Daily roundup 4 July: Youth services, Brexit, and mental health

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan is to sell three second-hand water cannon that were bought by his predecessor and will use the money for youth services. The London Evening Standard reports that City Hall is paying to store the devices, which have been banned from use, after they were purchased by Khan's predecessor Boris Johnson for more than £200,000 two years ago. Speaking at the State of London debate, Khan said: "What I'm going to do is sell them [water cannon] and use the money for youth services."


The Department for Education has moved to allay fears that the vote to leave the European Union could derail many of the government's education and children's social care reforms. In a statement, the DfE said the government will "continue to deliver its manifesto commitments, and taking forward the legislation set out in the Queen's Speech".


Nearly one in five young people helped by a youth counselling service were at risk from sexual abuse, sexual exploitation or other safeguarding issues, data has shown. Analysis of the year-long Young People in Mind project run by charity Youth Access, showed 77 per cent of 1,094 16 to 19 year olds helped were assessed as vulnerable. Many experienced multiple risk factors, including parental mental ill health, financial problems, being a victim of domestic violence and in the care system.


Nearly three quarters of working parents plan to take a separate summer break from their partner in order to juggle looking after their children during the school holidays, a survey has found. The Independent reports 73 per cent of parents told a Nationwide Survey that they have to stagger their leave from work with their partner to cover childcare over the holiday period.


Hundreds of young people gathered in Trafalgar Square in London yesterday, calling for the voting age to be lowered in the wake of Brexit. The London Evening Standard reports the protestors marched to Parliament Square in a bid to raise awareness of their calls for the voting age to be lowered to 16.


A new programme has been developed to help children with "hidden" speech and language problems. The Manchester Evening News reports the Social Communication Intervention Programme has been developed and tested on a small scale in schools, where teachers and parents reported it led to improvements in children's social and learning skills.


The Pre-school Learning Alliance has welcomed the announcement that a review of the GCSE English and maths requirements for Level 3 practitioners is to take place as part of the Workforce Strategy. Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Alliance, said many providers have told of the current "staffing challenges", adding that it "is concerning that the requirements are acting as a barrier preventing talented potential practitioners from entering the early years workforce".?