Daily roundup 10 February: Child refugees, youth custody, and council tax

Campaigners will challenge the government's handling of the arrival of unaccompanied child refugees from Europe, at a High Court hearing today. The BBC reports that the campaigners say ministers have not worked with local councils to find enough places for vulnerable children.


The number of young people held in custody is continuing to fall. Figures published by the Ministry of Justice show that there were 829 under-18s in custody as of December 2016, a fall of three per cent on the previous low of 855, recorded in November 2016.


Islington has scrapped council tax for care leavers to help them avoid getting into debt as young adults. Islington Council said its executive last night agreed to scrap the charge for young people leaving any local authority's care and living in Islington until the age of 25. The move takes effect from April.


Children diagnosed with cancer in England are now more likely to survive for at least 5 years compared with 25 years ago. Cancer Research UK said fewer than 7 in 10 children diagnosed with cancer in 1990 survived for at least 5 years, but new figures estimate this to be more than 8 in 10 for those diagnosed in 2015.


The number of child murders fell to the lowest level on record last year. The Telegraph reports that a total of 38 people under the age of 16 were killed by someone else in 2016, down from 56 the previous year. The figure was almost half the total recorded three years ago and marks the lowest number of child homicides since records were first collated in 1972.