Minister sacked after exposing ‘child abuse’

Budget cocaine

More children and young adults are seeking help for cocaine addiction, a report by the charity Drugscope says.

Source:- The Times, Thursday 13 September 2007, page 4

Minister sacked after exposing ‘child abuse’

Jersey’s health minister was dismissed after he blew the whistle on a harsh punishment regime in a home where children as young as 11 were kept in solitary confinement.

Source:- The Times, Thursday 13 September 2007, page 26

Teacher butchered at women’s prison

A female teacher at East Sutton Park open women’s prison in Maidstone, Kent, was found murdered with her throat cut in the jail grounds last night.

Source:- The Sun, Thursday 13 September 2007, page 19

Cops ‘let pervert molest my girl’

The Independent Police Complaints Commission is investigating how a convicted child sex offender was allowed to sexually assault a four-year-old girl while Gwent Police were supposed to be monitoring him.

Source:- The Sun, Thursday 13 September 2007, page 29

Father charged with murder of two-year-old

A 36-year-old man appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court yesterday charged with murdering his two-year-old daughter, who died on 3 June two days after she was found unconsioucs and bleeding at the family home.

Alberto Izaga, an executive at insurance giant Swiss Re, was sectioned under the Mental Health Act following his daughter’s death.

Source:- The Guardian, Thursday 13 September 2007, page 11

Rogue employers face bigger fines and new laws

Businesses and employment agencies that mistreat their workers will face larger fines, announced the government yesterday. 

Speaking at the TUC conference in Brighton, John Hutton, the business and enterprise secretary, said that rogue employers would also face new laws to prevent workers being forced into paying for accommodation or travel.  

Hutton plans to double the number of inspectors in the Employment Agency Standards to 24 and employ more staff to enforce minimum wage rules.

Source: – Financial Times, Thursday 13 September 2007, page 2

Prison officers seek right to strike

The Prison Officers’ Association will call on unions today to back calls for prison officers to be given the right to strike.  The motion will be debated at the TUC conference in Brighton today. 

Last month, the government won a court injunction to halt a POA strike over pay and working conditions.

Source: – Financial Times, Thursday 13 September 2007, page 2

Hain changes welfare-to-work tone

Peter Hain, the work and pensions secretary said that the private sector will play a role in public services, such as welfare-to-work contracts, in a speech to the Institute for Public Policy Research think-tank yesterday. 

Source: – Financial Times, Thursday 13 September 2007, page 3

Public sector pay rises slow to 10-year low

According to figures from the Office for National Statistics, public sector pay has increased at the lowest rate for almost 10 years and 80,000 jobs have been cut since June 2005, fuelling the unions’ fire to strike this winter. 

Prime minister Gordon Brown has stated that he does not want public sector pay rises to exceed the Treasury’s inflation target of 2%. 

Source: – Financial Times, Thursday 13 September 2007, page 3

Welsh news

Hain goes private for solution to long-term joblessness turnaround

A private company has been given a government contract to help to get long term unemployed people into jobs in Wales.
Action for Employment will help people on long term benefits get back into work in South East Wales the government has announced.

Source:- Western Mail, Thursday, 13 September 2007

Scottish news

Self-harm support group

New monthly support sessions are to take place in Edinburgh for anyone living with a child or young person who self-harms.

The support group, which will run for six months, will offer a safe place to talk and the opportunity to receive support from others in a similar situation.

The first meeting will take place next Wednesday at the Children 1st head office at 83 Whitehouse Loan, Edinburgh.

Source: The Scotsman, Thursday 13 September