National Children's Bureau

What do we need to take into consideration when managing moves for children and young people in children's homes?

New research from Kingston University and NCB, funded by NIHR (National Institute for Health and Care Research) highlights that children and young people’s needs are shaped by relationships, routines and environments, and these can change significantly during transitions. Changes in living arrangements may therefore affect how children cope emotionally and behaviourally, particularly where they involve loss of trusted relationships, schools, activities or local support networks. Planning transitions without attention to these issues may increase the risk of instability.

Read a blog from our Social Care Programme Lead, James Shutkever about the research, and key considerations that it points to for practitioners and decision-makers👇

We know that disabled children are more at risk of most online harms and face increased exposure to online harms, including bullying, harassment, exploitation and harmful content.

NCB recommends that safety measures should be inclusive, accessible and empowering, enabling all children to benefit from digital technologies on an equal basis with their peers while being effectively protected from harm.

new report explores the fact that children with additional needs experience the internet at its extremes, with higher positive and negative wellbeing outcomes.
💥 Four in five children with additional needs say they suffer harm online, are twice as likely to be bullied online and three times as likely to take part in something dangerous they've seen online.

You can read the full report here: https://buff.ly/TZsOwp2

They have also launched a new hub on our website bringing together all of our resources for parents of children with additional needs with a marketing campaign to raise awareness over the coming weeks. You can see this here:

Supporting children with additional needs If your child has additional needs, this hub can help you keep them safer from harm online. Find guidance and activities for support.

Shape research. Shape ideas. Make a difference. Become a Young Research Advisor!
We want to hear what children and young people aged 11-18 years (or up to 25 years if you have a special educational need or disability) based in England or Northern Ireland think about research that concerns them.

By joining NCB’s Young Research Advisors group, you will get to:
📣advise on and co-design research methods and tools
📣understand and share interesting research findings
📣explore research priorities and questions
📣make sure your voice as a young person is heard.

The group meets online around 6 times a year to discuss a variety of topics. Recently, topics have included:
✍️ how to make research fair for different groups
✍️ a major health study among teens and young adults
✍️ the use of technology in schools and data protection for students.

What’s in it for you?
🤝 Meet new people
🤝 Receive research training from NCB staff
Apply by Friday 12 June, by filling in an application form: https://buff.ly/YFALEY6

OR send in a video or audio clip telling us about yourself and why you would like to be a Young Research Advisor, including why you think children and young people should be involved in research.

You must include your name and contact details and email it to Jess Hinks [email protected] with the subject line ‘YRA application’

Research shows spending quality time outdoors can hugely benefit a child’s development from a young age. To help connect more children to nature, particularly those growing up in urban environments, NCB has developed Natural Thinkers, a training programme for early years practitioners and primary school teachers.

On 8 July, we are running a one day outdoor learning session at Rowland Hill Nursery School & Children Centre in Haringey, London, for educators working with children aged two to 11 years old.

The training will:

- explore the Natural Thinkers commitments, which provide a framework for high-quality outdoor learning.

- explore STEAM activities.

- equip you with low cost and no cost activities linked to the EYFS and national curriculum.

- direct you in how to become a Natural Thinkers accredited setting.

Find out more about Natural Thinkers at https://www.ncb.org.uk/ECU/NaturalThinkers and to book a place on July’s course go to https://buff.ly/pqdKCon

Online environments can open up new worlds for children and young people to discover, to create connections, to learn and to find support and reassurance.
At the same time, they also expose children and young people to significant risks, including sexual exploitation, bullying and exposure to hateful and violent content.
The most severe online harms have contributed to profound psychological distress, and in some cases, child fatalities.
The government has responded to these concerns by launching “Growing up in the online world: a national consultation”.
Much of the policy debate has focused on two distinct approaches:
- introducing stricter age limits or bans on children’s access to social media.
- prioritising full enforcement of the Online Safety Act alongside potential additional legislative and regulatory measures.
Contributing to the national consultation, the National Children’s Bureau has outlined a series of practical recommendations and calls to action, drawing on evidence, professional expertise and the lived experiences of children and young people.

As part of work funded by the Public Health Agency in Northern Ireland, the National Children’s Bureau provides strategic support for parent programmes in Northern Ireland that are designed to improve children’s social, emotional and behavioural skills and school readiness.
The Evidence-Based Parenting Programme Network (NI) is comprised of implementors, facilitators, researchers, commissioners and accredited mentors and fully respects the existing guidelines and procedures for training accredited group leaders, peer coaches, mentors and trainers.
The Network currently looks at the four following evidence-based programmes:
• Invest in Play
• The Incredible Years, Inc.
• Parents Plus
• Togetherness (formerly the Solihull Approach) :
You can find more information on these programmes, as well as suggestions for good practice, access to resources and a monthly blog at our Parent Programmes Hub: https://www.ncb.org.uk/NIParentProgrammesHub

Good parental mental health and wellbeing is well documented as being a key factor in supporting effective parenting, contributing to children’s development, health and wellbeing, the effects of which can last well into adulthood.

So when parents struggle with poor mental health, often made worse by daily challenges such as poverty, insecure or unsuitable housing, domestic abuse, addiction, conflict between parents, isolation and loneliness, it is a pressing public health challenge. Successive UK governments have recognised its negative impact on children, including in the recently published Best Start in Life Strategy.

But while some parents experiencing mental health and wellbeing issues need clinical interventions, others may just need practical support with their young children, and with parenting skills.

Today we’re launching a new report that brings together evidence and case studies from the ten-year A Better Start programme that highlights parents as active partners with agency and control over their own mental health and wellbeing. It shows how holistic, family-centred and community-based approaches can better support them, while improving outcomes for their children.

Read more and download the report in the comments below 👇

A Better Start is funded by The National Lottery Community Fund

Do you work for a local authority supporting the provision of early years education and childcare? Are you looking for new ways to improves outcomes and meet the targets set by the government’s Best Start in Life strategy?

NCB offers a range of professional development opportunities for early years practitioners and settings, including our most popular programme, Making it REAL.

This award-winning, evidence-informed programme supports practitioners to build parents’ knowledge and confidence so that they can help their children with communication and language and early literacy development by creating a positive early home learning environment.

For more information and booking details for this and all of our programmes visit https://buff.ly/HnSOibL

Odd Socks Day returns on Monday 16 November 2026 as part of ! 🧦

Led by Andy and the Odd Socks and the Anti-Bullying Alliance, millions of people across the UK will wear odd socks to celebrate individuality, inclusion and kindness.

The best part? There’s no pressure to buy anything or wear a costume. Just pull on your odd socks and join in 💙

So what are you waiting for? Mark the date and get your odd socks ready 🥳

https://bit.ly/4tAzluw