Articles by Date : January 01 2004 - January 31 2004

'Why weren't we told?'
Not giving adoptive parents the full story can have disastrous consequences, as Andrew Hale discovered. more
(22 January 2004 00:00)

Behind the headlines
Our regular panel comments on a topic in the news. This week, child pornography and the internet. more
(22 January 2004 00:00)

Meadow out to grass
The attorney general was right to instigate an urgent review of 258 cot death cases in which parents have been found guilty of killing their.... more
(22 January 2004 00:00)

Speak up and be damned?
Judy Weleminsky, a board member at the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service, is facing the sack by the lord chancellor Lord.... more
(22 January 2004 00:00)

Thursday 22 January 2004
Asylum centre plans stall in high court. Jail 'covered up assaults by guards'. more
(22 January 2004 09:56)

Pop the pills away
Clinical trials show that many antidepressants used to treat young people have more risks than benefits. Katie Leason looks at the options if use.... more
(21 January 2004 00:00)

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
(21 January 2004 11:46)

Young offenders suffer unsuitable accommodation and disrupted education
Vulnerable young boys have been placed in unsuitable secure accommodation while other young offenders have missed out on vital education because of.... more
(21 January 2004 11:25)

Exclusive: Prisons inspector says strip searching and special cells for young offenders are over-used
The practice of automatically strip searching young offenders before they are held in segregation and holding them in bare conditions in special.... more
(21 January 2004 11:16)

Young offenders suffer unsuitable accommodation and disrupted education
Vulnerable young boys have been placed in unsuitable secure accommodation while other young offenders have missed out on vital education because of.... more
(21 January 2004 00:00)

Wednesday 21 January 2004
Hope for thousands who had children taken away. £150,000: the cost of a wasted youth. more
(21 January 2004 10:05)

Controversy over downgrading of cannabis
Cannabis will be reclassified next week from a Class B to a Class C drug, despite evidence cannabis use by teenagers is a major cause of psychosis. more
(20 January 2004 17:29)

Child support “now greater than cost of child” for some families
Up to one in four small families now receive more in child-contingent support from the government than their children actually cost, according to a.... more
(20 January 2004 17:23)

Top marks for comprehensives in school league tables
Comprehensive schools have come out top in the “value added” school league tables, and schools in tough neighbourhoods have shown more improvement.... more
(20 January 2004 17:18)

Childminder addresses to remain private
Ofsted has agreed not to publish addresses of childminders on its web site. more
(20 January 2004 17:15)

Chlamydia screening extended
Chlamydia screening for young women is to be extended to 16 new areas covering 50 primary care trusts. more
(20 January 2004 17:13)

Cases of children taken into care to be reviewed
Mothers who have had their children removed as a result of civil actions because they are considered at risk will have their cases reviewed,.... more
(20 January 2004 17:09)

Government pledges support for special schools
The government has reaffirmed its policy of supporting special schools, a new strategy document reveals, writes Amy Taylor. more
(20 January 2004 17:08)

Welsh assembly votes for smacking ban
Welsh assembly members are backing calls for a ban on smacking children, writes Alex Dobson. more
(20 January 2004 17:06)

Councils set to police private fostering
The government plans to give new duties to local authorities to monitor and police private fostering as part of next month’s Children’s Bill,.... more
(20 January 2004 17:04)

Cases of children taken into care to be reviewed
Mothers who have had their children removed as a result of civil actions because they are considered at risk, will have their cases reviewed,.... more
(20 January 2004 17:00)

Inspector calls for units to house prisoners with mental health problems
New psychiatric units should be built to house prisoners with mental health problems, the chief inspector of prisons has recommended, writes.... more
(20 January 2004 15:45)

Temporary replacement for Held appointed
Heather Schroeder, area director for north Surrey at Surrey Council with responsibility for social inclusion and housing, is to be seconded to run.... more
(16 January 2004 10:14)

Falconer under threat in Cafcass row
The government’s most senior lawyer could be forced to resign if it is proved he tried to force a board member of Cafcass to quit for revealing the.... more
(20 January 2004 15:11)

Government pledges support for special schools
The government has reaffirmed its policy of supporting special schools, a new strategy document reveals, writes Amy Taylor. more
(20 January 2004 14:48)

Tuesday 20 January 2004
Hundreds of baby death cases to be reviewed. Chief inspector says people with mental health problems should be in hospital, not prison. more
(20 January 2004 14:13)

