# data[].attributes.headline
This Padlet was updated on 25/06/2025. It has sources from the course learning materials and additional sources to enhance your professional development. 

# data[].attributes.subject
This Padlet was updated on 25/06/2025. It has sources from the course learning materials and additional sources to enhance your professional development. 

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Learn more about children’s online safety. Advice and support to help you learn about staying safe online as a family.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
What the Online Safety Act does

The Online Safety Act 2023 (the Act) is a new set of laws that protects children and adults online. It puts a range of new duties on social media companies and search services, making them more responsible for their users' safety on their platforms.

The Act will give providers new duties to implement systems and processes to reduce risks their services are used for illegal activity, and to take down illegal content when it does appear.

The strongest protections in the Act have been designed for children and will make the UK the safest place in the world to be a child online. Platforms will be required to prevent children from accessing harmful and age-inappropriate content and provide parents and children with clear and accessible ways to report problems online when they do arise.

The Act will also protect adult users, ensuring that major platforms will need to be more transparent about which kinds of potentially harmful content they allow, and give people more control over the types of content they want to see.

Ofcom is now the independent regulator of Online Safety. It will set out steps providers can take to fulfil their safety duties in codes of practice. It will have a broad range of powers to assess and enforce providers' compliance with the framework.

Providers' safety duties are proportionate to factors including the risk of harm to individuals, and the size and capacity of each provider. This makes sure that while safety measures will need to be put in place across the board, we aren't requiring small services with limited functionality to take the same actions as the largest corporations. Ofcom is required to take users' rights into account when setting out steps to take. And providers have simultaneous duties to pay particular regard to users' rights when fulfilling their safety duties.

The Act also introduced some new criminal offences - details are set out below.

Who the Act applies to

The Act's duties apply to search services and services that allow users to post content online or to interact with each other. This includes a range of websites, apps and other services, including social media services, consumer file cloud storage and sharing sites, video sharing platforms, online forums, dating services, and online instant messaging services.

The Act applies to services even if the companies providing them are outside the UK should they have links to the UK. This includes if the service has a significant number of UK users, if the UK is a target market or it is capable of being accessed by UK users and there is a material risk of significant harm to such users.

How the Online Safety Act is being implemented

The Act passed into law on 26 October 2023. Now work is being carried out to bring its protections into effect.

Ofcom is leading work to implement the Act's provisions and are taking a phased approach to bringing duties into effect. Government also needs to make secondary legislation in some areas to enable elements of the framework.

The Act requires Ofcom to develop guidance and codes of practice that will set out how online platforms can meet their duties. Ofcom will carry out public consultations on draft codes of practice before finalising them. Ofcom has already begun this work; the main phases are set out below:

Duties about illegal content - Ofcom has published draft codes of practice and guidance for consultation. The consultation closed on 23 February 2024. We expect these duties to begin to be in effect from early 2025.

Duties about content harmful to children - Ofcom has published draft guidance for consultation about use of age assurance to prevent children accessing online pornography. The consultation closed on 5 March 2024. Ofcom has also published draft codes of practice and guidance about protecting children from harmful content such as promotion of self-harm or suicide on 8 May 2024.

Duties for categorised services - some platforms will have to comply with additional requirements to protect users. The Act created categories of service and during implementation the thresholds will be defined to determine which services fall into which categories (Category 1, 2A or 2B). Ofcom has published advice to government on how to set the thresholds for these categories and issued a call for evidence on 25 March 2024, (closing 20 May 2024). Once the thresholds have been set in regulations by government, Ofcom will publish a register setting out which services fall into which categories and will publish further codes of practice and guidance for consultation.

New offences introduced by the Act

The criminal offences introduced by the Act came into effect on 31 January 2024. These offences cover:

encouraging or assisting serious self-harm

cyberflashing

sending false information intended to cause non-trivial harm

threatening communications

intimate image abuse

epilepsy trolling

These new offences apply directly to the individuals sending them, and convictions have already been made under the cyberflashing and threatening communications offences.

