Daily roundup: Adoption figures, Doncaster and anti-gay school rules
Gabriella Jozwiak, Neil Puffett, Tristan Donovan
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Adoptions increase at fastest rate for 15 years, Hackney DCS to lead Doncaster changes, and DfE to probe policies banning 'promotion' of homosexuality, all in the news today.
The number of adoptions made in England and Wales increased 9.8 per cent between 2011 and 2012, according to figures released by the Office for National Statistics. The rise is the largest since adoption figures began being recorded in 1998.
Alan Wood, Hackney's director of children’s services, has been formally appointed to oversee the transfer of Doncaster's children’s services into an independent trust. In a letter to Doncaster Mayor Ros Jones confirming the move, Education Secretary Michael Gove also said that he is open to her calls for council to continue to have some control of services in the future.
The Department for Education is examining claims that dozens of schools have policies banning the "promotion" of homosexuality, the Telegraph reports. The move follows research by the British Humanist Association that found at least 44 schools and academies in England have adopted such policies.
Bullying in childhood can have long-term negative consequences for health, job prospects and relationships, a study has found. The BBC reports that the study concluded that those who had been both victims and perpetrators of bullying were six times more likely to have a serious illness, smoke regularly or develop a psychiatric disorder.
A purpose-built care home owned by Cardiff Council has been closed just over two years after it opened, after inspectors found it to be “not suitable for purpose”. Wales Online reports that the £1.92m home was intended to care for up to eight children aged 11 to 18.
And finally, at least 900 children in Wales took part in Slimming World classes this year, the BBC reports. The figures prompted the Child Growth Foundation to call for children to be taught about healthy eating at an earlier age.