Articles by Date : February 01 2003 - February 28 2003

'Recrutiment is a seller's market'
The recruitment crisis in social work has created a "seller’s" market where staff will shop around to find the best employment opportunities, a.... more
(20 February 2003 16:44)

Worse than hell?
Some disturbing findings were uncovered in a piece of research into the treatment ofolder people in care homes in north Essex, says project manager.... more
(20 February 2003 00:00)

Voices of experience
Several service user groups were asked to help shape the future of social work training. Academic Alix Crawford looks at the findings. more
(20 February 2003 00:00)

Facing down exploitation
Face, a project which aims to help young people who have been sexually exploited to confront their experiences and promote awareness of the issue.... more
(20 February 2003 00:00)

Forgotten act
Unaccompanied child asylum seekers should enjoy protection and support under the Children Act 1989 and United Nations rights. But local authorities.... more
(20 February 2003 00:00)

Gap years
When it comes to services for young people with learning difficulties entering adulthood, agencies know what they should be doing, but dislocation in.... more
(20 February 2003 00:00)

Board talk
Lord Laming recommends shaking up the child protection system by introducing a series of local management boards to govern services. Sarah Wellard.... more
(20 February 2003 00:00)

The Social Work Business
By John Harris. more
(20 February 2003 00:00)

Vulnerable Inside: Children in Secure and Penal Settings
By Barry Goldson. more
(20 February 2003 00:00)

Cut adrift
Those who do not claim asylum "as soon as reasonably practicable" can no longer claim support from the National Asylum Support Service. Anabel Unity.... more
(20 February 2003 00:00)

McTernan on politics
Social progress is the loser as middle-class innovation gives way to self-absorption more
(20 February 2003 00:00)

More money for social work training
Health minister Jacqui Smith has announced government plans to repeat a £15m social care training fund for 2002-3 in each of the next three years. more
(20 February 2003 00:00)

Degree attracts more applicants
The number of applicants to undergraduate social work training courses rose by 8 per cent last year from 4,703 in 2001, the first increase since the.... more
(20 February 2003 00:00)

Shepperd is new Walsall chief
Liverpool Council's executive director of housing, social services and community safety Annie Shepperd has been appointed as chief executive of.... more
(20 February 2003 00:00)

Children in care missing out on jabs
Children looked after by local authorities are missing out on important vaccinations, according to new research. more
(20 February 2003 00:00)

Concurrent planning provides safety net
Concurrent planning can halve the length of time young children spend in foster care before a permanent placement is agreed, according to a new study.... more
(20 February 2003 00:00)

Critical review prompts radical rethink of Cardiff service provision
Cardiff Council has proposed radical changes in the culture, organisation and delivery of social services in the wake of last year's damning joint.... more
(20 February 2003 00:00)

Halton criticised for slow assessments
Poor services at Halton Council in Cheshire are placing vulnerable children and older people at risk, according to a new joint review by the Audit.... more
(20 February 2003 00:00)

Laming's practice proposals up and running in six months, says Tony Blair
More than 80 of the 108 recommendations in Lord Laming's report will be implemented within six months, Prime Minister Tony Blair has confirmed in the.... more
(20 February 2003 00:00)

Government pledge will herald end to two-tier workforce, says union
Trade unions are predicting a return to in-house contracts in social care after a government pledge last week to eliminate the two-tier workforce.... more
(20 February 2003 00:00)

Charities hit hard by pensions losses
Some voluntary organisations are having to pay out for their staff's final salary pensions from their own funds because they have lost money they.... more
(20 February 2003 00:00)

Cohesion 'not just about race issues'
Confusion about what community cohesion involves is leading to the wrong assumption that it is solely about race relations, according to the.... more
(20 February 2003 00:00)

Blunkett to consult voluntary groups about changes to charity legislation
The home secretary last week promised to introduce a charities bill as "soon as possible" to replace the 400-year-old charity law. more
(20 February 2003 00:00)

Top-down targets crush staff spirit
Councils that meet their targets may please government but it leads to greater staff stress, says our anonymous writer more
(20 February 2003 00:00)

Wanted: an antidote to asylum paranoia
Yvonne Roberts It is time to confront the venom that is spat out against asylum seekers in the British media. more
(20 February 2003 00:00)

