Source: Department of Health and Social Care published on this website Thursday 26 March 2026 by Jill Powell

Parents will find it easier to provide their children with a healthy diet with the government set to adopt a new model to assess the healthiness of food and drink.

Food and drinks identified as ‘less healthy’ by the government’s updated NPM would be restricted from being placed in certain locations in stores, from volume price offers that encourage over-purchasing such as get 3 for the price of 2, and subject to advertising restrictions on TV before 9pm and online at any time, subject to consultation.

The previous model is more than 20 years old and does not reflect modern dietary advice.

Applying the new NPM to junk food advertising and volume price restrictions could lead to 110,000 fewer cases of childhood obesity and up to 520,000 fewer cases of adult obesity in the long term.

The new model, based on the latest dietary recommendations, looks at the healthiness of food and drinks based on their balance of nutrients - calories, salt, saturated fat, protein and fibre - and also free sugars, which are added to products or released during food processing.

Adopting the new model will mean some products often marketed as healthier but which contain hidden sugars or are high calorie and are often a driver of childhood obesity – such as certain sweetened cereals and fruit yoghurts - could be in scope of the restrictions.

This will:

• strengthen the impact of the existing restrictions
• give parents a far clearer picture about what they are buying
• encourage industry to reformulate so food marketed at children is healthier

The new model aligns to dietary recommendations on free sugars, with children currently consuming double the recommended amount. High consumption of free sugars is directly associated with poor health outcomes and can often be found in food and drinks marketed as healthier than they actually are.

Professor Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer for England, said:

“Free sugar in children’s diets is mainly sugar that is added to foods or where processing has released it.

“Free sugars are associated with increased levels of childhood obesity and other health harms, putting children’s health at risk for the rest of their lives.

“Applying the updated NPM to advertising and promotions will reduce marketing of unhealthy products at children, helping to reduce excess free sugar consumption and benefiting current children’s health now and in the future.”

The consultation on applying the new NPM to advertising and promotions restrictions builds on ongoing collaboration with industry to ensure we can collectively improve children’s diets. It invites views on:

• how and when the new NPM should be used
• the guidance businesses will need
• the timeline for implementation

Childhood obesity remains stubbornly high, with more than 1 in 3 children aged 10 to 11 living with overweight or obesity, and rates in deprived areas more than double those in more affluent communities. Obesity not only places a significant strain on the future health of a child but also costs the NHS billions of pounds to treat.

The rules do not ban the sale of products. They simply stop the relentless pressure of advertising and promotions for foods high in free sugars, salt and saturated fat.

This consultation is part of a series of measures by this government to combat childhood obesity and help support parents to raise the healthiest generation of children ever. Other measures include:

• extending the Soft Drinks Industry Levy
• banning the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children under 16
• introducing supervised toothbrushing for 3 to 5 year olds to protect those in the most deprived communities from tooth decay

Free breakfast clubs at schools are already providing a lifeline for so many, and more than 300,000 additional children are set to benefit from Best Start free breakfast clubs in April. The Healthy Start scheme is also helping provide those families eligible to buy healthy food and milk.

These are in addition to restricting less healthy food from being:

• placed in certain locations in stores
• included in volume price promotions
• advertised when and where children are most likely to be watching

18 year old Anna, Bite Back youth activist, said:  

“We welcome this consultation. It shows the government is starting to listen to young people and take action on junk food marketing. 

“Right now, we’re surrounded by ads and deals pushing unhealthy food everywhere - on our phones, on our streets, even on the way to school. We’re not being supported to be healthy, we’re being set up to fail. 

“This is an important step, but it needs to lead to real change so young people aren’t being targeted at every turn, and we can grow up in environments that actually support us to be healthy.”

Fran Bernhardt, Commercial Determinants Co-ordinator at Sustain, the alliance for better food and farming, said:  

“The NPM has been crucial for progress on children’s health. By allowing us to differentiate between healthier and less healthy foods and drinks, it’s been the cornerstone of several successful policies. One of its key strengths is its simplicity - it’s easy for businesses and policymakers to use and understand, and that must be preserved as the model is updated.   