Some of these offences will be further bolstered when the Criminal Justice Bill completes its passage through Parliament.

Types of content that the Act tackles

Illegal content

The Act requires all companies to take robust action against illegal content and activity. Platforms will be required to implement measures to reduce the risks their services are used for illegal offending. They will also need to put in place systems for removing illegal content when it does appear. Search services will also have new duties to take steps to reduce the risks users encounter illegal content via their services.

The Act sets out a list of priority offences. These reflect the most serious and prevalent illegal content and activity, against which companies must take proactive measures.

Platforms must also remove any other illegal content where there is an individual victim (actual or intended), where it is flagged to them by users, or they become aware of it through any other means.

The illegal content duties are not just about removing existing illegal content; they are also about stopping it from appearing at all. Platforms need to think about how they design their sites to reduce the likelihood of them being used for criminal activity in the first place.

The kinds of illegal content and activity that platforms need to protect users from are set out in the Act, and this includes content relating to:

child sexual abuse

controlling or coercive behaviour

extreme sexual violence

extreme pornography

fraud

racially or religiously aggravated public order offences

inciting violence

illegal immigration and people smuggling

promoting or facilitating suicide

intimate image abuse

selling illegal drugs or weapons

sexual exploitation

terrorism

Content that is harmful to children

Protecting children is at the heart of the Online Safety Act. Although some content is not illegal, it could be harmful or age-inappropriate for children and platforms need to protect children from it.

Companies with websites that are likely to be accessed by children need to take steps to protect children from harmful content and behaviour.

The categories of harmful content that platforms need to protect children from encountering are set out in the Act. Children must be prevented from accessing Primary Priority Content, and should be given age-appropriate access to Priority Content. The types of content which fall into these categories are set out below.

Primary Priority Content

pornography

content that encourages, promotes, or provides instructions for either:

self-harm

eating disorders or

suicide

Priority Content

bullying

abusive or hateful content

content which depicts or encourages serious violence or injury

content which encourages dangerous stunts and challenges; and

content which encourages the ingestion, inhalation or exposure to harmful substances.

Age-appropriate experiences for children online

The Act requires social media companies to enforce their age limits consistently and protect their child users.

Services must assess any risks to children from using their platforms and set appropriate age restrictions, ensuring that child users have age-appropriate experiences and are shielded from harmful content. Websites with age restrictions need to specify in their terms of service what measures they use to prevent underage access and apply these terms consistently.

Different technologies can be used to check people's ages online. These are called age assurance technologies.

The new laws mean social media companies will have to say what technology they are using, if any, and apply these measures consistently. Companies can no longer say their service is for users above a certain age in their terms of service and do nothing to prevent younger children accessing it.

Adults will have more control over the content they see

Major user to user online platforms (Category 1) will be required to offer adult users tools to give them greater control over the kinds of content they see and who they engage with online. This includes giving them the option of filtering out unverified users, which will help stop anonymous trolls from contacting them.

Adult users will also be able to verify their identity and access tools which enable them to reduce the likelihood that they see content from non-verified users, and prevent non-verified users from interacting with their content.

Following the publication of guidance by Ofcom, major platforms will need to proactively offer adult users optional tools to help them reduce the likelihood that they will encounter certain types of content. These categories of content are set out in the Act and includes content that does not meet a criminal threshold but encourages, promotes or provides instructions for suicide harm or eating disorders. These tools also apply to abusive or hate content including racist, antisemitic, homophobic or misogynist content. The tools must be effective and easy to access.

The Act already protects children from seeing this content.

The Act will tackle suicide and self-harm content

Any site that allows users to share content or interact with each other is in scope of the Online Safety Act. These laws also require sites to rapidly remove illegal suicide and self-harm content and proactively protect users from content that is illegal under the Suicide Act 1961. The Act has also introduced a new criminal offence for encouraging or assisting serious self-harm.

