Daily roundup 13 May: Care applications, training, and restorative justice

The number of care applications made to the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass) has risen to the highest ever level for the month of April. In April 2015 Cafcass received a total of 946 care applications, representing an 18 per cent increase compared with April 2014.


Young people will be forced to sign up for training or to find a job after leaving school under government plans to get young people prepared for the world of work. The Daily Mail reports that a Jobs Bill will be at the centre of David Cameron’s legislative programme, banning young people aged 21 and under from signing on, or claiming housing benefits, and creating three million apprenticeships.


Leicestershire County Council's youth offending service has been praised for its restorative justice work. The service has been awarded the Restorative Service Quality Mark (RSQM), a quality standard awarded by the Restorative Justice Council, in recognition of its efforts to rehabilitate young offenders through the methods.


Around 10 per cent of young people in Britain lack basic educational skills in core subjects, costing the economy trillions, a report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has claimed. According to ITV News, if the standard of reading, maths and science skills are improved by 2030, the economy will be boosted by £2.3 trillion by 2095.


A spate of suicides among young people in South Yorkshire has led to a council promising to take action. The Rotherham Star reports that an independent review, commissioned by Rotherham Council has put forward a series of recommendations following the deaths of several young people since 2011.


A group of young women from Gloucestershire has won an award for creating an advertising campaign to raise awareness of and tackle attitudes about domestic violence. They won the Community Award at the Cheltenham Borough Homes Community Heroes award for a campaign they produced during a 12-week course run by Gloucestershire Youth Support Team.