“Opening this consultation is a welcome step, as unanswered questions remain around how to implement these changes. We urge the government to work closely with experts to ensure the necessary data and guidance are in place, so the updated NPM can continue - and strengthen - its role in safeguarding children’s health.”

Source: Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) published on this website Tuesday 24 March 2026 by Jill Powell

Young people may not realise they are victims, or even perpetrators, of stalking as increasing time spent online blurs the boundaries of acceptable behaviour, the Crown Prosecution Service has warned.  

It comes as the CPS launches its first Stalking Action Plan - designed to equip prosecutors to tackle the offence in the digital age. The number of stalking offences charged reached a record high last year, with 7,168 offences charged.

Olivia Rose, National Stalking Lead for the Crown Prosecution Service, said:

 “Young people today are growing up in an increasingly digital world. They have faster and wider access to both friends and strangers than any generation before.”

“It’s a real concern that offenders may not recognise when their behaviour crosses into criminality, and victims may not feel empowered to report it. This can leave them feeling even more isolated, and as though their offender cannot be held responsible.”  

Technological change is giving offenders new and inventive ways to contact victims and cross boundaries. Increasingly this includes the use of GPS trackers, social media platforms, online shopping channels and banking apps.  

The CPS’s new Action Plan commits prosecutors to working closely with tech experts, police and victims, to better understand how stalking is evolving online. It also includes work to explore a dedicated statement for children and young people, to help them recognise stalking behaviours they may encounter or display as more of their lives move online.

Reflecting on the impact of the offence, Olivia Rose said:

 “Every day our prosecutors see lives upended, confidence shattered, and safety compromised by stalking. We refuse to stick to the status quo while the environment this offending takes place in rapidly changes.

“Although offending may use digital platforms, the harm is real. As offenders find new ways to stalk and control through technology, we're determined to stay ahead of them. This Action Plan gives our prosecutors the tools to do that, and sends a clear message to victims: you will be taken seriously.”

“This isn’t just a policy refresh. It’s a clear, practical plan for how we will tackle stalking and provide victims with the support they deserve.”  

Prosecutors are also being encouraged to charge breaches of Stalking Protection Orders (SPOs) wherever there is evidence to do so. SPOs can make positive requirements of offenders, such as engaging with mental health services or handing over mobile devices, providing tangible protection for victims. This can both prevent further contact with victims and help break cycles of reoffending. The CPS has also said a new flag for stalking cases will also enable it to better track the progress of charged stalking cases.

Other measures in the Plan include:  

• Providing specialist training for prosecutors to better understand the overlap with other offences and underlying behaviours.  
• Working with police to ensure officers and prosecutors can spot patterns of control and trauma response that underpin stalking.
• Updating the joint protocol on Stalking or Harassment with the National Police Chiefs’ Council to improve how these cases are handled across the criminal justice system and better support victims.
• Improving transparency through the introduction of stalking-specific data flagging, annual scrutiny panels and feedback mechanisms to strengthen policy and practice.

The Solicitor General Ellie Reeves KC MP said:

“Stalking is an appalling crime. Victims are subjected to horrendous and sustained patterns of abuse at the hands of stalkers, and lives can be ruined.

“This government is determined to halve violence against women and girls, and CPS’s new stalking action plan is a vital step forward in how they tackle stalking, especially in a digital age, to better equip prosecutors and work with partners across the criminal justice system. Together, we will tackle this complex crime and improve victims’ experiences.” 

Saskia Garner, Head of Policy and Campaigns at the Suzy Lamplugh Trust, on behalf of the National Stalking Consortium said:

 “The National Stalking Consortium welcomes the CPS Stalking Action Plan which it hopes will bring much-needed improvements for victims of stalking seeking justice through the criminal justice system.  
“We are pleased to see a commitment to developing a new training model on stalking for prosecutors, as well as training on the psychological impact of trauma, to be developed with independent and specialist stakeholders.  

“It is critical that the voices of the stalking victims we work with remain central to this work. We look forward to ongoing engagement to ensure their continued representation in the review of stalking guidance, policies and procedures.”

