All children could face compulsory checks to discover if they are at risk of turning into criminals, the Prime Minister announced today. The controversial proposal came as part of a wide-ranging review of crime and security policy published by 10 Downing Street.

{mosimage}It said the checks could take place at existing important stages in a child’s life, such as the move from primary to secondary school.

The Government’s plan to prevent crime said: “Establish universal checks throughout a child’s development to help service providers to identify those most at risk of offending.

“These checks should piggyback on existing contact points such as the transition to secondary schools.”

The number of children in the UK living in relative poverty increased by 100,000 last year – a “moral disgrace” that leaves the Government’s policy objectives “in tatters”, campaigners said.

Computer-based therapy should be available to all patients in England from April, says the government. Patients with mild depression or anxiety should receive therapy instead of drugs, but there are long waiting lists around the country.

More than 12 of the most financially troubled NHS hospital trusts in England will today share in a £178m rescue package being put together by Patricia Hewitt, the health secretary, to avoid bankruptcies across the health service.

Former migrant labourer Alona Tirzite recalls the pain and degradation of her time in England’s strawberry fields and sighs. The 26-year-old from Latvia has been inspired to help migrant workers facing similar problems as part of a project run by a Lincolnshire council.

Worried parents are buying their children body armour to protect them from knife attacks. A firm that supplies stab and bullet-proof vests to government agencies around the world said it had been flooded with orders following a series of brutal knife murders on Britain’s streets.

Children’s social workers will receive a £13 million boost to help pay for Information and Communication Technology (ICT), through funding announced today by Children’s Minister Parmjit Dhanda.

Up to £8million is set to be slashed from the care of mentally ill people. Beds are set to close and a walk-in service could go as Camden and Islington Mental Health and Social Care Trust battles to save £6million to £8million over the next three years.

The government will probably miss its goal of halving child poverty by 2010, official figures are set to reveal. Statistics are expected to show the aim of reducing the number of children in poverty to 1.5 million will not be met.

{mosimage}The government hopes the launch of a new £150m child poverty strategy, which includes a programme to get parents into employment, will help.
Charity Save the Children said the target is slipping out of reach and wants more urgency from ministers.

There are fears that the target of eradicating child poverty in the UK by 2020 will be unachievable.
Under the “New Deal for Families”, for the first time all applicants at Job Centres will be asked whether or not they have children. The government says advisers can then consider the applicant’s need for help with looking after their family.

In last week’s Budget, Chancellor Gordon Brown announced increases in benefits and tax credits aimed at lifting more than 200,000 children out of poverty. Save the Children’s UK director Colette Marshall said: “This vital target is slipping dangerously out of reach.”

Children with extreme, and sometimes very complex needs are being placed in single-place children’s homes without a clear idea of the impact that these placements have on those individuals, says a new report by CSCI, the social care watchdog for England.

{mosimage}Many of these children may have emotional or behavioural difficulties, learning disabilities and mental health problems. They may display challenging behaviour and may be difficult to control.

The new report: One-person children’s homes: a positive choice or last resort? questions whether local councils have thought enough about the outcomes for children who are placed in these homes.

CSCI Chair Dame Denise Platt said: “We don’t know enough about how children respond to living on their own in these one place children’s homes. While the overall number of these homes is still relatively small, there has been a growth in their number in recent years.

“It may well be convenient for local councils to place children with complex needs in these homes, but the impact on the children who live there is still unclear. These homes can be located a long way away from the child’s home community; and they are extremely expensive to run with fees between £4,000 to £6,000 per week. Are the councils who place children in these homes, or the children themselves, getting a good deal?”