Wednesday 29 October 2003

By Amy Taylor, Clare Jerrom and Alex Dobson.
Child trust funds could be worth up to £35,000
Children could receive up to £35,000 when they turn 18 under
new government plans to set up child trust funds.
Ministers will put £250 into a trust fund for every baby born
after September 2002 and £500 into the funds of children in
lower income families.
Children are also set to receive a cash top-up of an undecided
amount when they reach seven-years-old.
An additional sum of up to £1,200 a year will be able to be
contributed to the fund by relatives.
Source:- Financial Times Wednesday 29 October page 6
UN refugee chief chides Blair for slating
convention
The United Nation’s high commissioner for refugees criticised prime
minister Tony Blair for saying that the Geneva Convention on asylum
was “completely out of date”.
Ruud Lubbers, said that the 1951 convention was still “relevant and
timeless” after meeting with Blair yesterday.
He added that the convention could not be held responsible for
problems it was never meant to address describing it as a “human
rights instrument”.
Blair said last week that the convention was outdated when
attempting to combat the problems of mass migration.
Source:- The Guardian Wednesday 29 October page 6
Blunkett’s one-off asylum amnesty ‘will happen
again’
Home secretary David Blunkett’s ‘one-off’ amnesty giving 15,000
asylum seeker families permission to stay in Britain is likely to
happen again, according to a new report.
Blunkett said that the move would not be repeated, but a report
from the Migrationwatch think-tank said he is ignoring around
15,000 families who are already in the UK and who have similar
circumstances to those who were allowed to stay.
It goes on to state that similar amnesties in other countries
attracted more asylum seekers in the long term.
Source:- Daily Mail Wednesday 29 October page 17
Stranger than fiction
He’s an author and an award-winning screenwriter, so what’s he
doing taking flak in South London? Jonathan Myerson on why he
decided to become a councillor
Source:- Society Guardian Wednesday 29 October page 2
Cheers – and no cheers
Many pubs do not have disabled toilets or doorways
accessible by wheelchairs and are unprepared for new laws coming in
next year, according to a new survey.
The research, carried out by www.yourlevelbest.com which
has a directory of pubs and restaurants accessible to wheelchair
users, found that many pubs are in danger of failing to comply with
parts of the Disability Discrimination Act coming in from 1 October
next year to ensure that all services are accessible to disabled
people.
Source:- Society Guardian Wednesday 29 October page 4
Councils count on a recount
Councils, health trusts and a range of social partnerships could be
in for a windfall as the consequences of a statistics watchdog’s
verdict that census results from inner London are “not
reliable”.
The opinion from the Statistics Commission could have far reaching
consequence as census figures are used to allocate annual grants to
councils, and are the indices that dictate financial cash flows to
primary care trusts.
Westminster Council complained that its population count in the
2001 census was highly inaccurate. The commission agreed that its
initial count cannot be relied on.
Source:- Society Guardian Wednesday 29 October page 4
Learning curve
A pilot scheme is providing free childcare to encourage teenage
parents back into education
Source:- Society Guardian Wednesday 29 October page 7
Chart success
A hundred years of Salford Lads Club is under the microscope as
part of a project that is engaging young people in their local
heritage
Source:- Society Guardian Wednesday 29 October page 8
File not found
The government wants councils to set up child databases to help
prevent neglect and abuse – but the system is already being dogged
by problems
Source:- Society Guardian Wednesday 29 October page 10
Caught in the crossfire
Hitting government targets while empowering communities
means it’s tough being a New Deal chief executive
Source:- Society Guardian Wednesday 29 October page 10
What else can I do?
Nick, a specialist social worker in a team dealing with children
with disabilities, is keen to move into adoption and fostering
services
Source:- Society Guardian Wednesday 29 October page 112
Scottish newspapers
Charges after boy, 10, takes drugs
A man and woman appeared in court yesterday in connection with an
incident involving a 10-year-old boy who was taken to hospital
after taking drugs.
Richard Malcolm and Vicky Booth of Croft Bank, Perth, appeared in
private at Perth sheriff court.
Neither made a plea or declaration and they were released on
bail.
Source:- The Scotsman Wednesday 29 October page 10
‘Being a victim makes you
vulnerable’
Christina Aguilera met a young victim of domestic abuse last night
before performing at Glasgow SECC.
The singer feels so strongly about the issue she has agreed to
support the latest phase of the Scottish executive’s domestic
abuse campaign, launching today, which focuses on children.
Aguilera told the 15-year-old fan about her own experiences of
violence in the home where her father, Fausto Aguilera, would beat
her mother Shelly.
Source:- The Herald Wednesday 29 October
Pakistanis feel more at home than English
Pakistanis feel more at home in Scotland than the English do,
according to a study into national identity.
Pakistanis living north of the border were more likely to describe
themselves as Scottish than English people living in Scotland, who
mostly saw themselves as British, the researchers from Glasgow
University found.
Source:- The Herald Wednesday 29 October
Welsh newspapers
New ways to find solutions
Residents have been exploring new ways of tackling a range
of problems on a south Wales housing estate.
The Duffryn Open Space Day gave residents from the Newport estate
the chance to highlight the everyday difficulties they encounter
through theatre, group discussion and open forums.
The event was run jointly by Duffryn Community Link and Theatr
Ffwrwm Cymru and covered issues like drug and alcohol abuse,
vandalism and antisocial behaviour.
Source:- South Wales Argus Tuesday 28 October page 12
But they’re not all bad!
A two-page feature focusing on the positive contribution being made
by teenagers in their communities. The story presents an
alternative view of young people who it says are often vilified in
the media for being antisocial and unhelpful.
Source:- South Wales Argus Tuesday 28 October pages 16-17
NHS cash for asylum seekers slated
The Welsh assembly has been criticised after it emerged that
£1 million of NHS money has been spent on assessing and caring
for asylum seekers.
The figure was revealed in a written answer from health and social
services minister Jane Hutt to Conservative health spokesperson
Jonathan Morgan.
Morgan said the money should have come from the Home Office budget
rather than the Welsh NHS, but Caerphilly MP Jeff Cuthbert accused
Morgan of ‘nasty’ asylum seeker bashing.
Source:- Western Mail Wednesday 29 October page 7