The full CPS Stalking Action Plan is available to read in full here – CPS Stalking Action Plan 2026-2030 | The Crown Prosecution Service

Source: Ofcom published on this website Wednesday 25 March 2026 by Jill Powell

People in the UK will be better protected online from illegal self-harm material and unsolicited nude images, under new proposals published by Ofcom. 

The regulator is consulting on updates to its codes of practice and guidance to reflect the Government’s recent creation of new priority offences under the UK’s Online Safety Act. 

Duties on platforms

The Act lists over 130 priority offences. Under the Act, tech firms must assess the risk of these offences occurring on their sites and apps, put appropriate measures in place to mitigate the risk of them occurring, and take down priority illegal content quickly when they become aware of it. 

Ofcom’s codes of practice and guidance set out ways platforms can comply with these duties. 

New priority offences

In December 2025, the Government added cyberflashing and encouraging or assisting serious self-harm to the list of priority offences in the Act. To reflect this change in the law, we are consulting on updates to our Risk Assessment Guidance, Risk Profiles, Register of Risks, Illegal Content Judgements Guidance and Illegal Content Codes of Practice. 

This means that providers will have to assess the risk of unsolicited nude images and illegal self-harm content appearing on their services. They will also have to take appropriate safety measures to protect users from these harms. We are proposing that various existing measures in our codes should apply to these offences, including:

• allowing users to report illegal content through reporting and complaints processes that are easy to find, access and use; 
• making sure content moderation functions are appropriately resourced and individuals working in moderation are trained to identify illegal content; 
• having content moderation systems and processes designed to take down illegal content swiftly when a platform becomes aware of it; 
• when testing their algorithms, checking whether and how design changes impact the risk of illegal content being recommended to users; 
• enabling users to block or mute other users and disable comments on their content;
• providing crisis prevention information in response to search queries regarding self-harm; and
• enabling users to easily report predictive search suggestions they believe may direct people towards priority illegal content.

Next steps

Ofcom are inviting responses to their consultation by 5pm on Friday 24 April 2026. They will take all feedback into account before making Their final decisions, Ofcom expect to publish in summer 2026. 

Source: Department for Education published on this website Monday 23 March 2026 by Jill Powell

How to make a whistleblowing disclosure about an academy or post-16 provider. Updated March 2026 as written:

What whistleblowing is

You can make a whistleblowing disclosure to report any wrongdoing that’s in the public interest.

Read whistleblowing for employees to find out about:

• what counts as whistleblowing
• how you will be protected by law if you make a disclosure

Who can make a disclosure

You can make a disclosure direct to the Department for Education (DfE) if you are:

• an employee
• a volunteer who has knowledge of the academy or post-16 provider – for example, if you are a trustee in an academy trust

Only employees are protected by law if they make a disclosure directly to their employer. Disclosures made to DfE by volunteers may not receive the same protections. However, DfE will always protect the identity of any whistleblower.

More information on how we handle whistleblowing disclosures is available.

What to include in a disclosure

Give us the full details of your academy or post-16 provider, so we can investigate. Make sure you provide us with its:

• full name, especially if it’s a common name, such as ‘St Mary’s’
• address and postcode

Make a disclosure

You can either make:

• a disclosure direct to your academy or post-16 provider
• a disclosure to DfE

Make a disclosure about an academy

To make a disclosure about an academy, with the option to remain anonymous, use the customer help portal. If you wish to submit a complaint anonymously, use the ‘guest’ option.

Make a disclosure about a post-16 provider

To make a disclosure about a post-16 provider, either:

• use the customer help portal – if you wish to do so anonymously, use the ‘guest’ option
• write to:

Customer Service Team
Department for Education
Cheylesmore House
Quinton Road
Coventry CV1 2WT

What happens after you make a disclosure to DfE

Once we receive your disclosure, we’ll:

• send you an acknowledgement, if you shared your contact details
• confirm that we’ll not contact you unless we need further information for any investigation

We’ll not enter into a conversation with you once we’ve started a formal investigation. This is to ensure we:

• protect your confidentiality and anonymity
• do nothing that could potentially undermine the legitimacy of the outcome of any investigation