Daily roundup: Child protection, breastfeeding incentive, and new DCS
Neil Puffett
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Education secretary Michael Gove calls for radical overhaul of child protection; new mums offered vouchers to breastfeed; and Sally Hodges to be new DCS at Solihull Council, all in the news today.
Education Secretary Michael Gove is calling for "systematic" and "radical" reform of England's child protection system. The BBC reports that Gove will tell a NSPCC conference that many social workers are indoctrinated to see the people they help as victims of social injustice, leading to excuses being made for poor parenting. "I believe that we have not been either systematic, radical or determined enough in our efforts to reform the system of child protection in this country," he will say.
New mothers are to be offered up to £200 in shopping vouchers to encourage them to breastfeed their babies as part of a pilot scheme. The BBC reports that the collaboration between government and the medical research sector is being targeted at deprived areas of South Yorkshire and Derbyshire. If it proves successful, a nationwide pilot could be rolled out next year.
Solihull Council has appointed Sally Hodges as its new director of children’s services (DCS), replacing Vanessa Bishop, who left at the end of September to take a career break, after four years with the council. Hodges has held previous DCS responsibilities in Staffordshire and Tameside. She will start by the end of February 2014.
Northern Ireland’s justice minister David Ford is considering lowering the age at which young people can have supervised access to shotguns and air rifles to 12, the Belfast Telegraph reports. Under the country’s gun laws, firearms certificates may be issued to 16- to 18-year-olds.
Weston-super-Mare Council and the YMCA are asking 700 local businesses to make monthly donations of £10 to help fund youth services in the town. The idea is to keep children off the streets and prevent them from turning to crime as they grow up. According to the Weston Mercury, councillor Tony Probert, whose efforts have secured a donation of £1,000 from former resident Lord Jeffrey Archer, is leading the project.
The National Foundation for Youth Music is accepting applications for grants of up to £120,000 to fund partnerships between schools and other specialist music education providers. The money is available as part of the Exchanging Notes initiative, which was launched after a pilot study highlighted the benefits of partnerships between different settings. The deadline for applications is 10 February 2014.