Daily roundup 31 August: Childcare, phobias, and second-hand smoke

Children from families most in need will receive a startlingly low proportion of government spending on early years education and childcare, a report has warned. The Guardian reports that the study, which has been published by Labour MP Lucy Powell and the Social Market Foundation, found that a mere £250m worth of the extra £9bn of spending over the next five years will reach the most disadvantaged UK families. It also found that the government's new childcare spending will largely be enjoyed by the wealthiest parts of the population.


Researchers at Humber NHS Foundation Trust have begun a study to assess the effectiveness of a new treatment for phobias in children. The team, part of the child and adolescent mental health service at the trust, will assess whether a new form of therapy is as effective as standard cognitive behavioural therapy therapy and whether it offers better value for money. So-called "one session treatment" combines techniques such as a graded exposure to the phobia, cognitive challenges and skills training over one three-hour session.


The proportion of children exposed to second-hand smoke in Scottish homes has almost halved in the space of a year. STV News reports that an NHS Scotland and Edinburgh University review of the Scottish Government's tobacco control strategy found that the proportion of children exposed to second-hand smoke at home fell from 11 per cent to six per cent between 2014 and 2015.


A council accused of failing disabled children in order to save money has admitted it has made mistakes. The BBC reports that campaigners said children with autism and other special educational needs in Sheffield are suffering from a lack of support in the classroom. Sheffield Council said it "truly regrets" its mistakes.


A 70-year-old child abuser has been jailed for four years after making her victims fight each other for meals and throwing them against walls. The Mirror reports that Sandra Clayton also forced three children to drink bleach diluted with juice and slashed their feet with a knife when they ran away. A judge branded her campaign of abuse between the early 70s and mid-80s as "deliberate and sadistic" as he jailed her for three counts of child cruelty.


The Home Office has said it will continue to prosecute those who sell nitrous oxide, despite the collapse of the first contested cases under new laws. The BBC reports that the Crown Prosecution Service is reviewing two cases after a judge and the government's own expert witness said "laughing gas" was exempt. The Psychoactive Substances Act was introduced last year to deal with the problem of new manufactured drugs.