Daily roundup 23 February: Child poverty, Presidents Club and FGM trial

A flagship policy to tackle child poverty in Wales is failing to reach nearly two-thirds of the poorest children, a report has said. The BBC reports that since 2007, Flying Start has spent £600m on childcare and other support for families in deprived communities. An assembly committee said many of the worst off were excluded as they lived outside designated Flying Start areas.


A children's hospital charity has confirmed it will keep past donations totalling more than £360,000 from the controversial Presidents Club gala where hostesses were allegedly groped and propositioned by male businessmen. The Daily Mail reports that Guy's and St Thomas' Charity, the charity for Evelina London Children's Hospital, said it would be keeping £365,000 in donations "as we cannot return these in line with our charitable objects".


The trial of a father accused of causing or allowing his six-year-old daughter to undergo female genital mutilation has collapsed. The Guardian reports that prosecutors had hoped for a landmark conviction but the trial at Bristol Crown Court was halted when the father's defence successfully argued he had no case to answer. The 29-year-old man, who cannot be named, was formally found not guilty of child cruelty.


Two men who sexually abused two 14-year-old girls have been sent to prison after the Solicitor General appealed their sentences. Lee Pollard and Marc Allen were each originally sentenced to 15 months' imprisonment suspended for 24 months at Exeter Crown Court for the offence of sexual activity with a child. The Attorney General's Office said that after the action of the Solicitor General, the Court of Appeal quashed the original sentences and replaced them with immediate prison terms. Pollard has been sentenced to two years and nine months imprisonment, and Allen three years and six months imprisonment.


More than 750,000 young people have been engaged in programmes designed to improve their life chances through the work of a children's charity. The Youth Sport Trust's 2017 Impact Report reveals that in the 2016/17 academic year, the charity worked with more than 750,000 young people from 20,000 schools in every part of the UK. More than 25,000 teachers were given continuous professional development, equipping them with the skills to confidently teach wellness and life skills through PE.