More than a quarter of a million web pages showing children being sexually abused have been identified and removed by the Internet Watch Foundation since it was established in 1996. The watchdog said that in its two-decade history it has assessed nearly 700,000 reports, with 281,781 confirmed as showing rape, sexual torture and sexual abuse of children.
?Care of children and young people with mental health problems is the service's biggest weakness and so inadequate that it is causing too many tragedies, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has said. The Guardian reports Hunt has pledged to improve the diagnosis and treatment of children by child and adolescent mental health services.?
Ministers have u-turned on proposals for a new social work regulator to be government controlled. Children's minister Edward Timpson said during a Westminster Hall debate that an "independent" body will be set up to take over regulation of social workers from the Health and Care Professions Council.
A High Court judge has ruled that two sisters whose Hungarian parents have returned to Hungary should be adopted in England. The Express reports the girls, now three and four, have lived in England all their lives and were placed in temporary foster care after social workers raised concerns about their welfare three years ago. Their parents were against the adoption in England but Mr Justice Jackson concluded they should be adopted by the English foster parents they are living with.?
A leading children's charity has urged children in Kent to be careful ahead of half term following a number of attempted abductions. Kent Online reports that over the last month there has been several reports of children being approached by strangers in Tonbridge, Dartford and Hythe. The NSPCC has issued a reminder to parents to tell their children about "stranger danger".?
?Project Oracle, a children and youth evidence "hub" in London, will formally launch as an independent charity next month, it has been announced. An application for charitable status was approved earlier this year. The project provides support to youth organisations and funders to produce, use and share evidence to improve how services are funded and delivered.?
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