The government has appointed a new chief executive and three commissioners to lead a council which was criticised over the deaths of seven children.

Esther Rantzen and the NSPCC have been cleared of breaking charity rules after a complaint was made alleging money from the child protection charity was going towards the Luton South independent candidate’s election campaign.

Children and young people are suffering as a result of variable standards of support when moving into and out of custody, according to a report published today by Ofsted, the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills.

Education Secretary Michael Gove has given his strongest indication yet that Ofsted will no longer inspect children’s social care.

The NSPCC has produced a CD-Rom resource to enable trainers and group leaders to take children’s safeguarding to the very heart of black and minority ethnic communities.

BASW has written to the new prime minister, David Cameron, and his deputy Nick Clegg to urge them to prioritise social work and spare the profession from spending cuts in the budget on 22 June.