PATHWAYS clinical trial paused following new MHRA advice
The MHRA have raised new concerns around the PATHWAYS trial looking into the prescription of puberty blockers among young people with gender incongruence.
The preliminary work in establishing the PATHWAYS clinical trial into the prescription of puberty blockers for children and young people with gender incongruence has been paused, following new concerns raised by the medicines regulator, the MHRA.
Discussions between the MHRA and the trial sponsor, Kingâs College London, will begin next week to address the new concerns. In the meantime, the trial will not start to recruit until issues raised by MHRA have been resolved between the regulator and the trial clinicians.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We have always been clear about the red lines regarding this trial â ensuring the safety and wellbeing of the children and young people involved and always being led by the clinical evidence.
“The MHRA has now raised new concerns â directly related to the wellbeing of children and young people â and scientific dialogue will now follow with the trial sponsor.
“As the evidence is now being interrogated by clinicians, preparations for the trial have been paused while the MHRA and clinical leaders work through these concerns.
“This trial will only be allowed to go ahead if the expert scientific and clinical evidence and advice conclude it is both safe and necessary.
“The safety and wellbeing of children and young people have always been the driving consideration in every decision we have made regarding this trial and always will be.”
An MHRA spokesperson commented: “With all complex clinical trials, MHRAâs top priority is the safety and wellbeing of the trial participants.
“It is part of the usual process that clinical trials are kept continuously under review and for us to have active scientific dialogue with the trial sponsors.
“The safety and wellbeing of the participants to be recruited into the PATHWAYS clinical trial is paramount, particularly in view of the age of the children and young people who may be involved.
“For this reason, the MHRA is applying the highest scrutiny and taking a cautious and measured approach. We have raised some concerns related to the wellbeing of participants and scientific dialogue will now follow with the trial sponsor.
“We rely on the best scientific evidence to ensure all trials are as safe as possible for those participating.”
The MHRA has written to Kingâs College London. A copy of the letter is available here Sponsor letter (PDF, 1.23 MB, 4 pages)
Local anti-poverty and cost of living initiatives set for cash boost
A total ofâŻ21 projectsâŻthatâŻpilotâŻapproachesâŻtoâŻhelp toâŻeradicateâŻchild povertyâŻand boost incomesâŻwill be backed byâŻalmost ÂŁ1.9 millionâŻacross Scotland.âŻÂ
Through theâŻChild Poverty Practice Accelerator Fund,âŻ19 regions willâŻbenefitâŻfromâŻnew projectsâŻdesignedâŻtoâŻsupportâŻcommunitiesâŻwith the cost of living.âŻ
This includes:âŻâŻ
placingâŻa debt andâŻwelfare adviser in 11 primary schools in Perth and KinrossâŻÂ
providing energy bill vouchersâŻand furtherâŻenergyâŻcostâŻadvice to eligible parents in Argyll and ButeâŻÂ
opening a new hub to upskill workersâŻand increase incomes through workâŻin StornowayâŻÂ
a mobile âDadâs Barberâ which will offer free haircare in South Ayrshire, also opening the door to wellbeing supportâŻâŻÂ
Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said:âŻâŻâEradicating child poverty, supporting families and giving children the best start in life are theâŻguidingâŻprinciples of this government.âŻThatâsâŻwhyâŻwe are investing in local anti-poverty measures across the country, helping to improve services that are in the heart of communities.âŻâŻÂ
âOur efforts are already having a goodâŻimpact on household finances, be thatâŻthrough free prescriptions, freeâŻbusâŻtravel for under-22s orâŻthe removal of peak rail fares.âŻThe Scottish Child Payment is also playing a key role in ensuring Scotland is the only part of the UK to see relative child poverty rates fall last year.âŻ
