Daily roundup 7 November: Mandatory reporting, gay adopters, and child refugees

Plans to compel professionals to report their concerns that children are being abused have been rejected by the NSPCC. The Guardian reports that under the proposals teachers, doctors and other employees in regulated professions who work with children would be obliged to report suspicions that a child was being abused. However, the NSPCC has warned that victims might be deterred from opening up to adults if they know what they say will automatically trigger an investigation.


A couple have been blocked from adopting their two foster children after expressing concerns about them being raised by a gay couple. The Telegraph reports that the husband and wife have looked after the children since early this year but "expressed a degree of shock" when they were told a gay couple were being put forward to adopt them. The practising Christians later applied to adopt the children themselves but were turned down for their "concerning" views on gay parenting.?


Nearly all children who have stayed in the now-demolished Calais refugee camp have a mental health condition, according to psychiatric assessments of some of those waiting to come to Britain. The Guardian reports that evidence compiled by Citizens UK, which is supporting scores of children, suggests their mental health is deteriorating amid continued delays over their transfer.?


The new benefits cap could see tens of thousands of families made homeless and thrown into poverty, campaigners have warned. The Mirror reports the total amount of benefits a household can receive has been cut from £26,000 to £23,000 in London and to £20,000 in the rest of the country from today. The Children's Society said the harsher rules could lead to more families being made homeless and forced to move away from friends and schools. ?


Prime Minister Theresa May has been urged to back a campaign calling for an end to child burial charges. Labour MP Carolyn Harris, who was forced to take out a loan and rely on support from friends to pay costs when her eight-year-old son died, has called on May to support the Sunday Mirror and Labour campaign. ?