Articles by Date : March 01 2003 - March 31 2003

Part of the Family: Pathways Through Foster Care
By Gillian Schofield. more
(27 March 2003 11:33)

An unscientific success
Consultations with mental health users are often viewed as "difficult". But, writes researcher Steve Gillard, by deploying a creative, less.... more
(27 March 2003 00:00)

Lack of NHS targets for disabled people leads to unequal treatment
Disabled people are being discriminated against in the NHS as a result of a lack of targets ensuring services meet their needs. more
(27 March 2003 00:00)

Let's pull together
Last summer's Homelessness Act obliges social services departments and housing departments to co-ordinate their work. Brian Moore, a fieldworker with.... more
(27 March 2003 00:00)

A question of honour
Criminology lecturer Aisha Gill looks at the cultural reasons for domestic violence against women in south Asian society and asks whether the.... more
(27 March 2003 00:00)

Exclusive: Care commission under fire after first year
The National Care Standards Commission has come under strong criticism from both care providers and inspectors as its first year of operation draws.... more
(27 March 2003 00:00)

Thursday 27 March 2003
Asylum requests may be handled in Russia. Hundred per cent increase in girls using morning after pill. more
(27 March 2003 09:53)

Take a break
Ruth Winchester looks at respite fostering, which allows a child to go to a carer for a short break while still maintaining the family unit and the.... more
(27 March 2003 00:00)

Credit is not enough
In April, parents of disabled children are to receive more help with child care costs to allow them the option of gaining paid work. But Anabel Unity.... more
(27 March 2003 00:00)

Beggars need faster drugs treatment
The government's plans to tackle begging would amount to "enforcement without care", a London homeless agency said this week. more
(27 March 2003 00:00)

Support programme cuts re-offending
Comprehensive resettlement packages involving intensive, individualised support are essential to prevent juveniles re-offending after they leave.... more
(27 March 2003 00:00)

Books on doctors' orders in Cardiff
Mental health patients in Cardiff are to be offered a choice of 35 self-help books on prescription, under the first scheme of its kind in the UK. more
(27 March 2003 00:00)

Agencies told to consider housing
Social services and health must take into account older people's housing needs when they are assessed, the government's policy lead on the single.... more
(27 March 2003 00:00)

Bankruptcy warning over minimum pay
Care homes could be forced into bankruptcy because of an increase in the minimum wage, the Independent Healthcare Association has warned. more
(27 March 2003 00:00)

Laming spells out role of new agency
Lord Laming has made it clear that his proposal for a national agency to promote the well-being of children is not a children's commissioner by.... more
(27 March 2003 00:00)

'Rushed' Scots bill causes anxiety
The biggest shake-up of mental health legislation in Scotland for 40 years was complete last week after the Mental Health Bill was passed amid.... more
(27 March 2003 00:00)

'Guidance deterred take-up of orders'
The government admitted last week that confusing Home Office guidance for antisocial behaviour orders could have contributed to their low take-up. more
(27 March 2003 00:00)

Ombudsman orders £25,000 pay out
Hertfordshire Council and health authority are set to reimburse more than £25,000 of nursing home fees to a woman after the local government.... more
(27 March 2003 00:00)

Capacity test gets the thumbs down
Visitors to Community Care 's website this week marginally rejected the idea of a capacity test to consent to sex designed to protect people with.... more
(27 March 2003 00:00)

Protest at Downing Street reception
A letter signed by several influential figures in the child care sector has called for the boycott of a reception being held by the National Council.... more
(27 March 2003 00:00)

Young failed by system, says judge
The criminal justice system is failing to deal effectively with young offenders, a High Court judge claimed last week. more
(27 March 2003 00:00)

Funding shortfall 'threatens services'
The government should provide an extra £29m to close Supporting People's funding gap and review its operational problems because they "threaten to.... more
(27 March 2003 00:00)

Public backs drive to regulate sector
Nine out of 10 people believe regulation and registration of the social care workforce will deliver higher standards and improve public protection,.... more
(27 March 2003 00:00)

Greenwich agencies to integrate work
A multi-disciplinary child protection centre is to be developed in Greenwich to integrate the work of different agencies within the borough. more
(27 March 2003 00:00)

MP wants regulation of private sector
Shadow health minister Tim Laughton has launched a campaign to call on the government to regulate the private fostering sector. more
(27 March 2003 00:00)

