Daily roundup: Asylum inquiry, contraception, and Scotland rejects mosquito device ban

An inquiry is to investigate whether the asylum support system meets the needs of children and young people. The cross-party group of MPs and peers will be led by former children’s minister Sarah Teather, and supported by the Children’s Society. “I am concerned that currently many thousands of children and young people grow up in the asylum system,” Teather said. “We know that severe poverty can have a detrimental effect on health, education and development. The panel will look at the asylum support system through the eyes of children and hear about their experiences.”

Girls attending NHS contraceptive clinics are opting for oral contraceptive pills rather than condoms. Figures released in an NHS report reveal that 41 per cent of 15-year-old girls attending clinics chose the pill compared to 36 per cent who chose condoms. Tim Straughan, chief executive of the Health and Social Care Information Centre, said: “While the oral contraceptive pill is clearly the most popular form of contraception among older women, this report indicates that now, for the first time, it has become the preferred form of contraception among 15-year-old girls too – overtaking the male condom.”

The Scottish government has ruled out introducing a ban on controversial mosquito devices. The BBC reports that the Scottish Youth Parliament had petitioned the government calling for a ban on the devices, which make a high pitched noise designed to stop young people gathering in certain places. But community safety minister Roseanna Cunningham said legislation should only be used as a last resort and there is a “lack of evidence as to any perceived problem”.

A bid to get Scouts more involved with politics has been launched with the publication of a resource pack to teach young people about Parliament. The Talk This Way pack, which is being given to all Scout leaders, uses a range of activities to show how Scouts can engage with and influence the democratic process. The resource, created alongside Parliament’s education service, is designed to get young people talking to politicians and to develop relationships between Scouts and their local MPs.

Schools have a key role in identifying and supporting young carers who look after family members with HIV, children’s minister Edward Timpson has said. Answering questions in parliament, Timpson said schools must create “a supportive environment” that responds to each child’s personal circumstances. He said: “It is important that head teachers and governors are allowed the necessary local freedom to exercise their welfare responsibilities in the most appropriate way.” He added that sex education helps “challenge preconceptions amongst pupils” and remove any stigma attached to HIV and AIDS.

And finally, children in areas of Greater Manchester are being made to brush their teeth at school in a bid to address the problem of tooth decay. The Telegraph reports that pupils in a number of towns in the area, including Rochdale, will take a break from lessons each day to clean their teeth while being supervised by teachers. The “Smile Time” project, being run by NHS Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale, will be extended if it proves successful.