Daily roundup: Serious case review, school places, and FGM

Flaws in the management at Devon County Council allowed a convicted paedophile to abuse two girls over a five-year period, a report has said. According to the BBC, a serious case review concluded that the abuse could have been prevented if the authority’s social services department had not made mistakes.

The majority of people believe councils should be given powers to create and maintain new schools, a poll has shown. A survey by the Local Government Association (LGA) found that 89 per cent of people in England believe the power to build and maintain new schools should be returned to local authorities.

Teachers and schools should check on the holiday arrangements of pupils from communities that practice female genital mutilation (FGM), a conference was told. The Independent reports that delegates at the Association of Teachers and Lecturers' annual conference have also called on the Home Office to draw up a national strategy for eradicating the practice in the UK.

There is a “worrying” lack of safe places for children experiencing a mental health crisis to be held, a study by the Care Quality Commission has found. The commission found that out of 21,814 reports of police detaining people under the Mental Health Act, 7,761 involved the use of a police cell. People detained under the act should be taken to a “health-based place of safety”, where a mental health assessment can be undertaken.

Kent’s new youth police and crime commissioner has outlined her priorities for the year ahead. The Isle of Thanet Gazette reports that Kerry Boyd, who took up the post in March, has set out four key objectives, including one to deliver an educational programme in primary schools.

And finally, more than a quarter of children think the golden goose lays Easter eggs. The Telegraph reports findings of a survey by the Bible Society, which also found that more than a third of children do not know the significance of Good Friday.