Daily roundup 16 May: Work experience, tooth decay, and youth group funding

The Youth Select Committee has announced a new inquiry into barriers to work experience. The committee is calling for evidence from a wide range of witnesses, including businesses and charities, as well as young people who have been directly affected by these barriers. The call for evidence closes on Monday 18 June, and the committee will hold oral evidence sessions in the House of Commons in July.


Levels of tooth decay in five-year-old children are continuing on a steady decline, according to new figures. Statistics published by Public Health England show that 23.3 per cent of five-year-olds in England had decayed, missing or filled teeth in 2017, down from 30.9 per cent in 2008.


London mayor Sadiq Khan has invited community groups, charities, youth centres and schools to bid for funding from his new Young Londoners Fund, to help young people at risk of being caught up in crime. The fund, announced in February, is worth a total of £45m over three years. Groups from across the capital are today encouraged to apply for a share of this year's funding of £15m. The deadline for bids is Monday 9 July.


An organisation providing independent legally based advice and support for families of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) has launched a new website. IPSEA said the website will allow visitors easy access to useful advice, guidance and resources on all aspects of SEND law, and view the full range of services that IPSEA offers to families and professionals.


The midwifery regulator took too long to act on concerns about midwives at a hospital, which may have led to "avoidable deaths", a report has said. The BBC reports that 11 babies and one mother died at Furness General Hospital in Barrow, Cumbria, between 2004 and 2013. A Professional Standards Authority review said the Nursing and Midwifery Council failed to react quickly enough to concerns from police and families.