Recently in Teenagers Category

Morning all. Here's a quick round-up of interesting social care news I've spotted today, starting with a story in the Yorkshire Post that reports campaigners have called for tighter deadlines to publish serious case reviews in full. 

The Post reports that just seven of the 40 inquries into child deaths or serious abuse cases completed in the last 18 months have been published in full. 

Serious case reviews yet to be published in full, it reports, include the inquiries into the abduction of schoolgirl Shannon Matthews and the attacks on two boys in Edlington.

Cornwall Council says its social work department was not to blame for the suicide of a vulnerable schoolgirl, despite commissioning a report costing £100,000 which revealed serious failings by at least six care agencies, according to the Western Morning News.

The Daily Mail reports that 218 young people went missing from care in Ireland last year (although, if our investigation is anything to go by the true figure could be far higher).

And some more positive news: Cafcass' specialist child protection team, based at the organisation's National Business Centre in Coventry, has been rated 'good' by Ofsted.

Picture credit: comedy_nose

Morning all, here's a quick round-up of interesting things on the world wide web:

Children exposed to family violence show the same pattern of activity in their brains as soldiers exposed to combat, according to a study in the scientific journal Current Biology.

A report by the chief inspector of prisons has criticised Yarl's Wood immigration removal centre for repeatedly detaining expectant mothers, the Guardian reports.

And have a look at this creative 'A-Z of homelessness' artwork by homeless young people from The Connection, designed to prevent and raise awareness of homelessness.

Picture credit: dierk schaefer

A boy with special educational needs lost a year's education because of failures by two councils, according to a review by the local government ombudsman.

In her report, published today, Dr Jane Martin criticised Peterborough City Council and Cambridgeshire County Council for failing to work together to support the young man, known as Harry, after changes in his behaviour prompted a review of his care and education post-16.

The teenager missed out on a crucial year of education, and may also have missed the opportunity of a residential placement with 24-hour support, because both councils delayed assessments and disputed which had responsibility for maintaining his statement of SEN.

The ombudsman found maladministration causing injustice by both councils, ordering Cambridgeshire council to pay £2,750 in compensation and Peterborough council to pay £1,750 and provide appropriate therapy for Harry. Both councils agreed to pay the sums, to apologise to Harry and his family and to review their arrangements for the transfer of statemented children who are moving to post-16 education. Click here for the full report.

Sadly, homeless teenagers often find themselves placed in chaotic, filthy hostels or sleeping on park benches rather than the 'safe, appropriate' accommodation that local authorities are duty bound to provide. (A problem which seems to be getting worse, rather than better). 

Frustrated by the lack of safe options available to homeless teens, staff at Quintin Kynaston (QK) school in London have come up with a unique solution - to purchase a local 10-bed property and set it up as a children's home for homeless students.

It followed the discovery that a number of QK students were living in hostels or sleeping rough while trying to finish their education. Read the full feature here and watch the video below for two teenage students' experiences of homelessness. Picture credit: Horia Varlan