Daily roundup 5 October: Grandparents, tax credits, and LGBT grant

Working grandparents will be allowed to share parental leave pay to allow them to care for their grandchildren, Chancellor George Osborne has announced. The BBC reports that the government plans to extend its shared parental leave policy to cover grandparents.


A typical family will be £2,000 better off overall owing to changes in his summer budget despite the cuts to working tax credits, George Osborne has insisted. The Guardian reports that the Chancellor said it was necessary to take into account not just the cuts to working tax credits, but the increases in personal allowances, improvements in childcare and increases in the national minimum wage when examining the impact of government changes.


A project for lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) young people has been awarded £100,000 to engage LGBT young people through social media to improve their wellbeing. Mancunian Matters reports that the Manchester-based group, led by 42nd Street and Lets Go Global, received the grant from BBC Children in Need.


The number of children who are at risk of being targeted by sexual predators in Wigan has more than doubled in the last 12 months, according to figures released by Wigan Council. Wigan Today reports 39 young people have been identified as being at medium risk of child sexual exploitation compared with 14 last year, making the borough the most unsafe area out of 10 Greater Manchester authorities.


A new website has been launched by Coram Children’s Legal Centre to increase and improve access to free advice around child and family law. The Child Law Advice Service website offers a wide range of family and education law as well as clear definitions of complex legal terms for children and families new to the legal system.