Articles by Date : February 01 2004 - February 29 2004

Sector backs 'social worker' title move
The government's plan to restrict the use of the title "social worker" to those registered by the UK's four care councils by April 2005 have been.... more
(05 February 2004 00:00)

Free care at home for people with dementia possible in wake of ruling
Campaigners have welcomed a landmark ruling by the health service ombudsman that could pave the way for dementia sufferers to receive free care in.... more
(05 February 2004 00:00)

Bedfordshire faces withering criticism
Vulnerable children are still not being protected by Bedfordshire Council, according to a damning Social Services Inspectorate report released this.... more
(05 February 2004 00:00)

No rush to review child death cases
Fears that social services departments would be flooded with requests to review civil cases involving children who had been taken into care as a.... more
(05 February 2004 00:00)

Registration woe for Scottish staff as councils fail to offer training
Staff training is being treated as a "dispensable extra" in a number of Scottish local authorities, the chief inspector of social work revealed last.... more
(05 February 2004 00:00)

Minister's 'insulting' response attacked
The health and social services minister for Wales has come under fire for her "insulting" response to concerns raised about child and adolescent.... more
(05 February 2004 00:00)

Airline's wheelchair charge is 'unlawful'
Budget airline Ryanair's practice of charging disabled passengers for the use of wheelchairs is "unlawful", a judge ruled last week. more
(05 February 2004 00:00)

Rural Sure Start told to 'grow your own'
Sure Start projects in rural areas must develop their own staff's talents rather than compete for scarce skilled people, a report published by the.... more
(05 February 2004 00:00)

'Equality key to better services'
Public services need a change in "mindset" to overcome barriers to race equality, says an Audit Commission report published this week. more
(05 February 2004 00:00)

Released prisoners to get housing help
The Home Office plans to help offenders find accommodation on release from prison, a conference on mental health provision for young offenders heard.... more
(05 February 2004 00:00)

Plymouth chief to go after star wanes
Plymouth Council's director of social services has announced her retirement after a difficult year for the department in which its star rating fell.... more
(05 February 2004 00:00)

Guide to contracts with private homes
The Office of Fair Trading has published a guide defining unfair contract terms in private care homes. more
(05 February 2004 00:00)

Charities spend less on training workers
Charities spend on average 30 per cent less on training for their staff than other sectors, according to a survey published this week. more
(05 February 2004 00:00)

Employers dismiss 'unrealistic' pay claim as threat to jobs and services
Local government employers have branded a joint pay claim from unions representing local government workers as "unrealistic and unaffordable". more
(05 February 2004 00:00)

Preventive services facing budget cuts
North East Lincolnshire Council could be forced to scale back preventive services for children in order to tackle a funding crisis. more
(05 February 2004 00:00)

Schools' spending may force cuts
The government has finalised the funding settlement for local authorities for 2004-5 amid growing concerns that it will force many councils to cut.... more
(05 February 2004 00:00)

Consultation on bill is not user-friendly
People with learning difficulties warned this week that the consultation on the draft Disability Discrimination Bill is inaccessible to service users. more
(05 February 2004 00:00)

Section 55 ruling upheld by judge
A High Court judge last week upheld a Home Office decision to deny a Congolese man support because he claimed asylum four days after arriving in the.... more
(05 February 2004 00:00)

A life of false starts
Mental illness disrupts lives, rarely allowing sufferers consistency and stability, as Traceyann Napier confirms. more
(05 February 2004 00:00)

Gunn on politics
An amendment to the domestic violence bill might give judges too much say. more
(05 February 2004 00:00)

Behind the headlines
Our regular panel comments on a topic in the news: this week, is government policy on children misguided? more
(05 February 2004 00:00)

Friday 6 February 2004
New crackdown on heroin users. more
(06 February 2004 10:02)

All aboard the rocket to Mars
It may be easier to travel to Mars in 2035 than for older or disabled people to access British trains, disability charity Leonard Cheshire claimed.... more
(05 February 2004 00:00)

Staff to take action at Liverpool Council
Children's services at Liverpool Council look set to be disrupted after social workers voted overwhelmingly for industrial action because of concerns.... more
(05 February 2004 00:00)

Plan to dock housing benefit dropped
The government has shelved plans to dock the housing benefit of antisocial neighbours after a consultation exercise revealed massive opposition to.... more
(05 February 2004 00:00)

