Articles by Date : March 01 2004 - March 31 2004

Government sets out plans for youth justice system
Legislation to establish a new Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Order as a robust alternative to custody for serious or persistent offenders.... more
(08 March 2004 17:36)

OFT fees investigation "too narrow"
Care home organisations have hit out at the Office of Fair Trading’s decision not to cover fees paid by local authorities for publicly funded clients.... more
(08 March 2004 17:13)

Social workers in Caleb Ness case cleared
No disciplinary action will be taken against the five Edinburgh city social workers involved in the Caleb Ness case, writes Maggie Wood . more
(08 March 2004 17:05)

Plans to protect children from domestic violence unveiled
Measures to protect children from domestic violence have been announced by the government. more
(05 March 2004 17:03)

Children Bill "only the start", LGA warns
The children’s bill is only the start of the process required to improve outcomes for children and there is no room for complacency, delegates at a.... more
(05 March 2004 16:00)

Government's response to Green Paper consultation published
The government revealed this week that local flexibility and investment were the main concerns that were raised in the consultation on the Children’s.... more
(05 March 2004 16:36)

Monday 8 March 2004
Police admit vetting failure over Huntley Child murders could rise, doctors warn more
(08 March 2004 09:58)

Debate on whether staff in three star authorities should be rewarded
We asked people:- Should staff working for three-star authorities be rewarded with bonuses or incentives? more
(05 March 2004 17:50)

Fee rise to cover nursing costs
Payments to cover nursing services for NHS-funded residents of care homes have been raised by the Department of Health. more
(04 March 2004 00:00)

Councils to share cash for minors
Money for councils with large numbers of unaccompanied asylum seekers about to turn 18 will be shared among 20 local authorities, the government has.... more
(04 March 2004 00:00)

Flexibility is key to Children’s Bill
The Children’s Bill due to be published this week is expected to introduce greater flexibility than originally planned around the role of children’s.... more
(04 March 2004 15:59)

Teenage girls in suicide pact
Two teenage girls who jumped from a tower-block in a suicide pact had self-harmed and received psychiatric treatment in the year leading up to their.... more
(05 March 2004 15:11)

Roots of quality
In the second of two articles, Lancashire social services' David Burnham looks at how the expectations of service users provide the roots to the.... more
(04 March 2004 00:00)

Passport to independence?
In the second of our features on sensory impairment, charity campaigns manager Dan Vale looks at whether registration has benefited blind and.... more
(04 March 2004 00:00)

Agencies united
Are disabled children and their families feeling the benefit of better multi-agency working? Recent research suggests they are. By David Abbott,.... more
(04 March 2004 00:00)

Rules of engagement
Voluntary organisations are having to work more closely with the statutory sector. Ade Adeagbo suggests some guidelines for avoiding conflict. more
(04 March 2004 00:00)

Friday 5 March 2004
Children Bill published Government fails to tackle rise in teenage pregnancies more
(05 March 2004 09:59)

Halt! who goes there?
The asylum bill currently going through the House of Commons proposes to remove the right of appeal to a higher court. Amy Taylor explains what lies.... more
(04 March 2004 00:00)

Clients missing out on direct payments
Ill-informed care managers are restricting the uptake of direct payments by clients, a report by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation has found. more
(04 March 2004 00:00)

Assessments still taking too long
Social services departments are still struggling to assess older people's needs within 48 hours of first contact, new figures reveal. more
(04 March 2004 00:00)

'Measures may put children on streets'
Many children could end up homeless and sleeping rough because of measures in the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants etc) Bill, social.... more
(04 March 2004 00:00)

Children Bill published
The long- awaited Children Bill setting out reforms to children’s services were announced today by education secretary Charles Clarke, writes Clare.... more
(04 March 2004 11:16)

Clarke admits resources needed to fund measures in Children Bill
Charles Clarke has admitted that more money was needed to support the government’s proposals outlined in the Children Bill published this week, .... more
(04 March 2004 19:00)

Television review - Road Trip
Channel 4, Friday 20 February. more
(04 March 2004 00:00)

Huge backing for tax replacement
Ninety per cent of visitors to Community Care 's website thought that a more effective means of funding local services than council tax was needed. more
(04 March 2004 00:00)

Public order Schools may spurn new power to fine
Youth offending teams, local education authorities and the police will get more powers this week to deal with truancy and antisocial behaviour in and.... more
(04 March 2004 00:00)

