17/01/2021: Rise in suspected child abuse cases after lockdown

The number of reported incidents of children dying or being seriously harmed after suspected abuse or neglect rose by a quarter after England’s first lockdown last year, figures indicate. The Child . . . Safeguarding Practice Review Panel received 285 serious incident notifications from April to September.
This is an increase of 27% from 225 in the same period the previous year.
BBC

15/01/2021: Care Review: Sector responds to long-awaited announcement amid concerns over appointment of chair

Children’s social care leaders have called on the newly appointed chair of the government’s independent Care Review to ensure care experienced people are “at the heart” of the project. The Department . . . for Education has today launched the long-awaited Care Review promised in the 2019 Conservative Party’s manifesto for the general election. Founder of Frontline social care Josh MacAlister has been named as chair of the review and has pledged to launch a “Experts in Experience” group of hand-picked individuals with experience of the care system.
Children and Young People Now

15/01/2021: Nine in ten female young offenders are victims of abuse, research finds

Almost all female young offenders are likely to have been abused by a family member or someone they trust, research has found. According to a research report as many as nine in ten girls in the . . . criminal justice system, under the age of 18, may have experienced abused. Just under a third (63 per cent) of young female offenders, aged between 16 and 24 have been victims of rape and/or domestic abuse. In addition, 15 per cent of young women in the same age group have been involved in sex work.
Children and Young People Now