'Difficult' prisoners at risk from transfer
Moving prisoners around the secure estate contributes to self-harm and suicides in custody, Anne Owers warned this week. more
(05 February 2004 00:00)

Anger over cuts to Fund money
Children's Fund money will be cut by around £50m over the next two years, Community Care 's sister title 0-19 revealed this week. more
(05 February 2004 00:00)

Closer working may herald joint health and social services targets
Social workers and health professionals could be working towards joint targets in the future as the government's drive to integrate services gathers.... more
(05 February 2004 00:00)

Doubts cast on government figures for missing asylum-seeking children
Government figures on unaccompanied asylum-seeking children who go missing from care are under close scrutiny this week. more
(05 February 2004 00:00)

Agencies want government money to help overseas recruitment
Employment agencies are calling on the government to help councils with the initial costs of settling in social workers from overseas. more
(05 February 2004 18:12)

New measures to clear up data protection confusion
Measures to prevent organisations using the Data Protection Act 1998 as "an excuse for their own shortcomings" were announced by the information.... more
(05 February 2004 18:08)

Exclusive: Official figures for child asylum seekers missing from care in doubt
Government figures on unaccompanied asylum seeker children who go missing from care have been thrown into doubt, writes Amy Taylor. more
(05 February 2004 16:04)

Thursday 5 February 2004
Free nursing care for middle class families should be axed, minister said. more
(05 February 2004 09:56)

Expert view
Here our panel of professionals analyse the recent controversy over the theories of Sir Roy Meadow on Munchausen's syndrome by proxy and the.... more
(04 February 2004 16:46)

Wednesday 4 February 2004
Home Office abandons plans for asylum centre NSPCC chairperson to review Huntley more
(04 February 2004 10:17)

All change for inspections?
Continue with the old inspection methods or pioneer new ones? That is the choice facing the Commission for Social Care Inspection when it starts.... more
(04 February 2004 00:00)

Children's Fund cuts confirmed
Children’s Fund money will be cut by around £50 million over the next two years, it has been announced. more
(03 February 2004 17:04)

Children still not protected by Bedfordshire
Vulnerable children are still not being protected by Bedfordshire Council, according to a damning Social Services Inspectorate report, writes Sally.... more
(03 February 2004 16:35)

Industrial action set to hit children's services in Liverpool
Children’s services at Liverpool Council look set to be disrupted after social workers voted overwhelmingly for industrial action because of concerns.... more
(03 February 2004 16:28)

Fears of service cuts overshadow finance settlement
The government has finalised the funding settlement for local authorities for 2004-5 amid growing concerns that it will force many councils to cut.... more
(03 February 2004 16:21)

Landmark case could mean free home care for dementia sufferers
Dementia sufferers could receive free NHS care at home after a landmark ruling by the health service ombudsman, it has emerged, writes Natasha.... more
(02 February 2004 17:18)

Child deaths show rapid decline
Child and baby death rates have fallen dramatically over the past thirty years according to official statistics. In 2002 there were 6 deaths per 1000.... more
(03 February 2004 12:36)

Swingeing cuts to Children’s Fund announced
Children’s Fund programmes are facing a budget cut of nearly a quarter over the next two years, managers have been told. more
(03 February 2004 12:39)

Government rejects compulsory sex education
The government has rejected a call from the Independent Advisory Group on Teenage Pregnancy to make sex education in schools a compulsory part of the.... more
(03 February 2004 12:34)

Cash boost for children's services in Northern Ireland
Services for vulnerable children in Northern Ireland will receive a cash boost of over £200 million this year. more
(03 February 2004 12:32)

Government goes cool on docking benefit of antisocial neighbours
Over 80 per cent of councils are against the idea of docking the housing benefit of antisocial neighbours, a consultation by the government has.... more
(03 February 2004 12:27)

Tuesday 3 February 2004
Fathers continue their protest. Two care workers sacked more
(03 February 2004 11:56)

Employers reject pay claim as 'unrealistic'
Local government employers have branded a joint pay claim from unions representing local government workers as “unrealistic and unaffordable”, .... more
(02 February 2004 16:22)

Monday 2 February 2004
Ryanair must compensate wheelchair user. Drug may be cause of wrong Munchausen's diagnosis. more
(02 February 2004 09:59)