Daily roundup 16 December: Mental health, abuse inquiry, and Roma children

Mentally ill teenagers will no longer be detained in cells under reforms to be announced this week. The Guardian reports that Home Secretary Theresa May will announce an overhaul of the mental health laws in England and Wales that will ensure that police cells are used only as a place of safety for adults in circumstances when their behaviour is so extreme they cannot be managed elsewhere.


The government-ordered inquiry into historic child sexual abuse will gain the authority to compel witnesses to give evidence in a major strengthening of its powers, Home Secretary Theresa May has said. The Independent reports that May told the home affairs select committee that the inquiry should have the powers of a statutory inquiry. She also said that her department had received more than 100 names of possible candidates to chair the inquiry.


Ofsted has published a new report outlining how schools and local authorities can help Roma pupils succeed in school. The Overcoming barriers: ensuring that Roma children are fully engaged and achieving in education report highlights effective integration and uninterrupted education as being key to improving the progress of Roma pupils.


The youth justice and prison systems need to do more to ensure they meet the needs of young men from black and Muslim cultures, a review has concluded. The Improving Outcomes for Young Black and/or Muslim Men in the Criminal Justice System report by Baroness Lola Young found policymakers are failing to properly recognise or tackle the high rates of young black and Muslim men in the secure estate. She recommends rehabilitation providers develop interventions that specifically target this group in an effort to tackle the problem.


The Welsh government is to support children from poorer backgrounds to pursue interests outside of school. The BBC reports that the “Pupil Offer” will support children to work with organisations in the arts, science, sport, culture and heritage from September 2015.