Adela Kay, Assistant Headteacher at Aspire Virtual School, has conducted in-depth research on a variety of pressing issues affecting children and young people within our community.

For February’s research, Adela explores a range of issues affecting children and young people, including pre-birth safeguarding and infant protection, childhood trauma and brain development, online safety and AI in schools, child sexual abuse, youth violence prevention, safeguarding for tutors, employment pathways for neurodivergent young people, the needs of children in adoptive and kinship care, and the proposed reforms outlined in the SEND White Paper.

Below you’ll find summaries and links to the latest research and reports relevant to our work with children and families.

Infants and Unborn Babies

Below is the summary report from the NSPCC national review into the broader safeguarding issues raised by the death of baby Victoria Marten. The national review sets out learning for safeguarding partners in England.

The learning highlights the need for:

• Earlier and stronger pre-birth safeguarding

• Better trauma-informed practice when working with families

• Clearer arrangements and multi-agency planning when families move frequently

• Better engagement with and support for parents before and after care proceedings

From my point of view, the interesting work for us to consider is around work with parents when they are still involved in a child’s life after they come into care. We have several cases where parents are involved, some with a positive, and others with an extremely negative, impact on the child’s mental wellbeing. This review looks at treatment and work with parents both before and after care proceedings and the importance of maintaining engagement with families, particularly when there could be further pregnancies.

📌 Read here: Summary of the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel’s national review into the death of baby Victoria Marten

 

Childhood Trauma and Brain Development

For Baby’s Sake have published an article looking at trauma in adults and children. The research says that children who have had difficult early childhood experiences are 17 months behind their mainstream peers by age 5.

Their difficulties go far beyond academic success; they struggle to manage emotions and relationships, and these issues continue into adulthood if they are not ameliorated. These traumas and attachment needs lead to higher levels of exclusion from school both socially and behaviourally.

📌 Read here:

• Spotting Trauma in Children and Adults: Breaking Down the Signs – For Baby’s Sake
• Understanding child brain development – NSPCC Learning

 

Online Safety and Social Media

The NSPCC have published a briefing around online harm, taking statistics from available data and FOI requests to the Home Office. Key findings include:

• 19% of children aged 10–15 exchanged messages with someone online who they had never met before.

• Over 9,000 child sexual abuse offences involved an online element in 2023/24.

• Around a sixth of people that experienced online harassment offences were under 18.

• Under 18s were the subject of almost a quarter of reported offences of online blackmail in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

This comes at a time when governments are putting pressure on Big Tech to enforce age restrictions and prevent addictive platform design.

There is also growing debate around children’s smartphone and social media use. Some research emphasises nurturing digital skills and age-appropriate design rather than outright bans, while forthcoming analysis in the World Happiness Report 2026 highlights evidence of both direct harm (e.g. cyberbullying) and indirect harm (e.g. increased depression).

The DfE updated its guidance on mobile phones in schools last week. There are also useful digital wellbeing resources available which could inform a whole-school approach.

📌 Read here:

• Mobile phones in schools – GOV.UK
  Digital Wellbeing Resource Hub – Now and Beyond

 

AI in Schools

LGFL have produced a safeguarding approach to using AI in schools, designed as a guidance document in line with DfE standards.

📌 Read here:

• Artificial Intelligence Policy Toolkit – LGFL
  Generative AI: product safety standards – GOV.UK

 

Child Sexual Abuse

There has been a nationwide increased focus on child sexual abuse. The National Crime Agency has published a document highlighting increased levels and complexity of child sexual abuse.

It is worth reading because it shows how prevalent the issues are, and how technology is making it easier to create and share abuse, whilst at the same time making it more difficult to identify and remove.

📌 Read here: Child sexual abuse is increasing in severity, complexity and accessibility – National Crime Agency

 

Understanding Youth Violence

I have listened to an interesting podcast discussing how research is informing practice in the youth violence landscape and how young people are shaping policy.

The podcast discusses the ‘Cardiff Model’, a public health-led initiative combining intelligence systems and reporting mechanisms to prevent chains of events leading to violence. It highlights that incidents recorded at A&E were only recorded 23% of the time in police records, showing significant under-reporting.

It also references the Wales Without Violence Framework, a whole-system approach using early intervention and community prevention rather than punitive responses.

📌 Read here :

• Understanding youth violence – Research in Practice
  The Cardiff Model for Violence Prevention – Cardiff University
  Overview – Wales Without Violence

 

Child Protection: Tutors

NSPCC has created an eLearning course for tutors working with children and young people. Where tutors are employed face-to-face, it is important to ensure they are suitably trained and up to date with Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance.

📌 Read here: Child protection training for tutors – NSPCC Learning

 

Education to Employment for Neurodivergent People

Earlier this month I attended a webinar around careers support for neurodivergent people. The session explored how employers can make job adverts clearer and make application and interview processes more accessible.

It also highlighted strengths associated with neurodivergent employees, including loyalty, attention to detail and longevity in posts.

📌 Read here: Microsoft Virtual Events – Webinar recording

 

PLAC / Kinship Care

The DfE has published a report on the needs, experiences and outcomes of young people aged 12–25 growing up in adoptive and special guardianship families.

Key findings include:

• Families sometimes felt uninformed about children’s backgrounds.

• Support for struggling families was often difficult to access.

• Parenting support and trauma-informed training was valued.

• Despite high levels of need, access to mental health support was limited.

From an education perspective, this also raises issues around identification and appropriate support. Funding is available via Pupil Premium Plus for children who have previously been in care, but schools do not always know which children this applies to.

📌 Read here: Family Routes: exploring the needs, experience and outcomes of young people growing up in adoption and special guardianship

 

SEND White Paper

I cannot allow this month’s missive to pass without mentioning the SEND White Paper, published this week. I am not expanding too much here as it is lengthy and will take time to digest.

There are significant proposed changes which will alter how schools are funded for children with additional needs and how children access additional funding via the EHCP system. These changes will be introduced over the coming decade if and when they become law.

📌 Read here:

• Every child achieving and thriving – GOV.UK
  The impact of SEND changes in England – The Guardian

 

Best wishes,

Adela