Articles by Date : January 01 2004 - January 31 2004

Special report on plans to make councils police private fostering
After years of inertia on the issue, the government indicated this week that it is prepared to tackle the issue of private fostering, writes Derren.... more
(16 January 2004 12:37)

Children's hearings in Scotland under strain
A major inquiry into the children’s hearing system in Scotland has discovered a service under strain caused by the number of referrals on grounds of.... more
(26 January 2004 12:07)

More upheaval at Camden
Social services in Camden is facing increased uncertainty following the reported departure of its lead council member for social services and health,.... more
(27 January 2004 14:39)

November 2003
Bulletin No 74 Butterworths Family and Child Law Bulletin - November 2003 Bulletin Editor Jonathan Montgomery, BA, LLM Professor of Law,.... more
(27 January 2004 11:39)

Agencies call for government help to recruit social workers from developing countries
Employment agencies are calling on the government and councils to give them greater support when recruiting social workers from developing countries,.... more
(26 January 2004 17:58)

Tuesday 27 January 2004
Disabled asylum seekers 'have more right' to council housing than British citizens. more
(27 January 2004 09:58)

Part time custody welcomed
A Home Office spokesperson said the sentence was aimed at offenders who have committed a offence serious enough to warrant a prison sentence, but not.... more
(26 January 2004 17:41)

“Childcare costs doom large families to poverty”
The government must change its policy on childcare to recognise the needs of larger families, says the Trades Union Congress. more
(26 January 2004 17:43)

Young offenders win settlement for alleged assaults
Seven former young offenders, who claim they were assaulted by prison officers at Portland Young Offenders’ Institution in Dorset, have been awarded.... more
(22 January 2004 10:57)

Children to discover donor origins
Children conceived from sperm, egg and embryo donations will be able to find out more details about their origins, following an announcement from the.... more
(26 January 2004 17:32)

Children's hearings in Scotland under strain
A major inquiry into the children’s hearing system in Scotland has discovered a service under strain caused by the number of referrals on grounds of.... more
(26 January 2004 17:28)

Young offenders win settlement for alleged assaults
Seven former young offenders, who claim they were assaulted by prison officers at Portland Young Offenders’ Institution in Dorset, have been awarded.... more
(26 January 2004 17:24)

Rise in number of families in bed and breakfast
New figures published by the Scottish Executive show an increase in the numbers of families with children who were housed in bed and breakfast.... more
(22 January 2004 11:26)

Monday 26 January 2004
Ministers were warned the Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy theory was flawed. more
(26 January 2004 10:06)

Planting ideas
In our latest web exclusive best practice article, Amy Taylor looks at three service user-led inner city gardening and parkland projects that.... more
(23 January 2004 17:11)

Friday 23 January 2004
Home secretary faces setback over asylum centres Elder abuse in care homes is rife more
(23 January 2004 10:12)

Equal before the law?
A revised version of the draft mental health bill needs to address concerns over the treatment of ethnic minorities, writes academic Madhun Kumar.... more
(22 January 2004 00:00)

Research into practice
Brian Littlechild and Tom Rees examine the particular problems posed by using restorative justice in a residential unit for young people. more
(22 January 2004 00:00)

Damned if you don't
In the first of two articles on the Human Rights Act 1998, solicitor Alison Castrey looks at child protection cases where damages have been claimed.... more
(22 January 2004 00:00)

What's the deal?
Delayed discharge fines have arrived. So, are health and social services at each other's throats, or are they pulling together while grumbling about.... more
(22 January 2004 00:00)

Secure or segregated?
The government is committed to ensuring people with learning difficulties have a choice over their housing. Village communities are one option but.... more
(22 January 2004 00:00)

End of Care Direct nears as doubts and confusion shroud its replacement
The government has been keen to herald the success of Care Direct, a freephone advice line being piloted in the South West. Yet it now faces the.... more
(22 January 2004 00:00)

Charity claims prison alcoholismservices are 'woefully inadequate'
A Prison Reform Trust report says the Prison Service has failed to develop a proper treatment policy for alcohol, despite its clear link with.... more
(22 January 2004 00:00)

High court orders assessment for man
Islington Council is to offer an asylum seeker a community care assessment after the High Court criticised its handling of his case. more
(22 January 2004 00:00)

Squeeze on older people's services
Social services departments in Wales have overspent by £13m in this financial year, a figure three times higher than last year, a report from the.... more
(22 January 2004 00:00)

