Daily roundup: Unaccompanied children, child mortality, and playwork register

Border officials failed to trace the families of nearly two-thirds of asylum-seeking children who arrived alone in the UK, an inspection has found. A report by the Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration found that although the Home Office has a legal obligation to try and find family members of unaccompanied children, this was not done in 60 per cent of cases.

Leading charities have spoken out against proposals to stop publishing child mortality data. The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, alongside charities including the NSPCC, National Children's Bureau and the Lullaby Trust say that without the data, health experts will be clueless as to why children are dying.  A consultation by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on the data it produces closes today (31 October).

A register for playwork professionals is set to launch next month, it has been announced. The Register, which has been piloted since March, will launch nationally on 25 November. It will provide a single reference point for employers and members of the public to check qualifications.