New Statistics obtained from DCFS (erstwhile DfES) and released by John Hemming MP, Chairman of Justice for Families show that 60% of the numbers of children under 5 taken into care are now adopted. “The system”, he said, “is supposed to try to reunite families rather than simply drive towards adoption.

In response to the publication of Medical Research Council research into self-harm among young people, Dr Andrew McCulloch, Chief Executive of the Mental Health Foundation said:

Capacitybuilders has launched Destination 2014 at its inaugural annual conference in Birmingham. The strategy is the result of a consultation programme which ran from December 2006 to March 2007.

New Health Secretary Alan Johnson has sought to soothe anger over health service reforms by announcing a “once in a generation review” of the NHS. Mr Johnson has asked Health Minister Sir Ara Darzi, a practising surgeon, to consult with patients and staff amid much frustration with change.

Local safeguarding children boards across England are playing an operational rather than strategic role, according to a Government report. The Department for Education and Skills’ report Local Safeguarding Children Boards: A Review of Progress, examines how the boards progressed between September and December 2006.

The Government has missed an historic opportunity to achieve a modern and humane new Mental Health Act, but has made important concessions to protect patients and their families from abuse and neglect, the Mental Health Alliance has said.

Health minister Ivan Lewis has pledged that the government will act upon the findings of a highly critical report into dementia care. According to the National Audit Office (NAO), there are “significant gaps” in the way Britain’s health services deal with dementia patients.

The Government has revealed a shake up of the youth justice system to put a greater emphasis on community sentencing. The plans, unveiled last week in the Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill, include the creation of a youth rehabilitation order, which brings together a number of existing community sentences.

The Government’s commitment to children’s safety is being backed with a grant of £30 million to the NSPCC to make sure every child has someone to call on for help and advice, the newly formed Department for Children, Schools and Families announced today.

{mosimage}The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) will get £30M over the next four years to strengthen its ChildLine Service – the free helpline for children and young people in the UK. As part of the partnership with the Government the NSPCC will also be putting more money into its helplines. The money will also help expand the NSPCC’s other helpline services, including those provided online, and the NSPCC Child Protection Helpline which allows adults to report concerns. In future children will also be able to access services via text message.

Ed Balls, the newly appointed Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, said: “Children are our most precious resource and we want to give them the best possible start in life. We can’t do that unless they are safe.

“One of my priorities as head of the new department for Children, Schools and Families is to make sure we help the most vulnerable – including those whose childhood is being ruined by abuse or bullying. That’s why I’m delighted to say we are putting £30M into the NSPCC’s vital services.”

Beverley Hughes, Minister of State at the Department of Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), said: “The money we are announcing today will allow the NSPCC to expand their services significantly and improve them so that more children can be given the advice and help that can be so important. We all know that children are most familiar and comfortable using modern methods of communications – for example on-line or text messages – and this funding will help the NSPCC develop this.”