Source: Department for Education published on this website Tuesday 6 October 2026 by Jill Powell

Hundreds of thousands more young people in disadvantaged communities will get the chance to join sports teams, learn an instrument, or take part in debating and outdoor adventures, helping them build confidence, develop new skills and stay engaged both in and out of education.

More than 400 secondary schools will benefit from tailored support backed by £22.5 million through the government’s Enrichment Expansion programme.

The investment will help schools broaden opportunities for pupils by putting on more activities during the school day or after school ranging from music groups, engineering clubs and debating societies to football teams, volunteering projects and outdoor learning programmes. By building confidence, skills and a sense of belonging, these experiences can help keep young people engaged in education and set them up for future success.

The programme speaks to the findings of the State of the Nation survey of more than 14,000 young people, which found that young people want safe spaces, trusted adults, better mental health support and greater access to enriching activities. Yet too many are still missing out because of where they live or the barriers they face.

Without access to enrichment, too many young people miss out on the confidence, skills and sense of belonging that help them succeed. Those least likely to participate are also more likely to become not in education, employment or training (NEET), making these opportunities a vital part of helping young people stay engaged, raise their aspirations and prepare for future success.

In response, the government launched the Youth Matters Strategy in December last year and committed to halving the participation gap in enriching activities between disadvantaged young people and their peers by 2035. 

Funded by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), delivered in partnership with the Department for Education (DfE), the Enrichment Expansion programme’s additional funding and support is part of this solution, helping those schools facing the greatest challenges to deliver a wide range of high-quality enrichment opportunities, in line with this year’s new benchmarks for every school.

Both the Enrichment Benchmarks and the Enrichment Expansion programme form part of the government’s mission to ensure that every young person has somewhere to go, something to do and sense of community – including through the recently announced expansion of Young Futures Hubs as well as the £132.5 million Every Child Can programme, which will increase access to a wide range of high-quality activities.

The programme will be delivered by the Youth Sport Trust and a team of national partners, with dedicated Enrichment Co-ordinators managing clusters of local schools to identify gaps in their current offer, develop enrichment plans, and connect with local partners to expand opportunities for their pupils. As part of the funding, schools will receive tailored support to strengthen and grow their enrichment provision, helping more children access high-quality experiences both in and beyond the classroom who otherwise would not have been able to do so.

The investment will support schools to deliver the opportunities outlined in the government’s new Enrichment Benchmarks, announced earlier this year, which provide practical guidance to help every child access high-quality enrichment opportunities as part of their education.

Supporting delivery of the programme are 5 Enrichment Ambassadorsrepresenting arts and culture, sport and physical activity, nature, outdoors and adventure, civic engagement, and wider life and future skills. Working alongside government, they will champion participation, showcase effective practice and help ensure more children can access high-quality opportunities wherever they live.

Today’s (18 September 2026) announcement is part of the government’s drive to ensure every child can access high-quality enrichment opportunities, regardless of their background or postcode. Reflecting that commitment, today, Schools Minister Georgia Gould is attending the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Building partnerships: A 20-year story symposium, championing the role of arts and culture in helping young people thrive.

Areas were selected based on a measure covering IDACI (Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index) and CNI (Community Needs Index), weighted to enable representation across all 9 government regions and alignment with Department for Education Place Missions.

A list of areas provided at:

Source: Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) published on this website 2 October 2026 by Jill Powell

The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) has issued a Safety Alert for certain baby sleeping bags because of the risk of overheating and suffocation. 

The alert concerns baby sleeping bags that do not have arm holes or include a hood. They are marketed or intended to be used as bags for babies to sleep in unsupervised when in a crib or cot. 

Without armholes to retain a baby in position, the child might slip into the sleeping bag which could result in overheating, suffocation and potentially death. Sleeping bags with hoods may also cover a baby’s nose and mouth and cause similar harm. 

The Safety Alert has been issued following nearly 50 recalls or product safety reports for dangerous sleeping bag products in the UK since 2023. 

OPSS is advising parents and carers not to buy – and to stop using – any sleeping bag products that lack armholes or which include a hood for unsupervised baby sleep. Parents and carers who have these products should contact the business that supplied them as they may be entitled to redress. 

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has also today issued a warning to parents and carers to be on high alert for online ads promoting baby products that claim to help with colic, reflux, sleep and soothing. The warning follows a large-scale monitoring exercise in which the regulator identified ads promoting potentially dangerous products and practices that could put babies at risk of serious harm or death.

Source:  Ministry of Justice published on this website Monday 5 October 2026

Domestic abuse is already recognised as an aggravating factor in a wide range of offences, such as assault or stalking, but until now there has been no consistent way to record this once an offender is convicted. This makes it harder to identify abusers; manage the risks they pose and identify patterns of repeat offending.  

