Daily roundup 11 May: School fines, online bullying, and DCS pay

Parents of children that are repeatedly late to school are to be fined £60. The Sunday Times reports that the fines will be issued to parents that have been warned by councils, with the penalty doubling if it is not paid within 21 days. Parents can also be prosecuted and imprisoned if they refuse to pay.


Anxiety disorders among young people are being fuelled by sexting and online bullying, experts have warned. The Daily Mail reports that figures from the Priory Group shows admissions for anxiety in young people have risen by 50 per cent in just four years. Separate figures from the Office for National Statistics also shows 20 per cent of young people and young adults suffered from some degree of depression and anxiety last year.


Directors of children's services (DCS) at some councils are earning up to £1,000 a day, according to an investigation by the Sunday Times. It reports that some DCSs have picked up local government payoffs of up to £280,000 before taking interim jobs in children’s services in other authorities.

 
Young people between the age of 10 and 20 can now apply to become ?Iwill ambassadors. The UK wide ?Iwill campaign, which is coordinated by Step Up To Serve aims to increase the number of young people taking part in social action such as volunteering, campaigning and fundraising by 2020.


Children are consuming junk foods and energy drinks to prepare for exams, according to BBC News. An Opinion Matters survey of more than 1,000 young people that took Key Stage Two SATs last year found 37 ate chocolate before exams, 30 drank high-sugar drinks and eight smoked.


NSPCC chief executive Peter Wanless has called on the new Conservative government to boost investment in therapeutic support for children affected by abuse and neglect and for a strong focus on early intervention in children’s services. He said: “We will work tirelessly over the next five years to keep vulnerable children at the top of the new government’s agenda.”