Articles by Date : April 01 2003 - April 30 2003

The drugs time bomb is ticking
The Scottish executive has so far failed to appreciate the scope of the drug problem facing Glasgow, writes Iona Colvin. more
(10 April 2003 00:00)

Monday 14 April 2003
Ian Huntley and Maxine Carr appear in court together for the first time. more
(14 April 2003 10:04)

Councils warned on housing contracts
Local authorities must not change their contracts with housing associations that provide supported housing without proper negotiation, a senior.... more
(10 April 2003 00:00)

Move to confront truancy stepped up
Measures to improve behaviour and attendance at schools, including additional truancy sweeps and electronic registration schemes, have been announced. more
(10 April 2003 00:00)

Delay to new care managers awards
The government target for all residential child care managers to hold both a recognised care award and a recognised management award by 2005 is.... more
(10 April 2003 00:00)

Shared database to help co-ordination
The Local Services Inspectorate Forum is developing a shared database among the different inspectorates involved in inspecting local authorities in.... more
(10 April 2003 00:00)

New exam targets branded 'insulting'
Looked-after children's organisations have branded the government's revised targets for improving the educational performance of children in care as.... more
(10 April 2003 00:00)

Support staff 'key' to intermediate care
Care and support workers are essential to building intermediate care capacity, a conference on tackling delayed discharges was told last week. more
(10 April 2003 00:00)

Number of orders lower than forecast
Just six antisocial behaviour orders were issued in Greater London in the year to September 2002. more
(10 April 2003 00:00)

Legal victory for autistic residents
A residential home for adults with autism has overturned a local authority's noise nuisance order that banned six autistic people from using their.... more
(10 April 2003 00:00)

Unison underlines pressure in Scotland
Unison Scotland has hit out at the problems social work staff face and is calling for a full-scale review. more
(10 April 2003 00:00)

New penalty aims to punish and reform
A new community penalty aimed at 18 to 20-year-old young offenders was launched by the home office last week to provide an effective alternative to.... more
(10 April 2003 00:00)

Just a council cock-up, on the surface
A man who waited 12 months to have a disabled parking bay outside his home watched in horror last week as the road was resurfaced the day after it.... more
(10 April 2003 00:00)

Slender majority reject Iraq war
Fifty-four per cent of visitors to Community Care's website believe BASW and the Association of Directors of Social Services should voice the.... more
(10 April 2003 00:00)

Two new care trusts go live
Two new mental health care trusts went live this week, increasing the number of care trusts to seven. more
(10 April 2003 00:00)

Laming report lifts public confidence
Public confidence in child protection workers has increased since Lord Laming's report into the death of Victoria Climbie. more
(10 April 2003 00:00)

Delayed discharge bill becomes law
The Community Care (Delayed Discharges) Bill became law this week after receiving royal assent. more
(10 April 2003 00:00)

Profession urged to oppose war in Iraq
The social work profession must make its voice heard and take a stand against the war in Iraq, the annual meeting of the British Association of.... more
(10 April 2003 00:00)

Care home owners face hike in fees
Care providers are having to pay more to register with the National Care Standards Commission. more
(10 April 2003 00:00)

Judge sounds early intervention alert
Resources for the government's early intervention initiatives to target children at risk must be directed at "joint endeavours" rather than.... more
(10 April 2003 00:00)

Voluntary groups improve access
The Department of Health has set up a £9m direct payments development fund to finance partnerships between councils and the voluntary sector, aimed.... more
(10 April 2003 00:00)

Allegations against company unproven
An inquiry has cleared a firm that houses asylum seekers of intimidation, breaching people's human rights and providing inadequate accommodation. more
(10 April 2003 00:00)

Social workers 'best placed' to fill support role, as Lord Hunt puts onus on councils
Adoption UK believes the role of the adoption support key worker would be best filled by a qualified social worker. more
(10 April 2003 00:00)

Post-adoption bill could be enormous
Local authorities could be hit with a huge bill for providing post-adoption support services when the Adoption and Children Act 2002 comes into force.... more
(10 April 2003 00:00)

Study condemns shortage of secure places for young offenders in Wales
Wales is suffering from "unacceptable" shortages in secure accommodation for young people, according to a new report on youth offending. more
(10 April 2003 00:00)

