Daily roundup: Youth employment, children's centres and play streets

New research claims that a third of young people will be out of work or trapped in underemployment by 2018 unless local authorities are given greater control over skills and training. The Local Government Association has said councils want to support more local employment initiatives to tackle the issue.

A new national framework for measuring children’s centres outcomes has been launched by 4Children. The charity commissioned the Institute of Health Equity to develop the new evidence-based framework in a bid to ensure positive experiences for all vulnerable children and families using children’s centres.

An evaluation of the Northampton Play Streets project reveals that the initiative was a success. The University of Northampton has published a report revealing that feedback from the children involved was “overwhelmingly positive” and that parents reported that the project had made a positive difference to their community.

The first national survey on people’s use of legal highs has been launched. Buckinghamshire County Council has commissioned the Centre for Drug Misuse Research in Glasgow to develop the My Legal Highs survey to seek people’s experiences of the drugs. The council will use information gathered from the survey to improve its services.

The chair of the Silk Commission has said there is no “immediate urgency” to devolve policing and youth justice to Wales. According to the BBC, Paul Silk believes that his recommendation to devolve the services will be implemented but he has said that there is no need to do it straightaway.

And finally, a 14-year-old boy has been excluded from school in Blackpool after staging a class walkout over a lack of homework. The Independent reports that Aaron Parfitt led the protest because he wanted more work and was concerned about teaching standards.