Services that are likely to be accessed by children must prevent children of all ages from encountering legal content that encourages, promotes or provides instruction for suicide and self-harm.

The Act also requires major services (Category 1 services) to uphold their terms of service where they say they will remove or restrict content or suspend users. If a service says they prohibit certain kinds of suicide or self-harm content the Act requires them to enforce these terms consistently and transparently. These companies must also have effective reporting and redress mechanisms in place enabling users to raise concerns about companies' enforcement of their terms of service, if users feel that companies are not fulfilling their duties.

How the Act will be enforced

Ofcom is now the regulator of online safety and must make sure that platforms are protecting their users. Once the new duties are in effect, following Ofcom's publication of final codes and guidance, platforms will have to show they have processes in place to meet the requirements set out by the Act. Ofcom will monitor how effective those processes are at protecting internet users from harm. Ofcom will have powers to take action against companies which do not follow their new duties.

Companies can be fined up to £18 million or 10 percent of their qualifying worldwide revenue, whichever is greater. Criminal action can be taken against senior managers who fail to ensure companies follow information requests from Ofcom. Ofcom will also be able to hold companies and senior managers (where they are at fault) criminally liable if the provider fails to comply with Ofcom 's enforcement notices in relation to specific child safety duties or to child sexual abuse and exploitation on their service.

In the most extreme cases, with the agreement of the courts, Ofcom will be able to require payment providers, advertisers and internet service providers to stop working with a site, preventing it from generating money or being accessed from the UK.

How the Act affects companies that are not based in the UK

The Act gives Ofcom the powers they need to take appropriate action against all companies in scope, no matter where they are based, where services have relevant links with the UK. This means services with a significant number of UK users or where UK users are a target market, as well as other services which have in-scope content that presents a risk of significant harm to people in the UK.

How the Act tackles harmful algorithms

The Act requires providers to specifically consider how algorithms could impact users' exposure to illegal content - and children's exposure content that is harmful to children - as part of their risk assessments.

Providers will then need to take steps to mitigate and effectively manage any identified risks. This includes considering their platform's design, functionalities, algorithms, and any other features likely to meet the illegal content and child safety duties.

The law also makes it clear that harm can arise from the way content is disseminated, such as when an algorithm repeatedly pushes content to a child in large volumes over a short space of time.

Some platforms will be required to publish annual transparency reports containing online safety related information, such as information about the algorithms they use and their effect on users' experience, including children.

How the Act protects women and girls

The most harmful illegal online content disproportionately affects women and girls, and the Act requires platforms to proactively tackle this. Illegal content includes harassment, stalking, controlling or coercive behaviour, extreme pornography, and revenge pornography.

All user-to-user and search services have duties to put in place systems and processes to remove this content when it is flagged to them. The measures companies must take to remove illegal content will be set out in Ofcom 's codes of practice.

When developing these codes, Ofcom is required to consult with the Victim's Commissioner and Domestic Abuse Commissioner to guarantee that the voices and views of women, girls and victims are reflected.

The Act also requires Ofcom to produce guidance that summarises in one clear place the measures that can be taken to tackle the abuse that women and girls disproportionately face online. This guidance will ensure it is easy for platforms to implement holistic and effective protections for women and girls across their various duties.

Government is continuing to strengthen the protections for women and girls online beyond the Online Safety Act, and recently announced that it would amend the Criminal Justice Bill to make maliciously creating a sexually explicit deepfake of an adult a specific criminal offence.

Independent Review of Pornography Regulation, Legislation and Enforcement

The past two decades have seen a dramatic change in the way we consume media and interact with content online. We need to ensure pornography regulation and legislation reflects this change.

Separate to the Online Safety Act, the government announced the Independent Pornography Review to assess the regulation, legislation and enforcement of online and offline pornographic content. It investigates how exploitation and abuse is tackled in the industry and examines the potentially harmful impact of pornography. This review will help ensure the laws and regulations governing a dramatically changed pornography industry are once again fit for purpose.

