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First-ever government guidance on healthy screen use for children aged 5–16.

Source: Department for Education published on this website Tuesday 9 June 2026

Parents will soon get clear, practical guidance to help them manage their children’s screen use - which could include advice on when a child should get their first smartphone. 

At the same time, ministers are taking action to shape how technology is used in schools, helping children benefit from innovation while giving parents and teachers greater confidence that the tools used in classrooms are safe, effective and evidence-based. 

From scrolling and social media to sleep and learning, families are facing challenges previous generations never had. New guidance will offer practical, evidence‑based support for parents of children aged 5–16. 

Today, the government is launching a three‑week call for evidence to inform the guidance, which will be published this autumn. It will be informed by an independent expert group co‑chaired by Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza and Professor Russell Viner. 
The call for evidence will also seek views on screen use in schools, helping government build a complete picture of children’s digital lives and understand where technology can best support learning. 

The government is clear that technology is now part of childhood and can bring real benefits when used well - from learning and creativity to connection and support for children with SEND. That is why the guidance will avoid blanket rules and help families make informed choices, while wider reforms will ensure technology used in schools is safe, effective and supports better outcomes for children. 

The guidance builds on the government’s existing action to support children to thrive in the digital age. That includes a legal requirement for phone-free classrooms, the Online Safety Act, the first screen use guidance for parents of under-fives, and a consultation looking at everything – from a blanket ban to apps curfews and time limits.

Over 110,000 people responded including parents and children, and the government is aiming to set out its response as soon as possible.

Parents can see the difference. New polling published today shows that 86% support the government’s screen use guidance for under-fives, while 82% say it is already helping families build healthier habits for young children. 

The need for support is clear. While 96% of parents believe their child benefits from being online, fewer than three in ten think the benefits outweigh the risks when it comes to social media, messaging and video-sharing platforms. 

The call for evidence will also seek views on screen use in schools, recognising that children’s digital lives span both home and education. Evidence gathered will help inform the new guidance as well as wider work to ensure technology used in classrooms supports learning, improves outcomes and protects children from harm. 

Alongside the guidance, the government, working with the Children’s Commissioner, is recruiting for a new AI Youth Advisory Board, giving young people a direct say in how emerging technologies affect their lives. 

Later this year, ministers will consult on new independent safety certification for some types of technology used in schools, including generative AI and filtering and monitoring products.

On top of this, the government is also developing a clear framework on what good AI and technology products look like in practice and working with teachers and technology companies to co-design AI tools that could give up to 450,000 disadvantaged pupils access to tutoring support. Up to eight companies will work with partner schools to develop safe and effective products, with successful tools being made available to schools from 2027.

This will mean schools can trust that the tools they buy have been independently checked and meet clear safety standards and are of sound quality- so teachers can focus on teaching, not on navigating a complex and fast-moving market.

Government regulation of maternity nurses, nannies and the infant sleep industry

Source: Commons Library Research published on this website Monday 8 June 2026 by Jill Powell

There will be a debate to be announced, on government regulation of maternity nurses, nannies and the infant sleep industry.

The NHS has produced various webpages on baby sleep advice:

Stakeholder concerns

Various stakeholders have raised concerns about a lack of regulation regarding who can give advice on infants sleeping and misinformation online that could put infants’ health at harm.

In May 2026, a BBC investigation found some “self-described sleep experts” were giving new parents advice that goes against established NHS safe sleep guidelines. In the investigation, stakeholders raised concerns about a lack of support and guidance for parents and a lack of qualifications needed for someone to call themselves a “sleep expert” or “maternity nurse”. Stakeholders called for further regulation of advice being given in the industry to make sure it is evidence-based and safe, and training for people giving advice.

The charity lullaby trust has warned against “misleading marketing” around baby products. Research published in March 2026 by the lullaby trust found that from a survey of 1,000 UK parents and carers, while 95% said they felt confident about baby sleep safety, only 5% were able to correctly identify all safer sleep set-ups when shown a range of sleep environments. The survey found parents and carers reported items that don’t follow NHS safer sleep guidelines, such as cuddly toys or a blanket, present in 9 out of 10 baby sleep spaces, and many parents believed they were harmless “highlighting how easily unsafe practices can become normalised through clever marketing”.

Protected titles

In the UK, some health professions (such as doctors) are regulated by law. This includes the protection of the professional title and the requirement for professionals to be registered with a designated regulator to practise. For example, only those registered with the General Medical Council (GMC) can legally refer to themselves as a “medical practitioner,” and only those on the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) register can use the title “registered nurse.”

Whilst “registered nurse” is currently a protected title, “nurse” is not. Various stakeholders, including parliamentarians, have called for “nurse” to be a protected title to prevent the spread of misinformation and people using the title without registered nursing qualifications.

In May 2025, the government announced plans to introduce legislation in this Parliament to fully protect the title of “nurse”. The government’s press release said “there will be exemptions for relevant professions like veterinary nurse, dental nurse and nursery nurse, where the title ‘nurse’ is legitimately used”.

Regulation of childcare providers

All childcare providers registered with OFSTED on the Early Years Register (providing learning, development and care of children from birth to 5) are required to follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework, which requires babies to be placed down to sleep in line with the latest government safety guidance. There are also minimum qualification requirements that staff must meet in order to be included in the mandatory staff-to-child ratios (see written parliamentary question 103417 [on Pre-school Education: Sleep], 4 February 2026).

Nannies and home carers do not have to register with OFSTED but they can join the voluntary part of the Childcare Register if they wish. They are not able to join the Early Years Register. Childcare providers registered on the voluntary part of the Childcare Register, and not the Early Years Register, such as nannies, do not have to follow the EYFS statutory framework (see written parliamentary question 31566 [on Nannies: Registration].