Out of the frying pan
There are undoubted difficulties in devising an asylum system that respects civil liberties. But in requiring people to prove their desperation we.... more
(20 February 2003 00:00)

Think before you speak
A lack of tact by some professionals has a huge effect on the dignity of disabled people, says Clare Evans. more
(20 February 2003 00:00)

Care home fees row blamed for death
A fees dispute has been blamed after an 88-year-old woman died five days after being transferred from the nursing home in which she had lived for.... more
(20 February 2003 00:00)

Cash shortage puts brake on progress
Primary care mental health services in London are improving but they continue to be plagued by problems with funding and recruitment, claims a report.... more
(20 February 2003 00:00)

NHS could be forced to reimburse long term care costs for thousands
A landmark finding by the new Health Service Ombudsman could leave NHS facing a compensation bill of millions of pounds, reimbursing dementia.... more
(20 February 2003 11:31)

Derby caught up in 'asylum claim' row
Derby social services have come under fire after claims that they advised an expectant mother to make an asylum claim despite her right to access.... more
(20 February 2003 00:00)

High Court judge's dismay at Haringey
Haringey Council was under fire again last week after a High Court judge said she was "concerned and disappointed" about its failure to put in place.... more
(20 February 2003 00:00)

Minister plans to ensure senior staff are accountable for service failings
Front-line staff will no longer have to bear the brunt of child protection under government plans to spread accountability across all levels. more
(20 February 2003 00:00)

Young women to be removed from jail
All girls under 17 are to be removed from Prison Service accommodation during 2003, the Youth Justice Board announced this week after the chief.... more
(20 February 2003 00:00)

Lack of income kills off Low Pay Unit
A prominent charity which for 29 years has been campaigning on behalf of people with low incomes, closed last Friday because of a lack of funding. more
(20 February 2003 00:00)

Amended standards given green light
The watered-down physical and environmental standards for care homes will be implemented, the government has confirmed. more
(20 February 2003 00:00)

Near-total backing for offending plan
Nearly nine out of 10 visitors to Community Care 's website believe a new welfare-based strategy is needed to keep young people out of prison and.... more
(20 February 2003 00:00)

Department of Health delays fines until October after peers' pressure
Plans to fine social services for delaying patient discharges from hospital have been put on hold for at least six months. more
(20 February 2003 00:00)

Behind the headlines
Our regular panel comments on a topic in the news. more
(20 February 2003 00:00)

Number of teenagers in prison falls, it is claimed
The number of under 17-year-old children being held in prison settings is beginning to fall according to the chairperson of the Youth Justice Board, .... more
(20 February 2003 11:13)

Scottish reform 'must match cash'
Investment in Scottish child protection services must be matched with reform, first minister Jack McConnell told a child protection summit in Glasgow.... more
(20 February 2003 00:00)

£14m deal to tackle violence at home
Agencies tackling domestic violence have been awarded a three-year package worth £14m. more
(20 February 2003 00:00)

Lords undone (unjust) fine
As debate continues about its own future, the House of Lords has shown once more that it can be an important restraint on the government's zeal for.... more
(20 February 2003 00:00)

Protest greets plan for asylum centre
About 2,000 people protested last week against the government's latest proposal for an accommodation centre housing 400 single male asylum seekers at.... more
(20 February 2003 00:00)

Census finds one in 10 have unpaid care
More than five million people are providing unpaid care for one in 10 of the population, according to the census 2001, released last week. more
(20 February 2003 00:00)

Child protection system could be replaced, first minister warns
Scotland's first minister Jack McConnell has warned that if the country's child protection system continues to fail it will be replaced, writes.... more
(20 February 2003 11:01)

These deaths must stop
The fact that domestic violence is still endemic in British society destroys the myth that feminism has won its battles. more
(20 February 2003 00:00)

Thursday 20 February 2003
Court rules that government asylum policy is illegal. more
(20 February 2003 10:05)

Invitation to tender
  “INTENSIVE CONTROL AND CHANGE PROGRAMME” – PROVISION OF MENTORING SERVICES   .... more
(19 February 2003 14:59)

Lifting ban could end after high court ruling
The Disability Rights Commission claims a high court ruling should end the blanket bans on care workers lifting disabled and older people. more
(19 February 2003 15:20)