In line with the Terms of Reference, the Review is looking to publish a report with recommendations for government by the end of Summer 2024.

Background information: useful websites

Legislation

Notices

Consultations and other publications (including relevant Ofcom consultations)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Online Safety Act 2023 (the Act) is a new set of laws that protects children and adults online. It puts a range of new duties on social media companies and search services, making them more responsible for their users' safety on their platforms. The Act will give providers new duties to implement systems and processes to reduce risks their services are used for illegal activity, and to take down illegal content when it does appear.

# data[].attributes.headline
Please note that the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Framework (EYFS) underpin this qualification. There are two frameworks, one for childminders and one for group and school based providers. Both of these can be accessed in Unit 2 of this Padlet. 

# data[].attributes.subject
Please note that the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Framework (EYFS) underpin this qualification. There are two frameworks, one for childminders and one for group and school based providers. Both of these can be accessed in Unit 2 of this Padlet. 

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.provider_name
Foundation Years - Latest news, policy and resources for early years professionals

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework is mandatory for all early years settings. It sets the standards that all early years providers must meet to ensure that children learn and develop well, and are kept healthy and safe.

This page explains why changes to the EYFS safeguarding requirements will be made, what you need to do and includes resources to help you communicate the changes.

Why the changes will be made

The Department for Education (DfE) continually monitors and reviews safeguarding requirements for early years settings to ensure they are comprehensive and suitably robust to help providers keep children as safe as possible.

A consultation on proposals to strengthen the EYFS safeguarding requirements was held between 22 April and 17 June 2024, with 1470 responses received. There was strong support from respondents for all of the EYFS changes, with clear consensus that these will improve children's safety and align with current best practice in early years settings.

The consultation showed that early years providers have excellent practices in place to keep children safe and many are already carrying out the upcoming changes in their settings. The safeguarding reforms will formalise existing best practice in the sector and ensure that all educators have the knowledge and support they need to deliver the safest, highest quality early education and childcare provision possible.

What you need to do

From 1 September 2025, all registered early years providers must follow the new EYFS framework. Whatever your role and type of setting you work in, you'll need to be working to the new framework.

Ahead of then, make sure you understand what is changing and how this might impact your practice.

The consultation outcome can be found on the Early years Foundation Stage (EYFS) safeguarding reforms page. This sets out the new EYFS wording and will help you understand the changes you will need to make.

We have also created a Summary of EYFS changes and published a vodcast.

Communicate the changes

You can use our printable poster and information sheet to communicate the

changes to your colleagues. You can download these by clicking on each of the links below.
Poster About the Changes PDF Information sheet About the Changes PDF
Find further support

You may also find it helpful to contact your local authority or support groups to find out what advice they can offer on the changes. Further information and support will be published on the Foundation Years Website. If you aren't already registered you can sign up to receive monthly newsletters, newsflashes, information regarding events being held and vodcasts. Look out for further upcoming communications explaining the changes and supporting the sector with implementation. Help for Early Years Providers also offers guidance for people who work in early years.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Changes to Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) safeguarding requirements: September 2025 - Foundation Years

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework is mandatory for all early years settings. It sets the standards that all early years providers must meet to ensure that children learn and develop well, and are kept healthy and safe.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The Characteristics of Effective Learning and the Prime and Specific Areas of Learning and Development are all inter-connected. Different elements of learning are identified in the EYFS, to make the complex picture of learning clearer. But children's learning is not compartmentalised and many or all of these elements are in action at the same time as children interact with people and things.

The Characteristics of Effective Learning describe behaviours children use in order to learn. To learn well, children must approach opportunities with curiosity, energy and enthusiasm. Effective learning must be meaningful to a child, so that they are able to use what they have learned and apply it in new situations. These abilities and attitudes of strong learners will support them to learn well and make good progress in all the Areas of Learning and Development.

