The latest child welfare developments that should be right on your radar:

• The ‘boyfriend model’ of abuse is not restricted to grooming gangs
• Blamed for being abused: an uncomfortable history of child sexual exploitation
• Sir Edward Heath child abuse investigation ‘to end in autumn’

The latest child welfare stories:

• We need a common-sense approach to keeping children in care out of custody
• Radicalisation cases ‘uncomfortable’ for social workers, report say 
• Encourage children to spend more time online, says former Intelligence Chief

The latest child welfare stories that should be right on your radar:

• Adoption Support Fund triggered ‘rapid’ rise in social work referrals
• Judge warns of ‘blood on our hands’ if suicidal girl is forced out of secure care
• Court system is unfair and traumatic for child sexual abuse victims

Thank you to Nick for sharing the first news item with us.

The latest child welfare items that should be right on your radar:

• Charlie Gard Latest: Judge Rules Terminally Ill Baby Will Be Moved To Hospice To Die
• Almost half of young people in study feel social workers have low expectations of children in care and care leavers
• Research: Children who suffer abuse more likely to be involved in violence & misuse drugs & alcohol as adults

Baroness Hale of Richmond has become the first female President of the Supreme Court. The announcement was made today, along with other appointments which include 3 Supreme Court Justices and 7 new Justices of Appeal.

She follows Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers (1 October 2009 – 30 September 2012) and Lord Neuberger of Abbotsbury (1 October 2012 – present), the outgoing President who she will be replacing.

Lady Hale is perhaps best known for her work as a family law specialist, ushering in the Children Act 1989 which was a pioneering piece of legislation putting children at the heart of court proceedings involving them, and is passionate about feminism, equality and human rights. In 2013, she was appointed Deputy President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom.

Members of the public, journalists, lawyers and campaigners took to Twitter to share their delight at the news and congratulate the Baroness.

Lady Hale is one of the most popular judges in Britain, well known and much loved for her compassionate family law judgments, insightful reasoning and highly sophisticated interpretations of the law. She also happens to be Researching Reform’s favourite judge of the twenty first century.

Many congratulations, Baroness Hale.

The latest child welfare stories:

• Mothers ‘an unseen force’ in ‘honour’ abuse
• Emotional child abuse reports on the increase, NSPCC says
• Northern Ireland: Open Letter from victims of institutional child abuse

The latest news items that should be right on your radar:

• Male child sex abuse survivors charity ‘struggling with demand’
• Guns kill 1,300 US children every year, study finds
• Sharp rise in suicides by gun among American children is found

The latest stories from child abuse inquiries around the world:

• First hearings in child abuse inquiry to get under way (Scotland)
• Civil claims of child sexual abuse against Greville Janner dropped (UK)
• Maori Party calls for inquiry into child abuse (New Zealand)

The latest headlines on child welfare:

• School holidays leave 3 million children at risk of hunger, report says
• Home Office stages U-turn on decision to reject London-born children of EU couple living in UK
• Smartphone app ‘tells parents when children are sexting’

The latest child welfare stories:

• Domestic abuse should be punished more severely than non-domestic, judges told
• More unmarried couples with children breaking up than married couples for first time
• Tory MP launches Private Members Bill to establish a presumption in favour of shared parenting, and enforcement of Child Arrangement Orders