Daily roundup 15 May: Sure Start, obesity, and mental health checkups

Ministers have come under pressure to increase their commitment to Sure Start early years centres as a tribute to their political architect, Dame Tessa Jowell, who died of brain cancer at the weekend. The Guardian reports that Labour MPs lined up to urge the government to invest in the flagship programme, which was established by the Labour government in 1998 to help give disadvantaged children the best possible start in life.


Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has pledged to take tough action including bans on multibuy offers and junk food promotions in order to cut childhood obesity in Scotland by half in 12 years. The Times reports that Sturgeon met the chef Jamie Oliver in London yesterday where she pledged to halve the number of obese children by 2030.


New mothers should receive a mental health checkup six weeks after giving birth to help tackle possible postnatal depression and other problems related to having a baby, ministers have been told. The Guardian reports that a cross-party group of 60 MPs and peers have written to Steve Brine, the minister for public health and primary care, demanding that all mothers in England have an assessment of their emotional and mental health carried out by a GP, practice nurse or health visitor.


An investigation into how an ex-youth worker jailed for child sex offences almost became a foster carer is due to start after almost a year of delays. The BBC reports that Michael "Mik" Smith was jailed in 2014 for sexual offences against children. He was almost approved to become a foster carer by Pembrokeshire Council despite concerns about his conduct. The council said an independent chairman would be appointed in June.


Children are being coerced and blackmailed into live-streaming their own sexual abuse from their own homes, researchers have found. The Guardian reports that the Internet Watch Foundation, which carried out the study, said that large numbers of victims are white girls apparently from relatively affluent backgrounds, often streaming from their bedroom. Their profile contrasts markedly with that of typical offline abuse victims who are often homeless or poor, it points out.