âOur draftâŻScottishâŻBudget 2026-27âŻgoes a step further,âŻmaking landmark interventions in our attempts to tackle the root causes of child poverty, while supporting the newestâŻMums and Dads with aâŻpremiumâŻpayment for those eligible with children under oneâŻduring 2027-2028, andâŻguaranteeingâŻthe strongestâŻpackage of financial supportâŻin the UK, putting more money in peopleâs pockets.ââŻÂ
This is the third yearâŻthe Child Poverty Practice Accelerator FundâŻhas supported local projects.âŻIt is used to invest in local authorities and health boards to innovate and improve community-based anti-poverty initiatives, and to test their efficacy.âŻâŻâŻ
Through Round Three, running between 2025 and 2028, ÂŁ1,âŻ885,879 will support 21 projects across 19 local authorities:âŻâŻÂ
Aberdeen City CouncilâŻÂ
Angus CouncilâŻÂ
Argyll & Bute CouncilâŻÂ
City of Edinburgh CouncilâŻÂ
Comhairle nan Eilean SiarâŻÂ
Falkirk CouncilâŻÂ
Fife CouncilâŻÂ
Highland Council (2 projects)âŻÂ
Midlothian CouncilâŻÂ
Moray CouncilâŻÂ
NHS Greater Glasgow & ClydeâŻÂ
North Lanarkshire CouncilâŻÂ
Perth & KinrossâŻ(2 projects)âŻÂ
Renfrewshire CouncilâŻÂ
Shetland Islands CouncilâŻÂ
South Ayrshire Council & Health andâŻSocialâŻCareâŻPartnershipâŻ& NHS Ayrshire & ArranâŻÂ
Families looking for great-value half-term days out will find plenty to enjoy at Dobbies Garden Centres this February. Younger children can experience a fun-filled session at Dobbiesâ Soft Play where they can let off some steam, and parents can make the most of Dobbiesâ Kids Eat for ÂŁ1 restaurant offer.Â
Soft Play
Families are welcome to join the fun at Dobbiesâ Little Seedlings Soft Play, where toddlers and young children can burn off energy and play in a safe environment.
The soft play is located in the restaurant, where families can enjoy a hot drinks, snacks, meals, and a famous Dobbiesâ scone while the kids play. Thereâs also the chance to take in the wider garden centre experience as part of the visit, including plants and gardening, toys, pet products, homeware, clothing and gifting.
Pre-booking is recommended to avoid disappointment, but there may be walk-in spaces available on the day. Prices and age ranges vary for each store, starting from ÂŁ2.50.
Dobbies offers Kids Eat for ÂŁ1, allowing children under the age of 16 to enjoy their food for ÂŁ1 with every traditional adult breakfast and main course meal at lunch. Children can pick from the kidsâ breakfasts, lunch menu or pick ânâ mix meal, and this deal also includes a drink.
Kids Eat for ÂŁ1 is available every day, all year round, with no membership required. Restaurants are open Monday to Sunday from 9am, location times may vary and customers are advised to visit the website to check the restaurant opening hours. *
A ÂŁ1 supplement applies to kidsâ Sunday roasts, and customers are advised to visit dobbies.com to check local opening times and menus.
* 9am for Scottish stores, 10:30am for stores in England and 1pm for the two Northern Ireland stores.
Westminster Government will give parents and carers greater clarity and support as the Prime Minister announces immediate action to make the online world safer for children
PM announces new powers to act within months to keep children safe amid rapid technology changes
New action will ensure no platform gets a free pass â as government today will close loopholes that put children at risk, and lays the groundwork for further, faster action
PM leads new crackdown on AI chatbots to protect people from illegal content
The UK Government will give parents and carers greater clarity and support as the Prime Minister announces immediate action to make the online world safer for children.
Speaking to parents and young people later today [Monday 16 February], the Prime Minister will make clear this government will act at pace to keep kids safe online as they navigate a digital world that did not exist a generation ago, and one that is shaped by powerful platforms, addictive design and fast-moving technologies.
The new measures announced today include crackdown on vile illegal content created by AI. The government will move fast to shut a legal loophole and force all AI chatbot providers to abide by illegal content duties in the Online Safety Act or face the consequences of breaking the law. This will ensure the Act keeps up with rapidly evolving harms.
