Daily roundup 6 June: Car seats, police custody, and plastic

Almost two thirds of children are not as safe as they should be when travelling in a car, researchers have found. The Independent reports that a study by What Car? found that 59 per cent of children are sitting in car seats that have been incorrectly fitted or are inappropriate for them.


A police force has not always had enough staff on duty to ensure the safety of people in custody, including children, an inspection has concluded. The BBC reports that inspectors reviewed how custody suites were run by Northamptonshire Police. Their report found that children often remained overnight, or for long periods in custody, when they should have been taken to alternative accommodation.


The word "plastic" has been declared children's word of the year after analysis of the stories submitted by five- to 13-year-olds in a writing competition. The BBC reports that Oxford University Press examined the words used in stories sent to a 500 Words contest. "Plastic" appeared 3,359 times in the 134,790 stories submitted. Unicorns, slime and the computer game Fortnite were among the other subjects that influenced children's language.


A children's charity is to help children whose parents go away for extended periods with an awareness campaign and accompanying storybook. Created by The Royal Navy & Royal Marines Children's Fund, the Kid Years campaign highlights the impact long parental absences can have on children. Typically, there are around 56,000 men and women deployed in the armed forces (including 15,000 naval personnel), potentially leaving their children temporarily without at least one parent.