Under the new measures, the courts must now state in open court when an offence involved domestic abuse, creating for the first time a single, clear court record that can be shared across the criminal justice system. This will ensure perpetrators are identified and managed more effectively by enabling more tailored interventions to address abusive behaviour.  

Minister for Victims and Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls and International Justice, Alex Davies-Jones said: 

“Too many victims have suffered because patterns of abusive behaviour have not always been recognised across the justice system. 

“This is an important step towards better identifying dangerous perpetrators, protecting victims and delivering on our commitment to halve violence against women and girls.” 

Andrea Simon, London’s Victims’ Commissioner, said:

“As a panel member of the Independent Sentencing Review, I was committed to ensuring domestic abuse flags were enshrined in law through the Sentencing Act. This is so the context of an offence could be formally recorded and protections for victims of abuse could be strengthened. I am therefore, pleased to see these measures being implemented in practice. Within the context of early prison releases, it is vital that justice agencies can effectively identify and respond to the risks posed by domestic abuse perpetrators and put the right interventions in place to protect victims from further harm.”

Court flags will be shared with relevant partners and agencies, and be visible on police, probation and prison digital systems. This will give frontline staff a clearer picture of an offender’s history, helping them assess and manage risk effectively and better identify repeat domestic abuse offenders 

More widely, victims are being supported through a new Victim Support helpline, funded as part of an £18 million support package, while the Prime Minister has blocked offenders convicted of rape, serious child sexual offences and grooming from benefiting from upcoming sentencing changes.  

Victims will also be better protected through the expansion of electronic monitoring, including world-first restriction zones designed to keep the highest-risk offenders away from those they have harmed. 

Dame Nicole Jacobs, Domestic Abuse Commissioner, said:  

“This marks a step change in our ability to track domestic abuse perpetrators through the criminal justice system - something I have long called for.

“Not only will it enable us to better identify and respond to harmful behaviour, but it will also help ensure victims receive the right level of support they need, while giving us a clearer picture of how pervasive domestic abuse is within our justice system.

“That insight is crucial if we are to better protect victims and hold perpetrators to account.”

Further information

• The Judicial Finding of Domestic Abuse was introduced by the Sentencing Act 2026. It has also been included in the Criminal Procedure Rules, making it obligatory for the courts to implement. The judicial finding will apply when an offence involved domestic abuse (as defined by the Domestic Abuse Act 2021) carried out by the offender. 
• The Judicial Finding of Domestic Abuse will only apply in the Criminal Court. 
• The finding will be recorded as a formal court result at the point of sentencing. 
• The reforms form part of wider action to improve outcomes for victims and survivors, including: 
• Introduced domestic abuse specialists in 999 call centres in selected areas. Specialists can support first responders to assess the risk and make sure there is an appropriate response. 
• The CPS and NPCC have launched the ‘Domestic Abuse Joint Justice Plan’, which brings police and prosecution expertise together – for a stronger, more co-ordinated approach to investigating and charging domestic abuse. 
• Improved access to civil legal aid for domestic abuse victims by extending the equity disregard for the main residence. 
• Expanding the Pathfinder pilots in family courts, which are helping to ensure that children’s voices are heard in each case, reducing their trauma, and providing more access to specialist support. 
• The rollout of the Domestic Abuse Protection Orders in selected areas. This puts tough restrictions on abusers and can include orders for behaviour change programmes. 
• Considering how to expand the use of specialist domestic abuse courts.

Source: Care Quality Commission (CQC) published on this website Thursday 1 October 2026 by Jill Powell

CQC are developing new guidance on what good dementia care should look like across health and social care services. Before we launch a planned formal consultation on the guidance in early 2027, we would like your views to help shape the guidance before we start to write it.

This work aims to improve people’s experience of dementia care and their outcomes from care, including people who are living with dementia, their families and carers. Everyone should be able to expect to receive care that treats them as an individual person – recognising what matters most to them, and responding to their needs with dignity, compassion and understanding.

Why DBS are developing this guidance

The guidance will form part of our Dementia Strategy. It will be statutory guidance, which means that CQC-registered care providers must follow it. We want the guidance to create a clear, shared understanding of what people living with dementia should be able to expect from care services, and what good dementia care looks like in practice.

The purpose of the guidance is to:

• describe what good dementia care looks like
• support health and adult social care providers to deliver high-quality care
• promote consistency across services
• protect and promote people’s rights
• improve experiences of care for people living with dementia and their carers.

We will need to combine evidence from our regulatory work, professional expertise and people’s lived experience into a practical framework that care providers and professionals can use to help deliver high-quality dementia care across different settings.

Take part in the survey

CQC are now moving to the co-design phase of developing the guidance. We want to hear a broad range of views from organisations and individual people who have knowledge, experience or an interest in this area about what the guidance should include.

The survey has 4 questions. Please submit your responses by 5pm on 30 October.

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