A WOMAN was jailed for grooming and abusing a young girl, more than 20 years ago. Liverpool crown court heard openly-gay social worker June Higgins, 40, was just 16 when she befriended her 12-year-old victim.

A man who killed his newborn daughter the first time he was left alone with her was jailed for five years today. Christopher Sellman’s daughter, Tiffany Sellman Burdge was just 25 days old when she died after suffering heart failure and bleeding to the brain while alone with her father in November 2008.

Bolton Council has scrapped its education welfare service as part of a value-for-money review. The review, of all local children’s services, will see Connexions staff take on responsibility for improving attendance in local primary and secondary schools.

A youth consultant has been arrested on suspicion of internet-related sexual offences following an investigation by Sky News. The footage was broadcast by Sky News yesterday evening.

The amount of money councils spent on providing adult social care rose by 5% in cash terms in 2008-09, Department of Health statistics have revealed.

Residential care providers must join forces with their competitors to stop local authorities from pricing them out of business, a senior children’s lawyer has warned.

Councils should expect to be subjected to a new era of scrutiny by the under-construction National College of Social Work, a leading sector voice has warned.

Elizabeth Hall has been appointed to the post of Safeguarding Adviser for the Church of England and the Methodist Church in Britain. Hall replaces the Rev Pearl Luxon, who will be leaving the role in September to become an independent safeguarding consultant.

A hung parliament could lead to better policies for children and young people, leading figures in the sector have claimed. With the nation due to go to the polls on Thursday, speculation that no one party will gain an overall majority has resulted in talk of the possibility of a coalition government.

THIS country is failing to care properly for its old and vulnerable people. We need a fully costed, funded and sustainable strategy for providing high quality care to people who need it, including provision for the increasing number of people living with dementia.