A peer who headed inquiries into two high profile child abuse cases has opened an academy for social workers.

The social work model in a city where eight children known to social workers have died in the past four years was branded unfit for purpose by a damning official inquiry today.

Six new social workers are being recruited in Bristol to deal with an increase in child protection work.

Gun, knife and gang crime are “inextricably linked” to mental health problems among young people, according to Barnardo’s.

The West London Alliance (WLA) boroughs, providing services to over 1.4m residents, has agreed to collaborate on the procurement and commissioning of Adult Care Services, which have an estimated value of £220 million per year.

A Plymouth nursery worker and two other people she met online have admitted a series of child sex abuse charges. Vanessa George, Angela Allen, from Nottingham, and Colin Blanchard, from Rochdale, all 39, had never met in person before they appeared in court.