Article published on 12 December 2025.

Devon Safeguarding Digest – December 2025

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Welcome to the Devon Safeguarding Digest. This regular update will help you stay up to speed with safeguarding news and local policy changes.

 

Government consultation opens on the creation of a new national Child Protection Authority

The Department for Education is seeking views from children and families, frontline practitioners, local authorities, inspectorates, professional bodies, and voluntary, community and statutory organisations involved in safeguarding.

The consultation is open until 5 March 2026, and can be responded to on the Department for Education’s website.

 

Government launches National Youth Strategy

The strategy includes measures such as:

  • Building or refurbishing up to 250 youth facilities over the next four years
  • Launching a network of 50 Young Futures Hubs by March 2029, providing access to youth workers and other professionals – the first wave to be operational by March 2026 are in Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester, County Durham, Nottingham, Bristol, Tower Hamlets, and Brighton & Hove.
  • A ‘Richer Young Lives Fund’ supporting youth work in underserved areas
  • A £22.5m programme of wellbeing and life skills support in up to 400 schools
  • £15m of investment in recruiting/training youth workers, volunteers & trusted adults

 

Government launches Child Poverty Strategy

This strategy has measures that include scrapping the two child benefit cap, creating free breakfast clubs in primary schools, and measures to reduce the placement of homeless families in B&Bs.

Some in civil society have welcomed the strategy while some have called for the government to go further, e.g. by committing to ending child poverty over the next two decades, or by providing free bus travel to children

 

‘A production line of pointlessness’ report by the Children’s Commissioner on children on remand to custody

In 2023-24, 441 children (45%) who were remanded to custody did not ultimately receive a custodial sentence. A further 168 children (17%) had their case dismissed altogether. In total that means 62% of children remanded did not receive a custodial sentence.

The report makes a number of recommendations to national government to ensure that children are only placed in custody because there is no other safe and viable alternative, and that is never used as ‘a waiting room for children whose real need is care, housing or mental health support’.

 

Publication of the final report of the Independent Commission on Counter-Terrorism Law, Policy and Practice

The report is wide-ranging and reflects three years of research and consultation. Among other recommendations the report suggests the government overhaul the Prevent programme, placing it within ‘a local, multi-agency safeguarding model that covers a range of violence-related risks to public safety’.


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