Daily roundup 4 August: Wayne Rooney, Rotherham and Edward Heath

Manchester United and England captain Wayne Rooney has become the first ambassador for childhood at the NSPCC. As part of the role Rooney will promote the charity’s campaigns and services, particularly those aimed at fathers, and will also look to encourage more boys to speak out if they are suffering abuse or struggling with depression or bullying.


Children’s charity Barnardo’s has been awarded £3.1m to help tackle child exploitation in Rotherham. Over the next three years the charity will look to support children who have been, or are at risk, of sexual exploitation in the town, with the funding paying for an additional 15 specialist workers.


Police have appealed for alleged victims of former Prime Minister Edward Heath to come forward. The Times reports that Heath is the most prominent figure to be accused of child abuse and the Independent Police Complaints Commission has launched an investigation into claims of a police cover-up dating back two decades.  


More than 700 children have been referred to a paediatric weight management programme in Lothian, Scotland in the last three years. The Express reports that 168 children, some as young as two, were referred to the service in 2011/12, rising to 348 in 2013/14.


Mayor of London Boris Johnson is on track to meet his manifesto target of getting 5,000 young people in the capital to become voluntary police cadets. According to figures released by the Greater London Authority, there were 3,762 cadets in the capital as of the end of June 2015, up from 2,400 in 2013.