Daily roundup: Children's commissioner powers, young soldiers and skateboarder fines

A Labour MP has tabled an amendment to the Children and Families Bill that would give the Children's Commissioner for England the power to talk to groups of children in residential settings to make sure they feel safe. Currently the commissioner can only enter residential premises to speak to an individual child who has raised a concern about abuse. Manchester Central MP Lucy Powell said: "By giving the children’s commissioner this explicit function we can go some way towards developing a culture that intervenes early and listens to vulnerable children when there are concerns about abuse."

A report by Child Soldiers International and ForcesWatch has called on the British armed forces to stop recruiting 16- and 17-year-olds. The report by the human rights groups said that the UK is only European Union country that still recruits under-18s into the military. It warned that the recruitment of under-18s raised legal and ethical concerns and has long-term consequences for young people's employability.