Daily roundup: Domestic violence, child health, and early years

A report by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary has criticised how police respond to domestic violence incidents. Greater Manchester, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Gloucestershire police forces were specifically criticised in the report, which said Bedfordshire had only one dedicated domestic violence officer. Home Secretary Theresa May said she would chair a new group to look at the issue and called for a radical change to the way police responded to it, the BBC reports.

A report published by the National Children’s Bureau (NCB), Opening the door to better healthcare highlights how pioneering projects have sought to improve child health. The report builds on earlier research by NCB that concluded that improvements to general practice for children is needed, including better training for GPs on how to work with children and taking into account their views when evaluating and commissioning services.

The National Day Nurseries Association has welcomed the government's decision that free milk for nursery children can be sourced and delivered directly by early years providers. NDNA chief executive Purnima Tanuku said: “We are pleased the government has reached a decision on how to deliver the scheme and have also taken into account issues such as administrative burdens highlighted in NDNA’s response to the consultation. We will be keen to see how these burdens will be minimised by the new process."

The NHS Confederation has published resources for sharing the lessons of what works across Health and Wellbeing Boards to help spread best practice. Drawn from experiences of individual boards over the first 12 months of operation, the resources form part of an end-of-year focus on sharing boards' learning.

New research by US scientists suggests autism spectrum disorder (ASD) begins in the womb. Patchy changes in the developing brain long before birth may cause symptoms ASD, says a University of California team. The BBC reports that the study findings reinforces the need for early identification and treatment.