Daily roundup: Child abuse, leadership and government funding

Health professionals have warned MPs that female genital mutilation “parties” are still being held across the UK. According to The Guardian, the home affairs select committee has been told that older women are being flown into the country to perform operations on girls and young women.

Oliver Lee has been appointed as the new chief executive of The Challenge. He will take over as the head of the social impact charity, which works closely with the National Citizen Service, when current chief executive Craig Morley steps down in August.

The Department for Education could face a £4.6bn black hole in its finances by 2018/19 according to research by the Association of Colleges. The association says the DfE will face a large budget shortfall post 2015 due the rise in the number of school pupils, increased teacher pay and pension contributions, and the cost of implementing new policies such as universal free school meals.
 
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has published research which reveals that children from low-income households in Scotland do significantly worse at school than those from better-off homes. The research claims that parental socio-economic background has more influence on the lives of children than the school they attend. To combat this, it calls for closer partnerships between home and schools.

A study by Leeds Metropolitan University is set to examine parents’ choices in providing packed lunches for their children. A questionnaire for parents with children in primary school (both having school dinners and packed lunches) will give an insight into attitudes and knowledge towards children’s diets. The results will help shape development of a resource for parents to provide nutritious packed lunches.

A new animated video shows how looked-after children can have a more effective voice through the Children in Care Councils programme. Taking it to the Next Level, produced by the National Children’s Bureau and A National Voice, is designed to inspire local authorities to support their programmes to be as effective as possible.