NI Children at risk as social services budget slashed; Growing number of Irish children going hungry to school or bed; 29 schools in NI could close; Coalisland teens offered ‘free drugs’; Police refute claims ‘meth’ circulating in Coalisland
NI Children at risk as social services budget slashed
Belfast Telegraph – Social services in Northern Ireland is being stretched to the limit amid massive budget cuts putting thousands of children at risk, it has been claimed.
It comes as researchers from Queen’s University in Belfast revealed the number of children in Northern Ireland on the child protection register has risen sharply since 2006.
According to the findings of the Queen’s study, there were 1,639 children on Northern Ireland’s child protection register in March 2006 and this rose to 2,401 in March last year.
Growing number of Irish children going hungry to school or bed
Journal.ie – A major new survey reveals that 21 per cent of schoolchildren aged between 10 and 17 either go to school or to bed without a proper meal.
http://www.thejournal.ie/growing-number-of-children-going-hungry-to-school-or-bed-report-419677-Apr2012/
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2012/0417/1224314822826.html
29 schools in NI could close says paper
BBC – Proposals to close 29 post-primary schools in the North Eastern Board area are contained in a document leaked to the Ballymena Guardian.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-17745612
Coalisland teens offered ‘free drugs’
U.TV – Church leaders have been involved in the talks aimed at uniting residents against dealers. “It’s not just free drugs,” Church of Ireland minister Rev Andrew Rawding said. “We’ve had parents say it’s free alcohol that their children are given first and
http://www.u.tv/news/Coalisland-teens-offered-free-drugs/4e9b1c2a-fc3d-4ef8-9c61-6a65cce5f300
Police refute claims ‘meth’ circulating in Coalisland
BBC – On Monday night, more than 100 people attended a public meeting at the Church of Ireland hall in the town to discuss what they believe is an escalating drug problem. Fr Byrne said it was the third in a series of public gatherings to try to deal with …
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-17737998