Today we have Ofsted's report on 12 outstanding special schools; the link between conduct disorders and crime; recommendations to abolish short sentences for young adults convicted of non-violent crimes and latest government statistics on children-in need.
- Action to prevent conduct problems in young children would dramatically reduce crime rates according to the Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health. It has published a study showing children with conduct problems go on to commit four-fifths of all crime. The centre estimates the lifetime costs of crime are £190,000 on average for each child with a conduct disorder. It claims the best conduct prevention schemes can reduce future offending by 50% and cost £4000 per child on average.
- Ofsted has published a report showcasing 12 outstanding special schools that it says excel at providing for very vulnerable children and young people. The report identifies common themes across the schools in an attempt to help underperforming schools improve. Some of the themes identified include giving pupils a voice, providing outdoor education and outreach work in mainstream schools.
- The Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) has published an "experimental statistical release" with the results from its latest children-in-need census. It's experimental apparently because the figures have not been finally evaluated. Helpfully the DCSF also points out that these figures cannot be compared to the 2005 figures because they were collected in a different way. However, headline figures so far show that between October 2008 to March 2009 407,800 children had an episode of need, approximately 22,000 more than registered in 2005. "Need" covers abuse or neglect, disability or illness with either child or parent, family dysfunction, socially unacceptable behaviour, low income and absent parenting. Nottinghamshire had the lowest rates with 72 per 10,000 children while Hull had the highest with 754 per 10,000 children.
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