This follows government action to call out abhorrent non-consensual intimate images being shared on Grok, which subsequently led to the function being removed.
The Prime Minister will also make clear today that his government is taking new legal powers to lay the groundwork for immediate action following its consultation on childrenâs wellbeing online. The Government is committed to following the evidence, and these powers will mean we can act fast on its findings within months, rather than waiting years for new primary legislation every time technology evolves.
That means being able to act quickly on measures like setting a minimum age limit for social media and restricting features like infinite scrolling that are harmful, in line with the consultation. The law is crystal clear: the distribution of nude images of children is already illegal. But the government will also consult on how best to ensure tech companies can safeguard children from sending or receiving such images in the first place.
The consultation will also confront the full range of risks children face online. This includes examining restrictions on childrenâs use of AI chatbots, as well as options to age restrict or limit childrenâs VPN use where it undermines safety protections and changing the age of digital consent.
The government will also strengthen protections for families facing the most devastating circumstances, by ensuring that vital data following a childâs death is preserved before it can be deleted, except in cases where online activity is clearly not relevant to the death.
This marks a clear shift in how the UK approaches child online safety, meaning the UK can continue to be a world leader in keeping children safe online.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: âAs a dad of two teenagers, I know the challenges and the worries that parents face making sure their kids are safe online.
âTechnology is moving really fast, and the law has got to keep up. With my government, Britain will be a leader not a follower when it comes to online safety.
âThe action we took on Grok sent a clear message that no platform gets a free pass.
âToday we are closing loopholes that put children at risk, and laying the groundwork for further action.
âWe are acting to protect childrenâs wellbeing and help parents to navigate the minefield of social media.â
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said: âI know that parents across the country want us to act urgently to keep their children safe online. Thatâs why I stood up to Grok and Elon Musk when they flouted British laws and British values.Â
âWe will not wait to take the action families need, so we will tighten the rules on AI chatbots and we are laying the ground so we can act at pace on the results of the consultation on young people and social media.
âWe are determined to give children the childhood they deserve and to prepare them for the future at time of rapid technological change.â
The childrenâs digital wellbeing consultation will launch next month and will be guided by what parents and children say they need now, not in several yearsâ time.
Ministers are already engaging with parents, young people and civil society groups, and the message has been consistent and clear that parents want support and fast.
You wonât always know what your child is seeing online â unless you ask.
Weâre supporting parents with practical guidance to talk to their children about harmful online content, from misinformation to misogynistic material.
— Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (@SciTechgovuk) February 10, 2026
To help parents immediately, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has launched the âYou Wonât Know until You Askâ campaign. It offers practical guidance on safety settings, conversation prompts parents can use with their children, and ageâappropriate advice on dealing with harmful content, including misogynistic material and ragebait.
Chris Sherwood, NSPCC CEO, said: âWe welcome the Prime Ministerâs promise to act quickly and decisively to hold tech companies to account and make the online world safer for children. The status quo canât continue, and without real change the pressure for an underâ16 social media ban will only increase.
âMuch of what is being proposed mirrors what we have been pressing for: proper ageâlimit enforcement, an end to addictive design, and stronger action from platforms, devices, and AI tools to stop harmful content at the source. Delivered swiftly, these measures would offer far better protection than a blanket ban.
âWe also strongly support putting childrenâs voices at the centre of this debate. They understand both the benefits and risks of being online and â after their insights have been overlooked in discussions so far â their experiences must now help guide the decisions made in the months ahead.
âWe need urgent action and an ambitious agenda if the Government is going to take on tech bosses and make a difference for children and young people.â
Andy Burrows, Chief Executive of Molly Rose Foundation, said: âParents are right to demand urgent action on online safety, and we strongly welcome the Governmentâs ambition to move quickly and decisively to tackle appalling and preventable harm.Â
âThis announcement should reassure parents that change is on the way. It means that children and families could see much needed safety improvements within months, including action against high-risk AI Chatbots and new measures to prevent girls from being coerced into sending nude photos.
