Daily roundup 13 November: Restraint, drag queens, and palliative care

Thousands of children and teenagers have been injured while being physically restrained in secure facilities, new figures have shown. The Independent reports that ministers have been urged to rethink techniques for restraining minors after official statistics revealed there have been more than 4,800 cases since 2010 where young people were hurt by being pinned down by officials.


Drag queens are being brought into nursery schools for storytelling sessions to teach children from the age of two about issues such as gender fluidity. The Evening Standard reports that Bristol-based organisation Drag Queen Story Time runs reading sessions with "queer role models" for young children in schools, libraries and hospitals. The project aims to teach children about transgender issues through storytelling, in addition to misogyny, homophobia and racism.


Palliative care for tens of thousands of terminally ill children has been criticised as "patchy and inconsistent" by a charity. The Mirror reports that a Freedom of Information request by Together for Short Lives found that while 93 per cent of NHS clinical commissioning groups commission community children's nursing teams, just two thirds commission them to provide care out of hours and at weekends. If this support is not in place, families say they have to call an ambulance or go to A&E.


All youth clubs in Gwynedd, Wales, could be axed as the council tries to save about £270,000 from its budget. The BBC reports that the council wants to shut all 42 youth clubs and replace them with a county-wide club delivering a programme of activities. The union Unison said it would work with the authority to protect the "vital service" for young people.


The family of a teenage boy who died after being hit by a train have said they feel he was failed by local child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS). The Shropshire Star reports that Jeff Antwis, who had a history of high-functioning Asperger's and was known to CAMHS, made five suicide attempts over a period of about four months. The family said they feel that CAMHS did not recognise the urgency of the situation and did not take appropriate action.