Vulnerable children and young people are failing to receive support due to teacher shortages and problems in the care system. Some appear to have disappeared off the radar of schools and local authorities. This new briefing looks at the key issues and suggests what needs to be done. Read here.

This briefing examines child poverty and the attainment gap in Scotland through the consideration and analysis of reports, papers and initiatives. This briefing will be of interest to everyone working in children and family services. Read here.

School attendance has dropped dramatically since the pandemic, with children more like to be absent for reasons other than illness. Why has this occurred and what can be done to get pupils back into the classroom? This briefing investigates using attendance data for England. Read here.

Attendance in schools is an important issue, especially when considering the support needed by children and their families in England as schools ease Covid-19 restrictions. This briefing covers elective home education and the establishment of an ‘educated at home’ register, plus the proposed new role for local authorities. Read here.

In August 2022, The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) published five papers on educational inequalities. This briefing deals with the largest of these, education inequalities. Read here.

This briefing looks at the 2022 annual report on the wellbeing of children and young people. It also reports on teacher and parental perspectives on children’s mental health and highlights the various reactions to the latest findings. Read here.

A child or young person’s mental health can have long-term implications. This briefing explores some examples of programmes and initiatives, set up by Scotland’s local authorities, to help children and young people with their mental health. Read here.

The need to promote the wellbeing of children and young people during the pandemic and tacking mental health problems has grown during the Covid-19 pandemic. This briefing looks at recent reports on the issue. Read here.

Young people are generally under-represented in decision-making fora, therefore, there is a need for specific approaches to engage young people as active citizens. This briefing reviews a recent youth needs analysis of rural communities in Ireland. Read here.

This article details Perth and Kinross Council’s experience in organising their successful Youth Voice Gathering program. The council showcases the lessons they’ve learned to improve diversity, accessibility and flexibility in the gathering as well as some of the forum’s surprising outcomes. Read here.

This briefing provides a background into the Irish Government’s Youth Assembly on Climate Change initiative, a representative forum for young people to discuss environmental issues. It details the debates the assembly held with supported research and facilitation, the recommendations created by the assembly, and the successes of the scheme as a whole. Read here.

‘Unleashing talent: Levelling up opportunity for young people’ is the sixth report of the Learning and Work Institute’s Youth Commission. The report sets out a blueprint for change in England and makes recommendations for: sustained long-term investment on education, reductions in youth unemployment, a greater role for local government, a reform to the benefits system to provide more support to help people find work, a refocus on the core competencies of literacy, numeracy and digital skills and the formation of a new Career Advancement Service. Read here.

The Covid-19 pandemic is expected to impact on the workforce hard. Evidence from previous economic crises indicates that young people are likely to be affected more than most groups in the workforce. This briefing looks at what has happened in previous recessions and what can be done now. Read here.

The Youth Work Inquiry sponsored by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Youth Affairs finds that youth work is both wanted and needed by young people today, and that youth services can respond not just to young people as individuals, but also to their wider communities. The briefing looks forward to the Government’s new Youth Charter. Read here.

This briefing is the second part of LGIU’s 20-minute neighbourhood series. This briefing draws on a diverse range of international case studies to explore how local governments can work with children and young people to achieve healthier, sustainable and more inclusive neighbourhoods. Read here. 

Kirsten Urquhart, Chief Executive at Young Scot, outlines the organisation’s new three-year plan which has been co-created with young people from across Scotland. Read here.

Drawing on global expertise, this briefing examines the mental and physical impacts of the pandemic on children and young people and explore the benefits the 20-minute neighbourhood could have on their health and wellbeing – highlighting ways local authorities can include children and young people in planning practices. Read here.

On July 15th 2021 LGiU Australia and VLGA presented an international panel of expert speakers from a variety of positions in Queensland, Victoria and Scotland to discuss what the impact of COVID has been on children and young people in their jurisdictions. Read here.

Naomi Danquah, Programme Director, Child Friendly Cities and Communities, UK Committee for UNICEF discusses the need to include children and young people when policy decisions are made and how local authorities can make that happen. Read here.