Daily Roundup 23 February: Wilshaw, people trafficking, and refugees

Ambitions by government to build a northern powerhouse will “splutter and die” if underperforming secondary schools in Liverpool and Manchester do not improve, Ofsted chief Sir Michael Wilshaw has said. The Guardian reports Wilshaw warned secondary education in the cities is going backwards and has called for local politicians to champion their schools and to act urgently.


Victims of people trafficking who are pregnant or have children have had their needs "systematically overlooked" in the UK, according to a report by the Anti-Trafficking Monitoring Group. The BBC reports that childcare provision for victims is "patchy" and some children had to be present during parents' asylum interviews, often when abuse was disclosed.


At least 50 children in refugee camps in Calais have the legal right to live in the UK, it has been claimed. The Guardian reports that lawyers for charity Citizens UK have identified 50 "live" cases where children have relatives in the country. The charity said there are 300 more potential cases, mainly involving unaccompanied children.


Labour MP Chuka Umunna has called for an "Every Teen Matters" approach to help end gang violence in the UK. Writing for The Independent, the former Business Secretary also called on the government to reverse its decision to disband the Ending Gang Violence and Exploitation Peer Review Network, which consults on how to address the issue in local authority areas.


Enfield Council could have avoided headline cuts to services had it been more efficient, Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith has said. The Enfield Independent reports the council is looking to cut £1.7m from its youth service. Duncan Smith said the council could have avoided a negative reaction to the cuts had they given them more forethought.


Groups that help young people in Harrow who are suffering emotional distress and are at risk of getting involved in crime and gangs have been given more than £200,000 in funding. The Harrow Times reports that two organisations will share funding from BBC Children in Need to continue their work.