Articles by Date : May 01 2003 - May 31 2003

Crossover culture
Across the UK, health and social care professionals have been co-operating on innovative projects. We look at some examples where this joint approach.... more
(15 May 2003 00:00)

Friday 16 May 2003
Teacher sentenced for child porn offences. Thousands of families miss out on tax credits because of chaos at Inland Revenue. more
(16 May 2003 10:09)

Unions call for more pay, not tax credits
There should be a local government minimum wage of £6.50 an hour to allow workers to earn a "living wage" without dependence on tax credits, trade.... more
(15 May 2003 00:00)

Top managers need to be 'more open'
Directors of social services and council chief executives must work towards creating a "culture of openness and effective communication" at all.... more
(15 May 2003 00:00)

Carers feel autism services are poor
More than half of carers for people with autism and Asperger's syndrome have found getting support from social services difficult, and a further 40.... more
(15 May 2003 00:00)

Refugee groups welcome MPs report but worried over 'unrest' comments
Refugee campaigners raised concerns this week about the opening remarks in a home affairs select committee's report on asylum removals, which said.... more
(15 May 2003 00:00)

Commission aims to revamp guidelines
Changes need to be made to the national minimum care standards to cut paperwork, provide better protection for children and close loopholes that.... more
(15 May 2003 00:00)

MPs blast indecision over children's tsar
MPs have slammed the government's indecision over appointing a children's commissioner for England. more
(15 May 2003 00:00)

Secure training units receive £1m penalty
Three privately run secure training centres have received financial penalties of more than £1m as a result of contract failures, including the.... more
(15 May 2003 00:00)

Charities applaud move to limit councils' use of B&B accommodation
The government has confirmed plans to impose a legal duty on councils to find families in bed and breakfast accommodation a permanent home within six.... more
(15 May 2003 00:00)

Majority want more pay for specialists
Fifty-eight per cent of the visitors to Community Care 's website agree with the local government employers' submission to the Pay Commission that.... more
(15 May 2003 00:00)

Groups given rescue package by Blunkett
The home secretary has again stepped in to save a number of voluntary organisations from closure, it was announced this week. more
(15 May 2003 00:00)

Community Care scoops top prizes
Community Care scooped the Magazine of the Year 2003 award at the industry's oscars at the Grosvenor House Hotel, in London, last week. more
(15 May 2003 00:00)

Human rights battle on seclusion policy
The health secretary will intervene in an appeal court case this week over the Mental Health Act's code of practice regarding decisions on the use of.... more
(15 May 2003 00:00)

Church homes' bail out sparks anger
Private care home owners have reacted angrily to reports that local authorities may be about to bail out struggling Church of Scotland homes. more
(15 May 2003 00:00)

Social workers warned not to plead conscience clause in same-sex cases
Adoption groups have warned that social workers should not be allowed to refuse to work on cases involving same-sex couples because of their.... more
(15 May 2003 00:00)

Processing system is 'catastrophic'
Immigration minister Beverley Hughes has admitted that the asylum system has been catastrophic in recent years and that the government's inability to.... more
(15 May 2003 00:00)

Benn's rise is good news for Goggins
Paul Goggins, MP for Wythenshawe and Sale East, has been appointed minister for prisons and probation at the Home Office and has also taken on.... more
(15 May 2003 00:00)

Scottish directors protest at agency
Proposals for a national correctional service for Scotland will be met with a vigorous campaign of resistance, the Association of Directors of Social.... more
(15 May 2003 00:00)

No clause for prejudice
Citing religious beliefs, two Sefton social workers refuse to work with same-sex couples who wish to adopt children. What should we make of it? Is it.... more
(15 May 2003 00:00)

The inclusion equation
There can be no doubt of the importance of striving to raise professional standards in social care, build public confidence and ensure that those who.... more
(15 May 2003 00:00)

Working with Young People in Secure Accommodation: From Chaos to Culture
By Jim Rose. more
(15 May 2003 00:00)

Compensaton threat to detention powers
The government could be leaving the NHS open to hundreds of compensation claims from people with mental illness if it decides to include proposals on.... more
(15 May 2003 00:00)

Spot the difference
Equality is the lifeblood of social care and social work. So why do we all look so anaemic? Christine Doorly and Vijay Patel provide a practical.... more
(15 May 2003 00:00)

