Articles by Date : February 01 2004 - February 29 2004

Relief for Children's Fund: u-turn on cuts
The government has found extra money to rescue the Children's Fund from a 15 per cent budget cut in the coming financial year. more
(25 February 2004 00:00)

Bid to alter poverty stats under fire
Anti-poverty campaigners are protesting about government plans to wipe a million children from the official poverty statistics by ignoring housing.... more
(25 February 2004 00:00)

Valentine's sex message
A campaign aimed at educating young people about sexually transmitted diseases was launched to coincide with Valentine's Day with adverts in.... more
(25 February 2004 00:00)

Learning together
The integration of children's services as outlined in Every Child Matters must also lead to education and social services adopting a more.... more
(26 February 2004 00:00)

On target
Collecting information for performance indicators is a bit like eating the apple in the garden of Eden - it brings knowledge but also complications..... more
(26 February 2004 00:00)

'There ain't a miracle cure'
To conclude our two-part report, Anabel Unity Sale meets the head of the government's antisocial behaviour unit a year after it was set up to.... more
(26 February 2004 00:00)

Numbers game straining relations between health and social services
A month after the start of delayed discharge fines, a spat between a council and a minister has called into question the data used by the system,.... more
(26 February 2004 00:00)

Task force calls for an end to exclusion
People with severe learning difficulties are still being excluded and discriminated against by services, according to the Learning Disability Task.... more
(26 February 2004 00:00)

Residential care 'best for trauma cases'
Adoption and fostering placements are being given government priority even though residential care is the best solution for some children,.... more
(26 February 2004 00:00)

Resources inhibit mainstream work
A leading youth justice professional questioned the ability of mainstream services to target young people at risk of offending. more
(26 February 2004 00:00)

Thursday 26 February 2004
Britain's first 24-hour nursery is to open near Carlisle. Truant's mother jailed for 20 days. more
(26 February 2004 10:03)

Guardians reveal splits with councils
Nearly half of children's guardians report significant differences of opinion between themselves and local authorities, research has shown. more
(26 February 2004 00:00)

Thinking outside the classroom
Schools are ideally placed to become hubs for the whole spectrum of children's services, says Andrew Constable. more
(26 February 2004 00:00)

Rethink needed on recipe for remand
The sheer number of people inside should drive politicians to reform the remand system. more
(26 February 2004 00:00)

Experts misused
The cot death cases review has spurred the media to question the credibility of expert witnesses, but what is really needed is a change in the whole.... more
(26 February 2004 00:00)

Behind the headlines
Our regular panel comments on a topic in the news: this week, will the registration of social workers enhance their Professional status? more
(26 February 2004 00:00)

Teenage turnaround
Former "problem teen" Laura Lynch says being asked her opinion helped her stop her antisocial behaviour more
(26 February 2004 00:00)

Gunn on politics
The reclassification of cannabis should wait until hard drugs are under control. more
(26 February 2004 00:00)

Don't knock the experts
Danger lurks behind our growing scepticism about experts' evidence, writes Natalie Valios while professionals are warning that the dismissal of Sir.... more
(26 February 2004 00:00)

Authorities urged to improve image
Local government needs to improve the way it sells itself to the public, the prime minister's aide on public service reform has said. more
(26 February 2004 00:00)

Police should raise awareness levels
Two government inspectorates have called for a review of domestic violence training for police officers amid concerns that awareness of the issue is.... more
(26 February 2004 00:00)

Lib Dems round on Department of Health as 'institutionally ageist'
The Department of Health was slammed last week as institutionally ageist. more
(26 February 2004 00:00)

Directors warn changes to children's services in Edinburgh could worsen outcomes
Edinburgh social services' restructuring proposals could result in worse outcomes for children, the Association of Directors of Social Work has.... more
(26 February 2004 00:00)

Social work students voice anger at confusion over bursary payments
Angry social work students have criticised the General Social Care Council for confusion over bursary entitlements which led to them being told they.... more
(26 February 2004 00:00)

Court challenge to kinship allowances
A grandmother is mounting a legal challenge to Leeds Council over the rates paid to kinship carers. more
(26 February 2004 00:00)

