Daily roundup 5 November: Cyberbullying, adoptions, and CSE

Children are being bullied into a “state of despair” through social media, MPs have warned. The Telegraph reports that the health select committee found that the number of children referred to mental health services has risen by around one quarter in the last year, amid increasing pressures from social media, and the use of mobile phones to trade indecent photographs.


A service to speed up the adoption process for children in Wales has been launched. The BBC reports that the National Adoption Service for Wales (NAS) will also aim to increase the pool of people willing to adopt. There are currently only 58 adopters approved on the Wales register, but 139 children are waiting.


West Midlands Police has revealed that 210 children are currently at risk of child sexual exploitation (CSE) in the region. The Coventry Telegraph reports that the force released the figures as it launched a major review of its handling of CSE cases over the past five years following criticism by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary.


Doncaster Council’s cabinet will meet today to discuss plans to close a number of youth and children’s centre sites. The Doncaster Free Press reports that councillors are set to approve the plans, which would see schools take over the management of a number of centres.


Absent parents who refuse to contribute towards their child's upkeep face the prospect of being refused credit under new government plans. This is Money reports that the Child Maintenance Service and the Child Support Agency will start sharing information from their clients' payment records with credit reference agencies. As a result, from next March, arrears built up in the child maintenance system will potentially have the same impact on non-payer's credit scores as other debts which have been defaulted on.


A new report by the Amateur Swimming Association claims that half of primary school pupils are unable to swim the length of an average size pool. The Telegraph reports that the organisation is now calling for a series of measures to be introduced to improve standards, including asking Ofsted to monitor swimming lessons as part of the inspection process.