Daily roundup: Play centre saved, BASW chief steps down and parenting charity merger

A Nottingham play centre has been saved from closure. Playworks, which delivers play events and provides play resources and training for Nottingham-based organisations, secured £100,000 of to guarantee its future. “We’ve worked really hard to turn things around since the spring and I’m delighted that the future is looking more positive,” said Liz Asher, senior manager at Playworks. “We will be making further changes shortly to ensure that the organisation has a secure future.”

Hilton Dawson has left his post as chief executive of the British Association of Social Workers (BASW). An explanation for his departure is yet to be made public but the association published a press statement confirming that Bridget Robb has been appointed acting chief executive in Dawson's “absence”.

The charities Family Lives and Parenting UK are to merge. The new body will be known as Family Lives and will continue both organisations' work to support parents and families. “Working together will allow a greater provision of services to members, and the families we serve, alongside providing a stronger voice to influence policy makers and government,” said Jeremy Todd, chief executive of Family Lives. “This merger is part of a broader strategy to enhance and extend services to all members of the family and those who care and work on their behalf.” The merger will come into effect from 15 November 2012.

Stigma is hampering parental take-up of free school meals, according to the Institute for Social and Economic Research (ISER). A study of all primary schools in Scotland found take-up amongst the entitled is dropping, but where universal entitlement to free meals was introduced in areas of high deprivation, take-up increased. Anonymised payment schemes, for example where parents pre-register to pay, also increased take-up substantially. “Results show that in a typical school a 10 per centage point rise in peer-group take-up would reduce non-participation by almost a quarter,” said Angus Holford, author of the report.

Four in five parents say their child’s interests would be their most or second most important consideration in a divorce. A survey of more than 2,000 British adults by the national family law association Resolution also found that more than half would prioritise making their divorce as conflict-free as possible. “These findings highlight how people have good intentions to prioritise the well-being of children and to avoid conflict during separation,” said Jo Edwards, vice chair of Resolution. “But this can often be derailed by a lack of knowledge of non-court based options and an exposure to the adversarial nature of courts.”

Less than ten per cent of social workers think mental health conditions are treated with the same degree of respect as physical health conditions, according to the College of Social Work. A survey of almost 300 social workers revealed the majority feel stigma surrounding mental health is negatively impacting on equality of access to support. Responses also showed 72 per cent said services for mental health conditions are not as comprehensive as those for physical health conditions.

And finally, a website where learners can rate their further education provider has been launched by Ofsted. Learner View asks students at colleges and work-based learning providers to complete a five-minute questionnaire. “Learner View asks whether learners would recommend their education provision, if lessons are taught well and if their programme or course is preparing them well enough for their chosen next steps,” said Matthew Coffey, Ofsted’s national director for learning and skills. “This information will inform inspectors’ decisions about whether courses are effective in leading learners in the right direction either to employment or further study.”