Daily roundup 11 February: Nature, children's centres, and asylum

More than one in nine children in England have not set foot in a park, forest, beach or any other natural environment for at least 12 months, a study funded by the government has found. Research by Natural England found that children from low-income families and black, Asian and minority ethnic households are markedly less likely than white children to frequently visit urban or rural wild places.


Oxfordshire County Council has said it is considering changes to plans to close all 44 children's centres in the county. The BBC reports that, following a consultation, the council said it will keep some "universal" services and fund child care at 11 of the centres until 2017. But campaigners have said the changes do not go nearly far enough.


More than 3,000 children who were offered asylum in Britain over an eight-year period were deported back to war-torn countries, figures have shown. The Daily Mail reports that immigration minister James Brokenshire said a total of 3,750 formerly unaccompanied asylum-seeking children were removed between 2007 and 2015.


The number of children with gender identity issues that have been referred to the NHS has increased by 930 per cent, figures have revealed. The BBC reports that a total of 969 under-18s were referred to the UK's Gender Identity Development Service in 2015/16 – up from 94 in 2009/10.


A new director of children's services has been appointed at Worcestershire County Council. Worcester News reports former social care chief Catherine Driscoll, a former head of adult social care at the authority, has been appointed to the role.


Taxi drivers in Gedling, Nottingham, are to face a test on safeguarding children and vulnerable people. The Nottingham Post reports that the environment and licensing committee at Gedling Borough Council agreed to the test as part of the council's legal responsibility to make sure drivers are fit for the job.


Grant-making charity Impetus-PEF is to give £1.1m in funding to an organisation that supports young people and women into employment. East London-based City Gateway said it will use the money to improve its youth programme, strengthen management and monitor the impact it has.