'Lack of funds will hamper treatment'
Alcohol organisations have expressed fears that the imminent Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy will not be accompanied by additional funds. more
(04 March 2004 00:00)

Court action will test discriminatory fostering payments to kinship carers
Despite a 2001 court ruling that a local authority was wrong to pay kinship carers less than other foster carers as a matter of policy, the practice.... more
(04 March 2004 00:00)

'Weight benefits for high-cost living'
A "London weighting" adjustment for people on benefits would help reduce child poverty in the capital, says the Association of London Government. more
(04 March 2004 00:00)

Data-sharing 'vital to tracking project'
Common protocols should be created to allow basic information on vulnerable children to be shared across local authority boundaries, the manager of.... more
(04 March 2004 00:00)

MPs to order shake-up on issuing death certificates in nursing homes
MPs are set to demand that GPs check the bodies of nursing home residents when they die for signs of abuse or neglect. more
(04 March 2004 00:00)

Cash boost to fight substance abuse
Projects to reduce drug and alcohol abuse and teenage pregnancy in some of the UK's most disadvantaged areas have been given £1.6m by the government. more
(04 March 2004 00:00)

Begging crackdown 'causing mistrust'
An "audit" of beggars in the City of Westminster has been condemned by a homelessness charity as creating a "culture of mistrust and suspicion". more
(04 March 2004 00:00)

Hodge backs call for sleepover rights
Looked-after children will be given the same freedom as those living with their own families to stay overnight in their friends' homes. more
(04 March 2004 00:00)

Council denies TV bullying claims
Pembrokeshire Council has hit back at allegations of bully-boy management tactics and under-funding in social services. more
(04 March 2004 00:00)

Housing federation demands more clarity on housing-related support
A clearer definition of housing-related support is needed in the wake of the review into the Supporting People programme, the head of care at the.... more
(04 March 2004 00:00)

Disadvantaged need support, says Trust
The government, industry and the voluntary sector should do more to help disadvantaged young people, urged the Prince's Trust this week . more
(04 March 2004 00:00)

Directors' alarm at Edinburgh plans
Plans to restructure social services at Edinburgh Council would make it "possible and even likely" that outcomes for children would be damaged, the.... more
(04 March 2004 00:00)

'Inspect prisons for equality measures'
A specialist team of race equality inspectors should be set up to investigate whether prisons and young offenders institutions comply with race.... more
(04 March 2004 00:00)

Study spells out dangers for strategy
More than 600,000 child care places have been created in England since the National Childcare Strategy was launched in 1998 but their long-term.... more
(04 March 2004 00:00)

Social services accused of failing to liaise with police over Huntley
Social services did not pass on concerns to police that Ian Huntley was having a sexual relationship with a pair of school friends, the Bichard.... more
(04 March 2004 00:00)

'Local and national action is needed'
Local authorities and primary care trusts need to play a greater role in improving the population's health, says a government-commissioned report.... more
(04 March 2004 00:00)

Nottingham deal follows new ruling
Approved social workers at Nottingham Council have called off their proposed strike after reaching an agreement with the local authority over.... more
(04 March 2004 00:00)

Consortium failure hits Newport funds
The collapse of the Welsh Consortium for Refugees and Asylum Seekers has left Newport Council with a bill for £160,000. more
(04 March 2004 00:00)

Bill voted through Commons intact despite MPs' cross-party opposition
The government's controversial plans to reduce the appeal rights of asylum seekers and remove their entitlement to benefits made it through the House.... more
(04 March 2004 00:00)

Children Bill background information
We set the scene for the Children Bill with a look back at the main elements of the green paper on children 'Every Child Matters', and summarise the.... more
(04 March 2004 12:36)

No shocks from Bennett inquiry
The NHS is lagging behind the Metropolitan Police in the way it deals with racism in its ranks, writes Claire Felix. more
(04 March 2004 00:00)

Liberal Powellism?
The government is humming along to Enoch's tune with its tinkering with benefits for some migrants and its posturing over asylum seekers. Whatever.... more
(04 March 2004 00:00)

Corporate giving woefully lacking
Business boasts about social responsibility, but it should put its money where its mouth is. more
(04 March 2004 00:00)

Behind the headlines
Our regular panel comments on a topic in the news: this week, can industrial disputes that affect vulnerable people be justified? more
(04 March 2004 00:00)