Source: Department for Education published on this website Friday 6 March 2026 by Jill Powell

Life-saving allergy pens must be stocked by schools for the first time under new plans announced 5 March 2026.

The move will also see compulsory training for teachers and a requirement for each school to have a dedicated allergy policy.

As well as saving lives, the new measures will help children stay in school, with 500,000 days of learning lost due to allergy-related illness or medical appointments in the last year alone.

The plans come after the government listened to families and campaigners who have fought for change — including Helen Blythe, mother of Benedict Blythe, who tragically lost his life to an allergic reaction at school, and the National Allergy Strategy Group.

Replacing previous non-statutory advice, the consultation on the new guidance on supporting children and young people with medical conditions and allergies is now open, ahead of coming into force in September 2026.

The new statutory requirements mean for the first time schools must:

• stock “spare” adrenaline auto-injectors for use in emergency situations
• provide allergy awareness training for all staff — covering recognition of symptoms, emergency response and the use of adrenaline devices — alongside improved incident recording and lessons learnt processes
• have a comprehensive policy for supporting children with medical conditions, including Individual Healthcare Plans to record specific arrangements for individuals like an allergy management plan

Schools up and down the country are already undertaking the necessary training to keep children safe. This guidance will standardise practise, pointing to a collection of reliable resources for teachers to use, and work in parallel to the government’s open call to businesses to support with costs such as adrenaline auto-injectors.

Olivia Bailey, Minister for Early Education said:

“No parent should have to send their child to school worried that a life-threatening allergic reaction won’t be handled swiftly. We have listened to the families and organisations who have campaigned tirelessly on this issue, and we are acting. These new requirements will give parents the confidence that every school has the training, the plans and the equipment in place to keep their child safe.”

This works hand in hand with wider work to reform the school food system, such as revising the school food standards and expanding free school meals to an additional 500,000 children this September.

Wider changes to the guidance include new condition-specific content covering a range of common and significant conditions. As epilepsy is one of the most common long-term conditions for children, Individual Healthcare Plans should cover seizure types and what to do in an emergency. And as type 1 and 2 diabetes cases in children are rising, schools must support children and young people to use continuous glucose monitors and insulin pumps — including via mobile phone apps.

When health and education work together like this, it can make a real, lasting difference for children and their families.

Helen Blythe and Peter Blythe, parents of Benedict Blythe and founders of the Benedict Blythe Foundation, said:

“For 4 years, we have campaigned for Benedict’s Law so that no child faces the preventable gaps in allergy safety that cost our 5-year-old son his life.

“We are grateful the government has listened, and that from September schools will be required to have allergy pens, training and policies in place — protections that were not there when Benedict joined his school.

“Knowing that future children will enter a system far safer than the one he did is a powerful and lasting legacy for our son Benedict.”

Source: Kent Police published on this website Wednesday 4 March 2026 by Jill Powell

A delivery driver who sexually assaulted two women at their Maidstone homes has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison.

On 26 June 2025, Shafiullah Rasooli delivered food to a woman who had ordered it online. As she opened the door, he made inappropriate remarks before stepping into the property and sexually assaulting her.

He left the address and then returned to commit a further sexual offence, before taking her phone to enter his contact details. Over the following days, Rasooli made multiple calls to the victim’s phone, causing her considerable distress.

A week later, on 3 July, Rasooli made a further delivery to another woman. He made indecent comments to the victim and asked about her relationship status before sexually assaulting her.

Both women reported the incidents to Kent Police and an investigation was launched.

Investigators reviewed CCTV in the area to identify Rasooli’s vehicle. This, accompanied by screenshots of the victims’ orders and the contact details he had left with one of the victims’ phones, assisted officers to track him down.

The 29 year old of St Peter’s Street, Maidstone, was later charged with three counts of sexual assault. He denied the offences and was convicted following a trial at Sevenoaks Magistrates’ Court.

On Wednesday 25 February 2026, Rasooli, an Afghan national, was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court to two and a half years’ imprisonment. He was also handed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Detective Constable Matthew Kerr said:
“Rasooli took advantage of his job to prey on the two vulnerable victims who had simply ordered food. His actions made them feel unsafe and violated in their own homes and he arrogantly thought he could get away with it.
“However, a prompt investigation led to his arrest and he is now serving a prison sentence.
“I would like to commend both victims for courageously reporting these crimes and then assisting us throughout the subsequent trial. I hope they can find some closure knowing their actions have protected other potential victims from harm.”

