About 100 staff from agencies across Sheffield attending the MST launch last Wednesday in the Town Hall. Following an informative talk from a national MST lead, there were speeches from partners (including the Police, Education and YJS). Then everyone had a go at an MST exercise with a prize for the best ‘fit’. Helen and Anna collated and answered the many questions.

Almost nine out of 10 local authorities in England overspent on children’s social care in the last financial year, as the rising number of children taken into care put extra pressure on budgets.

Analysis by the Guardian and the Local Government Association (LGA) found that 133 out of 152 councils (88%) responsible for children’s services overspent in 2017-18. Local authorities went over budget on children’s social care by an estimated £807m, by far the highest area of overspending in council budgets.

NHS bosses in England say a new 10-year plan could save up to 500,000 lives by focusing on prevention.

GPs, mental health and community care will get the biggest funding increases.

The aim is to curb the reliance on hospitals, which will get a smaller cut of the budget - leading some doctors to warn they were facing a "near-on impossible task."

Click here to read the full article

Drug dealing networks' exploitation of young people has exploded into public consciousness – but what are local authorities doing about it, and where do social workers fit in?

Click here to read the full article.

The Early Intervention Foundation's report provides a summary of key findings from two studies into the evidence base on early intervention to prevent gang and youth violence.

Click here to find out more 

Find out all of the latest news about MST in the UK and Ireland, as well as other evidence based interventions implemented by NIS programmes!

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The Guardian Public Service Awards’ panel of external judges has met and deliberated, and the Guardian is delighted to announce the shortlisted projects, teams and individuals in each of the nine judged categories of this year’s awards.

The theme of this year’s World Mental Health Day is “young people and mental health in a changing world”. 

Half of all mental illness begins by the age of 14, but most cases go undetected and untreated. The World Health Organisation's focus is on building mental resilience among young people, to help them cope with the challenges of today’s world. 
 

A community-based support service that would have helped survivors of the Grenfell Tower disaster has been axed owing to funding pressures leaving the long-term well-being of those affected in jeopardy. Keith Cooper reports

'MST is like a licence for how to drive your family and children in the right way,’ says George Zidane*, a minicab driver, from his armchair in his west London flat.

A £5.6 million project to get looked after children back with their families has won approval from the council.

The five-year scheme — called MST-Fit — has seen a 75 per cent success rate in Leeds.

Rotherham Borough Council’s children’s department is forecasting a £9.5 million overspend this year, mainly because of the spiralling numbers of children in care.

MST-Fit works with youngsters aged 11 to 15, helping with behaviour management, new skills and learning to live with family again.

The guidelines cover recognising and responding to abuse and neglect in children and young people aged under 18. It covers physical, sexual and emotional abuse, and neglect. The guideline aims to help anyone whose work brings them into contact with children and young people to spot signs of abuse and neglect and to know how to respond. It also supports practitioners who carry out assessments and provide early help and interventions to children, young people, parents and carers.

Too many pupils are being pushed out of mainstream classes in England and abandoned with an inadequate education, says a report from MPs.

The education select committee warns of a "Wild West" approach to the education provided for pupils who have been excluded from school.

There were also concerns about schools removing pupils to boost their position in league tables.

Committee chair Robert Halfon warned of too many "forgotten children".

Up to 10 pilots across the country will trial new high quality mental health assessments, that ensure young people are assessed at the right time, with a focus on their individual needs as they enter care.

Statistics show that 62 per cent of looked after children are in care due to abuse or neglect, which can have a lasting impact on their mental health and emotional wellbeing.

Mum went from hopeless to in control after MST therapist reinforces skills

As a Multisystemic Therapy (MST) supervisor, I always feel incredibly privileged to meet with families and hear about their experiences working with MST. It fills me with immense pride when I see the work that our therapists undertake with families to help them change their lives.

The Education and Health and Social Care Committees has published their joint report into the Government's Green Paper on mental health: failing a generation.

Click here to read the report