Daily roundup: Early intervention funding, UK Youth Parliament, and the age of criminal responsibility in Northern Ireland

Government has been urged to rethink plans to “top-slice” £150m from council children's services funding next year and the year after. Sir Merrick Cockell, chairman of the Local Government Association (LGA), has written to Education Secretary Michael Gove asking for clarification on why the money is being removed from the Early Intervention Grant. “The government has provided no explanation for this arbitrary reduction in the local government settlement as announced in the last Spending Review, nor has it offered any explanation for how the money will be used,” Cockell said. “We are asking for transparency and clarity over why money, that hard-pressed councils had previously banked on and budgeted for, is now being taken from them.”

More than 250,000 young people have taken part in what is being described as the largest youth consultation the UK has ever seen. The UK Youth Parliament (UKYP) says this year has seen the highest ever turnout for its annual Make Your Mark ballot, with a record 253,637 votes counted. Those taking part voted on which issues should be debated by the UKYP when it meets at the House of Commons on 23 November. Issues selected were public transport, work experience, marriage, the minimum wage and the school curriculum. Charley Finch, member of youth parliament for Devon, who collected more than 12,000 ballots from young people in her community, said: "It is amazing to see so many young people getting involved and voting in the Make your Mark ballot, showing that young people do care about politics and together our voice does matter.”

Northern Ireland could be set to increase its age of criminal responsibility after the country’s justice minister outlined his desire to see a change in the law. The Belfast Telegraph reports that justice minister David Ford wants to increase the age from 10 to 12, but will require the agreement of his colleagues in the executive to do so. The age could remain at 10 for serious crimes. Ford said: “Medical research on brain development around understanding consequences and social policy research on the negative impact of criminalising young children tells us that we should seek non criminal justice interventions for the very small number of children in this age group who offend.”

Children are being “actively harmed” by growing up in chaotic households and are starting primary school without the skills to succeed, Education Secretary Michael Gove has said. The BBC reports that Gove, speaking at an event held by the Politea think-tank, said that although it is important to “exercise a degree of restraint” with state intervention, there are instances where the government has a duty to get involved. Gove said that some children do not get a “nurturing environment where their brain can develop” and miss out on becoming “effectively socialised”.

As many as 30,000 young people are to be offered the chance of work experience as part of a £5m campaign from telecommunications firm 02 and Bauer Media. The GoThinkBig scheme will initially offer 9,000 opportunities at O2 and Bauer by October 2013, including work experience placements, internships, apprenticeships, and graduate roles. Meanwhile the campaign’s website will feature work skills opportunities, as well as information and advice for young people. Ronan Dunne, chief executive of O2 said: “We want to encourage young people to be confident in the value of their skills to prospective employers. And businesses in turn need to recognise the value that young people can bring – they are the future fuel of the economy and form the generation that will help pull us out of recession.”

And finally, a new partnership between Crimestoppers, Facewatch and the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) has been launched to offer new ways of allowing people to report crime. The partnership will share ideas, including the latest mobile phone technology, in an attempt to engage with victims of crime. Michael Laurie, Crimestoppers’ chief executive, said: “This is an exciting opportunity to further develop Crimestoppers’ range of services for the public in providing them with an anonymous route to pass on information about crime as well as an opportunity to embrace the business community.”