Senior staff asked to sign up to register
The General Social Care Council and the Association of Directors of Social Services have written to senior staff encouraging them to join the social.... more
(26 February 2004 00:00)

Minister cuts the fat from figures
The government has apologised after massively overstating the number of obese people claiming benefits. more
(26 February 2004 00:00)

Training materials
We are Fostering and Active Advocates - Self-Advocacy and Young People. more
(26 February 2004 00:00)

Government renames capacity bill and ditches 'general authority' idea
The government has listened to concerns over the draft bill to protect and empower vulnerable adults and renamed it the Mental Capacity Bill. more
(26 February 2004 00:00)

'Women ignored in decision-making'
Women with severe learning difficulties are having their human rights breached because they are not being involved in decisions about their future,.... more
(26 February 2004 00:00)

Public cash boosts the big charities
Cash from the public sector to deliver services is benefiting large voluntary organisations, but small- and medium-sized ones are struggling, the.... more
(26 February 2004 00:00)

Children 'will remain at risk' under new domestic violence legislation
The government's new proposals on domestic violence fail to adequately protect children from abusive fathers, an expert has warned. more
(26 February 2004 00:00)

European backing for Welsh projects
Of the other areas in the UK receiving Objective One funding- Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, South Yorkshire and Merseyside - only Cornwall is.... more
(26 February 2004 00:00)

Social care shrugs off road charges
Concerns that the £5 congestion charge in central London would negatively affect social care staff and services have proved largely unfounded. more
(26 February 2004 00:00)

Renewal failing to attract private cash
Government schemes to promote neighbourhood renewal in London are failing to attract private investment due to being poorly managed, according to a.... more
(26 February 2004 00:00)

Swansea pays social worker for attack
A social worker has won £200,000 in compensation from her employer following a "vicious assault" which resulted in her developing serious.... more
(26 February 2004 00:00)

Protected title status splits poll
Opinions are split 50-50 among visitors to Community Care 's website on whether it should be a criminal offence to practise as a social worker while.... more
(26 February 2004 00:00)

Homelessness rises as section 55 bites
Almost 70 per cent of asylum seekers denied support under section 55 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 have been forced to sleep.... more
(26 February 2004 00:00)

Care needed with review
As expected, children's minister Margaret Hodge has ordered a review of children taken into care where the records show medical experts strongly.... more
(26 February 2004 00:00)

Temporary good fortune
The BBC's Taking Care season of programmes has offered a fascinating and at times highly moving insight into the lives of children in care. more
(26 February 2004 00:00)

Disadvantaged care leavers need more support
The most disadvantaged care leavers are not receiving adequate support despite the provisions of the Children (Leaving Care) Act, a coalition of 22.... more
(25 February 2004 12:32)

Police need guidance on Data Protection Act
The police need better guidance on how to interpret the Data Protection Act so they know what information to store and when to share it, according to.... more
(17 February 2004 17:24)

Wednesday 25 February 2004
Asylum applications fall Abused boy asked to be adopted more
(25 February 2004 10:06)

Court backs social workers' right to strike
A group of social workers have been given permission to strike by the high court despite council claims that industrial action could have potentially.... more
(25 February 2004 00:00)

Government changes name of 'incapacity' bill
The government confirmed this week that a draft bill to protect and empower vulnerable adults would be renamed the 'Mental Capacity Bill' as opposed.... more
(24 February 2004 16:27)

Asylum applications fell more than 40 per cent last year
The number of asylum applications fell by 41 per cent last year, according to new Home Office figures, writes Amy Taylor. more
(24 February 2004 15:22)

Social services told to review care order cases
Children’s minister Margaret Hodge ordered all social services departments to review cases where children were placed under a care order following a.... more
(24 February 2004 12:54)

Students' anger at social work bursary confusion
Angry social work students have criticised the General Social Care Council for confusion over bursary entitlements which resulted in them being told.... more
(24 February 2004 00:00)

Tuesday 24 February 2004
Schools in confusion over random drug tests. Blair urges end to MMR controversy. more
(24 February 2004 09:43)

School sniffer dogs and urine tests “already legal”
Some schools are already using urine tests and sniffer dogs to detect drugs, and they are within their rights to do so, according to the Department.... more
(23 February 2004 18:01)