The Areas of Learning and Development affect each other. For example, developing communication and language will support children to understand and explain mathematical ideas. Developing physical skills will allow children to be more active explorers and so enhance their progress in Understanding the World. The more concepts they develop within Understanding the World, the more they will be able to relate to what they find in books and so support their development in Literacy. Experiences and activities that relate to Areas of Learning and Development, when they offer children opportunities to have autonomy and develop their own ideas, can also provide the contexts for children to practise their learning behaviours, and so reinforce the Characteristics of Effective Learning.

Prime areas of development and learning lay vital foundations in the early years. The three Prime areas, Personal, social and emotional development (PSED), Communication and language (CL), and Physical development (PD), describe universal core aspects of early child development. They are time-sensitive because of biological factors that enable rapid brain connections, particularly in the first three years of life but continuing throughout early childhood. Developmental steps missed at this early crucial stage are much harder to address later on, so it is crucial that children's interactions and experiences in the first few years support development in these fundamental areas.

All three Prime areas are always in action for a young child. In every activity, the child is experiencing feelings and developing a sense of self and others, is physically engaged through their senses and movements, and is learning to understand and communicate with others. It is through these aspects that a child accesses the world around them and relationships with other people, which in turn opens the door to learning in all areas. The Prime areas therefore strongly influence learning in the Specific areas of learning and development.

Development in each of the Prime areas affect the others: as babies and children develop their sensory abilities and movement, they can perceive and engage with others, and so develop in PSED. Engaging with others spurs more physical activity, and is the beginning of communication and language, which in turn helps build relationships, understanding of feelings and learning about health and physical wellbeing.

While the Prime areas are especially crucial to early years provision during the first three years, they remain centrally important for children's development and learning throughout the EYFS and beyond, and should receive priority attention to ensure strong foundations in development and learning.
Rationale for Characteristics of Effective Learning, Tickell Review Rationale for Prime and Specific Areas of Learning and Development, Tickell Review
Previous page: Observation, assessment and planning | Next page: Prime Areas

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Overview - Characteristics of Effective Learning, and Areas of Learning and Development

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Characteristics of Effective Learning and the Prime and Specific Areas of Learning and Development are all inter-connected. Different elements of learning are identified in the EYFS, to make the complex picture of learning clearer. But children's learning is not compartmentalised and many or all of these elements are in action at the same time as children interact with people and things.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Building babies’ brains through play: Mini Parenting Master Class

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A Harvard professor’s tips on how to boost your baby’s brain development

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
How understanding food labelling can help you keep a check on the amount of foods you eat that are high in fat, salt and added sugars, as well as help you have a healthier diet.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Most people in the UK eat too much salt. Find out about your recommended maximum daily salt intake, and how to cut down.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The Eatwell Guide shows how much of what we eat overall should come from each food group to achieve a healthy, balanced diet.
You do not need to achieve this balance with every meal, but try to get the balance right over a day or even a week.

Most of us still are not eating enough fruit and vegetables. They should make up just over a third of the food we eat each day.

Aim to eat at least 5 portions of a variety of fruit and veg each day. Choose from fresh, frozen, tinned, dried or juiced.

Remember that fruit juice and smoothies should be limited to no more than a combined total of 150ml a day.

Fruit and vegetables are a good source of vitamins, minerals and fibre.
Find out more about how to get your 5 A Day

Starchy food should make up just over a third of the food we eat. Choose higher fibre or wholegrain varieties, such as wholewheat pasta and brown rice, or simply leave the skins on potatoes.

There are also higher fibre versions of white bread and pasta.

Starchy foods are a good source of energy and the main source of a range of nutrients in our diet.
Find out more about starchy foods

These foods are good sources of protein, vitamins and minerals. Pulses, such as beans, peas and lentils, are good alternatives to meat because they're low in fat and they're a good source of fibre and protein, too.

Choose lean cuts of meat and mince, and eat less red and processed meat like bacon, ham and sausages.

Aim for at least 2 portions (2 x 140g) of fish every week, 1 of which should be oily, such as salmon, sardines or mackerel.

Find out about fish and meat.

