Daily roundup 25 July: Goodwill, gender, and Brexit

The decision to combine the ministerial portfolios for vulnerable children and early years was taken in order to "make progress on cross-cutting issues", children's minister Robert Goodwill has said. Responding to a question in parliament, Goodwill, who was handed both briefs following a government reshuffle, said bringing early years under the same portfolio as his other responsibilities will make it easier to improve social mobility and outcomes for special educational needs and disadvantaged children.


The number of children in Scotland being referred for specialist help because they are confused about their gender has risen by almost 500 per cent in four years, figures reveal. The Times reports that according to figures submitted by the Young People's Gender Service in Scotland, 34 children were sent for specialist support in 2013. The following year the number was 67, according to a submission to the Scottish government. The figure rose to 187 in 2015 and was on course to exceed 200 last year.


Brexit could lead to a rise in the number of parents abducting their children and taking them overseas, a law firm has claimed. The Independent reports that lawyers at JMW solicitors had already seen a spike in inquiries from parents about disputes over travel plans and applications for dual citizenship, as well as fears their children would not be returned home from overseas visits.


Charlie Gard's parents are spending their "last precious moments" with their terminally ill son after ending their legal fight to take him to the US for treatment. The BBC reports that lawyers said Chris Gard and Connie Yates want to spend the "maximum amount of time they have left with Charlie". The couple ended the case after a US doctor told them it was now too late to treat Charlie's rare genetic condition.


Half of the children needing help from food banks last summer were in primary school and more than a quarter were under the age of five, according to research. The Guardian reports that the UK's biggest food bank network, the Trussell Trust, revealed that 67,500 three-day emergency food packages went to children in July and August 2016 - 4,000 more than in the preceding two months. Of children receiving supplies from food banks, 47 per cent were aged 5-11, while 27 per cent were under five and a fifth were aged 12-16.