Wide-ranging proposals to improve the lives of some of society’s most vulnerable children are set to be announced by the Government. Education Secretary Alan Johnson is expected to say the state must focus on becoming a better proxy parent to the youngsters it is looking after when he launches the green paper Children in Care.

Schools are struggling to cope with increasing numbers of pupils with mental health problems, a study says. The survey commissioned by the NASUWT teachers’ union found teachers often had difficulty identifying pupils with problems like anxiety and depression.

Councils would have a duty to place children in their care in the best local schools, under government plans. A Green Paper on children in care in England is expected to beef up the admissions rules and oblige schools to take the youngsters if told to do so.

Children caught in the middle of court battles between warring parents would be allowed to express their feelings and wishes personally to the judge deciding the case under plans being drawn up by the government, the Guardian has learned.

The Home Secretary’s prison crisis could be alleviated if he returned professional judgement to probation staff when dealing with parole decisions.  At least 380 prisoners per month are returned to jail for technical violations of their orders.

A fifth of CVs submitted for job applications contain significant lies, such as exaggerated academic qualifications, a survey suggests. The study of more than 3,700 CVs submitted for jobs this year was conducted by employee screening specialists, The Risk Advisory Group.

The police and other official bodies could escape prosecution for the death of people in police custody, army barracks or prison or local authority care, if exemptions to a new Bill are agreed this week.

Directors of Children’s Services have welcomed many aspects of the government’s Green Paper on children in care published today. And, speaking as their statutory, corporate parents, said they are `delighted’ to share the government’s ambitious aims and objectives for the children concerned.

Members of the children’s interagency group (IAG)* have welcomed today’s publication of Care Matters – a government Green Paper concerning children in care. It also welcomes the opportunity to engage in considering the future provision for children in care during the further consultation process to come.

Cancer research is set to benefit from £17.5m that will fund 13 Experimental Cancer Medicine Centres across England, Health Minister Andy Burnham said today.