âThis a welcome downpayment but the Prime Minister must now go further. Sir Keir Starmer should commit to a new Online Safety Act that strengthens regulation and that makes clear that product safety and childrenâs wellbeing is the cost of doing business in the UK.â
A recent report from the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee of the Scottish Parliament on ADHD and autism support highlighted that children and adults are frequently waiting multiple years for assessments of these conditions.
It called on the Scottish Government to take urgent action to develop and implement a national plan that ensures adults and children with autism and ADHD across all health boards in Scotland have clear, consistent pathways to support.
The report further reinforces the need for the Scottish Government to introduce the Learning Disabilities, Autism and Neurodivergence (LDAN) Bill to Parliament at the earliest opportunity.
The LDAN Bill would help tackle long waiting times through new national and local strategies and introduce mandatory training for health and social care staff, as well as teachers and school staff, to ensure people’s needs are identified and met.
The importance of the LDAN Bill in tackling the inequalities faced by individuals and their families cannot be overstated, and it has the potential to make a real difference for them in Scotland across education, healthcare, and employment.
NSPCC Scotland is urging politicians in all parties to help prevent harm to children and prioritise early support for families in future plans and investment decisions, as the charity publishes an overview of early years policies since devolution.
The report calls for a strategic, longâterm commitment to the early years to ensure every child in Scotland has the best possible start in life.
Published on the NSPCC Learning website it provides a descriptive summary of early years policymaking in Scotland over the past 25 years.
The NSPCC believes there are clear opportunities for improvement in current early years policy and is calling on the next Scottish Government to prioritise it. This is one of the charityâs five priority areas for child protection that it will be setting out next month in the run up to the Scottish Parliament elections.
Early years – the period from pregnancy until a child turns five – is widely recognised as a critical stage in child development during which the foundations of learning, behaviour and lifelong mental and physical health are established.
In 2024, nearly half (45%) of the children on the child protection register in Scotland were under the age of four. This consisted of 93 unborn children and 913 aged newborn to four years old.1
Despite the youngest children in Scotland being the most vulnerable to harm, the 0-3 age group in particular can often be overlooked. Itâs been called the ‘baby blindspot’.
Babies and very young children rely on sensitive and responsive care to grow and thrive. Evidence shows that investing in childrenâs earliest years not only reduces the need for costly interventions later in life but also helps tackle inequalities and ensures every child has the opportunity to reach their full potential.
In this report, the NSPCC sets out how the Scottish Governmentâs strongest focus on the early years can be traced back to 2011â12, with multi-agency initiatives that were designed to improve outcomes for children, reduce inequalities for those who were particularly vulnerable, and shift services toward prevention and early intervention.
However, the charityâs analysis reveals that strategic focus on the early years has not been maintained as attention shifted toward tackling the poverty-related attainment gap and addressing the long-term effects of childhood adversity in adulthood.
This has meant that targeted support for families and children, from pre-birth to age five, to prevent problems from developing or getting worse, has inadvertently declined.
The NSPCCâs view is that these days early years policy is too often viewed by the Government as meaning early learning and childcare provision, rather than as a broader agenda, which focuses on supporting families to build nurturing, responsive caregiving relationships.
Rachel Love, NSPCC Scotland Senior Policy Officer and report author, said: âInvesting in early childhood provides significant long-term benefits for children, their families, and communities, including improved educational attainment, reduced health inequlaities and economic returns.Â
âOur analysis shows that prioritisation of early years has been inconsistent, leading to gaps in service planning and delivery; and when it has been a priority, funding and resourcing has not matched ambitions.
âAs we approach the Scottish Parliament elections, all political parties have an important opportunity – and responsibility – to place the early years at the heart of future policy and public investment in Scotland.  Â
âThe NSPCC wants the new Government to give families the support they need, so every child gets the best possible start â ensuring Scotland keeps The Promise to its youngest children.â
The charity wants the new Government to:
Reestablish early years as a cross-party priority, with a clear focus on parentâinfant relationships and holistic family support that prioritises prevention and early help.
