Daily roundup 5 October: Caseloads, youth club, and children's centre cuts

Teams of social workers in Reading are "beginning to stabilise" after they were crumbling under increasing caseloads. Get Reading reports that in August Ofsted found some social workers caseloads had risen by 60 per cent and the council was forced to implement an improvement plan. Satinder Gautam, the head of safeguarding and children in care at Reading Council, said social workers now have more time to focus on individual cases.  ?


More than 1,000 people have signed a petition to try to keep a city youth centre open. Wales Online reports that Cardiff Central Youth Club faces closure because the council has said it cannot afford to keep offering the club a rent-free licence for its premises.


Chester Council plan to cut more than £1m from its children's centre budget by cutting services at seven of its 15 centres. The Chester Chronicle reports that the council has said this may mean some families will have to travel further to access services.


Children and young people in Wales are being "left behind" with Brexit uncertainty likely to make the situation worse, the children's commissioner for Wales has said. The BBC reports Sally Holland thinks those with mental health problems and in poverty are at risk and those being home educated are "under the radar". She has called on the Welsh government to publish a specific programme to help.?


A new community project in Birmingham that aims to improve the life chances of vulnerable young people has been launched. The project by substance misuse support charity Aquarius will see an old pub in Digbeth transformed into a community hub to create positive opportunities for local young people affected by drugs, alcohol, homelessness and mental health issues.