A daily summary of social care stories from the main newspapers

By Clare Jerrom, Reg McKay and Alex Dobson.

New Bakewell murder inquiry

The police are to launch a new investigation into the killing of
Wendy Sewell.

Stephen Downing, who spent 27 years in prison for the murder,
said he was “absolutely delighted”.

Downing was acquitted last January of murdering the typist in a
cemetery in Bakewell, Derbyshire in 1973.

Source:- Daily Telegraph Wednesday 27 March page 8

Nursing home rapist free

A man who spent 18 months in prison for raping a terminally ill
woman, will be released today after an attempt to increase his
sentence was rejected yesterday by the court of appeal.

John Archibald attacked his victim, who suffers from the fatal
degenerative brain illness Huntington’s disease, in February
2000, while he was visiting the nursing home where she lives.

Source:- Daily Telegraph Wednesday 27 March page 8

Shopkeepers protest as ‘Terror Triplets’ go
free

Shopkeepers were angry yesterday after triplets who flouted anti
social behaviour orders walked free from the courts yesterday.

The “Terror Triplets” Shane, Natalie and Sarah Morris were given
two-year supervision orders. These were criticised by victims of
their behaviour as neither a deterrent or punishing.

One shop owner said: “The only message that this sends out is
that even if kids like this get caught terrorising shopkeepers,
they will get away with it because the courts won’t lock them
up.”

But magistrates said the law prevented them from imposing
detention orders on the triplets, who have just turned 13, as they
had not been convicted on three separate occasions.

The triplets were among eight children banned from town centre
shops in Gillingham, Kent, a year ago following vandalism,
shoplifting and abusing staff and shoppers.

But magistrates in Chatham heard how they continued to go into
stores.

Source:- Daily Telegraph Wednesday 27 March page 13

Elderly ‘banged up’ in homes, says
Milburn

Health secretary Alan Milburn told the House of Commons older
people are being “banged up” in care homes.

Milburn said: “We need to focus not just on providing more
residential and nursing home places, but we also need to respect
what most elderly people, people with a mental health problem, want
which is not to be banged up in a care home but to be cared for in
their own homes.”

Tory health spokesperson Liam Fox challenged Milburn to withdraw
his remarks, saying the phrase ‘banged up’ could cause
offence to the many dedicated staff who look after patients.

The row erupted following two questions on delayed discharge by
Tory MPs Anne McIntosh (Vale of York) and Julie Kirkbride
(Bromsgrove).

Source:- Daily Telegraph Wednesday 27 March page 12

Two bailed in child porn case

Ian Margretts from Oxfordshire and Michael Hartney, from
Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, were bailed yesterday charged with
making and distributing lewd pictures of children at Bicester
magistrates court.

Source:- The Guardian Wednesday 27 March page 7

Morris gets tough on violent parents

Parents who attack teachers should face automatic prosecution,
according to the education secretary.

Head teachers and local education authorities should adopt a
zero tolerance policy towards offenders, Estelle Morris will tell a
conference of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers in Cardiff
today.

Her call follows a decision by the ATL yesterday that LEAs
should pursue private prosecution, where criminal action has been
unsuccessful, against parents and pupils responsible for
attacks.

Source:- The Times Wednesday 27 March page 6

Guardian Society

Health check

NHS Alliance warns of ‘change fatigue’

Source:- Guardian Society Wednesday 27 March page 4

Helping to heal

Race riot hotspots get cash injection

Source:- Guardian Society Wednesday 27 March page 4

Star of the small screen

Clare in the Community may become television sitcom

Source:- Guardian Society Wednesday 27 March page 4

Personal touch

For deafblind children an ‘intervenor’ can make a
big difference to the quality of their life

Source:- Guardian Society Wednesday 27 March page
96-95

Facts and figures

New social care inspectorate to tackle thorny issues of fees

Source:- Guardian Society Wednesday 27 March page
95

For want of guidance

Local authorities unfair to self-funding care home residents

Source:- Guardian Society Wednesday 27 March page
95

Scottish newspapers

Housing stock transfer for Dumfries and
Galloway

Dumfries and Galloway council is to be the next Scottish local
authority to ballot tenants on the transfer of its housing stock to
an independent housing agency.

Tenants will vote in June on whether or not they want to
transfer management of their homes to the Dumfries & Galloway
Housing Partnership.

Source:- The Herald Wednesday 27 March page 8

Welsh newspapers

Take Him Away

The mother of an 11-year-old Cardiff boy who has been causing a
mini crime wave has appealed for him to be taken away.

The boy who appears almost every working day before youths
courts in Cardiff after stealing cars and joyriding has committed
hundreds of offences over the last two years.

He was finally bailed into local authority care this week after
admitting a string of offences, but there was no bed available and
he was sent home. His mother says that he has now gone missing, and
that something should have been done earlier to curb his
behaviour.

Source:- Welsh Mirror Wednesday 27 March page 15

Strike: Union action threatens council
chaos

Council services will be paralysed in Cardiff today, as
thousands of Unison members strike in support of sacked social
worker, Charles Faber.

The action is likely to disrupt housing, planning and council
tax collection services, and to shut down leisure centres and
libraries.

The strike follows an escalation in tension between Unison and
Cardiff council. The union has accused the council of making Faber
a scapegoat after he highlighted his concerns over children’s
services in Cardiff during a TV documentary last year. He was
suspended just hours after the programme went out and eventually
sacked.

The council denies claims that Faber, who headed the emergency
services team in the city, had been sacked over whistleblowing.
Deputy mayor Chris Bettinson says that Faber’s dismissal resulted
from the management practices he adopted, and which were identified
as part of a financial audit.

Source:- South Wales Echo Tuesday 26 March page 1 and
4