The former director of children’s services at Haringey Council has revealed that she has been unable to find work since she was sacked over the Baby P scandal. During an appearance on Newsnight, Sharon Shoesmith told host Evan Davies that she has applied for hundreds of jobs and claimed to have been a victim of the scandal, the Daily Mail reports.
Eleven people have been arrested as part of efforts by Greater Manchester Police to crackdown on child sexual exploitation. The arrests, which relate to a number of offences including inciting a child into prostitution and attempted indecent assault, were made under Operation Heliodor.
Jobs at Bradford’s children’s centres are under threat as the council seeks to shake-up provision. The Bradford Telegraph and Argus reports that the council will maintain its existing 41 centres but will reorganise their structure and cut down on management level staff.
Lawyers for Cumbria County Council have tried to suppress all information about the death of a 13-month-old girl on the grounds it would be unfair to reveal shortcomings of public agencies, according to the Mail. It reports that details of how the local authority pressed for the death to be "hushed up" to protect its own staff were made public as the High Court ruled that the facts must still remain secret, nearly two years after the Poppi Worthington died. The ruling was made to prevent interference with any future criminal trial and to avoid identification of Poppi’s five siblings.
Mothers in custody will be given help to maintain vital ties with their families through the introduction of Family Engagement Workers in all public sector women’s prisons and some youth offending institutions, Justice minister Simon Hughes has announced. Giving mothers emotional and practical support to deal with the impact of their actions on their families can reduce the risk of self-harm, and be a key factor in helping them to turn their lives around, the Ministry of Justice said. The service will be provided by a coalition of charities.
Off Centre, a Hackney charity that supports 11- to 25-year-olds, was awarded almost £500,000 of Big Lottery funding for a youth mental health support project. Called “The Right Track”, the project offers free services to help young people deal with issues such as gang violence, family disintegration, isolation, bereavement, mental and physical ill health, bullying, lack of employment opportunities and peer pressure.
