Daily roundup 17 September: Adoption, junk food and law change

A family court judge has criticised Gloucestershire County Council's children’s services department for recommending that a six-year-old boy be adopted without exploring other options. The Guardian reports judge Stephen Wildblood ruled the boy, who lives in foster care, his young mother and her unborn child had all been failed by “very poor practice”.


Parents should avoid handing out treats to their children to stop them gaining too much weight over the school holidays, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has said. The Daily Mail reports that Hunt is concerned that bored children and young people are allowed to eat junk food while spending time playing computer games and watching television.


More than a third of parents and carers of children with type 1 diabetes are unaware of a new law introduced last year to help improve support in school for children with medical conditions. National charity Diabetes UK, which carried out the research, warns that children could be missing out on opportunities to get the full benefit from their education.


A campaign to help improve the mental and emotional health of children in the North East has been launched. The Chronicle Live reports the £2m “Because Minding Matters” campaign by the Children’s Foundation aims to raise awareness of one of the most serious health issues facing young people.

 
Youth employment in Scotland is at its highest level since 2005. The SNP states that Scotland now has a higher youth employment rate than the UK as a whole. Latest statistics show that for the period May to July 2015, 25,000 more young people were employed than the same period last year.


A hospital has been criticised following the death of a baby who was delivered late due to an IT error and "missed opportunities". The Manchester Evening News reports that a change in IT systems at Royal Oldham Hospital meant the theatres on the hospital ward were double-booked with women having elective Caesarean sections.


The National Union of Students (NUS) is being urged to support the government's anti-radicalisation programme, Prevent, after opposing the strategy. The BBC reports that the NUS said it has "legitimate concerns" about the effect of the policy of students' welfare.