Milk, cheese, yoghurt and fromage frais are good sources of protein and some vitamins, and they're also an important source of calcium, which helps keep our bones healthy.

Try to go for lower-fat and lower-sugar products where possible, like semi-skimmed, skimmed or 1% fat milk, reduced-fat cheese or plain low-fat yoghurt.
Find out more about milk and dairy foods

Unsaturated fats are healthier fats and include vegetable, rapeseed, olive and sunflower oils.

Remember all types of fat are high in energy and should be eaten in small amounts.
Find out more about the different types of fat in our diet

These foods include chocolate, cakes, biscuits, sugary soft drinks, butter, ghee and ice cream.

They're not needed in our diet, so should be eaten less often and in smaller amounts.
Get tips on cutting down on sugar

Water, lower-fat milks, lower-sugar or sugar-free drinks and tea and coffee all count.

Fruit juice and smoothies also count towards your fluid consumption, but they contain free sugars that can damage teeth, so limit these drinks to a combined total of 150ml a day.
Find out more about water, drinks and your health

How does the Eatwell Guide work?

The Eatwell Guide divides the foods and drinks we consume into 5 main food groups.

Try to choose a variety of different foods from each of the groups to help you get the wide range of nutrients your body needs to stay healthy.

It's important to get some fat in your diet, but foods that are high in fat, salt and sugar have been placed outside of the main Eatwell Guide as they're not necessary as part of a healthy, balanced diet and most of us need to cut down on these.

Unsaturated fats from plant sources (for example, vegetable oil or olive oil) are healthier types of fat.

But all types of fat are high in energy (calories), so they should only be eaten in small amounts.

On average, women should have around 2,000 calories a day (8,400 kilojoules) and men should have around 2,500 calories a day (10,500 kilojoules). We all need different amounts of energy (or calories) from food to be a healthy weight. How much you need depends on lots of things, including how active you are.

Find out how food labels can help you choose between foods and pick those lower in fat, saturated fat, sugar and salt.

Combination foods

Many foods, such as pizzas, casseroles, pasta dishes and sandwiches, are combinations of the food groups in the Eatwell Guide.

With these meals, check the ingredients and think about how these fit with the sections on the guide to help you achieve a balanced diet.

Does the Eatwell Guide apply to everyone?

The Eatwell Guide applies to most of us, whether we're a healthy weight or overweight, whether we eat meat or are vegetarian, and no matter what our ethnic origin.

Anyone with special dietary requirements or medical needs might want to check with a registered dietitian on how to adapt the Eatwell Guide to meet their individual needs.

Children under the age of 2

The Eatwell Guide does not apply to children under the age of 2 because they have different nutritional needs.

Between the ages of 2 and 5, children should gradually move to eating the same foods as the rest of the family in the proportions shown in the Eatwell Guide.

Read more about babies, toddlers and young children's nutritional needs in Your baby's first solid foods.

Download the Eatwell Guide booklet

For more information, including details of which foods are included in the food groups, download GOV.UK's The Eatwell Guide.

Healthy eating support

Food and diet advice on the NHS website includes:

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Read about the interactive Eatwell Guide, which shows how much of what we eat overall should come from each food group to achieve a healthy, balanced diet.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Natasha's Law came into effect on the 1st October 2021.

A few days before Natasha's Law was due to come into effect, Tanya and Nadim Ednan-Laperouse met with Ravneet Nandra from ITV News.

Nad and Tanya Ednan-Laperouse explain Natasha's Law and why it is essential.

The History Behind Natasha's Law
"There was no specific allergen information on the baguette packaging... and Natasha was reassured by that."
It was a crucial sentence in the Coroner's verdict, but one that articulated perfectly the legal loophole which Nadim and Tanya had come to blame for Natasha's death.

