News (First 4)

The 12 directors of children’s services in the north-east of England have warned that “shameful” levels of poverty in the region are driving dramatic rises in child protection intervention and the number of children in care. The north-east has the highest rate of referrals to children’s social care in the UK, significantly higher than the national average, according to a joint report by the directors of children’s services in the region.

Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) have been urged to ensure local policing plans include proposals to support young adults away from crime. A 10-point plan published by Revolving Doors Agency alongside the Transition to Adulthood Alliance (T2A), with input from young adults with experience of the criminal justice system, calls for PCCs to “create a distinct approach to engaging and collaborating with young adults”.

Capability statement for practice with autistic children will add to existing standards for adults’ practitioners, and follows concerns raised by chief social workers about how professionals work with families. Social workers will receive new standards on working with autistic children and their families, as part of the government’s revised autism strategy, published last week.

Campaigners are warning teenagers and their parents about online grooming and sexual exploitation as schools break up for the summer. Campaigners are warning teens about online grooming and sexual abuse during the school summer holidays as a former top police child protection expert says the problem has “escalated” in recent years. The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), with support from tech companies including Microsoft, Twitter, Snapchat, and TikTok, is reaching out to teenagers to empower them to stand up to online grooming and child sexual abuse.