Daily roundup: 29 March: Care numbers, creativity, and breastfeeding

The number of looked-after children in Scotland has declined for the fourth year in a row. The Scotsman reports that official figures show there were 15,317 children being looked after by local authorities as at July last year. The number is down 83 (one per cent) from 2015 and has fallen in four consecutive years from a high of 16,248 in 2012.


A major inquiry into the best ways of nurturing creativity in young people is to be announced by the new chairman of Arts Council England, Sir Nicholas Serota. The Guardian reports that Serota will use his first speech since beginning the job in February to announce the Durham commission on creativity and education. The 18-month inquiry will investigate what happens when children experience arts and culture and how it helps them develop and thrive.


A child's cognitive development is the same at five years old regardless of whether they were breast or bottle fed, a study has found. The Independent reports that the behaviour, vocabulary level and cognitive ability of 7,478 children was measured at age three and five and analysed in relation to whether or not they had been breastfed. The study, published in the journal Pediatrics, linked breastfeeding with improved problem solving and reduced hyperactivity in children aged three, but not at the age of five.


Council staff running children's nurseries in London's East End could take industrial action if plans to privatise early years services go ahead a union has warned. The East London Advertiser reports that Tower Hamlets Council is looking at long-term ideas for outsourcing the service.


Young people aged 16 and 17 will be allowed to vote if a second referendum on Scottish independence takes place. The Mirror reports that an amendment introduced by Scottish Green MSP Patrick Harvie confirms that 16- and 17-year-olds will be allowed to vote in the poll, as will EU citizens living in Scotland.