Articles by Date : February 01 2003 - February 28 2003

Care homes fail to offer single rooms
A new survey has revealed the lack of provision in care homes for older people. more
(06 February 2003 16:20)

Cultural Competence in the Caring Professions
By Kieran O'Hagan. more
(06 February 2003 16:17)

Good Practice in Childcare
By Janet Kay. more
(06 February 2003 00:00)

More information may be released
Children conceived as a result of sperm, egg or embryo donation might soon be able to find out more information about their donors, the government.... more
(06 February 2003 00:00)

Winners are losers
The benefits system is giving with one hand and taking with the other, writes Gary Vaux. more
(06 February 2003 00:00)

Independence day
Research into home care shows the importance of developing skilled staff and services tailored to the client, writes researcher Charles Patmore. more
(06 February 2003 00:00)

The ask force
Ask Us! is committed to giving disabled children and young people a chance to tell planners and decision-makers what they want. This dedication won.... more
(06 February 2003 00:00)

Church-run nursing homes in cash crisis
Residential and nursing homes for older people run by the Catholic Church face a crisis deeper than that faced by the rest of the sector, according.... more
(06 February 2003 00:00)

Client confidentiality hinders efforts to house the homeless, says Shelter
Concerns among social workers over client confidentiality are hampering housing departments' attempts to find accommodation for homeless people. more
(06 February 2003 00:00)

How many more must die before front-line issues are addressed?
The Laming report has failed to confront problems on the ground - a huge omission if we are to prevent another damning inquiry further down the line,.... more
(06 February 2003 00:00)

More training is key to helping GPs and police improve child protection
All agencies failed Victoria Climbie. Clare Jerrom reports on Lord Laming's criticism of GPs and the police, and discovers how those professions are.... more
(06 February 2003 00:00)

Social services directors welcome Laming's focus on accountability
While social services chiefs back Laming's recommendations, they are concerned that the skills crisis will undermine efforts to implement change,.... more
(06 February 2003 00:00)

Laming defends proposal for new management boards and director
Senior managers and front-line staff must share the blame for Victoria Climbie's death, Lord Laming tells Sally Gillen. And more money alone will not.... more
(06 February 2003 00:00)

Council must keep contact with child
Contact with a child cannot be stopped because the child's former foster carer has failed to work in partnership with professional staff and in.... more
(06 February 2003 00:00)

Sexual Offences Bill is published
Measures designed to increase protection of children and vulnerable people from sexual abuse were launched last week. more
(06 February 2003 00:00)

Payback time for graduate recruits
The Scottish executive is to offer to reimburse up to £9,000 in student loans for some social work graduates as one of several measures to address.... more
(06 February 2003 00:00)

Kirklees ordered to pay compensation
Kirklees Council has been ordered to pay £5,000 to the parents of a boy with severe mobility problems and review its complaints procedure. more
(06 February 2003 00:00)

Concern at lack of help for runaways
The needs of young runaways are being ignored, a charity director told a conference last week. more
(06 February 2003 00:00)

Police conclude first stage of porn probe
Detectives investigating an internet paedophile ring are close to completing the initial investigations into suspects who work with children. more
(06 February 2003 00:00)

Birmingham review of toddler tragedy
Birmingham area child protection committee has launched a serious case review into the death of Jordan Reid who was drowned by his mother days before.... more
(06 February 2003 00:00)

Smith gives details of inspection body
The government has released details on how the new Commission for Social Care Inspection is going to work when it takes over monitoring of the care.... more
(06 February 2003 00:00)

Children's trusts to organise services
The long-awaited details outlining the standards and functions of children's trusts have been published by the Department of Health, a month later.... more
(06 February 2003 00:00)

Councils could be forced to pay foster carers a minimum allowance
The government is considering making local authorities pay a set national allowance to carers to cover the costs of fostering children. more
(06 February 2003 00:00)

Children's charity admits corporate cash was crucial to helpline move
The NSPCC has confirmed that its controversial plan to move part of its telephone helpline operation to Manchester was dependent on a record-breaking.... more
(06 February 2003 00:00)

Young offenders face drugs tests
Teenage offenders are to be tested for drug abuse under a £40m Home Office programme. more
(06 February 2003 00:00)

