Articles by Date : February 01 2003 - February 28 2003

Asylum seekers overturn government block on housing and benefits
Six asylum seekers have won their legal challenge against new government rules which denied them the right to receive housing and benefits, writes.... more
(19 February 2003 15:09)

Platt reminds directors they must support people with learning difficulties
Chief inspector of social services Denise Platt has published a new report reminding all directors of their responsibilities to support people with.... more
(19 February 2003 14:23)

Government accepts most of Laming's recommendations
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
(19 February 2003 11:47)

Wednesday 19 February 2003
Delayed discharge bill suffers second setback in Lords. Man made 'false claim' of abuse to claim compensation. more
(19 February 2003 09:59)

Chief executive or councillor should have child protection responsibility
Lead responsibility for child protection services should lay with a local authority chief executive or a councillor, according to the leader of the.... more
(18 February 2003 17:47)

Lords force delay in bed-blocking fines
Government plans to fine social services from April for delayed discharges from hospital have been put on hold for at least six months, writes.... more
(18 February 2003 14:55)

Weaker standards for care homes confirmed
The government has confirmed plans to go ahead with the watered down physical and environmental standards for care homes, writes Sally Gillen. more
(18 February 2003 16:25)

Girls to be removed from prison after damning Holloway report
All girls are to be removed from prisons this year, the Youth Justice Board announced after the chief inspector of prisons called for urgent action.... more
(18 February 2003 10:57)

Regional directorates are to be scrapped
The four regional directorates of health and social care are to be scrapped in a radical restructuring exercise, the department of health has.... more
(18 February 2003 12:14)

Staff shop around for best jobs
The recruitment crisis in social work has created a "sellers market" where staff will shop around to find the best employment opportunities, a senior.... more
(18 February 2003 11:26)

Tuesday 18 February 2003
Taleban refugees given 'priority'. Lords vote to postpone fines for delayed discharge. more
(18 February 2003 09:49)

Union welcomes improved rights for new staff
Unions are predicting a huge return to in-house contracts in social care following an agreement to eliminate the "two tier" workforce created by.... more
(17 February 2003 14:55)

Campaign launched to update laws
A group of UK charities including the NSPCC and Amnesty International have launched a campaign to reform the 400-year-old English law defining what a.... more
(13 February 2003 00:00)

Vulnerable to cuts?
Mental health budgets are under pressure and services remain dislocated in many areas despite aspirations set out by the National Service Framework..... more
(13 February 2003 00:00)

Monday 17 February 2003
The government considers educating children about domestic violence and rolling out methadone treatment for drug-taking parents. more
(17 February 2003 10:14)

Social work director sacked after overspend
A director of social work whose department overspent by £1.4 million has been sacked, writes Nicola Barry. more
(14 February 2003 17:41)

Council failings place children at risk
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
(14 February 2003 17:35)

Mental health patients entitled to compensation for detention delays
Patients detained under the Mental Health Act are entitled to compensation if there are delays in reviewing their cases, the high court has ruled in.... more
(14 February 2003 16:08)

Cardiff considers 'children's champion' plan
Cardiff council is proposing the appointment of a 'children's champion' in the wake of a damming joint review, writes Alex Dobson. more
(14 February 2003 16:00)

Social services operate 'ageist' policies
Many social services departments operate 'ageist' policies by limiting the amount they spend on care packages for certain age groups, according to a.... more
(13 February 2003 10:12)

Special report on the demise of the low pay unit
The news this week that the Low Pay Unit, which has campaigned on behalf of the low paid for nearly three decades, is to close because its funding.... more
(14 February 2003 12:37)

Police 'should take lead on abuse cases'
Police - not social workers - should take responsibility for protecting children from abuse because they are "less easy to intimidate," according to.... more
(13 February 2003 00:00)

Older people's services face cuts under new council spending formula
Funding for older people's services run by local authorities in England looks set to be slashed from April. more
(13 February 2003 00:00)

Housing Benefit processing delays cause poverty
Some of the worst local authorities take more than five months to process housing benefit claims - five times longer than the best performers. more
(13 February 2003 00:00)

Poor missing out on essential services
East Sussex Council has been fined after a funding delay deprived a client of a place at a specialist education facility. more
(13 February 2003 00:00)

Council fined for funding blunder
East Sussex Council has been fined after a funding delay deprived a client of a place at a specialist education facility. more
(13 February 2003 00:00)

