Daily roundup 27 August: Online advice, court case, and transport

Thousands of children are potentially missing out on vital online advice and support at a crucial time in their development, a study commissioned by NSPCC has found. A survey found that one in six parents (16 per cent) are more confident giving advice to their child about staying safe in "real life" compared with staying safe online, while nearly a third (31 per cent) said they would refer their child to another adult or sibling if they asked them questions about an issue they’d encountered online.


A 16-year-old boy has been sentenced to a one-year referral order after threatening to behead a social worker. Get West London reports the boy also hurled abuse and leaped onto the bonnet of the Hounslow Council employee's car after she came to remove his sister and niece from their home.


Children living in London face a north-south transport divide because free services for five- to 10-year-olds are principally north of the Thames, a London assembly member has said. The BBC reports Val Shawcross has called for the five- to 10-year-olds Transport for London scheme to apply to all public transport across the capital.


Six local authorities in the north and north east of Scotland have teamed up in a bid to tackle teacher shortages in their schools. The BBC reports a summit is to be held by Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Moray, Highland, Orkney and Shetland to address the issue.


Labour’s shadow children’s minister Steve McCabe has criticised the government for failing to honour its promise to ensure local mental health spending increases across the country this year. Data obtained by the party revealed more than a third of clinical commissioning groups plan to reduce the proportion of their mental health budget in 2015/16.