Topic description and stories

Understanding the implications of enabling children to grow into healthy, happy, educated and inquiring adults, in safety and free from adversity.

Reuben, his dad Nathan, and mum Danielle

Parents of children with a genetic diagnosis need better support

01 Dec 2025

Research into parental support needs is informing Cambridge Children’s Hospital’s commitment to provide a ‘whole family’ approach to care.

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Child with autism sitting at table doing crafts

Study reveals genetic and developmental differences in people with earlier versus later autism diagnosis

01 Oct 2025

Researchers find different genetic profiles related to two trajectories that autistic children tend to follow. One linked to early diagnosis, and...

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Girl takes exam in a London secondary school.

Time to 'rewild' the school system, argues Cambridge expert

29 Sep 2025

A new book warns that the school system may be “broken beyond repair”, claiming that it is deepening inequality and making children ill.

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Friends and their children at the beach

UK-wide birth cohort study to follow lives of new generation of babies

09 Sep 2025

Cambridge is to co-lead a new UK-wide scientific study that will follow the lives of 30,000 children born in 2026, helping provide evidence to...

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Young boy takes part in a hands-on activity

Helping children with inflammatory bowel diseases

09 Jun 2025

Centre for Children's Gut Health aims to transform the physical and mental health of children and young people.

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It takes parents a year to ‘tune in’ to their child’s feelings about school

30 Apr 2025

Findings from a major Cambridge-led study inspired psychologists to co-produce a picture book that helps parents develop a deeper understanding of...

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Teenager asleep and wrapped in a blanket

Adolescents who sleep longer perform better at cognitive tasks

22 Apr 2025

Adolescents who sleep for longer – and from an earlier bedtime – than their peers tend to have improved brain function and perform better at...

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Illustration of futuristic pill next to a stethoscope

AI can be good for our health and wellbeing

07 Apr 2025

Cambridge researchers are looking at ways that AI can transform everything from drug discovery to Alzheimer's diagnoses to GP consultations.

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Children’s hospital ward

Play 'humanises' paediatric care and should be key feature of a child-friendly NHS – report

31 Mar 2025

The Cambridge report argues that play should be a recognised component of children’s healthcare in the Government’s forthcoming 10-year plan for the...

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Teenager holding a smartphone

Cambridge leads governmental project to understand impact of smartphones and social media on young people

16 Jan 2025

Cambridge researchers are leading the first phase of a new research project that will lay the groundwork for future studies into the impact on...

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Smiling girl with the sun behind her

‘Teen-friendly’ mindfulness therapy aims to help combat depression

18 Nov 2024

Researchers have developed a mindfulness therapy tailored specifically to appeal to teenagers to help them cope with increasing levels of depression...

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Jan Steen, Mother and Child (17th-century painting). Image courtesy of York Museums Trust

Early foster care gave poor women power, 17th-century records reveal

03 Oct 2024

A rare collection of 300-year-old petitions gives voice to the forgotten women who cared for England’s most vulnerable children while battling their...

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