Three sisters whose father was deemed to be preparing to have them undergo female genital mutilation (FGM) have been made the subject of a new-style protection order aimed at stopping the practice. The Guardian reports that a High Court judge issued an FGM protection order preventing three sisters, aged six to 12, from being taken out of UK after their mother testified that the children’s father had been putting pressure on her to have the procedure performed on them.
Children from wealthier families, but with less ability than their peers, are 35 per cent more likely to become high earners than gifted children from disadvantaged backgrounds. The Telegraph reports that a study by the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission found that wealthier parents often help their children by using their social networks and finding them useful unpaid internships. They may also provide better careers guidance and focus on so-called soft skills including self-confidence and leadership.
Nearly £670,000 will be spent improving West Berkshire Council’s children’s services following a damning Ofsted report in May. Newbury Today reports that inspectors found that vulnerable children were at risk of harm due to “serious failures” within the department.
More than 30 children in the past year have been subjected to judicial orders because they are at risk of indoctrination or are already deemed extremist. The Times reports that some have been made the subject of interim care orders as the civil courts increasingly take action when children are exposed to radical ideas.
Cardiff University has developed a test to help doctors determine whether children have been a victim of abuse. The BBC reports that the university’s school of medicine has created a "diagnostic checklist" to identify the likelihood of abusive head trauma.
Vulnerable young people in Cumbria were locked in police cells due to a shortage of mental health hospital beds. The Mirror reports that children were detained in police cells in Barrow, Kendal, Workington and Carlisle between April 2012 and March 2015 because there was no suitable accommodation for them.
