Daily roundup 2 July: Young carers, child poverty, and free schools

Young carers' are set to benefit from a new strategy to boost support they receive. Speaking at the Local Government Association's annual conference in Harrogate, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said the number of people caring for a relative will increase in the coming years as the population ages.


Free school uniforms will be given to every child living below the poverty line in Manchester and Salford, reports Manchester Evening News. The Wood Street Mission charity says there has been increased demand from families for help with school costs, and has received £100,000 in donations from the Zochonis Charitable Trust to help with the initiative.


Ofsted has rated two more free schools as "inadequate", the Guardian reports. This means a quarter of the 93 free schools inspected so far have been rated as "requires improvement" or inadequate. “We will consider these Ofsted reports in detail and take swift and decisive action to bring about improvements,” the DfE said.


Staffordshire’s police and crime commissioner Matthew Ellis has pledged up to £140,000 to a recently re-launched programme for young people and is calling on local businesses for support. The Space programme was led by police in Staffordshire during the 1980’s and 1990’s and the re-launch will aim to increase young people’s skills, health and increase general well being over summer.


The government has published a guide for schools on the dangers posed to children from radical Islamic groups. The guide includes a summary of some of the main Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) propaganda claims, identifies social media sites which ISIL is using, and advises what actions schools and teachers should take to protect pupils.


A survey of young people's experiences of the NHS shows high satisfaction levels. The poll of almost 19,000 children and young people, and carried out by the Picker Institute, found 87 per cent gave an overall rating of seven or higher out of 10 for the standard of care. However, the NHS National Children’s Inpatient and Day Case Survey found 43 per cent of children aged 12-15 did not feel they were fully involved in decisions about their care, and more than one in five did not feel that staff always listened to them.