Is the UK recruiting ethically from the global south?
My article for the May/June print edition of HR Magazine, which analysed how to recruit ethically from the global south, including expert quotes from HR leaders.
Amrit Virdi
Gold Standard Level 5 NCTJ-Accredited Journalist @ Music Teacher Magazine and Children & Young People Now
Bylines @ Stylist, Clash, OK!, DIY, Women's Health, HR Magazine, London Runway, LeftLion etc
Podcast Producer @ CYP Now and Former Formula One Podcast Host
Highlights
EHCPs for half of children delayed, study finds
Just 49% of education, health and care plans (EHCPs) for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) were produced within the 20-week statutory limit in 2022, with families "begging" councils for help, a report has revealed.
Early years maths programme benefitting disadvantaged young people
Children eligible for the early years pupils premium (EYPP) are most likely to benefit from a maths programme provided by the National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA), analysis has found.
Somerset youth club re-opens with support of local mental health charity
A Somerset youth club has reopened after a local mental health charity saved it from permanent closure.
SEND complaints dominating a quarter of ombudsman’s casework
The majority of cases dealt with by Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman’s (LGO) is linked to complaints about services for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
Charities call for reform to benefits system to tackle poverty and mental health
A new report from a coalition children’s charities has warned that an inadequate benefits system is contributing to a "dual crisis" of poverty and poor mental health among families.
Darbar Academy: ragas for all
MT's Amrit Virdi reports on the Darbar Academy, which is quietly revolutionising how Indian classical music is taught and shared in schools – with the aid of tech
King’s Speech 2024: Sector welcomes mental health and education support
Sector leaders have welcomed elements of the King's Speech linked to services for children's mental health and education but have questioned the omission of issues including children's social care reform and votes for 16-and 17-year-olds.
North East Lincolnshire ranked as toughest place for girls to grow up
North East Lincolnshire as the most challenging place for girls to grow up in the UK, according to a major new study.
NHS trusts struggling to cope with demand for children's support, study finds
Just 16% of NHS trusts are keeping up with demand for children and young people’s services with waiting lists for autism and ADHD assessments as long as three years in some areas, a survey has found.
Incidents of violence increase by more than 50% at Feltham YOI
Feltham Young Offender Insititution (YOI) has been branded the "most violent prison in the country" by inspectors following a decline in standards.
New DfE minister visits kinship carers to hear first-hand experiences
A new minister appointed to the Department for Education has met with kinship carers following a pledge by the government to "prioritise children's social care".
Hundreds of organisations pressure Labour to overturn draft RSHE guidance
Children's charities and teaching unions are among hundreds of organisations calling for a “fresh start and a new review” of relationships, sex and health education (RSHE).
Young people 'unaware' they are subject to DoL orders, research finds
Young people have shared experiences of being unaware they were placed under deprivation of liberty orders (DoL) as part of a study designed to improve outcomes for other children.
SEND reform 'urgently needed' to plug £55mn funding gap, East Sussex County Council warns
Reform of the support system for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and a cap on profits made by private companies through children's social care are being called for by East Sussex County Council leaders facing a £55mn funding gap next year.
Campaign launched as Girlguiding reject bids for outdoor centres
Campaigners have questioned Girlguiding's decision to reject bids to buy outdoor activity centres from two charities founded by members of the uniformed youth group.
General Election 2024: How Labour's win could impact the children and young people’s sector
The children and young people's sector has welcomed Labour's landslide win in the general election, and has urged Keir Starmer's party to deliver on key manifesto pledges to tackle lack of access to youth services and an increase in young people struggling with their mental health.
General Election 2024: Young people question former government advisers on ‘distrust’ of politicians
Former advisor to Tony Blair, Alistair Campbell, joined a panel of commentators to be grilled by young people from the UK's most disadvantaged communities ahead of Thursday's general election.
Council launches consultation on cost-cutting changes to SEND transport offer
Leeds City Council has launched a public consultation on changes to its home-to-school transport offer for older teenagers with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in a bid to alleviate pressure on the local authority's budget.
Peer support project helps young people share their experiences of exiting CAMHS
Young people in Camden and Westminster have designed a peer support programme to help one another after leaving CAMHS.
Young people call for stronger political education to underpin votes at 16 pledges
Young people have called for stronger political education to be offered in schools amid the general election campaign, during which two major parties have pledged to lower the voting age to 16.
Children’s charities on issues the next government must prioritise
Improved special educational needs support, expansion of social prescribing to boost youth mental health and investment in health visiting services are key policy asks sought by children’s charities, finds Amrit Virdi.
CYP Now looks at key calls from across the sector for the next government.
The three main political parties have pledged to increase mental health support for young people in schools, and charities are calling for the next government to go further. It should “tackle the root cau
CYP Now looks at key calls from across the sector for the next government.
The three main political parties have pledged to increase mental health support for young people in schools, and charities are calling for the next government to go further. It should “tackle the root cau
Second home: World Heart Beat Embassy Gardens
The charity World Heart Beat now has a second education space in London. MT's Amrit Virdi dropped by to see its facilities and meet the staff preparing young students from a range of backgrounds
The gardens of the US Embassy, surrounded by the new builds of Nine Elms and the regenerated Battersea Power Station, aren't where you'd expect to find a music academy driven by ‘a non-exclusive, non-elitist philosophy’. World Heart Beat is a registered charity, with 45 teachers and 400 students at the
The gardens of the US Embassy, surrounded by the new builds of Nine Elms and the regenerated Battersea Power Station, aren't where you'd expect to find a music academy driven by ‘a non-exclusive, non-elitist philosophy’. World Heart Beat is a registered charity, with 45 teachers and 400 students at the
Sector criticises lack of manifesto pledges to improve health visiting
The three main political parties have been criticised over a lack of commitment to boosting support for health visiting ahead of the upcoming general election.
Interview: Ashley John-Baptiste, BBC journalist and presenter
Amrit Virdi speaks to BBC journalist about his new book on his care experience.
As a BBC broadcast journalist, Ashley John-Baptiste has become a household name, working as a presenter on The One Show and hosting documentaries including Being Black at Cambridge.
Baptiste has also been vocal about his time growing up in care, creating a documentary in 2022 titled Split Up in Care - Life Without Siblings, where he discovered he had half-siblings – despite being told by social workers growing up t
As a BBC broadcast journalist, Ashley John-Baptiste has become a household name, working as a presenter on The One Show and hosting documentaries including Being Black at Cambridge.
Baptiste has also been vocal about his time growing up in care, creating a documentary in 2022 titled Split Up in Care - Life Without Siblings, where he discovered he had half-siblings – despite being told by social workers growing up t
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