Daily round up: College of Social Work row, competitive sports and the link between weight gain and psychosis

A war of words between the College of Social Work and the British Association of Social Workers (BASW) has reignited, with the college refuting claims it has walked out on talks to form a single body. A statement released by the college said that each organisation is “very different”, and some “complex issues”, including the legal structure for a new UK college, the staffing it would require and the future of advice and representation for the profession, have yet to be settled on. BASW argued that the college has “decided that it is not possible to create a unified organisation for social workers in the UK”.

Sports policy should focus less on winning medals and elite sports and more on involving the least active young people in society, a think-tank has said. A report by the Young Foundation says the current emphasis on competitive sports is at odds with the motivations of many young people who do not take part. “Sports policy makers need to better understand the needs, interests and motivations of young people and structure delivery around these,” the report said. According to the report, five- to sixteen-year-olds in Britain spend on average nearly six hours per day in front of screens.

Doctors must look out for weight gain when dealing with young people with mental health problems, the Royal College of Psychiatrists has warned. A paper published in The Psychiatrist found that antipsychotic drugs often lead to rapid weight gain and increases in cholesterol that can affect a young people's health. The authors said that ignoring the potential consequences associated with psychosis and its treatment contributes to those with the condition living 20 years less than the general population. “Behind this ‘scandal of premature mortality’ lies a reality that mental and physical disorders frequently co-exist,” the authors said.

Young people sent to custody will have to pay a victim surcharge of £20 under changes to the victim surcharge system being introduced today. The victim surcharge previously only applied when somebody was fined on conviction. Under changes designed to raise more money for victims' organisations, young offenders given a conditional discharge will be made to pay £10, rising to £15 if they receive a fine, youth rehabilitation order or referral order. If they receive a custodial sentence imposed by a crown court, they will be made to pay £20.

A school has banned parents from watching their children take part in sports events unless they get a criminal records check, the Wiltshire Gazette reports. The paper reports that the policy has been introduced at Isambard Community School as a result of concerns that strangers can get into the rest of the school from the playing field. Neil Park, a father of a student at the school, said: “What are they going to stop you going to next? Parents’ evening? The school play?”

And finally, police in West Sussex have warned that cutbacks to youth services could result in an increase in crime. The Crawley Observer reports that police sergeant Jim Cullen raised concerns about the knock-on effects of plans to save £2m from youth services over four years in the area. “If you don’t leave yourself provision to make these interventions then in the following months and years it is possible we will see young people who are vulnerable falling into criminality,” he said.