Articles by Date : December 01 2004 - December 31 2004

Community Care Award winners announced
Community Care is pleased to announce the winners of the Community Care Awards 2004. more
(15 December 2004 16:00)

Profile - Dave Perry
Roisin Woolnough talks to a manager at a homelessness charity about how his experience of being a paramedic has helped him in his work. more
(16 December 2004 00:00)

The Simon Heng column
With the decline in daycare provision and the rise in services that keep people in their own homes, social isolation will follow. more
(16 December 2004 00:00)

Prescott warns local authorities over tenancies for the homeless
Local authorities are to come under pressure to give permanent tenancies to homeless households living in private sector or council housing, the.... more
(16 December 2004 00:00)

Homeless death rate is 'a scandal'
Homelessness groups are calling for better monitoring of homeless people who die on the streets or in hostels after figures showed 85 deaths in.... more
(16 December 2004 00:00)

Compulsory orders needed, says expert
Compulsory treatment but not necessarily admission to hospital is the "way forward" for treating people with serious mental health problems, a.... more
(16 December 2004 00:00)

Ladyman under fire for care home 'slur'
The Registered Nursing Home Association has reacted angrily to comments by community care minister Stephen Ladyman that older people are "banged up".... more
(16 December 2004 00:00)

'Young parents need more family contact'
Young parents in prison should have more family contact to prevent their children from becoming the next generation of criminals, says a report by.... more
(16 December 2004 00:00)

'Use human rights to improve care'
Older people and care home residents could benefit from using the Human Rights Act 1998 but so far they have been missing out, according to.... more
(16 December 2004 00:00)

Bolton fined over treatment of youth
A council has been fined £30,000 for failing to find suitable accommodation for a teenager with learning difficulties, which forced him to spend 18.... more
(16 December 2004 00:00)

Can mental health nursing ever give up the option of restraint?
New guidelines are on the way to govern the use of force when dealing with mental health patients who become violent. Craig Kenny reports on what.... more
(16 December 2004 00:00)

Scots sex offences bill is criticised
Scotland's new sexual offences bill could be undermined by too much emphasis on "stranger danger" and a lack of police resources. more
(16 December 2004 00:00)

Antidepressants oversubscribed
More than 70 per cent of visitors to Community Care's website believed GPs were over-prescribing antidepressants to compensate for a lack of mental.... more
(16 December 2004 00:00)

MP calls for return to in-house service
An MP has called on Southwark Council to take its home care service back in-house after two agency carers were accused of assaulting a 90-year-old.... more
(16 December 2004 00:00)

ON THE MOVE
Ty Goddard has been appointed managing director of the educational advisory organisation School Works. Goddard was strategic manager for.... more
(16 December 2004 00:00)

Bid to jail father for caning children fails
Solicitor general Harriet Harman's attempt to have a father jailed for child cruelty was thrown out by the Court of Appeal. more
(16 December 2004 00:00)

Inquiry call after pair rape girl of 13
A public inquiry into the children's homes sector has been urged after two boys, held on breaches of antisocial behaviour orders, raped a girl of 13.... more
(16 December 2004 00:00)

Cut out racist cancer
Superintendent Ali Dizaei, falsely accused of dishonesty by senior police officers, once referred to the "cancer of racism" that had taken hold of.... more
(16 December 2004 00:00)

Long-term consistency
Complaints about "postcode lotteries" are well-rehearsed in the world of health and social care services. But few would deny the seriousness of this.... more
(16 December 2004 00:00)

Ladyman's proposal for national care framework wins thumbs-up
Campaigners for people with serious long-term conditions have welcomed the decision by health minister Stephen Ladyman to commission a national.... more
(16 December 2004 00:00)

Scots drop plans for single agency as reforms given cautious welcome
The Scottish executive has scrapped plans for a single correction service but still wants the prison service, police and social services to work.... more
(16 December 2004 00:00)

MPs and lords slam prisons over deaths
Vulnerable offenders are dying because prison authorities are failing in their duty of care under "fundamental" human rights laws, according to a.... more
(16 December 2004 00:00)

Checks on older prisoners lacking
Social service departments are "extremely reluctant" to carry out assessments on older prisoners because they do not feel it is their duty, according.... more
(16 December 2004 00:00)

Conference calls for more flexible orders
Drug testing and treatment orders are "too stringent," a conference heard last week. more
(16 December 2004 00:00)