Council pays up for flawed investigation
Southampton Council has agreed to pay £1,000 to a family after they complained about the way it had dealt with a child abuse allegation in relation.... more
(27 March 2003 00:00)

Professionals need training on new law
Legal experts have voiced fears that adoption professionals may not be receiving proper training on the implications of the Adoption and Children Act.... more
(27 March 2003 00:00)

Care providers accuse standards commission of inaccurate scoring
The National Care Standards Commission has come under strong criticism from care providers and inspectors as its first year of operation draws to a.... more
(27 March 2003 00:00)

Bed-blocking fines get go-ahead as MPs throw out Lords' amendments
Plans to fine social services for the delayed discharge of hospital patients could begin in October, after the House of Commons rejected the April.... more
(27 March 2003 00:00)

Refugee Council criticises social services over hospital discharges
Social services departments are reluctant to provide appropriate help to asylum seekers discharged from hospitals, the Refugee Council claimed last.... more
(27 March 2003 00:00)

Social care's lost voice
The fears of many in social care have been realised: the profession is losing a powerful voice as the Department of Health restructures, before the.... more
(27 March 2003 00:00)

Social care chiefs fear Department of Health plans will sideline sector
Plans to overhaul the Department of Health could damage the status of social care within government, the Association of Directors of Social Services.... more
(27 March 2003 00:00)

It's in the definition
In 1999, an Appeal Court ruling suggested that continuing care for older and disabled people should, in many cases, be paid for by the NHS. Yet, four.... more
(27 March 2003 00:00)

The managerial malaise goes on
Stella Coleman and Brian Corby argue that the Laming report missed an opportunity to reorganise child protection. more
(27 March 2003 00:00)

Rebuilding plans not awesome, just flimsy
Thank goodness for the international links that will survive the carnage in Iraq. more
(27 March 2003 00:00)

All pain and no gain
According to popular wisdom, social security is an open purse ripe for plunder, says Alison Taylor. But, 50 years after being diagnosed with.... more
(27 March 2003 00:00)

Refuge from the bullies
James Jordan, aged 10, describes how bullying by older children has affected his daily routine. more
(27 March 2003 00:00)

McTernan - on politics
Tony Blair has lit a fuse that could blow up his vision of the health service. more
(27 March 2003 00:00)

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

Still to make the grade
When care homes are inspected they are graded on their performance from one at worst to four at best. As the first anniversary of the care standards.... more
(27 March 2003 00:00)

Services fail to target disabled people
Disabled people are being discriminated against in the NHS as a result of a lack of targets ensuring services meet their needs, writes Amy Taylor. more
(26 March 2003 15:57)

Drug plan could put people on streets, MPs warn
MPs have raised concerns that plans to seal ‘crack houses’ could result in other problems, such as increased homelessness, writes Clare Jerrom. more
(26 March 2003 12:46)

Social care could suffer under department changes
Plans to radically overhaul the department of health could damage the status of social care within government, the Association of Directors of Social.... more
(26 March 2003 12:24)

Wednesday 26 March 2003
Store withdraws 'provocative' underwear for children. Charities hit by economic slump. more
(26 March 2003 10:01)

Mental health reform passed 'without adequate scrutiny'
The biggest shake-up of mental health legislation in Scotland for 40 years was passed without enough scrutiny, a leading member of the parliament has.... more
(25 March 2003 17:31)

Delayed discharge fines set to start in October
Plans to fine social services for the delayed discharge of patients from hospital could begin in October, following a vote by MPs to reject the April.... more
(25 March 2003 17:00)

MPs call for private fostering regulation
Shadow health minister Tim Laughton has launched a campaign calling on the government to regulate the private fostering sector, writes Derren.... more
(21 March 2003 13:26)

Tuesday 25 March 2003
Government launches anti-bullying campaign while a bullied 10-year-old is set to sue his school. more
(25 March 2003 10:04)

Government told to meet Supporting People shortfall
The government should provide an extra £29 million to close Supporting People’s funding gap and review the programme’s operational problems because.... more
(25 March 2003 00:00)

Court rules that mental incapacity is not a bar to equal medical treatment
Learning difficulties charities have heralded as a landmark decision last week's ruling by the High Court that people with learning difficulties.... more
(13 March 2003 00:00)