Create a dedicated Early Years Strategy, led by a Minister for Early Years, to ensure focused and sustained national leadership.
Strengthen statutory guidance on Childrenâs Services Planning to reinforce its emphasis on early years prevention and intervention, and introducing long-term, ringfenced funding so local areas can deliver high-quality family and parenting support.
Advance implementation of The Promise and Childrenâs Rights, making sure the needs and rights of babies and under-fives are central to decisions about policy, legislation and practice.Â
Scottish Child Payment has supported more than 241,000 parents and carers since its launch five years ago, helping put over ÂŁ1.3 billion into the pockets of low-income families.
An increase to the payment for children under one will be introduced during 2027/28, estimated to benefit around 12,000 children and could be worth an extra ÂŁ500 a year for each eligible child.
The payment, which is only available in Scotland, provides families with ÂŁ27.15 a week, rising to ÂŁ28.20 from April 2026, for every eligible child under 16. Latest figures show more than 322,000 children are benefiting from the payment as of September 2025.
Scottish Child Payment, and other family payments delivered by Social Security Scotland could be worth around ÂŁ25,000 by a childâs 16th birthday â compared with less than ÂŁ2,000 in England and Wales, where support ends at age four.
It is estimated that Scottish Child Payment will keep 40,000 children out of relative poverty in 2025-26, with the relative child poverty rate lower than without the payment in place. Clear evidence that the payment is central to the Scottish Governmentâs mission to eradicate child poverty.
On a visit to Home-Start Edinburgh to meet with parents and children benefiting from the payment, Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said:
âScottish Child Payment has improved the lives of thousands of children and families across Scotland over the last five years. And our plans to raise the weekly payment to ÂŁ40 for eligible children under one shows the Scottish Governmentâs level of ambition and determination to end child poverty in Scotland.
âThis payment helps ease the pressure on family budgets and forms part of the best cost-of-living support package in the UK. It helps pay for essentials like food and clothing, things that people who are better off may take for granted but which children in these households might otherwise go without. I urge families to check if they are eligible.â
Eliza Waye, CEO of Home-Start Edinburgh, added: âEarly childhood experiences are foundational to lifelong wellbeing and support better outcomes across health, education, wellbeing and more.Â
âThe Scottish Child Payment plays a vital role in easing pressure on families and helps ensure children grow up in a more equitable environment. Despite this, being a parent is incredibly hard.
“At Home-Start, we support parents to overcome the challenges they face; helping them build confidence and connect to networks of support. The combination of financial and community support enables the investment in families and children to go further.â
Scottish Child Payment opened for applications on 15 February in 2021 and began as a ÂŁ10 per child, per week payment. It has increased by more than 170% since then. For 2026-27 Scottish Child Payment will increase to ÂŁ28.20 per child per week, in line with inflation.
Over ÂŁ1.3 billion worth of Scottish Child Payments have been issued to more than 241,000 individual parents and carers by 30 September 2025.
Local nursery children in Edinburgh were treated to a special visit from Road Safety Scotland character Ziggy this week, to remind them of the importance of staying safe on our roads.
Ziggy visited children at three local nurseries; Pentland Nursery, Wester Coates Nursery School and Little Learners Nursery.
The visits were part of a road safety tour of Early Learning & Childcare Centres (ELCs) designed to equip young children with skills, knowledge and attitudes to help keep them safe on our roads now and later in life.
Together with Ziggy – an alien visiting Earth to learn about road safety â children enjoyed an interactive performance which brings to life road safety messages combining song, role play and crafts.
Multiple immersive learning activity stations, including card games, tested children on their understanding of road safety symbols, noises theyâd hear on the roads, and steps to take to cross the road safely. A playmat featuring a town-scape including traffic lights and a zebra crossing also reinforced road safety skills through imaginative play.
Alison Hawkins, Head at Wester Coates Nursery school, said: “The children were very delighted to welcome Ziggy to Wester Coates Nursery School.
