Articles by Date : February 01 2003 - February 28 2003

With restraint...
Researchers David Leadbetter and Michael Budlong describe how safer restraint options should be implemented in residential care. more
(13 February 2003 00:00)

Training materials
Assert Yourself - A Training Video and Booklet for People with Learning Difficulties VOICE UK. Call 08700 133965. E-mail: .... more
(13 February 2003 00:00)

Being Alive: Building on the Work of Anne Alvarez
Edited by Judith Edwards. more
(13 February 2003 00:00)

Dream Time with Children
By Brenda Mallon. more
(13 February 2003 00:00)

Publish and be damned
As Newcastle Council found, ad hoc inquiries into allegations made against staff can prove at best embarrassing or at worst costly. Natalie Valios.... more
(13 February 2003 00:00)

Barred from parenting
While support programmes do exist for young prisoners who are parents, offenders need better links with their families and communities on the outside.... more
(13 February 2003 00:00)

How stress might fracture a sector
The patience of many competent staff in adult care services is being stretched irreparably, warns Patricia Shonibare. more
(13 February 2003 00:00)

Joined-up sentences
Society is sitting on a social time bomb if it allows young offenders who are parents to rot away in custody, writes Alison Taylor. But the.... more
(13 February 2003 00:00)

A little landscaping can go a long way
Yvonne Roberts on the link between children's behaviour and their access to interesting spaces for leisure. more
(13 February 2003 00:00)

McTernan on Politics
The obsession with performance targets undermines the client-service relationship. more
(13 February 2003 00:00)

The spirit to survive
Martin Reynolds describes how community life with a spiritual base has helped him overcome adversity. more
(13 February 2003 00:00)

Low pay unit set to close
The Low Pay Unit is set to close on Friday due to a lack of funding, ending 29 years of campaigning for the poor. more
(13 February 2003 10:31)

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

Where robots are treated like carers
A robot that functions as a nurse, friend and security guard has been launched in Japan as a home aid to older people living alone. more
(13 February 2003 00:00)

Audit Office reinforces view that bed-blocking bill is unworkable
The findings of a new report have raised further doubts about the viability of the government's Community Care (Delayed Discharges) Bill. more
(13 February 2003 00:00)

Directors force retreat over grants
Government plans to scrap grants for councils accommodating 16 and 17-year-old asylum seekers have been abandoned following strong protests from.... more
(13 February 2003 00:00)

Goodbye to cohesion
If there was one message that came across loud and clear from last week's London conference on the UK's asylum policy, it was that integration needs.... more
(13 February 2003 00:00)

Where's the will?
The way we lock up young offenders harms both them and the community - which expects offenders to be rehabilitated, and has a right to clear.... more
(13 February 2003 00:00)

Chief executives admit they must take responsibility for failures
Council chief executives should intervene personally when services are at risk of not reaching acceptable standards, according to the Society of.... more
(13 February 2003 10:27)

Thursday 13 February 2003
Asylum seekers to be given HIV and TB tests. Woman of 88 dies after nursing home move. more
(13 February 2003 09:48)

National strategy for young offenders urged by welfare charity
The Michael Sieff Foundation has called for the development of a national co-ordinated strategy for young offenders that will keep young people out.... more
(11 February 2003 15:10)

Asylum seekers launch legal challenge to new asylum legislation
Six asylum seekers this week launched a legal challenge of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act because it bans people who make late asylum.... more
(11 February 2003 15:16)

Commission calls for single equalities act
The government cannot drive forward the equality agenda without introducing a single equalities act, according to a Disability Rights Commission.... more
(11 February 2003 16:56)

Black voluntary groups claim discrimination
Black and ethnic minority organisations in the voluntary sector lack fundraising skills, but encounter red tape, an absence of empathy and.... more
(10 February 2003 12:40)

Delayed discharge numbers remain high
A new National Audit Office report reveals that on any given day more than 4,000 people over 75 who are fit enough to leave hospital are unable to do.... more
(12 February 2003 12:56)

New coalition demands charity reform
A coalition of UK charities that includes Amnesty International and the NSPCC has been launched to campaign for the reform of the 400-year-old.... more
(12 February 2003 12:28)

Wednesday 12 February 2003
Over 4,000 older people are still 'blocking beds'. Social work director in Scotland sacked. more
(12 February 2003 09:59)

