Daily roundup 26 January: Domestic violence, youth jobs, and child support

A scheme that allows people to find out if their partner has a history of domestic violence has been used more than 1,300 times since March 2014. The BBC reports that at least 1,335 disclosures have been made so far since Clare's Law - named after Clare Wood, who was murdered by her ex-boyfriend in 2009 - came into force across England and Wales.


A new report warns that young people are being discouraged from starting a business despite high rates of unemployment. The National Youth Agency's Commission into Enterprise and Young People report recommends that more signposting and specialist support needs to be made available to support those wanting to start their own business. The report also recommends that youth workers act as mentors to support young people considering enterprise as a career option.


New government figures show that the proportion of absent parents paying child maintenance is higher than ever before. ITV News reports a "record high" with nearly nine out of 10 absent parents contributing financially towards their children.


Stephen Dunmore has been appointed interim chief executive of the Family and Childcare Trust. Dunmore, previously chief executive at the New Opportunities Fund, will take up his post on 2 February. He replaces Anand Shukla, who is leaving the charity to become chief executive of Brightside.


Plans by Labour to cut university fees down to £6,000 a year could result in further cuts in public spending or an increase in taxes, the Telegraph reports. Labour leader Ed Miliband is expected to include plans to cut tuition fees in the party's election manifesto, but the Conservatives say graduates could face higher taxes to fund the policy.


Campaigners are calling for tougher restrictions on “junk food” advertising after a survey found children pester parents for unhealthy foods during ad breaks. Conducted by the British Heart Foundation, the survey found seven in 10 parents with children aged four to 16 had been asked to buy fatty, sweet and salty foods. The charity is now calling for junk food adverts to be shown after the 9pm watershed, with stronger restrictions online, the Guardian reports.


A Christian school has been placed in special measures following an Ofsted inspection, which found pupils were not being “adequately prepared for life in modern Britain”. According to the Times, “prejudice based bullying” was “not tackled effectively enough by school leaders” at Grindon Hall Christian School. Last week, Chris Gray, principal of Grindon Hall Christian School lodged a formal complaint with Ofsted, branding the questions asked to pupils as “inappropriate”.


Demand for a Sheffield food bank has increased by 70 per cent in the past 12 months, with children making up one-third of the people it helped, it has emerged. The Sheffield Star reports that a food bank run by the Parson Cross Initiative at a church in the city provided parcels to 1,186 people in 2014, 70 per cent more than in 2013, when it assisted 694 people.