Reading List

Nursery World, Updates to EYFS framework to strengthen safer sleep requirements after Genevieve Meehan’s death, 31 March 2026

BBC News, Dangerous baby-sleep advice given to parents by self-described experts, secret filming reveals, 5 May 2026

BBC News, Calls for ‘urgent action’ on baby-sleep industry after BBC investigation, 12 May 2026

National Nanny Association, Nanny Regulation in the UK: The Road to Regulation

Parliamentary material

Parliamentary question

Maternity Care (14 April 2026, 783 c675)

Asked: Regulation of infant sleep industry and that ‘maternity nurse’ is not a protected term.

Answered: There will shortly be a review into the title of ‘nurse’, and changes to ensure ‘nurse’ is a professional title.

Open Consultation: Information sharing duty statutory guidance published 2 June 2026

Source: Department for Education published o this website Thursday 4 June 2026 by Jill Powell

We would like your views on draft statutory guidance on the information sharing duty introduced in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act.

This consultation is being held on another website

This consultation closes at
11:59pm on 14 July 2026

Consultation description

We are seeking views on draft statutory guidance, including a data sharing agreement template. These are designed to:

set out the new information sharing duty, and who it’s for
help organisations and practitioners to interpret and apply the legislation in practice

The duty will apply from September 2026.

The statutory guidance is intended to:

promote consistent implementation
support a cultural shift in how information sharing is understood and practised across sectors

It will replace the Department for Education’s existing guidance on information sharing.

The statutory guidance on working together to safeguard children will still apply.

We are seeking responses from safeguarding organisations and their practitioners.

Mann Review recommendations a much-needed boost to tackling antisemitism and racism, says PSA

Source: The Professional Standards Authority (PSA) published on this website Friday 4 June 2026 by Jill Powell

The Professional Standards Authority (PSA) welcomes the publication of the Lord Mann Review which looked at how the regulatory system for healthcare professionals tackles antisemitism and other forms of racism at every stage, from employment through to professional oversight.

Racism and antisemitism in the NHS can have a major impact on public trust and confidence in professionals and in healthcare services more widely, and can make patients and families, as well as staff feel unsafe. It is important that professional regulators, along with other parts of the system, play their part in combatting it robustly.

The Review recommends expanded powers for the PSA. These include a new power for the PSA to appeal interim order decisions which are made ahead of a final decision on a healthcare professional’s fitness to practise. Interim orders can be used to prevent or restrict a professional’s practice before a full investigation is undertaken in cases where there is a significant risk to public safety or confidence. There is also a new power proposed for the PSA to require that the General Medical Council (GMC) shares information with us. This is intended to support our oversight role. These proposed powers are currently being consulted on as part of the new legislative framework for the GMC.

Lord Mann’s Review also recommends additional accountability arrangements and enhanced expectations for the PSA on convening and communicating with regulators about their responsibilities in this area. There is a range of further recommendations for regulators, employers and wider stakeholders.

We welcome the recommendations set out in the Review and will begin to plan how we will work with others to take them forward. We will publish further information later this month about the new proposed powers in our response to the consultation on the GMC’s new legislation.

The Charity Commission has today published new guidance to help charity trustees make confident, responsible grant-making decisions at a time when many charities are facing sustained financial pressure. 

Source: The Charity Commission published on this website Wednesday 3 June 2026 by Jill Powell

Thousands of charities carry out their purposes by making grants to other organisations. This guidance explores the fundamentals of effective grant-making, from setting funding priorities and carrying out due diligence, to monitoring grants and reporting impact.  

In March, the charity regulator revealed that grant-making charities awarded £17.84 billion in grants during 2024, up from £16.97 billion in 2023, which included £12 billion to other charities. However, for a third year in a row, the analysis has shown an ongoing financial squeeze in parts of the sector. This follows a three-fold increase in demand for charitable services across England and Wales.  

The new guidance replaces and expands on previous guidance to now cover all grant making. It makes it clearer that grant-making charities have the flexibility to provide unrestricted grants to charities with the same, or narrower, purposes than their own. This gives charities that receive grants the freedom to use funds how they think best. Funds must be used to further a charity’s purposes, but an unrestricted grant enables trustees to be responsive to things like changing beneficiary needs in their area of work, changes to their activities and can help cover core costs to ensure continued operation.  

The guidance explains that charities can fund organisations that are not charities, which can help reach new beneficiaries or grow grant-making charities’ impact. This can be particularly effective in communities where there are very few charities operating. However, given that non-charities are less regulated, trustees must take reasonable steps to assess and manage potential risks. 

In all cases, grant-making charities must have a written agreement in place and should monitor it to make sure the recipient organisation is meeting the agreed terms. The Commission expects charities to complete appropriate checks on potential recipients of funds, including ensuring they understand how the organisation operates, checking if it is genuine, and that the grant can be effectively monitored.  

The guidance has been updated as part of the Commission’s work programme of supporting effective philanthropy across England and Wales, in line with the regulator’s five-year strategy. The full guide can be found on gov.uk.  

Mazeda Alam, Head of Trustee Guidance at the Charity Commission said: 

Many charities are finding it hard to keep running services that communities increasingly depend on. We also know that securing funding for core costs — the kind that keeps a charity running — can be a significant challenge.  

“Grant-making charities and philanthropists play a vital yet often unappreciated role in providing financial support to the sector. This guidance is designed to give them the flexibility to use their best judgement when awarding funds and encourage them to do so confidently, growing the reach of their support. 

“Any funding decision must ultimately be driven by one question: will this help the grant-making charity further its purpose, and make a difference to the people and causes it exists to serve? This guidance gives trustees assurance that they can answer that question, and to make decisions that are both bold and responsible.”