Monday 4 April 2005

by Simeon Brody, Maria Ahmed. Amy Taylor and Derren
Hayes

Only six couples sign up for Hodge’s £1m
mediation scheme

A £1million government project aimed at mediating between
warring parents has attracted just six couples in the first six
months. Margaret Hodge, the children’s minister, now faces
accusations that she introduced the Family Resolutions pilot scheme
simply to try and ward off protests from the Fathers4Justice
pressure group until after the general election, expected on May
5.

Source:-The Sunday Telegraph, Sunday 3 April 2005, page
10
 
Women’s lobbyist to campaign for fathers

Julie Mellor, who heads the Equal Opportunities Commission, will
announce at a conference on fatherhood this week that she will
chair Fathers Direct, a group that campaigns for more
“father-friendly” services and better leave
entitlements for men with children.

Source:- The Independent  on Sunday, Sunday 3 April
2005, page 12
 
Campaign to let prisoners vote

A campaign to give prisoners the vote was launched yesterday by
the Prison Reform Trust and national ex-offenders’
organisation Unlock.

Source:-The Guardian, Monday April 4 2005, page
11
 
Sword case inquest opens
 
An inquest into the death of Simon Murden, 26, shot by police after
brandishing a sword on the A63 near Hull was opened and
adjourned.
 
Source:- The Guardian Saturday 2 April 2005 page 10
 
Teacher jailed for pupil sex
 
Religious teacher David Wootton, who had threesomes with two girl
pupils at a Kent school, was jailed for two and a half years.
 
Source:- The Guardian Saturday 2 April 2005 page 10
 
Junk food “helps pupils pass exams”
 
Children do better in exams if they are given junk food for lunch,
new research from America has found.
The researchers found that struggling schools were manipulating
their lunch menus to give pupils a lift before vital exams.
 
Source:- The Daily Telegraph Saturday 2 April 2005 page
1
 
Four fifths of children dislike their body shape
 
Four out of five children aged 11-14 are unhappy with their body
shape, research has found.
Among girls, 78.5 per cent wanted to be thinner and 2.5 per cent
wanted to be bigger. Among boys 50 per cent wanted to be thinner
and 20 per cent wanted to be bigger.
 
Source:- The Daily Telegraph Saturday 2 April 2005 page
8
 
Violent pupil gang besieges teachers in their own
home
 
Two teachers were harassed for several months in their home by
pupils from the school where they work, the NASUWT union conference
heard yesterday.
Anthony and Susan Bell, from Bedfordshire, said they were not they
only teachers forced to barricade their houses against attacks by
disgruntled pupils.
 
Source:- The Daily Telegraph Saturday 2 April 2005 page
9
 
Cannabis ingredient causes toxic psychosis
 
Cannabis-based medicines can induce dangerous psychotic reactions
in patients, according to research published in the journal BMC
psychiatry.
Volunteers had to be withdrawn from experiments because they were
suffering paranoid delusions and anxiety.
 
Source:- The Daily Telegraph Saturday 2 April 2005 page
10
 
Out-of-control Asbos a “menace to
society”
 
Asbos are being widely misused by police and local authorities, a
report by the Commons home affairs select committee will report on
Tuesday.
The committee report will also consider the impact of police powers
to impose curfews on children under 16 and dispersal orders for
groups of teenagers gathering on the street.
 
Source:- The Independent Saturday 2 April 2005 page
9
 
Fear and hatred of Muslims on increase in young
generation

 
Children as young as 13 are displaying signs of Islamophobia and
are voicing their support for the British National Party, according
to research presented to the British Psychological Society.
Young teenagers are increasingly saying they have negative views
towards Muslims and do not want Islamic culture expressed in the
classroom.
 
Source:- The Independent Saturday 2 April 2005 page
11
 
 
Anger at lottery cash for school meals
 
Charity leaders have condemned the granting of £45 million by
the Big Lottery Fund to finance a quango charged with improving
school meals.
Stephen Bubb, head of Acevo, an umbrella group for charity chief
executives said plans to spend money on the School Food Trust
showed interference in deciding where money went.
 
Source:- Financial Times Saturday 2 April 2005 page
2
 
Asthma boy dies after 75-minute wait for an ambulance
 
A ten-year-old boy suffering a severe asthma attack died after it
took paramedics more than an hour to arrive at his home.
Yesterday his family blamed a “catalogue of mistakes”
by Staffordshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust.
 
Source:- Daily Mail Saturday 2 April 2005 page 19
 
Elderly given week to quit care home

Care home residents in an Ayrshire seaside resort have received
only one week’s notice to quit, distraught relatives have claimed.
Social services, who meet many of the bills for nursing and
residential care, have now warned of legal action to ensure a
contractual obligation of six months’ notice is met. The Care
Commission also has concerns and is monitoring the position at the
Sefton Park care home.

Source:- The Herald, 4 April

Criminals may have to work in community to pay for
crimes

Criminals could be ordered to make amends for antisocial
behaviour by doing unpaid community work after a new sentencing
option was introduced in a number of courts from today. Community
Reparation Orders (CROs) have been introduced by the Scottish
executive as part of the Anti-social Behaviour Scotland Act. They
can be used to deal with relatively low-level anti-social crimes
which are heard without a jury in the district and sheriff
courts.

Source:- The Scotsman, 4 April

Disabled sexual dilemma in parental hands

Feature looking at the options parents and guardians have when a
disabled child begins to become sexually active. It explores the
issue and looks at the possible repercussions of unwanted
pregnancies and how to ensure the child’s rights are
considered.

Source:- The Scotsman, 4 April

Police discrimination

News focus on a Muslim man who became a police officer and
experienced racism within the force. It comes as a Sunday Herald
investigation showed Scotland is still behind in implementing the
Race Relations Act.

Source:- Sunday Herald, 3 April

Violence warning signs put up in schools

Schools across Britain should copy a Welsh county’s stand
against violence and abuse from pupils, a teaching union has said.
Wrexham’s schools have put up signs warning that violence or
verbal abuse directed at teachers will result in police action.
Some schools have fitted CCTV cameras to discourage antisocial
behaviour. NASUWT said the scheme would be extended.

Source: Western Mail, page 5, 2 April 2005

Child psychiatrist groomed girl for sex

An eminent child psychiatrist who had sex with a 14-year-old
girl after grooming her on the internet has been jailed for four
years. Julian Morrell, 42, posed as a 17-year-old called
“Jules” in a web chatroom. Judge Merfyn Hughes QC said
Morrell, who has pleaded guilty, was a sexual predator who used his
professional skills to lure the girl. He had already been struck
off by the General Medical Council for looking at child pornography
on the internet.

Source: Western Mail, page 7, 2 April 2005

1971 toddler death probe

A man and a woman arrested in connection with the
reinvestigation of a toddlers death in 1971 have been released on
bail. South Wales launched a reinvestigation into the death of
Tanya Simms after new evidence came to light.

Source: Western Mail, page 15, 2 April 2005

Free advice for drug users

A telephone service for has been launched for blind people to
tackle loneliness and isolation. As part of Visual Impairment
Breconshire, a phone visiting project, volunteers telephone someone
on a regular basis to support and befriend them.

Source: Western Mail, Monday 4 April 2005

‘Nit Nurse’ moves along into world outside of
school

The Royal College of Nursing in Wales is leading calls for more
school nurses to help improve the health of the children. Nia
Pritchard, a school nurse in North Wales, kept a week-long diary
for Health Wales

Source: Western Mail, Monday 4 April 2005

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