Child protection

Number of new FGM cases referred to NHS in England down by a quarter

Campaigners caution that drop may be down to difficulties in accessing services during Covid pandemic

Tobi Thomas

25, Feb, 2021 @6:02 PM

Welsh watchdog criticises lack of action since home-school scurvy death

Children’s commissioner says moves to better regulate home education have been slow and ineffective

Steven Morris

25, Feb, 2021 @7:01 AM

Abuse survivor calls for UK children born of rape to have 'victim' legal status

Rotherham grooming victim says children need specialist help and should be able to prosecute fathers

Helen Pidd North of England editor

16, Feb, 2021 @5:13 PM

Rise in child abuse online threatens to overwhelm UK police, officers warn

Exclusive: Sheer quantity of abusive material hindering detection while Facebook move to greater encryption is a further blow

Harriet Grant

09, Feb, 2021 @8:00 AM

School closures and job losses in UK 'could lead to social unrest'

Exclusive: West Midlands crime commissioner warns of Covid restrictions’ effect on young people

Jessica Murray Midlands correspondent

05, Feb, 2021 @2:25 PM

I'm a survivor of child sexual grooming. It took me 20 years to know it wasn't my fault | Gemma Carey

As Australian of the Year Grace Tame reminds us, talking of abuse openly will allow victims to place blame where it belongs

Gemma Carey

28, Jan, 2021 @10:35 PM

Children's social care is in crisis. What's needed is more cash, not privatisation | Patrick Butler

The government’s review of England’s children’s services must look at funding to improve the life chances of those in care, says Guardian social policy editor Patrick Butler

Patrick Butler

27, Jan, 2021 @7:00 AM

Fears grow over hidden child abuse since start of pandemic

Research by Office for the Children’s Commissioner shows drop in case referrals when abuse is known to be on the rise

Michael Savage

24, Jan, 2021 @8:00 AM

Facebook admits encryption will harm efforts to prevent child exploitation

British MP asks firm why it is introducing end-to-end encryption that will ‘put more children at risk’

Alex Hern UK technology editor

21, Jan, 2021 @3:44 PM

Australia's anguish: the Indigenous kids trapped behind bars

In a new series, Childhood in custody, Guardian Australia investigates the overrepresentation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in juvenile justice and examines how the system operates – by telling the personal stories of those who live and work in it

Lorena Allam and Laura Murphy-Oates

17, Jan, 2021 @4:30 PM