Daily Roundup 1 March: Brexit, universal credit and stigma

Children's charity Coram is calling on the government to be pro-active in advancing the rights of young people during Brexit negotiations. A briefing paper published by the charity identifies the "critical issues" that need to be considered include the citizenship or residence of children, changes in initiatives currently funded by EU, and international commitments to children's rights.


Families with children are the biggest losers under the new universal credit welfare system, with some families left thousands of pounds worse off. The Guardian reports that a study by the Child Poverty Action Group and the IPPR think-tank found that lone parent families will be on average £2,380 a year worse off, while families with two children lose £1,100 on average and those with three youngsters lose £2,540.


More than three quarters of young people say there is a stigma to mental illness and a quarter would not ask for help if they were suffering, a survey suggests. The BBC reports that almost half of the 2,215 of those polled by YouGov for the Prince's Trust said they had themselves experienced a mental health problem, and a third of these felt admitting to problems could harm their job chances.


As many as 90,000 children will miss out on their first choice of secondary school this year. The Telegraph reports that analysis by the Good Schools Guide found that the number of children who will fail to get a place at their preferred school has risen by more than three per cent this year.


Lawyers have called for more transparency from the national child abuse inquiry after perpetrator identities were withheld from the public hearings. The Guardian reports that Aswini Weereratne QC, who represents the Child Migrant Trust, said she was unhappy about the ciphering of the names of abusers at the hearing, particularly as many of them are now dead.