Monday 19 January 2004
M25 rapist's victims include 10-year-old, court told. Mother with mental health problems given life for killing daughter. more
(19 January 2004 10:02)

Social services in Wales suffers overspend
Social services departments across Wales have overspent by £13 million in the current financial year, a figure three times higher than at the same.... more
(16 January 2004 16:22)

People with learning difficulties could be given annual health check
The government is actively considering offering people with learning difficulties an annual health check, a new report has revealed, writes Amy.... more
(16 January 2004 15:44)

Performance action team in second bid to boost Birmingham's services
A second performance action team is to be sent into Birmingham's social services department next month after it failed to improve its zero star.... more
(15 January 2004 00:00)

Extra cash for bed-blocking causes row
A Welsh assembly decision to divert money intended to cushion council tax increases into tackling delayed discharges has angered local government.... more
(15 January 2004 00:00)

Few councils have complaints officer
New research suggests that as few as one in four local authorities in England and Wales have appointed a children's complaints officer as recommended.... more
(15 January 2004 00:00)

Charity in warning on cannabis effects
Concerns have been growing over the possible link between cannabis and mental illness in light of the government's decision to reclassify the drug.... more
(15 January 2004 00:00)

'Bring transparency to partnerships' call
Councils and independent care providers need to create "more transparent and collaborative" partnerships to bring stability to the residential,.... more
(15 January 2004 00:00)

NHS input urged for jail alcohol strategy
The Prison Reform Trust has urged the Prison Service to work with the NHS on an alcohol strategy to reduce re-offending rates. more
(15 January 2004 00:00)

More cash to relieve hearing system and quell fears on public order bill
Anticipated pressures on the children's hearing system in Scotland as a result of proposals in the Scottish Antisocial Behaviour Bill have been.... more
(15 January 2004 00:00)

Independence of advocates queried
Children's rights groups have raised fears that proposed advocacy services for children in care would not be independent enough to protect their.... more
(15 January 2004 00:00)

Directors' worried over new boards
Concerns have been raised about the government's push to ensure all local safeguarding children boards are chaired by directors of the new children's.... more
(15 January 2004 00:00)

Voters divided on action on data act
Fifty-two per cent of the visitors to Community Care 's website believe the Data Protection Act 1998 should be repealed and replaced. more
(15 January 2004 00:00)

'Numbered citizens would help delivery'
Plans to compile a register and allocate unique identity numbers to every UK citizen would support "joined-up delivery" in the public sector, the.... more
(15 January 2004 00:00)

Government critical of drugs research
Whether an individual receives the drugs they need to help combat dementia still depends on where they live, according to research by drug company.... more
(15 January 2004 00:00)

Children's bill to toughen councils' role in monitoring private fostering
The government plans to give new duties to local authorities to monitor and police private fostering as part of next month's children's bill, .... more
(15 January 2004 00:00)

Where Connexions could do better
The Connexions service is failing some disabled young people, a disabled children's campaigner warned last week. more
(15 January 2004 00:00)

Fall in referrals triggers confusion
Government figures showing a fall in referrals to child and adolescent psychiatrists have perplexed those in the sector. more
(15 January 2004 00:00)

Care Direct axed in favour of 'Third Age'
Care Direct, the social care, health, housing and benefits advice service for older people set up in 2001, is to be disbanded. more
(15 January 2004 00:00)

Home Office admits to far wider use of special cells in institutions
Special cells for disruptive young offenders were used in 13 different juvenile establishments last year, despite earlier Home Office assurances that.... more
(15 January 2004 00:00)

Internet fuels huge rise in child images
A massive increase in child pornography in the past 10 years is likely to be linked to the growing demand for images on the internet, according to a.... more
(15 January 2004 00:00)

Suicide risk goes unheeded by courts
Judges are ignoring the high risk of self-harm and suicide of offenders and sending them to prisons unable to care adequately for them. more
(15 January 2004 00:00)

Drive to highlight dangers of internet
A public awareness campaign to protect children using the internet was launched last week by the Home Office. more
(15 January 2004 00:00)

Byers leads call for maternity pay rise
Maternity pay should be increased so that all mothers can choose whether to work or stay at home, former cabinet minister Stephen Byers said last.... more
(15 January 2004 00:00)