“Visits such as these reinforce our own road safety programme, strengthening the important road safety messages we teach and practice. Having fun with Ziggy was a great reminder about safety.”
Debbie Nicol, Assistant Director, Road Safety Scotland, said: âIt is important that children are immersed in positive road safety attitudes from a young age, both in the classroom and at home, and we know that early experiences shape childrenâs future behaviour.
âZiggy is a fun character with an important message and visits like these help create lasting memories about road safety.â
The Ziggy tour will include visits to Early Learning & Childcare Centres across Glasgow, Edinburgh, Fife, Inverclyde, North Lanarkshire, South Ayrshire, East Ayrshire, Dundee and Renfrewshire.
Written by childrenâs author Lynda Kennedy and illustrated by Lynn Taylor, the Go Safe with Ziggy books are a free resource available to all Early Learning and Childcare centres and Primary 1 classes in Scotland, and parents, carers and teachers have access to online resources and activity ideas. The Ziggy series is also available in Scots and Gaelic.
Books can be ordered for free on roadsafety.scot/ziggy-order.
For more information about Go Safe with Ziggy, visitroadsafety.scot/ziggy-online.
Details are also available on Road Safety Scotlandâs social media channels: Facebook @roadsafetyscotland and X @RoadSafetyScot.
MPs on the cross-party committees will consider what mental health support is available to children and young people up to the age of 25 in community, health and education settings. Â
Through the inquiry, MPs will consider how this support is integrated with NHS services, such as specialist Child and Adolescent Mental Health (CAMHS) services, and what support is available throughout the education system, including for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
They will explore how potential reforms to CAMHS could improve children and young peopleâs access to mental health care and whether support could be provided in the community, such as through the Governmentâs new Young Futures Hubs.
Around one in five children and young people aged 8 to 25 in the UK has a âprobable mental disorderâ, according to NHS statistics published in 2023, while the consultancy PwC says that mental health challenges are having a significant impact on young peopleâs career choices and wellbeing at work. The committees will investigate what factors are driving these changes to children and young peopleâs mental health.
The committees will also scrutinise the implementation and rollout of relevant government policies such as the commitment to expand Mental Health Support Teams to all schools in England by 2029/30.
MPs will also investigate how education staff can support children and young peopleâs mental health, and whether current Ofsted frameworks or DfE guidance help or hinder mental health provision. Â
Chair of the Education Committee, Helen Hayes MP, said: âStruggling with mental health should never obstruct a young personâs chance to learn and thrive. Yet for too many, especially those with SEND or experience of the care system, thatâs still the reality. Â
“From the early years through to university, education staff are often being asked to step in where existing support has failed.
“Our inquiry will take a forensic look at the mental health services available to children and young people at every stage of their education, from ages zero to 25.Â
“We will consider the role teachers can play in supporting children and young peopleâs mental health and whether they are getting the training they need to do that properly. Â
“Weâll also look at the full range of government policies and plans affecting young people, from SEND reform to the National Youth Strategy, and ask: are ministers doing enough to protect young peopleâs mental health?âÂ
Â
Chair of the Health and Social Care Committee, Layla Moran MP said: “For parents and school leaders alike, trying to get mental health support for children can feel like navigating a spaghetti junction. Â
âServices are frequently overwhelmed and not joined up. Too often the help doesnât come until a childâs needs are at crisis point. These fundamental problems sit alongside issues that the Health and Social Care Committee documented in 2021 – the need to increase emphasis on prevention and early intervention. We return to these themes now amid deepening concern about the scale of need and questions of how the system can be remade fit for purpose.Â
âWe will try and show Government how it can untangle the knotty problems that stop children getting the help they need and point to where investment should be directed. Weâll see how silos can be broken down between two sectors that should be working hand in glove, because we know that childrenâs education and wellbeing are intrinsically linked.â
Thursday 19th February
1:30â3:30pm
Booking required â limited spaces available! 
