Friday 4 June 2004

By Amy Taylor, Shirley Kumar, Clare Jerrom and Alex
Dobson

British school children lead the world in sex, drugs and
alcohol

Dietary habits of British school children are the worst in the
western world, reveals the World Health Organisation.

Based on surveys of around 160,000 children in 35 countries,
British children live on snacks, eat no fruit and vegetables and
drink large amounts of alcohol.

The children also led the world in use of drugs and sex before they
are 15 years old.

Source: The Times, June 4, page 1

Homeless miss more school

Thousands of children who are living in temporary housing
miss more than 10 weeks of school a year, according to a new study
by homeless charity Shelter.

The report states that an unprecedented 100,000 families are living
in temporary accommodation.

Almost half of the 400 respondents said that their children were
“often unhappy or depressed”.

Source: The Guardian, Friday, June 4, page 10

Scottish newspapers

New drug offers hope on treatment of hyperactive
children

A new drug could help thousands of severely hyperactive
children in the UK, doctors claimed yesterday.

Atomoxetine is the first non-stimulant therapy for attention
deficit hyperactivity disorder thought to affect 500,000 children.
The launch of the product is likely to reignite the debate about
whether drugs should be used to control the condition.

Source: The Herald, Friday 4 June

How councils stop parents helping

Volunteers for minor roles such as helping out at schools
fetes are likely to be deterred because of an insistence on police
checks, a parents’ body has warned.

The Scottish Parliament’s education committee’s inquiry
into child protection has been warned that the disclosure system is
not being used as intended when it came into operation and delays
are being built into the system because unnecessary checks are
being requested.

The Scottish Parent Teacher Council said anecdotal evidence showed
parents were reluctant to become involved in school activities
because of the difficulties involved in carrying out disclosure
checks.

Source: The Herald  Friday 4 June

Nursery nurses go back to work

Nursery nurses in Glasgow voted to return to work last night as
they were threatened with dismissal.

Glasgow Council issued the ultimatum earlier that bought the
14-week strike to an end. Fife Council announced that it had
settled an agreement with staff leaving just Borders and Orkney to
reach a settlement out of Scotland’s 32 local
authorities.

Source: The Herald, Friday 4 June

Scots care-home owners ‘forced out of
business’

Care homeowners have criticised the funding levels provided by
the Scottish Executive.

Scottish Care, the body which represents private care-home owners
in Scotland, produced a cost of care report which has been
independently audited by the Scottish Local Authority Management
Centre.

The organisation claims that when it submitted its report to the
executive, it was ignored and the group was told there would be no
funding available above the level already agreed.

Scottish Care’s members claim they are being forced to pay
for improvements and deal with a current funding shortfall with no
extra money.

Source: The Scotsman, Friday 4 June

Arrests in child porn raids

Police were questioning around 100 people last night in conjunction
with an investigation into the distribution of child
pornography.

Officers from all eight police forces and the Scottish Drug
Enforcement Agency were involved in the raids which were carried
out at homes across Scotland as part of Operation Falcon.

Source: The Scotsman  Friday 4 June

Support school axed

A school designed to reintegrate excluded pupils into mainstream
classes is set to be axed.

Pupils, including some children on Edinburgh’s at risk
register, will be returned to mainstream education or sent to
special schools after the Craigroyston School House facility closes
next month.

Staff and opposition councillors slammed the move claiming it could
cause long-term problems for the children at the school, which has
been educating vulnerable pupils for 20 years.

Source: Evening News, Thursday 3 June

Barnardo’s seeking donations of time

Barnardo’s Scotland has urged people from Edinburgh and
the Lothians to sign up as volunteers.

The charity’s shops across the city have been running open
days throughout this week as part of Volunteer Week.

Source: Evening News  Thursday 3 June

Helpline calls the shots for elderly

The first dedicated telephone helpline for older people in
Scotland was launched in Edinburgh this week.

The helpline will provide advice on issues including benefits, age
discrimination, housing and health issues.

The advice line will be run by Age Concern with funding from the
Scottish executive of £125,000.

Source: Evening News, Thursday 3 June

New mayor ditched over racism row

Swansea has dropped its lord mayor elect following a row over
remarks he made about Bangladeshi immigration in an election
leaflet.

Councillor Richard Lewis was to have been inaugurated on June 18
but following a decision by all five political groups on the local
authority to complain about alleged racist remarks to the local
government ombudsman, the city council have decided against the
appointment.

Source: Western Mail Friday 4 June page1

Social factors in breast cancer

Women from deprived areas of the UK are more likely to have
advanced breast cancer by the time they are diagnosed, according to
new research.

Researchers from the Leeds and Newcastle Universities say that
educational programmes need to be targeted at women from poorer
backgrounds to help close the inequality gap in breast cancer
care.

Source: Western Mail, Friday 4 June, page 3

Campaign to help parents learn first aid

A survey has found that more than eight out of ten parents do
not have a grasp of basic first aid techniques that could help save
the life of a child.

The poll carried out by Mother and Baby magazine found that 84 per
cent of mothers and fathers in Wales did not know simple medical
skills such as what to do in the event of a burn or if their child
suffered a fall. But in the future parents can learn basic skills
at their local supermarket as Tesco’s are supporting a
campaign run by the magazine that will offer first-aid courses at
stores across the country.

Source: Western Mail, Friday 4 June, page 6

 

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