Interesting links, articles, news and blog posts sent out to members on 29/01/26.
Update from CPG member, Dr Kay Aaronricks – ‘Nourishing our Future’ Conference
Kay announces that tickets for a Conference on EY food and nutrition are now available.
‘Nourishing our Future’ takes place on Saturday 14th March 2026 from 9am-4pm at Anglia Ruskin University, Chelmsford Campus, CM1 1SQ
You can book via https://linkd.in/esKhQ_eP
Campaign & Article: AI in Counselling and Psychotherapy – National Counselling & Psychotherapy Society
2025, Meg Moss. “At the Society, we’re acutely aware of AI’s multifaceted role in talking therapy, but our collective understanding of its potential impact on the talking therapy profession is still unfolding”:
Link: https://ncps.com/our-voice/ai-in-counselling-and-psychotherapy
Event: Learn About Creative Ways to Involve Children and Young People in Mental Health Research – NIHR Mental Health Translational Research Collaboration (MH-TRC)
11th February 2026, 5.00-7.00pm online. The aim of the event is to share inspiring ideas creative and engaging involvement from real‑world settings, help people learn what meaningful PPIE involvement can look like in practice and to support new ideas that bring in diverse voices with lived experience into children and young people’s mental health research in fun and creative ways:
Link: Link to Event Registration Form: NIHR MH-TRC Mission Children and Young People PPIE Pitch Event Attendance Registration – Fill in form
Update from CPG member, Dr Kathryn Peckham
Congratulations to Kathryn (an active member of the CPG and contributor to many of our reports) who takes up a new role as Director of Centres of Training in Saudi Arabia at Global Childhood Academy.
Kathryn says: ‘We are essential designing an Early Years from the ground up. Whilst needing a tremendous amount of work, this brings with it amazing opportunities.’ Two key areas are the training of staff and quality assurance. Whilst there is no requirement for EY qualifications to work with children, Kathryn and her colleagues are pushing for this and training as many people as they can, using the British CACHE system. It remains an uphill struggle despite now being fully funded for KSA nationals. This presents a great opportunity for comparison with British systems.
The ministry will carry out basic inspections but there is currently nothing like an OFSTED system. Kathryn and colleagues are using the present system to introduce a supportive, positive and formative method of voluntary accreditation and because of these qualities, the approach is taking off worldwide. Again, it offers an excellent comparison with UK systems of operation.
Kathryn would love to share this experience with UK EY practitioners to see if there is opportunity for joint work that is beneficial to both. If you are interested, please let the CPG office know and we can link you up.
Press release: Landmark junk food ad ban to protect kids’ health – Department of Health and Social Care and Ashley Dalton MP
5 January 2026. The CPG on A Fit and Healthy Childhood warmly welcomes the Government’s announcement on exposure to unhealthy food advertisements on TV and online. Health Minister, Ashley Dalton said: ‘We’re moving the dial from having the NHS treat sickness to preventing it so people can lead healthier lives and so it can be there for us when we need it.’
New legislation will:
• Restrict adverts for junk food before 9pm
• Ban paid adverts online for these products at all times
• Give local authorities the power via the planning system to stop fast food shops setting up outside schools
• Ban the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children aged under 16
• Extend the Soft Drinks Industry Levy to cover more products including sugary milk-based drinks
Since 2014, we have recommended these measures to successive governments (link to reports).
Link: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/landmark-junk-food-ad-ban-to-protect-kids-health
Press release: Government to drive action to improve children’s relationship with mobile phones and social media – Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, Department for Education, The Rt Hon Liz Kendall MP and The Rt Hon Bridget Phillipson MP
19 January 2025. The Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, Liz Kendall MP and the Secretary of State for Education, Bridget Phillipson MP have launched a ‘national conversation’ to ‘gather views and drive action’ to keep children safe online. The Government press release announces a new public consultation, following recent legislation in Australia to ban social media usage for under sixteen-year-olds.
The UK consultation is aimed to identify the next steps in the Government’s wider plan to boost children’s wellbeing and safety online; ensuring that their relationship with social media and mobile phones is healthy and productive. It is intended to further develop protection in the Online Safety Act:
Call for Evidence: National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation
Baroness Amos has asked women and families across England to share their experiences of maternity and neonatal care through a public Call for Evidence. Responses received will be used to inform the findings and recommendations of the ongoing National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation.
The Call for Evidence is open for 8 weeks from 20th January – 17th March 2026 at 11:59pm and two Cal for Evidence surveys are available;
• One for women and people who have been pregnant to share their own experience of maternity and neonatal services
• One for other people to share their experiences supporting someone through pregnancies. This could include fathers, non-birthing partners, family members, friends or other support people.
To respond online use link https://www.matneoinv.org.uk/call-for-evidence/
If you cannot access the online survey, contact matneoinvestigation@dhsc.gov.uk for a printable version.
Other items/articles of interest:
Obstetric and gynaecological violence in the EU – Prevalence, legal frameworks and educational guidelines for prevention and elimination https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/STUD/2024/761478/IPOL_STU(2024)761478_EN.pdf
And, on the same subject: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com?OutputFile/3933808
Link: https://www.matneoinv.org.uk/call-for-evidence/
Guidance resource: “How to teach monetary literacy to kids” – Wellbeing Statistics
This guide provides practical tips to make learning about managing finances easy and engaging for kids, introducing topics like saving, budgeting, and growing their resources. Parents of children who learned how to be responsible with finances in school experienced a 5 per cent improvement in their creditworthiness, according to a study reported by the World Economic Forum. Teaching kids early also fosters responsibility among their parents, benefitting the family as a whole:
Link: https://www.remitly.com/gb/en/currency-converter/financial-literacy-for-kids
Press release & Guide: New guide promotes safe, inclusive and child-friendly public spaces – World Health Organization
21 January 2026. The Guide to creating urban public SPACES for children seeks to help governments, urban planners and partners create and improve safe, inclusive and child-friendly public spaces. The document draws on global evidence, expert input, consultations with children and city examples from diverse contexts:
Findings on School Readiness Survey 2025 – Kindred Squared (Research by Savanta)
January 2026. This is Kindred Squared’s sixth annual school readiness report once again sets out perceptions of the scale and impact of
children missing their early developmental milestones. The report investigates the subject from both parent and primary school staff perspectives:
Article: Government commits £200m to new SEND training for early years staff and teachers – Nursery World
16 January 2026. A new £200m SEND training programme to ‘upskill’ nursery and school staff, has been announced by the Government:
Article: Gambling harm is rising among children. Action is long overdue – Big Issue
15 January 2026. Kevin McKenna MP. Problem gambling destroys the lives of everyone it touches. It’s time to take steps to prevent young people from being sucked in:
Link: https://www.bigissue.com/opinion/gambling-public-health-issue-debate/