The Children's Society

Our Director of Young People’s Services, Nick Cook, will be chairing Westminster Insight’s upcoming County Lines Conference. The event will spotlight a wide range of important topics like the future of the National County Lines Policing Strategy, the influence of social media, early intervention activities and more. Nick will be opening the event, providing insight, and facilitating discussion throughout. Date: Friday 31st January Time: 09:15 – 13:30 Where: Online Register here to learn more: https://lnkd.in/dMRJ5Spa #CountryLines #CountyLinesWM

This week, our CEO Mark Russell gave evidence to the Children’s Wellbeing & Schools Bill Committee. The Bill is a great first step towards putting children and their wellbeing at the heart of government and represents an opportunity to overturn the decline in young people’s. In particular, we welcome measures to improve information sharing, expand breakfast clubs and reduce school uniform costs. We’re grateful for the opportunity to present the case for the introduction of a national wellbeing measurement and more early intervention support in the Bill. If we want to genuinely transform young people’s wellbeing, we need to measure it.

At The Children’s Society, we aim to consult children and young people on the issues that affect their lives as much as possible. Listening to young people can help us understand how they feel adults respond to their needs, including on issues like preventing child exploitation.  Our national Prevention programme works with thousands of professionals to tackle child exploitation.  Our latest report consulted 324 young people to find out how they feel about these issues, to understand what they think may be preventing adults from taking effective action.  Young people reported that lack of understanding, bias and distrust were all major barriers to intervention.  By working closely with young people, we can better understand how to safeguard and protect them.     Read the full report, ‘Everyone has a role to play in preventing child exploitation’ here 👉 https://lnkd.in/d6zdRc7B

Last week, we accompanied a group of young people on a visit to Parliament. They got the chance to participate in a session on an upcoming Bill to improve online safety for young people. Young people shared their experiences of the online world, including the benefits of social media like connecting with friends and finding new hobbies, as well as some of the dangers of social media, such as the addictive design of apps and inappropriate content. As youth-oriented spaces, it’s important that politicians and decision-makers listen to young people to understand their experiences of phones and social media to meet their needs. We also had a tour of Parliament, watched debates in the House of Commons and House of Lords, and took in the London sites. Reflecting on the day, one young person said: “I’m going to tell my friends the effect that social media has on a young person.” Another said that they want the MP to know how grateful they are to be included in the discussion on the Bill. Congratulations to the young people that attended for their impressive contributions!✨

Pets are more than just cuddly companions. They are amazing for their owner’s mental and physical health. Our blog explores the different ways that children can benefit from growing up with pets: 🍃Stress busting 🧡Emotional support 🤝Improved social skills 👟Boost physical activity Fight off those January blues and read more about the power of our furry friends: https://lnkd.in/eG5WDkFS

It was such a privilege and pleasure to welcome Ann, the great granddaughter of The Children's Society founder Edward Rudolf, to our national offices in London today. It was wonderful hearing her memories of being involved in so many important events and still hearing how passionate she is about the life changing work we do. I talk about Mr Rudolf a lot, and we today know we stand on the shoulders of giants. Today we channel the same anger he had that life is just too hard for too many children, but channel the same hope that we can and will keep making a difference

We were overwhelmed by your messages of support to young people over Christmas. Whilst many children were waiting for a visit from Father Christmas, countless others were waiting for support. Thank you to everyone who sent such kind words. You helped young people across England know they were not alone over the festive period.🧡

Since 2023, young carers have been included in the January school census return, enabling us to learn more about how we can support young carers in schools. However, only 28% of schools recorded the number of young carers in their school last year. By including young carers in your school’s census data collection, you can help ensure that young carers get the care and support they need. Learn more about young carers and the school census here: https://lnkd.in/eejKw7pU #YoungCarersinSchools #HeadteachersUK

With a #TikTokBan imminent in the US, parents and professionals around the world are anxious about the potential effects of the app on their children's mental health. From toxic masculinity to worsening self-esteem, TikTok can take a big toll on teenagers' wellbeing. We take a closer look at the potential damage TikTok can cause in our blog: https://lnkd.in/eqwuaF24

Teenagers are spending more and more time online. And while social media has afforded teens with more ways to stay connected with their friends than ever before, it has also brought new risks with it. With a UK social media ban for under-16s unlikely to come into effect, we unpack a few tips on how parents can best keep their teens safe online: https://lnkd.in/e3JFK3CF