6 h. ago The way a child plays is the way they live’: how therapists are using video games to help vulnerable children

Minecraft and other creative games are becoming recognised as powerful means of self-expression and mental health support, including for traumatised Ukrainian refugeesOleksii Sukhorukov’s son was 12 when the Russian invasion of Ukraine began. For months, the family existed in a state of trauma and disarray: Sukhorukov was forced to give up his work in the entertainment industry, which had included virtual reality and video games; they became isolated from friends and relatives. But amid the chaos, his boy had one outlet: Minecraft. Whatever was happening outside, he’d boot up Mojang’s block-building video game and escape.“After 24 February 2022, I began to see the game in a completely different light,” says Sukhorukov. I discovered that Ukrainian children were playing together online; some living under Russian occupation, others in government-controlled areas of the country that were the targets of regular missile attacks; some had already become refugees. And yet they were still ab...

Society

33 h. ago Vulnerable woman and children housed in property linked to notorious paedophile Todros Grynhaus

Manchester Council said it was 'unacceptable' the family had been recommended a house linked to the convicted sex offender. Nicole Wootton-Cane reports.

Society

36 h. ago Child with measles dies at UK hospital as officials fear it could 'spread like wildfire'

This year there have been 529 confirmed measles cases, the majority, 357, were children under ten. But cases of measles are increasing in Britain because low vaccination rates leave children vulnerable

Events

4 d. ago Bridget Phillipson’s fury that a vulnerable child was placed in a caravan at cost of £75,000

Exclusive: Education secretary Bridget Phillipson has told The Independent that she wants to end the practice of putting vulnerable children in care into illegal squalid homes

Economics

4 d. ago Children's care crisis as youngster homelessness sparks 'moral failure' warning

The Department for Education has announced a £53million investment to create up to 200 places for vulnerable children in council-run high-quality children’s homes

Events

7 d. ago Nearly a quarter of foster places in England provided by private equity

Experts raise alarm over ‘commodification’ of vulnerable children as independent fostering agencies make millions in profitExperts have raised alarm over the “commodification” of vulnerable foster children as analysis reveals almost a quarter of all foster places in England are now provided by private equity-backed companies making millions of pounds in profits.Analysis for the Guardian by thinktank Common Wealth found independent fostering agencies (IFAs) are making millions via public funding from councils to provide placements for foster children, while foster carers struggle to pay bills. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago James Acaster urges public to donate cost of an ice cream to help vulnerable children

James Acaster is urging the public help vulnerable children this summer by donating the cost of an ice cream.

Politics

1 week ago Parents furious at council decision to remove school transport from vulnerable Ayrshire kids

A petition was launched by one of the parents after East Ayrshire Council removed school transport for vulnerable children with ASN.

Politics

2 w. ago New salmonella warning as infections hit highest level in a decade

Children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems are particularly vulnerable to the bug.

Events

2 w. ago Global vaccination efforts stall, leaving millions of children vulnerable to preventable diseases

Global efforts to protect children against diseases like measles, polio and tuberculosis have stalled since 2010, leaving millions vulnerable to deadly infections

Politics

3 w. ago Cervical cancer rates soaring in deprived areas after low vaccine uptake

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has revealed that low vaccine uptake among children is leaving many women vulnerable to cervical cancer.

Politics

3 w. ago Angela Rayner praises ‘amazing’ Independent Brick by Brick campaign as family fleeing abuse get safe haven

Exclusive: The deputy prime minister and housing secretary said helping vulnerable families and children into safe and secure housing ‘is a matter that I hold close to my heart’

Events

3 w. ago The US supreme court just undermined gender equality | Moira Donegan

The Skrmetti decision upholding Tennessee’s ban on transition-related healthcare for minors deprives children and batters the 14th amendmentBy now, it is a ritual: every June, Americans endure several weeks of agonizing suspense, as we wait to hear how the supreme court will erode our freedoms, attack our dignity, undermine self-government and empower those who enrich themselves at our expense. The court, controlled by career politicians in robes who were hand-selected for their loyalty to the rightwing and their willingness to be wildly intellectually dishonest in pursuit of Republican policy objectives, has ended the right to abortion, desiccated the Voting Rights Act, made state gun regulations nearly impossible and declared the president functionally immune to criminal law. Many of us waited, with a mixture and terror and disgust, to see what cruelties the court would deliver for us in 2025.The justices decided to start by attacking vulnerable children. In a 6-3 split, the court...

Events

3 w. ago Congress should be ashamed over helping Trump cut foreign aid, activists say

Campaigners say the US government has been withholding funds for orphans and vulnerable children unlawfully – before a vote in Congress has backed Trump’s move

Politics

4 w. ago Voices: From Uganda to Gaza, Sudan to Ukraine, children are paying the price of a global failure of empathy

On World Refugee Day, we remember that the most vulnerable refugees are children, writes the actress and War Child ambassador Carey Mulligan – those who have lost not only their homes but so often their right to a childhood

Economics

4 w. ago Former care home manager caged for preying on vulnerable young girls

Roger Shaw sexually abused two “exceptionally vulnerable” schoolgirls while serving as deputy officer at a children’s home in Southhouse, Edinburgh, during the 1970s and 1980s.

Society