounds warning after children wrongly issued with notices of intent by Home OfficeUK politics – latest updatesLone child asylum seekers are at risk of being sent to Rwanda because the Home Office has wrongly classified some as adults, it has been claimed.The Refugee Council, which works with these children, has warned of the risk after more than a dozen of the children...

Campaigners say cash-strapped local authorities are placing young people in budget accommodation, making them targets for grooming by criminal gangsVulnerable teenagers in care are being placed in hotels by cash-strapped councils, with experts warning they are being “served up” to criminal gangs.Children aged 16 to 17 are entering care in greater numbers than any other age group, often with complex needs, and experts say...

Young people feel their internet activity is overwhelmed by betting promotions and similar content, says GambleAware Children are “saturated” with betting promotions and gambling-like content while using the internet, despite restrictions on ad campaigns targeting young people, new research reveals.GambleAware, the charity funded by donations from gambling firms, commissioned research that found the risks of online gambling were not understood by children because of the...

Change to civil code will bring Japan into line with other G7 countries, amid concerns existing law inflicts psychological harm on childrenDivorced couples in Japan will for the first time be able to negotiate joint custody of their children after parliament voted this week for changes to laws permitting only sole custody.Under Japan’s civil code, couples must decide which parent will take custody of...

Leading consultant paediatrician says unproven treatments and ‘toxicity’ of trans debate damaging outcomesKey findingsAnalysisThousands of vulnerable children questioning their gender identity have been let down by the NHS providing unproven treatments and by the “toxicity” of the trans debate, a landmark report has found.The UK’s only NHS gender identity development service used puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones, which masculinise or feminise people’s appearances, despite...

Parent of trans girl says report promotes agenda that ‘things need to be made more difficult’ for children with gender dysphoriaThousands of children unsure of gender identity ‘let down by NHS’Analysis: review has major implications for mental health servicesWhile the Cass report’s 400 pages will be pored over and debated, one thing is certain – young trans people face an anxious future.The mother of...

Boy, as yet unidentified, is third child killed by San Bernardino law enforcement in less than two years and second in under a monthSouthern California sheriff’s deputies shot and killed a 17-year-old boy with mental health issues after he armed himself with a knife and locked himself inside a bathroom at a home, authorities said Wednesday.The teen was being transferred from a hospital, where...

Charity publishes survey findings as it calls for youngsters to be no more than a 15-minute walk from green spacesMore than three-quarters of children want to spend more time in nature, the National Trust has found, as the conservation charity pushes ministers to ensure youngsters are no more than a 15-minute walk from green spaces.Nearly two-thirds – 63% – of parents are able to...

Death of 13-year-old boy has put spotlight on juvenile crime and the plight of children left behind by rural migrant workersThe killing of a 13-year-old boy in northern China last week, for which three boys are in police custody, has triggered a heated discussion in the media on juvenile crime and the plight of children left at home by migrant workers.Police arrested three boys...

First 1001 Days Movement says five-year decline in toddler development is a ‘ticking time bomb’ for the UKAn incoming Labour government must revive the 1997 spirit of Sure Start and put babies at the heart of policies if it is to achieve its goals, a coalition of charities has said.The First 1001 Days Movement, a coalition of more than 200 charities and professionals, said...

Inspector says he was ‘deeply shocked’ by incidents with no female officer present at young offender institutionAn “incredibly vulnerable” girl held in a young offender institution was pinned down and stripped by an all-male group of officers on at least two occasions, a watchdog has discovered.Charities have called for all female offenders to be removed from YOI Wetherby in West Yorkshire after the damning...

Twenty organisations including Refugee Council say children being failed and abused by Home OfficeFoster families and social workers are demanding an independent inquiry after it emerged that Home Office-employed staff forced refugee children to play a game to guess who would be the next one to be placed in foster care.In a letter published today in the Guardian, the British Association of Social Workers,...

Exclusive: Guardian investigation for podcast series Black Box reveals names connected to app that generated nonconsensual images of underage girls around the worldPrologue: the collision – podcastThe first Miriam al-Adib learned of the pictures was when she returned home from a business trip. “Mum,” said her daughter. “I want to show you something.”The girl, 14, opened her phone to show an explicit image of...

London business group says clarifying funding for providers could deliver £11bn economic prize by freeing more adults to workJeremy Hunt is being urged by business leaders to urgently fix the UK’s broken childcare system to secure a boost to the economy worth £11bn by enabling more parents and carers to work.In the run-up to next week’s budget, industry leaders said the chancellor needed to...

Nuffield Foundation to also recommend longer half-term breaks in proposed overhaul of calendar ‘in place since Victorian times’England should ditch its school calendar “stuck in place since Victorian times” and replace it with shorter summer holidays and longer half-term breaks to improve the lives of pupils and teachers, according to a new report.The report on tackling post-pandemic education inequalities, to be published by the...

Suffolk-based schools trust also found that pupil absences for illness fell 25% after extending autumn holidayWhen Unity Schools Partnership decided to double the length of its half-term break last autumn, it was hoping to improve attendance and staff wellbeing. But Tim Coulson, the trust’s chief executive, said he was “blown away” by the positive results.The Suffolk-based trust found that pupil absences for illness fell...

Local WhatsApp group started by two mothers concerned about online safety attracts more than 4,000 membersMore than 4,000 parents have joined a group committed to barring young children from having smartphones, as concerns grow about online safety and the impact of social media on mental health.The WhatsApp group Smartphone Free Childhood was created by the former school friends Clare Fernyhough and Daisy Greenwell in...

Young people with complex needs face long waits for places because providers fear negative watchdog reportsSome care homes in England are refusing to take children with complex needs because they are worried it might affect their Ofsted inspection ratings, fuelling concern that vulnerable young people in the social care system are having to wait months or even years for a stable home.Last month, an...

Other failures listed in damning official report include blaming children for ‘making poor choices’Metropolitan police officers tried to put off children from making complaints about alleged sexual abuse and privately blamed young people for crimes suffered, a damning official report has revealed.Most investigations into child exploitation were rated as inadequate by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC). Of the 244 cases it examined, 43...

Exclusive: testimonies describing malnourishment and disease to renew pressure on government to repatriate dozens of Britons, many of them childrenBritish mothers held in a prison camp in north-east Syria fear that they may die in detention after an “alarming” deterioration in living conditions.Their testimony – revealed in a series of WhatsApp messages seen by the Guardian – will place fresh pressure on the UK...

Draft legislation will aim to stop firms trying to get around legislation, says health secretaryUK ministers will aim to stop firms from skirting around an upcoming ban on disposable vapes by eliminating ruses such as attaching charging points to them, the health secretary has said.The draft legislation, being introduced in parallel with an already announced ban on selling tobacco products to anyone born on...

The two names also held the top spots together in 2021, highlighting the ongoing popularity of both names with Queensland parentsClose call: most popular Australian baby names of the past century revealedGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastOliver and Isla have topped the list of Queensland’s most popular baby names for 2023.Isla was the most frequent name for...

Coroner concluded 14-year-old girl took her life after prolonged and sustained bullying in person and onlineThe father of a 14-year-old girl who killed herself after being bullied has said his family are victims of a “failing system” after an inquest into her death.Mia Janin, a year 10 pupil at the Jewish free school in Kenton, north-west London, was found dead at her family home...

Charities call on government to prioritise outside spaces for play as MPs begin inquiry into planning and children’s wellbeingChildren and young people are suffering huge damage to their health and wellbeing from policymakers refusing to prioritise the need for outdoor play, charities have said.As MPs begin an inquiry into how better planning could enhance the wellbeing of children, the charities said urgent change was...