Woman declared a fit mother five days before “killing her daughter”

By Simeon Brody, Mithran Samuel, Maria Ahmed and Amy Taylor

Woman declared a fit mother five days before “killing her daughter”

A mother suspected of stabbing her two-year-old daughter to death in Barking, east London before turning the weapon on herself had been declared a fit parent by mental health workers five days earlier.

Source:- The Daily Telegraph, Wednesday 15 August 2007, page 11

Patient strangled on mixed-sex unit

A woman of 58 has died after she is believed to have been strangled by another patient in a mixed-sex mental health unit at Birch Hill Hospital in Rochdale, Greater Manchester. A man, 36, was in custody last night on suspicion of murder.

Source:- The Daily Telegraph, Wednesday 15 August 2007, page 11

A police chief last night blamed parents and the availability and promotion of cheap alcohol for violence and antisocial behaviour by young people.

Peter Fahy, chief constable of Cheshire Police, blamed parents for turning a blind eye to their children’s drinking and said alcohol was too cheap, too readily available and too strong.

Source:- Daily Mirror Wednesday 15 August 2007 page 7

Sex offenders on the run after jail

Two convicted sex offenders, William Bailey, 58, and Joseph Taylor, 27, who pose a high risk to children have absconded from addresses in Rotherham and York after recently leaving prison.

Source:- The Independent Wednesday 15 August 2007 page 18

We’ve been neglected and let down say combat troops

Forces charities and campaigners have accused the government in failing in its duty of care to soldiers, in terms of providing adequate medical care, the conduct of inquests and the provision of housing and benefits for the injured.

Source:- The Guardian Wednesday 15 August 2007 pages 1,6

A catalogue of abuse: report demands law to protect elderly in hospitals and care homes

Older people in care homes and hospitals are having their human rights widely disregarded, MPs and peers said today.

In a highly critical report, the joint committee on human rights said older people faced a range of indignities including inappropriate medication, designed more to subdue than treat, over-hasty discharge and severe physical neglect.

It called for an “entire culture change” on upholding the human rights of older people in care settings.

In response, care services minister Ivan Lewis said the government still intended to address the anomaly that the Human Rights Act did not apply to publicly-funded residents of private care homes.

Source:- The Guardian Wednesday 15 August 2007 page 4

A foreign worker’s lot: a squalid caravan to sleep in, scraps to eat and £102 a month

The Gangmaster Licensing Authority has ordered a gangmaster to cease trading for exploiting workers from Bulgaria he supplied to work in a large farming and packhouse complex in Cornwall.

One worker was left with just over £100 a month after the gangmaster deducted most of his salary for accommodation and transport costs, despite having to live in a squalid, cramped caravan, while others’ deductions took them into debt.

Source:- The Guardian Wednesday 15 August 2007 page 13

‘He couldn’t say no’

Targeted because of his vulnerability, could Raymond Atherton’s death have been averted?

Source:- Society Guardian, Wednesday 15 August 2007, page 1-2
 
Criminal business

A nine-month resettlement package could drastically cut the cost of youth offending

Source:- Society Guardian, Wednesday 15 August 2007, page 3
 
Roads to freedom

Simon Heye, author of Mind’s bestselling psychiatric guide on why people with mental health problems offer a warning sign to society’s wider ills, and shares his belief that patients can make a full recovery.

Source:- Society Guardian, Wednesday 15 August 2007, page 5
 
 
Brush with destiny

Service users in a deprived ward lend a hand to help launch a project combining healthcare with social care

Source:- Society Guardian, Wednesday 15 August 2007, page 7
 
Proportional representation

Are Britain’s schools becoming racially segregated? One pupil returns to his school 30 years on to find out

Source:- Society Guardian, Wednesday 15 August 2007, page 7

Welsh news

Remploy workers get extra time to ward off closures

The consultation period for Remploy’s proposals to close and merge a large number of its factories has been extended.

The consultation was meant to finish at the end of August but has now been extended to October. Four Remploy factories in Wales have been earmarked for closure.

Source:- South Wales Echo, Wednesday, August 15, 2007