Daily roundup 19 June: Foster care, alcohol, and antidepressants

A quarter of children in care in Wales were placed in new homes outside of their county, new figures have shown. The BBC reports that about 1,500 placements out of 5,600 were made out of local authority areas. Action for Children said in some cases there was a "lack of appropriate resources" locally to help looked-after children.


Nine of out of 10 accident and emergency departments are failing to identify young people with alcohol problems, preventing them from getting the vital help they need, a study has found. A survey by researchers at the University of Surrey found that young people are not routinely asked about their alcohol consumption, a useful tool in detecting alcohol problems.


Tens of thousands of young people in England, including children as young as six, are being prescribed antidepressants by their doctors. The Guardian reports that figures have prompted concern that medics may be overprescribing strong medication because of stretched and underfunded mental health services. A total of 166,510 under-18s - including 10,595 seven- to-12-year-olds and 537 aged six or younger - were given medication typically used to treat depression and anxiety between April 2015 and June 2016.


Allowing children to open Facebook accounts is as risky as allowing them to go to a nightclub at the age of 11, the head of a child protection charity has warned. The Sunday Times reports that Peter Wanless, chief executive of the NSPCC, said the online world is "creating a new playground for predators who seek to take advantage of vulnerable young people".


Starbucks and UK Youth have teamed up again as part of a project designed to empower hundreds of disadvantaged young people. The new one-year Youth Action programme aims to improve work readiness and social mobility by supporting disadvantaged young people to develop their capabilities.