Mencap settles dismissal claim
Learning difficulty charity Mencap has agreed an out of court settlement for an undisclosed sum in a claim for unfair dismissal brought by an.... more
(11 February 2003 15:25)

Young people urged to recognise mental health problems
Young people have been urged to look out for signs of mental health problems on the back of research which shows that most know someone who has.... more
(11 February 2003 15:12)

Local authorities fail to support foster carers facing allegations
Many foster carers who have complaints or allegations made against them are being forced to leave the service because local authorities are failing.... more
(11 February 2003 15:15)

Tuesday 11 February 2003
Tony Blair pledges to stem the tide of asylum seekers while new rules 'force asylum seekers to sleep on the street'. more
(11 February 2003 10:16)

Debate on whether truancy should be tackled by punishing parents
We asked whether punishing parents was the best way to tackle truancy. These are the responses we received: " In general, I agree with.... more
(10 February 2003 11:45)

Debate on Lord Laming's report
We asked whether Lord Laming's proposals, if implemented by the government, would prevent more children dying from abuse because of failings by the.... more
(10 February 2003 10:50)

Monday 10 February 2003
Tony Blair's promise to halve number of asylum seekers challenged. Homes for older people misuse drugs to subdue residents. more
(10 February 2003 09:55)

Social work department defends role after father kills baby
Edinburgh social work department has defended its role in the care of a baby boy who was killed by his father, writes Nicola Barry. more
(07 February 2003 17:59)

Older people's services set to lose out under new funding scheme
Local authorities in England look set to receive significant cuts to their funding for older people’s services next year, writes Katie Leason more
(07 February 2003 15:00)

Mayor to consider congestion charge exemption for social care staff
London Mayor Ken Livingstone has agreed to consider allowing local authority or voluntary sector social care staff an exemption from the capital’s.... more
(07 February 2003 15:44)

Doctors say police should take child protection lead
Police child protection teams should take the lead in protecting children from criminal abuse, leading paediatricians have argued, writes Alex.... more
(07 February 2003 14:11)

Councils defend senior managers as workers continue to be disciplined
Two of Britain’s most senior social services managers face increasing pressure to resign for their failings in the case of Victoria Climbié after it.... more
(06 February 2003 00:00)

Readers say reforms will not stop deaths
The reforms suggested by Lord Laming in his report into Victoria Climbié’s death will not prevent another child dying from abuse because of failures.... more
(06 February 2003 00:00)

Inspectors call on councils to self-audit
Social services departments are to begin work on an audit of their children’s services following the publication of Victoria Climbié Report. more
(06 February 2003 00:00)

National agency queried by commissioner
The children’s commissioner for Wales, Peter Clarke, has criticised Lord Laming’s key recommendation for a new national agency for children and.... more
(06 February 2003 00:00)

Association wants staff redeployment
Ian Johnston, director of the British Association of Social Workers, believes more hospital-based social workers could improve detection rates of.... more
(06 February 2003 00:00)

‘Laming right to slam top managers’
A survey of directors of social services has revealed that the vast majority believe Lord Laming was right to direct his harshest criticisms at.... more
(06 February 2003 00:00)

Arthurworrey appeals against dismissal
Lisa Arthurworrey, the social worker who was severely criticised in the Laming report for failing to spot any signs of abuse on Victoria Climbié, is.... more
(06 February 2003 00:00)

Dramatic changes
Creative therapy projects can help children overcome trauma and reclaim their identities, says psychotherapist Anne Bannister. more
(06 February 2003 00:00)

Publicity stunt or deterrent?
Antisocial behaviour orders are hailed in some quarters as an effective way to restrain miscreant children and teenagers. Others dismiss them as.... more
(06 February 2003 00:00)

Friday 7 February 2003
Blunkett imposes tighter controls on asylum seekers. Paediatrician calls for police to take lead in child protection investigations. more
(07 February 2003 09:59)

Manager loses claim after refusing to sack whistleblower
A social services manager who refused to discipline a whistleblower has lost his claim of unfair dismissal, writes Alex Dobson. more
(06 February 2003 17:30)

December 2002
Bulletin No 64 Butterworths Family and Child Law Bulletin   - December 2002 Bulletin Editor Jonathan Montgomery , BA, LLM Professor of.... more
(06 February 2003 16:34)