Daily roundup 6 January: Youth arrests, radicalisation and 'inadequate' children's services

Numbers of arrests of 10- to 17-year-olds fell from 109,473 in 2013/14 to 94,960 in 2014/15, latest Home Office figures show. The BBC reports there was also a decline in the number of 18- to 20-year-olds arrested, falling from 119,001 to 100,914, while arrests of under-10s rose from 21 to 32.


The National Day Nurseries Association has urged nursery workers to keep a look out for signs of radicalisation among parents amid fears about families potentially travelling to Syria. The Guardian reports that the organisation believes nurseries have a vital role to play in educating children about the tolerance of different faiths and backgrounds in their most formative years.


It could take two years to turn around Leicester City Council’s children’s services department, a report by the council has found. ITV News reports the assertion follows a review of the department in the wake of an “inadequate” rating by Ofsted last March.


Almost one in four parents struggle to control their children's phone, laptop and TV use, according to a survey by charity Action for Children. The BBC reports that many parents found it easier to get their children to do homework than turn off their technology.


Record numbers of children in care in Northamptonshire has led the council to launch an urgent bid for more foster carers. The Northampton Chronicle reports that there are close to 1,000 looked-after children in the county, with almost half aged between 13 and 18.

 
A father failed to win custody of his children after asking if he could bring his pet fish to a parenting skills assessment, as he worried there would be no one to look after them. The Mirror reports that the family judge presiding over the case commented that the man had a "slightly odd order of his priorities," and ordered his children to be placed in foster care.