Daily roundup 21 November: Play film, Neet figures, and school safeguarding

A short film promoting Hackney’s project to enable children to play on the streets outside their homes and schools safely has been launched. The three-minute film, commissioned by Hackney Council in partnership with the charity Hackney Play Association, documents the activities of the Play Streets initiative. It is designed to inspire more parents and schools to get involved in Play Streets, which allows communities to temporarily close their road to through-traffic so children can play.


The number of young people not in education, employment or training (Neet) in England has fallen to its lowest level for the July to September period since 2007, according to official figures. The quarterly figures show a fall of 136,000 (2.2 per cent) 16- to 24-year-olds that are Neet compared to the same period last year. It means 15.4 per cent of young people are Neet.


Six independent Muslim schools have been found to be inadequate by Ofsted inspectors who had serious concerns over safeguarding and welfare, putting pupils’ physical and educational welfare at risk. Ofsted chief Sir Michael Wilshaw has written to Nicky Morgan, the Education Secretary, about the inspection results, the Times reports. Statutory background checks on staff had not been completed in four of the six schools, and policies relating to welfare, health and safety were missing or out of date in all of them.


A new online information hub to help people working in faith settings and places of worship across the UK keep children safe from abuse has been launched. The resource, developed by the Safe Network charity, a partnership between the NSPCC and Children England, will allow people to exchange ideas and promote their work in a bid to ensure they all have robust safeguarding procedures in place. It has the backing of representatives from the six largest faiths in the country.


The children’s commissioner for England has published a report into the rights of disabled children and young people. The report presents a snapshot of 34 disabled children and young people’s views and perceptions about the realisation of their rights as outlined in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.


A pregnant mother who drowned her three children before taking her own life had refused to cooperate with social workers, an inquest heard. A Suffolk Local Safeguarding Children’s Board serious case review found that the refusal by Fiona Anderson, aged 23, and Craig McClelland, the children’s father, to co-operate with social workers had made it difficult to take any effective action. The review’s author said attempts to intervene had been allowed to drift, a student social worker had inappropriately been assigned to the case and the relationship between the couple and social workers had become “adversarial”, the Times reports.