Daily roundup: Youth work, parental leave, charity funding

Youth workers should be embedded in hospital trauma units to identify girls and young women who are being exploited by street gangs. The recommendation is put forward by think-tank the Centre for Social Justice in light of research it carried out in London that revealed the "desperate lives" girls in gangs lead. It found that "rape is used as a weapon and carrying drugs and guns is seen as normal" for thousands of girls, some as young as 10, reports the Observer.

A survey of employees and managers has found that a quarter of new fathers took no paternity leave at all. The research by the Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM) blamed "ingrained" attitudes among employers, and concerns among new fathers that they could not afford to take leave. Fewer than one in 10 took more than their two weeks statutory leave, the BBC reports.

Charities could be alienating their supporters and causing damage to their brands by using aggressive techniques to raise money, think-tank has warned. NFP Synergy has said charities must stop bombarding their supporters with phone calls - or risk losing them. The research company found that more than half of people are "very annoyed" by telephone fundraising (51 per cent) and doorstep fundraising (54 per cent), reports the BBC.

An online counselling service targeted at young people has been launched in Brighton and Hove. E-motion will offer email advice to people aged between 13 and 25 in the East Sussex city. It is a partnership between Sussex Central YMCA Youth Advice Centre, the Impact-Initiatives Young People’s Centre and Brighton and Hove Clinical Commissioning Group, the Argus reports.

Hackney Council is giving eight to 19-year-olds the chance to apply for a grant of up to £5,000 to provide opportunities for other young people in the borough. The London council has a pot of £200,000 to hand out to projects funded through Hackney Youth Opportunity Fund. The fund is open to groups of three or more young people who live, work or study in Hackney, with the initial deadline for bids being 30 April.

Midwives, GPs and registrars will be enlisted to help couples stay together and reduce levels of family breakdown under government plans, the Daily Telegraph reports. Under the plans, which were presented to ministers at the social justice cabinet meeting earlier this month, midwives, GPs and registrars will be encouraged to talk to couples about their relationships. They will then direct them to one of a series accredited relationship support services to help bolster their relationships.