Natasha had more than been reassured. She was elated that she had found her favourite ingredients - olives and artichokes - in what she considered an allergen-free sandwich at Pret a Manger store in Heathrow Airport. As has been well documented, once aboard the BA flight to Nice, Natasha suffered an anaphylactic reaction to the hidden sesame seeds, baked into the dough of the baguette, and died later that day. There was no specific allergen information on the baguette packaging... and Natasha was reassured by that.

In the two years after Natasha's death until the inquest, we read, and read again, the food regulations that allowed pre-packaged food to be sold without allergen labelling. We could understand that if you buy a sandwich from a local deli or cafe, where it is made in front of you, then allergen labelling is not required. But we just could not understand how a giant high street chain could wrap up tens of thousands of sandwiches in cellophane and printed cardboard rings yet have no legal duty to name the allergens.

The Coroner, Dr Sean Cummings, agreed. As he made his directive to the Environment Secretary Michael Gove, he stated explicitly:
"In my opinion there is a risk that future deaths could occur unless action is taken."
Within days, Pret's Chief Executive Clive Schlee, pledged that the company would be in the vanguard of serious change, and that they would be listing all ingredients and allergens on their packaging by the end of 2019.

In January 2019, Michael Gove, Secretary of State for the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, was as good as his word since first meeting Nadim and Tanya and announced a consultation for a new law, 'Natasha's Law' to prevent other needless deaths.

Over the last few decades the contamination of food with bugs and bacteria like salmonella, listeria, E.coli and norovirus has been the industry's 'Public Enemy Number One.'

In September 2019, Natasha's legacy was laid in parliament and is known as "Natasha's Law". It includes stricter requirements for pre-packaged foods to carry a full ingredients list.

With other high-profile allergy fatalities since Natasha's death, the food industry has had to recognise the need for it to change allergen information labelling. Natasha's Law will came into effect two years later in October 2021 to allow a transition period for businesses to properly implement the new regulations. The Food Standards Agency were tasked with ensuring businesses took, and continue to take, the right steps to make labelling both accurate and fully effective.

"The introduction of Natasha's Law brings greater transparency about what people are buying and eating, lays down new standards for the food companies, and highlights the battle against the growing epidemic of allergies," commented Zac Goldsmith, Food Minister.

Research has showed that 88% of the general public fully supported Natasha's Law, making it the most important priority for food retailers and customers amid the growing epidemic of allergies in the UK.
1) Promote best practice (non- regulatory) 2) Ask the staff 3) Allergen labelling on packaging (14 allergens) 4) Full ingredient labelling (Natasha's law)

Why is Natasha's Law so important?

Food allergies, the newer and less understood enemy, have been until now largely dismissed or ignored. This was clearly evident in Pret a Manger's failure to respond to repeated warnings about the dangers of allergens - and sesame seeds in particularly - in the months before Natasha's death.

But the growing numbers of people with allergies can no longer be ignored. There are now 1 in 4 people living with allergies in the UK. The rise in numbers of children being diagnosed with allergies is very worrying as are the ever-increasing numbers of adults with no allergic history who are suddenly becoming anaphylactic to what they always had considered to be 'safe foods'. This rise is in food allergies is on an unprecedented scale and science has no idea why.
"Just over 37% of Brits agree it's easy to identify which allergens a product is free from by its label"
- Mintel

Research from Mintel has found that almost half (48%) of Brits are unsure whether or not allergen labels are clear, and a further 15% have no confidence in them at all.

Emma Clifford, Associate Director of Food and Drink at Mintel, said:
"Potential changes to allergen labelling have received a lot of high-profile media coverage recently, with speculation that the Government is planning to introduce new changes following the death of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse. Given the perceived lack of clarity and the dangerous health implications that ambiguous allergen labelling can have on consumers, there is a real need for companies to make the presence of allergens very obvious on labelling. The lack of label uniformity has been fuelling confusion among consumers, particularly given the huge amount of other product information on packaging. There is a very strong demand for a UK-wide labelling system for allergens which would unify the way in which companies communicate this information on packaging."
Eating habits and consumers approach to what they are eating is shifting at speed and consumers are demanding more clarity, honesty and transparency. Increasingly, individuals without food allergies also want to know what is in their food so they can make informed choices for health or lifestyle choices. They demand to know what is in their food, not just the 14 "named" allergens, but all the ingredients as well.

