Fines up to £5,000 for parents who can’t control children

Fines up to £5,000 for parents who can’t control children
Parents who fail to control children aged under 10 face fines up to £5,000 under the government’s latest crackdown.
Young tearaways who are under the age of criminal responsibility can now be targeted with parental compensation orders punishing their parents for their hell-raising, with the threat of jail for those who fail to pay up
Source:- Daily Mail, Saturday 28 October 2006, page 2

Cold weather’s 25,000 deaths toll is scandal, say charities
More than 25,000 people died in England and Wales last winter as a direct result of cold weather and the illnesses that accompany it, official figures disclosed yesterday.
Older people’s charities said this seasonal death toll was a national scandal, largely brought about by Britain’s failure to provide insulation and support for vulnerable pensioners who could not afford to keep their homes warm.
Source:- The Guardian, Saturday 28 October 2006, page 6

Mother cleared of murdering baby with salt
A young mother wept with relief yesterday as a jury cleared her of killing her 15-month-old son by poisoning him with salt.
Source:- The Guardian, Saturday 28 October 2006, page 6

‘Trick or treat’ gangs face £80 fines as police get tough
Police forces are expected to spend millions of extra pounds on Halloween this year following a sharp increase in antisocial behaviour by “trick or treat” gangs.
Source:- The Guardian, Saturday 28 October 2006, page 7

‘Danger’ playgrounds will let children enjoy taking risks again
Playgrounds are being made more ‘dangerous’ because children are not learning how to handle risk. Rob Wheway, play safety adviser for the Child Accident Prevention Trust, said, “People are at last wanting adventure in play.’
Source:- Daily Mail, Saturday 28 October 2006, page 50

Benefits shake-up to boost families
The traditional two-parent family gets a raw deal from the state compared with families brought up by single mothers, according to a report commissioned by the government which signals a major shift in thinking about the family.
The wide-ranging review of child poverty is expected to argue that the same treatment should be extended to two-parent families who are struggling, on the grounds that they too have dependent children – making them a priority case for state help.
Source:- The Observer, Sunday 29 October 2006, page 11

Pension boost for mothers and carers
A radical overhaul of the state pension to help parents who take a break from employment in order to raise children will be announced next month. The new legislation, to be included in the Queen’s Speech on 15 November, will simplify a web of complex rules and could pave the way for an eventual end to the supplementary ‘second state pension’ in favour of a single sum for all ‘workers and carers’.
Source:- The Observer, Sunday 29 October 2006, page 15

Revealed: the postcode lottery for mental health patients
Patients face waiting lists of more than 18 months to get therapy for depression and anxiety
in some parts of the country, according to new figures published today.
Source:- Independent on Sunday, 29 October 2006, page 30

Dying to be thin
The government last night called on GPs to screen all underweight women for signs of anorexia and bulimia following an investigation by The Independent on Sunday into the growing problem of eating disorders.
Source:- Independent on Sunday, 29 October 2006, page 1

13-year-old with a cold? Quiz them on their sex lives, GPs are told
Children visiting their GPs with minor ailments could be closely questioned about their sex lives as part of an attempt to cut teenage pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases.
Source:- Sunday Telegraph, 29 October 2006, page 6

TV stars in charity tax dodge inquiry
Some of Britain’s top entertainers, footballers and businessmen are embroiled in a tax investigation amid allegations that they have exploited a charity donation scheme for personal profit.
Source:- Sunday Times, 29 October 2006, page 1

‘Baby shrinks’ put troubled tots on couch
Babies as young as two months are being balanced on the psychiatrist’s couch as anxious parents seek early answers to relationship “issues” with their new-born children.
Source:- Sunday Times, 29 October 2006, page 12

Former MP Oona says Madonna was right to adopt baby David
Former MP Oona King reveals her own struggle to adopt a foreign baby – in the face of incompetent social workers, racist liberals and lunatic bureaucracy.
Source:- Mail on Sunday, 29 October 2006, page 36

‘Give kids split tape’
Children whose parents split should be given a tape of the custody battle when they are 18, says family justice minister Harriet Harman.
Source:- Daily Mirror, Monday 30 October 2006, page 22

Genetic ‘breakthrough’ offers hope to schizophrenia victims
Scientists have found evidence of a link between a genetic mutation and the risk of developing schizophrenic symptoms.
The University of Edinburgh research found that a particular variation of the neuregulin gene was associated with the symptoms after following 163 young people already deemed to be at risk of developing the condition.
Source:- The Guardian, Monday 30 October 2006, page 9

Bupa warning reignites debate on tax-funded health service
A report today from a leading private health firm warns that there will be a need for increased NHS charges or private spending on health to maintain healthcare quality over the next few years.
The Bupa report predicts spending will have to rise by 4.9 per cent after 2008, assuming significant productivity increases, to prevent waiting lists getting longer and hospital wards shabbier.
Source:- The Financial Times, Monday 30 October 2006, page 2

ChildLine £20m bid
ChildLine marks its 20th anniversary today with an appeal to raise £20 million to support an extra 1,000 children a day.
Source:- Daily Mirror, Monday 30 October 2006, page 28
 
Dyslexia: the cure
A revolutionary drug-free dyslexia remedy has been hailed a wonder cure by experts.
Source:- Daily Mirror, Monday 30 October 2006, page 22

Scottish news
 
Sex offenders ‘will escape justice’
Police have warned that sex offenders could escape justice after ministers abandoned tough new measures giving officers the power to enter their homes unannounced.
Senior officers believe paedophiles and rapists may go into hiding or destroy evidence after ministers watered down laws on tackling offenders.
The scrapping of the measures mean officers can only enter a sex offender’s home if they suspect a crime has already been committed.
Source:- Scotland on Sunday, 29 October 2006

Welsh news

Fresh probe for Sweeney victim
Nightmares being suffered by a three-year-old sex abuse victim have led to a new police investigation into her attack. The Police Complaints Commission has launched a new inquiry into the attack by Craig Sweeney after the female victim’s parents made a new complaint over South Wales Police’s handling of the case. The inquiry comes after the victim had nightmares about how the paedophile may not have acted alone.
Source:- Wales on Sunday, October 29 2006

Family call for killer’s care probe
The children of a mentally ill woman who stabbed an elderly woman to death have called for an inquiry into the care given to their mother. Schizophrenic Deborah Hancock plunged a knife into the back of 75-year-old Valerie Thomas, in a branch of Poundstretcher in Cardiff city centre in October of last year.
Source:- Wales on Sunday, October 29 2006