Daily roundup 18 October: Rotherham, autism, and homelessness funding

Eight men have been found guilty of 16 charges related to the sexual abuse of three girls in Rotherham between 1999 and 2003. The BBC reports Sageer Hussain, 30, Mohammed Whied, 32, Ishtiaq Khaliq, 33, Waleed Ali, 34, Asif Ali, 30, Masoued Malik, 32, Basharat Hussain, 40, and Naeem Rafiq, 33, all from Rotherham, are due to be sentenced on 4 November.?

 
Nearly half of all autistic children in England have been illegally excluded from school because teachers "cannot cope with their behaviour". The Daily Mail reports that children with autism are four times more likely to be permanently excluded from school than any other child, according to a report by Ambitious About Autism. 


A £40m programme to tackle homelessness has been announced by Prime Minister Theresa May and Communities Secretary Sajid Javid. The funding includes £20m for local authorities to pilot new initiatives to tackle homelessness in their area. There is also £10m for targeted support for those at imminent risk of sleeping rough or those new to the streets, and £10m in social impact bonds to help long-term rough sleepers with complex needs.?


Young people have launched a campaign to tackle mental health stigma, led by Bolton youth services and child and adolescent mental health services. The Bolton News reports that the campaign, #bekindtomymind, will provide young people with books recommended by health professionals to help cope with mental health issues.


The Children and Young People's Mental Health Coalition has announced that Dr Pooky Knightsmith has been elected as its new vice chair. Knightsmith, who directs the children, young people and schools programme at the Charlie Waller Memorial Trust takes on the role from Mick Atkinson.?