Children’s Secretary Ed Balls and Health Secretary Alan Johnson have announced plans to improve children’s mental health services with a package of measures including a National Advisory Council and the roll-out of extra support for children in schools. The announcement comes in response to the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) review recommendations.
Department of Children, Schools and Families press release >>

CAMHS review webpages >>

The government will introduce new legislation to ensure that multi-agency Children’s Trust Boards are operating in each local authority area. The Children’s Trust Boards will consist of the local authority, health, police, schools and other services who will be legally required to work together to agree and deliver a Children and Young People’s Plan. DCSF press release >>

Following a question, by John Pugh Minister for Schools and Learners Jim Knight led a debate on sex and relationships education. Hansard source >>

Winners will have their project costs paid for along with support and mentoring to carry out their ideas. For further information email Big Challenge or telephone 02075 661 129. The competition closes on January 12 2009.

Health related winners were:

The Health and Wellbeing Award – Trelya. A Cornish charity working with children and young people at risk of social exclusion, reached 3,000 young people with a sensible drinking campaign: 80 per cent said the campaign had made them think about taking safer decisions.

Youth Work Award - NUH (Nottingham University Hospitals) Youth Service. Nottingham University Hospitals' Youth Service gives support to young people who have a range of long-term illnesses and disabilities such as cystic fibrosis, diabetes, cancer and autism.
Further information >>

Sexual health charity Brook is calling for nominations for the Brook Awards 2009. These awards aim to recognise and celebrate the outstanding work on sexual health that young people and professionals are doing to improve the lives of young people all over the UK.
Further information >>

A landmark networking event aimed at hospital based youth workers across the UK to find out the size, scope, needs and wants of the hospital based youth work sector, examine key issues in the current climate for this work and decide on a way forward. It will include networking activities and examine current policy, commissioning and funding for hospital based youth work; and how to create young people friendly services for young people in hospital settings. The event will look at the impact of this work, staff development through e-learning and look at ways forward.  Further information >>

The Terence Higgins Trust (THT) will provide free sexual health training to professionals working with young people. A number of courses will be available up until March next year in areas such as sex and relationships education, HIV awareness and tackling homophobia. THT press release >>

A workshop to build confidence in teaching SRE to young people with learning difficulties.

It is aimed at professionals, such as school nurses, teachers, learning support staff and youth and community workers working with young people with learning difficulties in secondary and special schools, colleges and youth clubs. For more information, email Ashley Beaumont-Thomas or telephone 0114 226 1900.

Suitable for young people aged 11 and over, Sexplanation! is set to become a vital resource and well-used feature of all good youth projects. The game costs £40 plus £6 post and packaging and is available from The National Youth Agency, telephone Sales on 0116 242 7427 or e-mail: sales@nya.org.uk

The Good Practice Guidelines for Healthy Youth Work - the quality assurance resource for all working around health issues with young people, is now on sale at £25 per copy, including a CD with electronic versions of the text. A downloadable version is also available. NYA Good Practice Guidelines web pages >>

The NYA’s Youth Work for Health Team is putting together another quality resource - The Health Activities Resource Pack. We want to test out the activities we are developing and would like to hear from youth projects that can help us to do this by trialling the resources with young people. Email Roger Morford for further details - feel free to forward this request to your contacts and networks.

Online content from NHS Direct is now available through NHS Choices at http://www.nhs.uk/ including a Self Help Guide and Health Encyclopedia. NHS Direct will continue to provide a telephone service giving health information and advice for patients and the public. NHS Choices website >>

The NYA’s Youth Work for Health (YW4H) team is working with the Department of Health to develop a framework and standards for including health within the professional training of youth workers. Consultants Atkins Associates have developed an on-line consultation to gain views on what these should include.

We particularly want to hear from those who have recently undergone training, are currently training and from youth workers whose role includes work on health with young people. We also want to hear from those who teach and train youth workers and from employers and health colleagues who work with youth workers. To take part please visit the online survey >>.

The consultation will run until 5 January 2009.

Ofsted has launched a consultation on the indicators that could be used to rank schools on how well they improve pupils' wellbeing. Ofsted will survey pupils and parents about safety at school, healthy eating and education on smoking and drug misuse, and sex and relationships education. Schools will be asked about their truancy rates and how many pupils take part in more than two hours of sport each week. Responses to the consultation are requested by 16 January 2009.
Download the indicators and respond to the consultation >>