Interesting links, articles, news and blog posts sent out to members on 28/02/24.
Summary of Report: Prioritising early childhood to promote the nation’s health, wellbeing & prosperity – the Academy of Medical Sciences
February 2024. To transform the health and prosperity of the nation, current and future Governments need to prioritise improving health and wellbeing and reducing inequalities in early childhood:
Link: https://acmedsci.ac.uk/file-download/31657415
Research briefing: Trends in funding levels for youth services – House of Commons Library
26 February 2024. There will be a debate on trends in funding levels for youth services on Wednesday 28 February at 9:30am. This debate will be held in Westminster Hall and will be led by Rachel Hopkins MP:
Link: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cdp-2024-0040/
News: Childcare providers ‘too full’ to roll out Sunak’s free childcare scheme – The Independent Online
22 February 2024, Maya Oppenheim. Childcare providers have no space to roll out the government’s expanded free childcare policy, with around seven in 10 services already full, a damning new study has found:
Link: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/childcare-government-free-hours-policy-b2499951.html
News: More than 300,000 families in poverty despite parents working full-time – The Independent Online
22 February 2024, Holly Bancroft. Health and social care workers, shop assistants and construction workers among those still in poverty despite being in work:
Link: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/poverty-work-children-dwp-benefits-b2499772.html
News: Government’s obesity strategy is in chaos as figures show it has missed calorie reduction targets – with levels having gone UP in foods like crisps, garlic bread and chips – The Daily Mail on Microsoft News
21 February 2024, Shaun Wooller. Efforts to tackle the nation’s obesity crisis are in chaos as firms have defied ministers and crammed more calories into food, an official report reveals:
Article: Labour accuses Government of ‘failing families’ over soaring childcare costs – Nursery World
20 February 2024, Catherine Gaunt. Analysis of childcare costs by Labour shows that the average cost of a part-time childcare place has risen by 80 per cent since 2010 when the party was last in office:
News: Baby formula milk prices to be investigated over cost concerns – BBC News Online
20 February 2024. The UK infant formula market is under investigation after regulators said parents could be saving £500 in their baby’s first year:
Link: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-68345678
Press release: CMA to scrutinise infant formula market through a market study – Competitions and Markets Authority
20 February 2024. The market study into infant formula is part of the CMA’s ongoing work to contain cost of living pressures in the groceries sector:
Link: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/cma-to-scrutinise-infant-formula-market-through-a-market-study
News: Ministers confirm plan to ban use of mobile phones in schools in England – Guardian Online
19 February 2024, Peter Walker. Teaching unions say guidance includes practices already adopted and most schools already have policies in place:
Article: Growing number of parents getting into debt to pay for ‘childcare’ – Nursery World
18 February 2024, Katy Morton. Nearly half of parents have been plunged into debt or withdrawn their savings to pay for childcare, new figures show:
Analysis: Special needs responsibilities were heaped on councils as funding shrank – The Guardian Online
18 February 2024, Richard Adams. The Guardian found huge variation in the delays children face, as demand has outstripped provision:
News: Hundreds of children with special needs wait a year for support in England – Guardian Online
18 February 2024, Richard Adams & Morgan Ofori. In some areas young people have been waiting more than two years for plan detailing help they require, FoI reveals:
News: ‘It went nuts’: Thousands join UK parents calling for smartphone-free childhood – Guardian Online
17 February 2024, Mabel Banfield-Nwachi. Local WhatsApp group started by two mothers concerned about online safety attracts more than 4,000 members:
Article: Early years job vacancies up by 146 per cent on pre-pandemic levels – Nursery World
16 February 2024, Katy Morton. Job vacancies for early years practitioners have risen by 146 per cent since before the Covid-19 pandemic, reveals new data: