7th July

Teens Use Web for Talk, Not Expertise
Teenagers are using social networking websites such as Bebo to discuss youth activities but not to find out what's available, a study has found.

The study by children's information provider Opportunity Links examined 12- to 15-year-olds' use of online social networks in relation to youth activities such as sport, art and drama.

The study got the young people to develop content on social networks but found they preferred to use the websites to discuss activities.

Nikki Soyza, research and consultancy manager at Opportunity Links, said: "Young people use the web as a tool in their contact with each other in sharing information about positive activities and their subsequent involvement. The web content itself doesn't generate involvement in positive activities."

A second phase of the study will look at how the web can be used to influence young people's participation in activities.

source: Children & Young People Now

4th July

Children Want More Childcare, Report Finds
Most children enjoy being in childcare and wish they could have more of it, according to research.

Children also wanted childcare workers who saw the role as a vocation rather than simply a job, the research found.

The research – Listening to Children, part of a series of reports in charity Daycare Trust’s government-funded Listening to Families about Childcare project – was based on interviews with children and young people aged between six and 12 and up to 18 for those with disabilities.

Concerns of children included feeling unsafe when leaving after-school clubs in the dark, being bullied inside and outside clubs, not spending enough time with their families and the cost of childcare.

Alison Garnham, joint chief executive of the Daycare Trust, said: “To ensure high quality childcare it's crucial that we take into account the views of the children who use it.”

In response to the research, Daycare Trust called for greater government subsidies of out-of-school activities for children from poorer families, giving children a greater say in how clubs are organised, employing youth-work trained staff and getting older pupils to assist staff in extra-curricular clubs, and improving safety for children travelling to and from childcare settings.

source: Shafik Meghji, Children & Young People Now