Violent crime is overwhelmingly fuelled by drink rather than drugs, with nearly half of all incidents linked to alcohol, according to the British Crime Survey published yesterday. Just 17% of violent offences are committed by people who have been using drugs, the figures show.

Scanning the list of research findings published by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation in the last few weeks, it’s fair to conclude that this representative sample is ambitious.

The government wants to support parents in striking the right balance between protecting their children and allowing them to learn and explore safely, according to a new consultation published by Children’s Minister Ed Balls.

The National Centre for Excellence in Residential Child Care is to advise on pilots of social pedagogy proposed in the Care Matters white paper. The centre is to work with the Department for Children, Schools and Families and the Thomas Coram Research Institute to develop the programme.

With anxiety and depression now accounting for more working days lost than backache, a leading learning and skills organisation is briefing its trade union reps on how to deal with mental health issues.

The Government and the Association of Directors of Children’s Services have launched a protocol to stop children’s services becoming deluged with national advisers and specialists.

Sure Start children’s centres have been slammed in two separate reports for failing to reach ethnic minority families and the most disadvantaged communities.

The introduction of 24-hour drinking laws may have trebled alcohol-related admissions to A&E departments in inner city areas at night, a study claims. Researchers at London’s St Thomas’ Hospital compared overnight visits before and after the 2005 law change.

A bonfire of government targets to ease red tape affecting schools, hospitals and town halls will be ordered tomorrow as part of a sweeping reform of public services, the Guardian can reveal.

The new Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, Ed Balls has set out a mission to drive up standards and improve the lives of every child in the country. He announced a total of £456 million for projects to support the wellbeing of children and families across the country, and a focus on play which enables children to have healthy, safe and happy childhood.

{mosimage}Addressing a conference of experts in children’s services, sponsored by the National Children’s Bureau (NCB), he said: “Our aspirations are straight forward and ambitious. Every child deserves to be safe and loved and have a healthy and happy childhood, free from harm. And every child should have the chance to make the most of their talents and fulfil their potential.”

He continued: “To do this, we must provide excellent universal services for all children and their families; be able to identify potential problems early, before things go wrong; and when children are at risk, do something quickly to help children and their families get back on track. Some commentators claim there has never been a worse time to be a child in this country. I reject this view.

“Of course we face real challenges, but this pessimism fails to recognise the new opportunities children have today, and it undermines the dedication of parents and the immense passion and commitment of many in schools and children’s services to give children the best possible chance in life.”

Supporting children, young people and families in the community is integral to helping all children, promoting excellence and closing the achievement gap in schools. Ed Balls said however that key challenges remained in tackling the attainment gap, particularly for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

There is also work to do in joining up services for children, particularly mental health services. Further improvements can also be made in intervening early and decisively with children at risk of truanting, poor behaviour before it escalates into offending behaviour.