Ex-minister calls for universal child care
Universal child care should be provided by the government in order to create opportunity for all, former Labour minister Stephen Byers MP said last.... more
(22 January 2004 00:00)

New measures to clear up confusion
Measures to prevent organisations using the Data Protection Act 1998 as "an excuse for their own shortcomings" were announced by the government last.... more
(22 January 2004 00:00)

Joint inspections mooted for 2005-6
Children's social services and education are to be inspected together under proposed changes to the comprehensive performance assessment framework.... more
(22 January 2004 00:00)

Study paves way for annual health checks in move to correct imbalance
The government is considering offering people with learning difficulties an annual health check, a new report reveals. more
(22 January 2004 00:00)

Standards in Wales to be toned down
Nearly one-third of the standards controlling the operation of care homes in Wales could be relaxed after complaints from the sector. more
(22 January 2004 00:00)

Mobile phone code wins wide backing
Charities have welcomed the code of conduct published by mobile phone companies this week as a "major step forward in protecting children from.... more
(22 January 2004 00:00)

Charity urges yearly 'MoT' for patients
People with long-term mental health problems should be given an "annual MoT" at their GP's surgery, a new guide from a leading charity recommends. more
(22 January 2004 00:00)

Trend towards private fostering of teenagers expected to shatter myth
Teenagers estranged from their families are becoming the predominant privately fostered group, say experts. more
(22 January 2004 00:00)

Bill's definition of autism 'too loose'
The National Autistic Society Scotland has expressed fears that children with autism could be wrongly caught up in the criminal justice system as a.... more
(22 January 2004 00:00)

Funding Council can not use money on social care
Social services in Cambridgeshire look set to face massive cuts if education secretary Charles Clarke forces the council to spend its entire.... more
(22 January 2004 00:00)

Government plans to keep special schools
Government plans to retain the use of special schools for some children with special educational needs have received a mixed review. more
(22 January 2004 00:00)

Alzheimer treatment 'not recommended'
A charity has spoken of the "bitter disappointment" felt by patients and families at the news that the Scottish Medicines Consortium has decided not.... more
(22 January 2004 00:00)

Register needed for private fostering
Government plans to give local authorities new responsibilities to police and monitor private fostering do not go far enough. The majority of.... more
(22 January 2004 00:00)

Lack of suitable secure places puts young boys' rehabilitation at risk
Vulnerable young boys with mental health problems or at risk from self-harm have been placed in unsuitable secure accommodation while other young.... more
(22 January 2004 00:00)

MPs register anger at minister's treatment of Cafcass board member
The Lord Chancellor might be forced to resign if it is proved he tried to force a civil servant to quit her job at a child protection agency for.... more
(22 January 2004 00:00)

Reward for council staff's three-star performance really took the biscuit
Rewards from managers to social care staff in three-star departments to thank them for their efforts have ranged from nothing to £150 bonuses, .... more
(22 January 2004 00:00)

Staff exonerated in child killing review
A serious case review after a five-year-old girl died at her mother's hands has concluded that social care professionals could not have known she.... more
(22 January 2004 00:00)

Owers to watchuse of special cells
The chief prisons inspector has pledged to monitor the use of "special cells" in young offenders institutions after the Home Office admitted that.... more
(22 January 2004 00:00)

Flawed evidence in criminal cases casts doubt on care proceedings
Mothers who have had their children taken into care in civil care proceedings because they are considered at risk will have their cases reviewed,.... more
(22 January 2004 00:00)

Johnston unhappy with top-up verdict
British Association of Social Workers director Ian Johnston has criticised the decision by the government not to exempt social work students from the.... more
(22 January 2004 00:00)

Camden director's commission role
Following the shock departure of its social services director Jane Held, Camden Council has revealed that Held has been seconded to the Commission.... more
(22 January 2004 00:00)

Something fishy
We are quick to line the pockets of the drug companies when treating troubled young people, says Yasmin Alibhai-Brown. Instead, we should be.... more
(22 January 2004 00:00)

We will not do your dirty work
The government's plan to take the children of failed asylum seekers into care must be opposed, writes Chris Beckett. more
(22 January 2004 00:00)

Red tape invitation is just a cynical stunt
Michael Howard's obsession with red tape masks his lack of concern for public sector ills. more
(22 January 2004 00:00)

Gunn on politics
Gordon and Tony are at odds over child care policy. What a surprise. more
(22 January 2004 00:00)