Excluded pupils lack support, says Ofsted
Local authority support for children not in school is inadequate and is "doubly disadvantaging" children and young people in most need, education.... more
(16 December 2004 00:00)

Break Free
Supported holidays for families under stress help them to face up to the challenges of daily life, says Valerie Wigfall. more
(16 December 2004 00:00)

If you ask me...
Care leaver Mark Houston is a student and works for Hampshire social services as a children's participation worker. more
(16 December 2004 00:00)

My Practice
Psychiatrist Panos Vostanis ponders what conditions should prevail before a young child undergoes therapy. more
(16 December 2004 00:00)

Next Steps
Carl is an 18-year-old who works at a home for adolescents. more
(16 December 2004 00:00)

Call for champion to have wider powers
The commissioner for older people in Wales should be given far-reaching powers to champion their interests, older people's experts have said. more
(16 December 2004 00:00)

A Watershed Year
A series of social care initiatives this year herald the overhaul the profession. But the wishes of service users must be at the centre of these.... more
(16 December 2004 00:00)

Glaring Omissions
Public health proposals are strong on lifestyle factors, but have ignored the needs of people with mental health problems, to the disappointment of.... more
(16 December 2004 00:00)

Pigs land farmer in the manure
A Norfolk farmer has been given an antisocial behaviour order because his pigs kept breaking free. more
(16 December 2004 00:00)

Flawed talk of rights and responsibilities
One person's idea of a "right" may be tantamount to an act of destruction to other people, writes Yvonne Roberts. more
(16 December 2004 00:00)

Dumped and Disowned
Asylum seeker Aayan Hudoon Ali arrived with a thud in the UK. Even fellow Somalis don't want to know her. more
(16 December 2004 00:00)

I'm off. but first, a form to fill in
It used to be 20 per cent paperwork, 80 per cent client visits. Now social care is the other way round for Colin Smith. more
(16 December 2004 00:00)

Officer quit Feltham over racism a year before teenager was murdered
A prison officer resigned from Feltham Young Offender Institution because of racial abuse a year before Zahid Mubarek was murdered. more
(16 December 2004 00:00)

Move to refer ill staff to nurses cuts absence levels
Public sector bodies are increasingly referring staff to nurses when they go off sick, rather than leaving matters to managers. more
(09 December 2004 00:00)

The Buck Stops Here
Each local authority must now appoint a lead member for children's services. Lord Laming has called the post the most exciting in local government,.... more
(09 December 2004 00:00)

'Ethnic minorities should complain'
A member of the David Bennett Inquiry panel has urged the families of people from ethnic minorities with mental health problems to complain about.... more
(09 December 2004 00:00)

Cardiff services at fault over care of mentally ill man convicted of murder
A report into the circumstances surrounding the killing of a retired accountant by a mental health patient has highlighted failures by health and.... more
(09 December 2004 00:00)

On The Move
Pauline Young has become the Wales Trustee of the Family Fund, an organisation that helps families with severely disabled or ill children. .... more
(09 December 2004 00:00)

East Midlands survey points to need to boost management skills
Councils in the East Midlands have made training middle managers a top priority in 2005, writes David Craik. more
(09 December 2004 00:00)

Fostering A Child: A guide for people interested in fostering
Prospective foster carers usually come armed with a list of questions that need answers. And this clearly written book features those most frequently.... more
(09 December 2004 00:00)

The Simon Heng Column: A service user's view of social care
Some of my physically disabled colleagues told stories of immeasurable sadness and resentment, of injustices and missed opportunities that stretch.... more
(09 December 2004 00:00)

Arm's Length Dangers
The summer reprieve given to the arm's-length public bodies that dominate the social care scene, the Commission for Social Care Inspection and the.... more
(09 December 2004 00:00)

Local Power, Local Cash
Revitalised local government is essential if many of the government's aims are to succeed. Public faith in politicians and their institutions is.... more
(09 December 2004 00:00)

A Third Way
With so many children affected by divorce, the government is keen to keep disputes out of the courtroom. Helen Keville looks at how family mediators.... more
(09 December 2004 00:00)

Chaos fears as new rules hit Scotland
A top housing officer has warned that Scottish councils will be severely stretched by new regulations on homelessness pushed through last week..... more
(09 December 2004 00:00)

If you ask me...
Justin Dickson went into care at the age of 12. Now 26, he is studying photography and living in London. more
(09 December 2004 00:00)