Source: Merseyside Police published on this website Thursday 5 March 2026 by Jill Powell

A man who was in the middle of his driving test in St Helens was stopped by officers and arrested for drug driving.

At around 5pm Sunday 1 March, officers on patrol in the area stopped a vehicle on King Street after spotting that a brake light wasn’t working.

Officers could smell cannabis when speaking to the driver, who was on his driving test, and he subsequently failed a drugs wipe. He was also found to be in possession of cannabis.

A 26-year-old man from Wigan was arrested on suspicion of drug driving and taken into police custody. He has since been released under investigation.

Roads Policing Inspector Simon Wilson said: “Officers rightly pulled over the car after noticing that a brake light wasn’t working, which is dangerous not only for the occupants of the vehicle but also other road users.

“After speaking to the driver, it was clear that there was much more for officers to be concerned with and he was arrested on suspicion of drug driving.

“Although some people may find the humour in the fact someone on a driving test was arrested, drug driving is no laughing matter. It is incredibly dangerous and selfish to get behind the wheel of a vehicle under the influence of drugs and it’s an offence we take seriously at Merseyside Police.

“Every year we run Operation Limit, which is a nation-wide initiative which aims to tackle drink and drug driving across the festive period. However, we are determined to improve road safety all year round and work continues to crackdown on selfish drivers who pose a risk to themselves and others.

“Our stance on illegal substances is clear: nobody should be taking them. But even if you choose to break the law and take illegal drugs, that does not give you the right to endanger the lives of innocent people on the roads who have no way of knowing you are driving intoxicated.”

If you suspect someone is currently driving under the influence, call 999 immediately. For non-urgent information, call 101 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via their website here: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/forms/give-information-anonymously 

Source: Home Office published on this website Tuesday 3 March 2026 by Jill Powell

Parents and caregivers who physically harm children will face tougher, lasting consequences for their actions following a new child cruelty register.

Adults who subject children in their care to cruel, heartless crimes, such as neglect and abandonment, will be more closely monitored by police and face similar restrictions as registered sex offenders – reducing the chances of reoffending and providing better protection to children.

This could include having to inform police if they move house, change their identities, travel abroad, or start living with children again after their sentence.

The register will also cover all offences related to child female genital mutilation.

The move follows calls for such a register from campaigners including Paula Hudgell, the adoptive mother of Tony Hudgell, who became a double amputee following severe neglect by his birth parents.

The government has tabled amendments to the Crime and Policing Bill to establish the register.

Jess Phillips, MP, Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls, said:

“It is unforgivable that someone who is supposed to take care of a child would hurt them instead.

“We’ve listened to the Hudgells, and to the many families who feel the system hasn’t done enough to protect some of the most vulnerable people in society, and we are taking vital action.

“Whether it be online, on the streets, in schools, or from their own caregivers – children are being kept safer under this government.”

Crimes covered by the register will include those convicted of causing or allowing the death or serious physical harm of a child. This includes child cruelty, abandonment or neglect, female genital mutilation and infanticide. These offences are egregious betrayals of a child’s trust and dependency.

At the same time, the government is bringing in a raft of non-legislative measures to further protect children. These include promoting the effective use of civil orders, strengthening Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) oversight, ensuring high‑risk cases are identified consistently, and putting child sex offender disclosure by police on a statutory footing.

Taken together, the new child cruelty register and supporting measures will provide the best-ever police visibility for those who have harmed children under their care, and will give safeguarding partners the information they need to stop cruel, neglectful and abusive adults from offending again.

These actions come in addition to the strong steps this government has already taken to safeguard children. These include introducing the landmark Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill with a unique child identifier, new multi-agency child protection teams and better information sharing powers. We are also strengthening child sex offender disclosure, establishing a new Child Protection Agency, and bringing in mandatory reporting of child sexual abuse.

Sentencing Minister, Jake Richards MP, said:

“Child abusers do not deserve shielding; children do. The Child Cruelty Register will ensure these offenders are visible to the police, allowing authorities to see and act when risks arise.

“I thank Paula Hudgell for her remarkable fight to ensure no child should go through the life-altering abuse that her son Tony did”.