The figures, which included emotional, physical and sexual abuse as well as neglect, suggested 13.6 million people were affected Nearly a third of women in England and Wales were abused as a child, along with just over a quarter of men, according to new figures which for the first time include emotional, physical or sexual abuse as well as neglect. The data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimates 31.5% of women and 26.4% of men experienced some form of abuse as a child, a total of 13.6 million – almost three in 10 – people. Continue reading...

Move comes despite election manifesto promises from Keir Starmer to improve ‘access to learning’ Prisons across England and Wales are set to slash frontline spending on education courses by up to 50%, despite promises from Keir Starmer to improve “access to learning” in last year’s general election manifesto. The budget for classroom courses at HMP Leicester will be cut by 46.5%, another men’s prison is cutting spending by 25%, while a women’s prison is cutting its provision in education by 26%, sources have confirmed. Continue reading...

The prison squad also deals with young offender institutions and immigration removal centres.

Exclusive: Barnardo’s says number of family hubs and children’s centres has plummeted – with ‘postcode lottery of support’ Community support for struggling families in England has declined significantly over the past 15 years, with data revealing that the availability of specialist children’s services has plummeted by over a third. The number of family hubs and children’s centres in England has reduced by more than a third since 2009, while spending on centres was cut by almost £1.4bn between 2010/11 and 2023/24, according to freedom of information data compiled from 108 local authorities by the charity Barnardo’s. Access varies according to region in a “postcode lottery of support”, the charity said. Continue reading...

The government’s claims about immigration driving down wages are so demonstrably untrue, it’s hard to feel the appropriate level of outrage