COP26 climate conference postponed until 2021

2 April 2020
COP26 climate conference postponed until 2021
The COP26 UN climate change conference set to take place in Glasgow in November has been postponed due to coronavirus.
Alok Sharma, COP26 President-Designate and Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, said that dates for a rescheduled conference in 2021, hosted in Glasgow by the UK in partnership with Italy, will be set out in due course following further discussion with parties.
However, in light of the ongoing, worldwide effects of coronavirus, holding an ambitious, inclusive COP26 in November 2020 is no longer possible.

Children commissioner calls for volunteer social workers

1 April 2020
Children commissioner calls for volunteer social workers
Anne Longfield has called for an army of volunteers to help support children’s social care during the coronavirus crisis.
Just as doctors and nurses who left the NHS have responded to calls to return to work to help save lives, the Children’s Commissioner for England would like to see retired social workers and a range of school, nursery and care staff who have been furloughed as a result of the crisis join forces to help keep at-risk children safe.

National Living Wage rate increases

1 April 2020
National Living Wage rate increases
The National Living Wage will increase to £8.72, giving a pay rise to thousands of workers at the frontline of the UK’s response to coronavirus.

Young people’s mental health hit by coronavirus

31 March 2020
Young people’s mental health hit by coronavirus
Over 80 per cent of young people with a history of mental ill health have found their conditions have worsened since the coronavirus crisis.

‘Children of the pandemic’ risk becoming unseen victims

31 March 2020
‘Children of the pandemic’ risk becoming unseen victims
Urgent intervention is needed to ensure that millions of children are not unfairly disadvantaged by the measures to combat the coronavirus crisis.
The IPPR think tank says that an estimated 3.9 million parents may need to care for children because they are no longer in school or childcare. All parents and carers have already faced increased costs for educational materials, internet usage and entertainment. Even those furloughed by their employers under the job retention scheme face a 20 per cent cut to their income.