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January 19, 2024

Child sexual abuse victims waiting longer for help, report finds 

  • Many child sexual abuse victims in the UK wait at least six months for therapy, advice and counselling, according to a Centre of expertise on child sexual abuse (CSA Centre) report.
  • Service providers say waiting times are due to providers struggling to keep up with increasing demand.
  • While acknowledging that more needs to be done, the government is increasing funding for support services to ensure all victims can access support quickly.
  • For more, please visit the BBC News website.

ICO publishes updated Commissioner’s Opinion on age assurance for the Children’s code 

  • The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has updated its age assurance Opinion, which outlines what online services must do to comply with the Children’s Code.
  • The updated Opinion considers technological developments and how organisations can comply with the Online Safety Act 2023.
  • Age assurance is necessary to protect children online and the ICO is committed to working with businesses to ensure they are complying with the law.
  • For more, please visit the ICO website.

Iowa sues TikTok for misleading parents over child protections 

  • Iowa is suing TikTok for allegedly misleading parents about children’s access to harmful content on their platform.
  • The lawsuit seeks financial penalties and an order requiring TikTok to stop deceptive practices.
  • This lawsuit is one of several against TikTok, with other states also raising concerns about the app’s potential harms to young users.
  • For more, please visit the Yahoo News website.

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Ofsted to urge schools to pause inspections harming mental health of staff 

  • Following the death of Headteacher Ruth Perry, Ofsted will push for “pausing” inspections that harm staff mental health
  • They are also pledging to hold a public consultation with families and teachers and will consider how it inspects and grades safeguarding.
  • Gillian Keegan, education secretary, reported she has worked closely with Ruth Perry’s sister, colleagues and friends to enable important changes to inspections with Ofsted “to secure a legacy for Ruth.”
  • For more, please visit The Guardian website.