News in Brief

● More than 400 social workers have been referred to England’s social care regulator for alleged misconduct. Heather Wing, the General Social Care Council’s director of regulation, said 161 of the referrals were assessed as not amounting to a complaint of misconduct. Fifty have been referred to the regulator’s preliminary proceedings committee and 191 are being investigated.

● The Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service’s “biggest challenge” is to translate what young people want into its service and make it “relevant to them”, the organisation’s
children’s rights director, Christine Smart, said.

● The Independent Mental Capacity Advocate service should be extended to people with families and friends because they may be at risk from supposed loved-ones, it was claimed. Garry MacDonald, who runs Counsel and Care’s support and information service for advocates, Care Link, said he had come across cases in which “the family were the problem”.

● A group campaigning to stop asylum-seeking children being held in immigration detention centres hope to meet the new home secretary, John Reid. The No Place for a Child coalition wants to gather 10,000 signatures. Visit www.noplaceforachild.org.uk