Daily roundup 11 February: Care applications, child deaths, and sexual coercion

There were 887 care applications made to the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass) in January, latest data shows. The figure is two less than the same month in 2014 and 39 less than December 2014. In 2014/15 to date, Cafcass has received 9,094 care applications from local authorities.


Criminal justice campaigners Inquest has raised concerns about the lack of detailed information on the ages of young people who die in mental health inpatient settings. A report by the charity found that two separate sets of data on deaths in mental health facilities only give age ranges rather than the actual age of the young person who has died. Inquest said it has raised this issue with the Children’s Commissioner for England and recommended that the death of a child in a mental health setting should be reported directly to them in the same way that a death in a custodial setting would be.


More than four in 10 teenage schoolgirls in England have experienced sexual coercion, according to research by the NSPCC. It revealed most were pressured into having sex or other sexual activities, however some cases involved rape. Campaigners are now calling on the government to update sex education in schools to give a clear message about healthy relationships, with greater focus on topics such as sexual exploitation.


The former director of safeguarding at Rotherham Council has been employed by Birmingham City Council since last March. Howard Woolfenden joined Birmingham Council as an assistant director and is now leading the council’s work to protect young victims from grooming gangs. The Birmingham Mail reports that he was part of the Rotherham Council management team criticised in a report last week for failing child sexual exploitation (CSE) victims and for closing the Risky Business charity which supported abused girls in the town.


In a bid to improve league table results, schools in deprived areas are denying student’s access to tougher GCSE subjects, research by Open Public Services Network claims. The Daily Mail reports concerns were raised over pupil access to triple science GCSE and researchers said school leaders were trying to reduce poor exam results by ushering pupils towards easier subjects.


Children would rather play with digital devices than climb trees and ride bikes, a survey for the Caravan, Camping & Motorhome Show has found. According to the Express, the survey found 95 per cent of British children spend up to seven hours a day with a television or computer, with just 37 per cent having climbed a tree. Simon Reeve, an explorer and author, said: “More importance should be put on activities that enrich children’s lives, rather than in pacifying them.”