Stigma around young people’s mental health

YMCA has published a report on the stigma faced by young people experiencing mental health difficulties. Key findings from interviews with young people aged 11-24 from across England and Wales include: 38% of the young people who identified as having mental health difficulties had felt the negative impact of stigma; of these 70% said they have been subject to prejudice, 54% were left out of activities, 36% experienced verbal abuse, and 56% said it made them less likely to seek professional help.

Source: YMCA  Date: 10 October 2016

Further information: I am whole: a report investigating the stigma faced by young people experiencing mental health difficulties (PDF)

I am whole: a collection of stories from young people about their experiences of mental health difficulties (PDF)

Source: CASPAR

Children’s Commissioner for Wales annual report

The Children’s Commissioner for Wales has published her Annual Report for 2015-16. Recommendations for the Welsh Government include: work with the NHS to promote evidence-based, whole school approaches to healthy relationships, mental health and wellbeing; introduce a bill to remove the ‘reasonable punishment’ defence as soon as possible.

Source: Children’s Commissioner for Wales  Date: 05 October 2016

Further information: Children’s Commissioner for Wales: annual report and accounts 2015/16 (PDF)

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Unaccompanied children and parental responsibility

The Migrant children’s project at Coram Children’s Legal Centre has published a factsheet on unaccompanied children who have nobody exercising parental responsibility for them in the UK. This gives information about circumstances in which an unaccompanied child may be placed under a care order so that social services will hold parental responsibility.

Source: Coram Children’s Legal Centre  Date: 28 September 2016

Further information: Support for separated children and young migrants turning 18

Unaccompanied children & parental responsibility (PDF)

Girls’ mental well-being

Girlguiding has published a report on the mental well-being of girls. Key findings include: girls of all ages face compounding pressures across all areas of their lives including sexist pressures; girls tend to dismiss or play down the issues they face and feel they should be able to cope alone. Recommendations include: all decision-makers need to listen to girls’ voices and engage them in the decisions that affect their lives; schools should take a zero-tolerance approach to sexual harassment; Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education (PSHE) should be a statutory entitlement for all young people.

Source: Girlguiding  Date: 29 September 2016

Further information: Girls’ wellbeing explored: understanding pressures and resilience (PDF)

The Department for Education has published statistics for looked after children in England for the financial year 2015-2106 (this includes adoption). Key figures include: there were 70,440 looked after children at 31 March 2016, an increase of 1% compared to 31 March 2015; in 2016 the number of looked after unaccompanied asylum seeking children was 4,210, an increase of 54% compared to 2015.

Source: Department for Education  Date: 29 September 2016

Further information: Children looked after in England (including adoption) year ending 31 March 2016 (PDF)

Powers to protect children and tackle illegal schools

The Local Government Association is calling on the government to give councils the power to enter homes and other premises to see children and check the suitability of education being delivered; and to compel parents to register home educated children.

Source: Local Government Association  Date: 16 September 2016

Birmingham children’s services

Community Care reports on proposals to hand ownership of Birmingham’s children’s services to social workers as part of an employee owned mutual, run as a ‘worker’s co-operative’. The other model being proposed to elected representatives would see the council own the trust.

Source: Community Care  Date: September 16 2016

Early intervention support

An article in Guardian Social Care makes the case for enacting in law protection for early intervention projects and additional children’s services to support parents in breaking the cycle of having successive babies taken into care.

Source: Guardian  Date: 21 September

Family debt and child mental health

The Children’s Society has published a report warning that multiple family debts are linked to a higher risk of mental health problems in children.

Source: Children’s Society  Date: 22 September 2016

Unaccompanied refugee children

The Guardian reports that French children’s services are struggling to cope with a sharp rise in the number of unaccompanied refugee children who have abandoned plans to travel to the UK and now want to remain in France.

Source: Guardian  Date: 22 September 2016