Nurses reveal wide problem of abuse
Nearly nine out of 10 district and community nurses in the UK have come across abuse of older people in their work, with some claiming it was.... more
(13 February 2003 00:00)

Welfare 'is key' to successful release
A welfare charity has called for a national co-ordinated strategy to keep young people out of prison and prevent re-offending. more
(13 February 2003 00:00)

Integration best achieved through promoting 'sense of belonging'
Asylum seekers must be integrated into the UK the moment they arrive and not just when they receive refugee status, a conference on asylum.... more
(13 February 2003 00:00)

Local communities lack 'true picture'
The UK can learn from the experience of its European neighbours about how to help asylum seekers integrate into society, according to a senior.... more
(13 February 2003 00:00)

Seekers may be sent to 'safe havens'
The government is considering operating a scheme to deport asylum seekers to "safe haven" countries in the regions they have left in order to reduce.... more
(13 February 2003 00:00)

Scots court convicts father of killing son
An 11-week-old baby was killed by his father, despite warnings from hospital staff that the boy should be taken into care. more
(13 February 2003 00:00)

Older people need tailored service
Older homeless people should have a specific resettlement service that provides them with support, a report by the Salvation Army has urged. more
(13 February 2003 00:00)

Survey reveals funding grievances
Ethnic minority organisations in the voluntary sector encounter red tape and discrimination but no empathy when applying for grants, according to new.... more
(13 February 2003 00:00)

Cardiff manager loses dismissal case
A social services manager who refused to discipline a whistle-blower has lost his claim for unfair dismissal. more
(13 February 2003 00:00)

Board culls Ashfield as patience runs out
The Youth Justice Board is to make a phased withdrawal from Ashfield Young Offenders Institution in Bristol. more
(13 February 2003 00:00)

Foster carers quit councils that fail to lend support over complaints
Many foster carers facing complaints or allegations are leaving the service because local authorities are failing to support them, it is claimed. more
(13 February 2003 00:00)

Refugee mobility 'disrupting schools'
The mobility of refugee and asylum seeking children is holding back some schools, according to Ofsted's latest annual report. more
(13 February 2003 00:00)

Climbie managers 'should take blame'
Most visitors to Community Care's website thought that the senior managers in place at the time of Victoria Climbie's death should accept.... more
(13 February 2003 00:00)

Alcohol remit for drug treatment unit
The National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse may take on responsibility for alcohol, Community Care has learned. more
(13 February 2003 00:00)

Prescott's building bonanza set to benefit public sector workers
Deputy prime minister John Prescott outlined plans last week to invest £4bn into building low-cost homes in areas of high demand. A quarter of this.... more
(13 February 2003 00:00)

'Watch out for signs of mental illness'
Young people have been urged to look out for signs of mental health problems on the back of new research unveiled by health minister Jacqui Smith. more
(13 February 2003 00:00)

Renewed hope of congestion charge exemption for social care workers
London mayor Ken Livingstone has agreed to review the decision not to exempt local authority or voluntary sector social care staff from the capital's.... more
(13 February 2003 00:00)

Ageist spending policies revealed
Many social services departments operate "ageist" policies by limiting the amount they spend on care packages for certain age groups, according to a.... more
(13 February 2003 00:00)

Homelessness charities frustrated by social services' secrecy over clients
Confusion over confidentiality rules and a desire to protect clients' personal details is stalling efforts by charities and councils to house some.... more
(13 February 2003 00:00)

Scotland joins social work employers with creative answers to skills crisis
Holyrood's policy to reimburse student social work fees has won praise. But in England, councils have been pioneering local initiatives to reduce.... more
(13 February 2003 00:00)

The blame cascades down
Lord Laming criticises senior managers even more strongly than front-line staff in the Victoria Climbie Report but it is the social workers who get.... more
(13 February 2003 00:00)

Courses of action
Giving carers a chance to widen their skills and improve their self-esteem has won a West Midlands project a Community Care award. Anita Pati.... more
(13 February 2003 00:00)

Friday 14 February 2003
East London trust 'puts patients at risk'. Cardiff considers setting up its own 'children's commissioner'. more
(14 February 2003 10:00)

Hope in a dog's life
New research recommends the creation of a network of services to help end the isolation many homeless people feel, reports social policy researcher.... more
(13 February 2003 00:00)