Siblings abducted during contact visit
Police are searching for four children whose parents abducted them from the care of social services during a contact visit. more
(06 February 2003 00:00)

Roche to limit use of B&Bs by councils
Homelessness minister Barbara Roche has announced plans for legislation banning councils from housing families with children in bed and breakfast.... more
(06 February 2003 00:00)

Lord Warner criticises government's ban on young offenders at school
The chairperson of the Youth Justice Board has criticised government guidelines that force head teachers to remove young people who are in prison for.... more
(06 February 2003 00:00)

The Victoria Climbie report - what next?
Anthony Douglas is director of social care services in Suffolk. Child protection is very expensive and senior managers are being forced to.... more
(06 February 2003 00:00)

Pride and prejudice
Care leaver Heidi Osborne describes the help she has had in adjusting to life after leaving a children's home. more
(06 February 2003 00:00)

Swindon Council sacks whistle-blower
A Swindon social worker who set up a website criticising the performance of the social services department was sacked last week at a council.... more
(06 February 2003 00:00)

Barnardo's calls for protection in homes
A new report by children's charity Barnardo's claims that hundreds of thousands of children in the UK are being emotionally scarred as unrecorded.... more
(06 February 2003 00:00)

The enlightened north
The Scottish executive is to be congratulated for coming up with the eminently sensible idea of reimbursing the student loans of those taking a.... more
(06 February 2003 14:18)

Trouble at the top
Whatever the fate of Lord Laming's recommendations for structural reform in child protection, his report will be remembered for putting council.... more
(06 February 2003 00:00)

Users caught in the 'service trap'
Giving jobs to people with mental health problems is little help if support services close at 5pm, says Kalisha Parton. more
(06 February 2003 00:00)

Angels and devils
Using legal sanctions against young people to prevent their trouble-making is necessary. But care must be exercised to prevent the law being.... more
(06 February 2003 00:00)

Don't let mistakes hinder investigation
The Sally Clark case has shown the need for more vigorous monitoring of baby deaths. more
(06 February 2003 00:00)

Thursday 6 February 2003
New plan to build affordable homes in south east, including an allocation for public sector workers, announced. more
(06 February 2003 10:01)

Debate over Laming report rages on
With Lord Laming’s scathing criticism of services still ringing in their ears, few within the world of child protection have been prepared to put.... more
(05 February 2003 11:52)

Transcript of interview with Lord Laming
Lord Laming responded to criticism of his report in an interview with Sally Gillen. more
(05 February 2003 11:59)

Board cuts number of young people held at crisis hit institution
The Youth Justice Board is to deal with a crisis at the privately-run Ashfield young offenders institution by severely cutting the number of young.... more
(05 February 2003 11:02)

Wednesday 5 February 2003
Privately run jail is worst in the country. New report shows children are scarred by violence between parents. more
(05 February 2003 09:57)

Challenge to Cafcass over guardians fails
In The Queen (on the application of R and others) v Cafcass (17 January 2002), the high court finally considered the duty on Cafcass to provide.... more
(04 February 2003 17:05)

Care Sector Pilot
The Learning and Skills Council Tyne and Wear are the national lead on a new pilot system which is looking to deliver ‘paper free ‘ NVQ’s in the.... more
(04 February 2003 16:19)

Minister announces new law limiting time in B&Bs
The government will introduce legislation banning local authorities from housing families with children in bed and breakfast accommodation for longer.... more
(04 February 2003 16:10)

Audit of children's services ordered by inspectorate
Social services departments are to begin work on an audit of their children's services following the publication of the Laming inquiry report into.... more
(04 February 2003 15:40)

Pressure on senior managers increases
Two senior social services managers will face increasing pressure to resign for their failings in the case of Victoria Climbie after it was revealed.... more
(04 February 2003 15:31)

Food must be top of benefits menu
Welfare policies must make good food available to homeless people to prevent illness, writes Ellie Lewis. more
(04 February 2003 11:17)

Need for credit in the interests of the poor
It is wrong for those on the lowest incomes to have to pay the highest borrowing rates, argues Yvonne Roberts. more
(04 February 2003 11:20)

Tuesday 4 February 2003
Four children snatched from social services care by their parents. Mother admits manslaughter of baby son. more
(04 February 2003 09:57)