Criticism of long-term care charges prompts thousands to seek redress
Nearly 2,500 people have contacted the health service ombudsman after she criticised four health authorities for failing to pay for individuals'.... more
(10 April 2003 00:00)

Treatment of black people suffering mental health problems questioned
At least 27 black people have died in psychiatric care since 1980, but the actual figure could be far higher. more
(10 April 2003 00:00)

Inspectors criticise five immigration centres for providing poor services
Immigration centres housing unsuccessful asylum seekers are failing to provide appropriate mental health care for detainees or adequate services for.... more
(10 April 2003 00:00)

Judges tell MPs why the children's guardian service is going downhill
The Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service is failing to improve services for children, families and the courts, a committee of MPs.... more
(10 April 2003 00:00)

Practice teaching - faces uncertainty
Lecturer Aidan Worsley argues that practice teaching could be undermined by the planned changes in social work training in England. more
(10 April 2003 00:00)

Care and Treatment of the Mentally Ill in North Wales
By Pamela Michael. more
(10 April 2003 00:00)

Hard Work. Life in Low-Pay Britain
By Polly Toynbee. more
(10 April 2003 00:00)

Women only
Services for women with mental health problems tend to ignore their specific needs such as child care or female-only wards. Sarah Wellard reports on.... more
(10 April 2003 00:00)

Three paths, one destination
There are three routes that are used by practitioners to compulsorily treat young people with severe mental illness. Psychiatrist Anne Thompson.... more
(10 April 2003 00:00)

Beggars belief
By enlisting the criminal justice system to treat drug users, the government risks setting up people to fail, says charity worker Ellie Lewis. more
(10 April 2003 00:00)

It's not a race, but...
Scotland seems to be accelerating away from England in terms of social care policy. Natalie Valios and Anabel Unity Sale argue that Scotland's.... more
(10 April 2003 00:00)

Gender blindness
The mental health system should do more to recognise the specific needs of women, but there should also be more emphasis placed on therapeutic.... more
(10 April 2003 00:00)

Divide, rule, exclude
New mental health service users need skills and confidence to deal with professionals, says Peter Beresford. more
(10 April 2003 00:00)

A national disgrace
Chief inspector of prisons Anne Owers says that some of the asylum seekers detained in immigration centres will previously have been imprisoned.... more
(10 April 2003 00:00)

McTernan on politics
Experiences from the new east European democracies could serve post-war Iraq well. more
(10 April 2003 00:00)

Brave or wrong stand?
In our latest web poll more than half of those voting believed that organisations representing social care, such as the British Association of Social.... more
(10 April 2003 00:00)

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

Government rejects MPs' claims of false accusations of abuse
The government has rejected a claim by the home affairs select committee that large numbers of care workers employed in children’s homes have been.... more
(11 April 2003 16:50)

Budget “disappointing” on child poverty
Moves in last week’s budget to make it easier for lone parents to move into work were welcomed by child welfare organisations, but there was also.... more
(10 April 2003 17:48)

Rise in children in custody highlights government failure
The government is failing in its own stated policy aim to limit the number of children being sentenced to custody, according to a report by.... more
(11 April 2003 13:31)

Minister depressed after visit to secure juvenile unit
Home office minister Hilary Benn admitted that visiting a secure juvenile establishment was the most depressing moment of his life, writes Clare.... more
(11 April 2003 13:34)

Friday 11 April 2003
Man jailed for life for torturing and killing girlfriend's baby daughter. more
(11 April 2003 09:52)

Spot fines for 16 and 17 year olds confirmed
Sixteen and seventeen year olds will be subject to fixed penalty notices for a range of misdemeanours including noise nuisance, truancy and graffiti.... more
(10 April 2003 17:48)

Debate on whether it is acceptable to use affectionate names with service users
We asked people for their views on acceptable terms to use with service users. We asked if it was acceptable to use affectionate words like 'darling'.... more
(10 April 2003 16:01)

Councils forecast target failures in some services
Local authorities are not expecting to meet all their targets in key areas, according to a mid-year report from the Social Services Inspectorate, .... more
(10 April 2003 15:05)