Daily roundup 5 September: Refugees, children's centres and potty training

Hundreds of child refugees in the UK are missing amid fears they could have fallen victim to human traffickers, sexual abuse or modern slavery. The Independent reports that figures released under a Freedom of Information request reveals that authorities do not know the whereabouts of 360 vulnerable children, or if they are safe, and more than 200 have been missing for more than two years.


Children's centres in Luton could be closed due to £1m in budget cuts being made by Luton Borough Council. Luton on Sunday reports that proposals to reduce the number of centres from seven to four will be announced later this month.


There has been a rise in the number of children up to seven years old going to school who are not toilet trained, according to a survey for the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL). The Times reports that 70 per cent of primary school teachers have noticed an increase in the number of children aged three to seven wetting or soiling themselves during the school day compared with five years ago.


Slough Children's Services Trust and Thames Valley Police have launched a multi-agency safeguarding hub to provide a point of contact for young people concerned with their own safety or that of a peer. It will involve Berkshire Healthcare, NHS Foundation Trust, National Probation Service, Slough Borough Council, and Slough Clinical Commissioning Group, and will work to identify risks to children.


A youth charity has been forced to reduce a number of services due to a lack of funding. Norwich Evening News reports that The Base, which provides counselling and workshops for disadvantaged young people, has been forced to put its anger management workshops and one-to-one support sessions on hold.