History shows that change for the better often only comes following tragedy.

The FSA and DEFRA have allocated funding of £1,529,855 to help local authorities cover the additional costs incurred to ensure Natasha's Law is being enforced correctly in their area.

The grant is specific for 2022 to 2023 only.

To see a list of local authorities who will receive the grant: CLICK HERE

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
What is Natasha's Law? - Natasha Allergy Research Foundation

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A few days before Natasha's Law was due to come into effect, Tanya and Nadim Ednan-Laperouse met with Ravneet Nandra from ITV News. Nad and Tanya Ednan-Laperouse explain Natasha's Law and why it is essential. "There was no specific allergen information on the baguette packaging... and Natasha was reassured by that."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Looking for a great book on a theme? Our booklists can help you discover some brilliant children’s books that little ones will love

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Help for early years providers : Self-expression

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Self-expression, through being creative and playing with materials, encourages and supports children’s imagination and thinking process development. It allows them to produce new understandings, experiencing the world from different perspectives. Opportunities to manipulate materials are essential for children to develop their skills and express themselves.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Features

How can loose-parts theory inform the way we provide resources and play and learning opportunities for the children in our settings, asks Ben Kingston-Hughes

Our Monkey Club, Swadlincote. Photos by Jason Senior

Loose-parts play theory is gaining widespread popularity in early years settings across the UK, but different settings seem to have very different ideas on exactly what it involves. What resources constitute 'loose parts' can sometimes lead to confusion.

Some practitioners define loose parts as exclusively natural resources, such as branches and twigs, while others incorporate recycled items such as pipes, tubes and scrap materials. Some settings provide bowls of beads and coloured stones for loose-parts play, while in some instances settings have been advised to get rid of their metal toy cars or plastic toys because they are not 'loose parts'.

In fact, loose-parts theory is less about the individual resources and much more about what children do with them. The original theory, proposed by Simon Nicholson in 1971, simply states that in any environment, 'the degree of inventiveness and creativity, and the possibility of discovery, are directly proportional to the number and kind of variables in it'. In short, any resource or environment that offers multiple possibilities (or variables) has intrinsically greater play value and contributes more to the development of creativity and imagination (see box, overleaf).

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Loose Parts Play - Think out of the box - Nursery World

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
How can loose-parts theory inform the way we provide resources and play and learning opportunities for the children in our settings, asks Ben Kingston-Hughes

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Easily create surveys and polls to collect customer feedback, measure employee satisfaction, and organize team events.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Children and Young People’s Mental Health | Level 2 | P15897 | Burton and South Derbyshire College

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
10% of children and young people (aged 5-16 years) have a clinically diagnosable mental health problem, yet 70% who experience mental health problems have not had the support they need.
This qualification will increase your knowledge and awareness of children and young people’s mental health. By completing the qualification, you will develop knowledge of mental health in children and young people which would support progression onto further qualifications and into relevant employment in the health and social care or education sector.
In this qualification, the term ‘children and young people’ refers to an age range of 5-18 years old.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Allergy Awareness | Level 2 | P12854 | Burton and South Derbyshire College

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This qualification is designed to introduce learners working with children, working in adult health and social care, or working in the service sector, to allergens, allergies, food labelling, and allergy awareness. The course includes information on the symptoms of allergic reactions, the treatments available for allergic reactions, and first aid for those experiencing a severe allergic reaction.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Special Education Needs and Disability | Level 2 | P13961 | Burton and South Derbyshire College

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This qualification is aimed at anyone seeking to improve their knowledge of Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND), either for personal or professional reasons. Learners will consider many aspects of SEND, including the symptoms of specific conditions, legislation and guidance applicable to individuals with SEND and how such conditions affect individuals in daily life.