DAILY NEWS

Child & Youth centred news – 13th April

Fifth of children ‘may hear voices‘; ‘Children the victims of austerity’, says union chief; ‘Hours taken up’ driving childrenPhysical violence from pupils affects a third of teachers; Young homeless ‘underestimated’

Fifth of children ‘may hear voices
Belfast Telegraph – Hearing voices may affect up to a fifth of schoolchildren children aged 11 to 13, a psychiatric study has found.In most cases, the auditory hallucinations stop with time, the findings show. But children who continue to hear voices could be at risk of mental illness or behavioural disorders. Researchers carried out psychiatric assessments of almost 2,500 children aged between 11 and 16 in Dublin. They discovered that 21%-23% of younger adolescents, aged 11 to 13, had experienced auditory hallucinations. Of this group, just over half were found to have a non-psychotic psychiatric disorder such as depression.
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/republic-of-ireland/fifth-of-children-may-hear-voices-16143786.html

‘Children the victims of austerity’, says union chief
Independent.ie – A primary teachers’ union leader has rounded on Education Minister Ruairi Quinn over suggesting that calls for a reversal of cuts meant teachers didn’t understand the gravity of the financial crisis. Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) general secretary Sheila Nunan retorted: “We get it all right.” Ms Nunan said: “In schools and classrooms up and down the land, more and more children who did nothing to cause the country’s economic crisis are falling victim to the prevailing austerity-only solution.”
http://www.independent.ie/lifestyle/education/latest-news/children-the-victims-of-austerity-says-union-chief-3076735.html

‘Hours taken up’ driving children
BBC – A third of parents spend between 10 and 49 hours a month per child ferrying their children about by car, a survey suggests.
 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17682694

Physical violence from pupils affects a third of teachers
Guardian – A teacher who was dangled off the sixth floor by a pupil’s brother reflects on the issues involved, and the importance of parental engagement. An ATL report published today reveals that a third of education staff have dealt with physical violence from pupils this school year, and most found that parents of the pupils involved failed to back the schools. Most teachers surveyed believe the problem of poor behaviour is getting worse and count the lack of positive role models at home as one of the main reasons.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/teacher-network/teacher-blog/2012/mar/30/pupil-behaviour-parental-engagement

Young homeless ‘underestimated’
BBC – The level of young homelessness in the UK is underestimated by more than two-thirds of Britons, a survey suggests.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17680821