Daily roundup 26 September: Smoking, healthcare, and disclosure requests

Smoking should be banned in all parks and playgrounds to reduce the chances of children growing up thinking that using cigarettes is normal, the government has been told. The Guardian reports that the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health said zoos, theme parks and anywhere else children play should also become no-smoking zones.?


A new programme that intends to ensure all children get "excellent" and "consistent" health services has been announced by the First Minister of Wales. Wales Online reports that Welsh Labour leader Carwyn Jones unveiled the Healthy Child Wales Programme, which will overhaul early years healthcare for children aged seven and under.?


Parents are being urged to boycott requests to disclose their child's nationality and country of birth over fears it could turn teachers into de facto border guards and create divisions in the classroom. The Guardian reports that human rights groups are concerned that the data, which is being collected for the first time this year from pupils aged two to 19 as part of the schools census, could be used against children and families by immigration enforcement.?


Campaigners have called for Labour's domestic violence spokesperson to step down after it emerged she was cautioned by police for assaulting her ex-husband. The Daily Mail reports the incident between Rotherham MP Sarah Champion and Graham Hoyland, which took place in 2007, resulted in police officers arresting the couple and taking them into police custody.


Peter Lauener, chief executive of the Skills Funding Agency and Education Funding Agency, has been appointed as the shadow chief executive of the Institute for Apprenticeships. According to the Department for Education, the institute is the new independent body led by employers that aims to ensure the quality of apprenticeships in England. Lauener will fulfil the role on a part-time basis until a permanent appointment is made in 2017.