Extend - yourself
Moves are afoot to extend schools so that they can serve as a central resource for all members of local communities, and not just in term time..... more
(15 May 2003 00:00)

Dope danger too great to ignore
The government needs to warn people about cannabis's link to mental health problems, argues Terry Hammond. more
(15 May 2003 00:00)

Welsh child abuse inquiry resumes
An inquiry into child abuse allegations against a former drama teacher at a school in south Wales, resumed last week. more
(15 May 2003 00:00)

Human resources capability lacking
Two-thirds of small to medium voluntary organisations do not have a dedicated human resources specialist, according to a report commissioned by the.... more
(15 May 2003 00:00)

Ex-social worker appeals over stress
A former social worker who last year failed in a High Court bid to win compensation from the employer she claimed caused her stress-related.... more
(15 May 2003 00:00)

Private care staff have worse deal
Home care staff working for private contractors are paid up to £2 per hour less than their council equivalents, according to research conducted in.... more
(15 May 2003 00:00)

MPs hear guardian service criticism
Experts in children's law have criticised as ineffective the £9m project that was supposed to pave the way for the smooth establishment of the.... more
(15 May 2003 00:00)

McTernan on politics
The new dream, it seems, is reshaping the body rather than reshaping society. more
(15 May 2003 00:00)

Unemployment and overcrowding blight the lives of Muslim families
Almost a fifth of children - including a third of Muslim children - live in households where no adult works, according to new figures from the 2001.... more
(15 May 2003 00:00)

Lib Dems offer blueprint for records bureau, but will government listen?
Increases in both disclosure costs and insurance premiums for registered bodies are the latest problems to dog the beleaguered criminal checks.... more
(15 May 2003 00:00)

Shelter in warning over rent collection
Recommendations from the Audit Commission that social housing providers put more focus on rent collection could lead to more homelessness, housing.... more
(15 May 2003 00:00)

Take-up campaign targets families
A campaign to reduce child poverty by providing local authorities and their partners with guidance to ensure families at risk claim their benefits.... more
(15 May 2003 00:00)

Loose connections
Health and social care experts Vanessa Davey and Melanie Henwood recently gauged the progress of integration between agencies providing services for.... more
(15 May 2003 00:00)

Student accuses charity of bias after assault convictions scupper job offer
A social work student who had a job offer withdrawn after it emerged she had a criminal record has accused her prospective employer of discrimination. more
(15 May 2003 00:00)

Charity hits out at lack of provision for asylum seekers in new strategy
A disability charity has criticised the government's omission of refugees and asylum seekers from a report setting out its strategy for ethnic.... more
(15 May 2003 00:00)

Why are we waiting?
Care proceedings are taking longer and longer to conclude. As a result children are being damaged by the very system that should be helping them,.... more
(15 May 2003 00:00)

A year to make our own
Why aren't more MPs supportive of the European Year of People with Disabilities, asks Richard Exley. more
(15 May 2003 00:00)

Classroom control
Using schools in the evening sounds like an excellent idea. But local people should run the initiatives and clubs rather than let professionals.... more
(15 May 2003 00:00)

Bjorn again
Older people can boost their quality of life by getting to grips with the internet. In our second article on the winners of the Isabel Schwarz Travel.... more
(15 May 2003 00:00)

Research into practice
Neil Thompson looks at research into inequalities in health - a subject which the health sector has woken up to over the past few years. more
(15 May 2003 00:00)

Why Ryan was not allowed to succeed
Yvonne Roberts feels that Ryan Bell has been let down by Downside school in an unpleasant social experiment. more
(15 May 2003 00:00)

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

Thursday 15 May 2003
Fixed penalty notices for yobs are ignored. Headteacher jailed over involvement in internet paedophile ring. more
(15 May 2003 10:03)

Government claims rise of quarter in asylum seeker removals
The government claims nearly a quarter more asylum seekers were removed from Britain in the last year compared to 2001-02. more
(08 May 2003 13:20)

Trade unions call for minimum wage for council staff
Trade unions have recommended a minimum wage of £6.50 an hour to allow local government workers to earn a ‘living wage’ without dependence on tax.... more
(02 May 2003 12:11)

Directors vow to oppose criminal justice reforms in Scotland
Proposals to reform the criminal justice system in Scotland will be resisted by a "vigorous campaign", according to the Association of Directors of.... more
(14 May 2003 11:42)