Daily roundup 14 November: Youth Parliament, employment and leadership

Members of the UK Youth Parliament will meet at the House of Commons today for their annual debate. They will debate five topics, including mental health and work experience, before voting on their campaign priorities for the next year. The BBC reports that 285 11- to 18-year-olds are set to take part.


The government has recognised 12 leading companies for their commitment to youth training and jobs. The companies, which include The Co-operative Food, Deloitte and KPMG, have been nominated as social mobility "champions" and are pledging to take the message out to other businesses across the country. The champions are signatories of the Social Mobility Business Compact, which was set up in 2011 to encourage employers to offer young people fair and open access to employment opportunities.


Derbyshire's assistant director of children's services will take charge of the authority's children's services department when current incumbent Ian Thomas leaves for Rotherham in January, it has been announced. Derbyshire County Council said Ian Johnson, who has been assistant director for the past 13 years, will be acting DCS for six months.


Bolton Council is considering cutting its children’s centres provision by 30 per cent in a bid to save £1m from the service’s budget. The Bolton News reports that the plan is part of a range of measures designed to help the authority save £43m.


New research suggests that the number of children being bullied online has doubled over the past year. The Daily Mail reports that, during a poll by internet security provider McAfee, 35 per cent of 11- to 17-year-olds claimed to have experienced cyber-bullying, up from 16 per cent last year.


The Carers Trust has teamed up with national anti-bullying charity Kidscape, as well as Diversity Role Models, Potential Plus UK and The National Autistic Society to launch a series of school resources to tackle bullying. Called Being Me, the resources are designed to give children across the UK an insight into the life of their classmate, and a better understanding of what it is like to be them.