Articles by Date : May 01 2003 - May 31 2003

Inspectors find serious shortcomings in social services at Welsh authority
A highly critical joint review of social services in Blaenau Gwent has found that the authority is not serving people well and has poor prospects for.... more
(14 May 2003 12:15)

Wednesday 14 May 2003
Half of all GPs have been asked to assist with a suicide, and the Isle of Man may soon legalise euthanasia. more
(14 May 2003 09:55)

Staff in the dock
Inquiries into the deaths of children can put enormous pressure on social workers. Janet Foulds of the British Association of Social Workers examines.... more
(08 May 2003 00:00)

Debate on the performance of the National Care Standards Commission
We asked if inspections by the National Care Standards Commission have helped to raise service standards, and whether people have any examples of.... more
(13 May 2003 17:54)

New minister for young people is a former social worker
Paul Goggins has been appointed minister for prisons and probation at the home office, and has also taken on responsibility for young people,.... more
(13 May 2003 16:25)

MPs criticise government for failure to appoint children's commissioner
The government has been criticised for its failure to appoint an independent children's commissioner for England by the parliamentary joint committee.... more
(13 May 2003 14:52)

Excluded young people suffer poor health
Anabel Unity Sale looks at a new study which found many young people suffer severe physical and mental problems from being socially excluded. more
(01 May 2003 00:00)

Religious opt out of gay adoptions 'should be refused'
Adoption groups have warned against allowing social workers to refuse to work on cases if they disagree with adoptions by same sex couples because of.... more
(13 May 2003 12:35)

Government told to reduce detention of child asylum seekers
An influential group of MPs has told the government child asylum seekers should only be detained for short periods, writes Clare Jerrom. more
(09 May 2003 15:42)

Tuesday 13 May 2003
New research shows children just as happy with childminder as mother. Foster father's murder case referred to court of appeal. more
(13 May 2003 09:58)

Helpline to deter youth crime
A new web site and help line aimed at young offenders is launched today. more
(12 May 2003 17:30)

Secure centres for young offenders fined for contract failures
Three privately-run secure training centres have received financial penalties of more than £1 million reflecting contract shortcomings, including.... more
(12 May 2003 17:35)

Parents favour uniforms
Most parents believe school uniform improves discipline, raises standands and reduced peer pressure and bullying, according to a survey published by.... more
(12 May 2003 17:31)

Breastmilk only is best for six months says government
Babies should have nothing but breastmilk for the first six months, according to new government advice. more
(12 May 2003 17:29)

One in three Muslim children lives in workless household
Children from Muslim families are much more likely than the general population to be living in poverty, according to the latest information from the.... more
(12 May 2003 17:27)

Secure centres for young offenders fined for contract failures
Three privately-run secure training centres have received financial penalties of more than £1 million reflecting contract shortcomings, including.... more
(12 May 2003 17:25)

Government told to reduce detention of child asylum seekers
An influential group of MPs has told the government child asylum seekers should only be detained for short periods, writes Clare Jerrom . more
(12 May 2003 17:02)

Carers of people with autism lack support
Over half of carers for people with autism and aspergers syndrome found getting support from social services difficult, and a further 40 per cent.... more
(12 May 2003 16:46)

Nearly one in five children have unemployed parents
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
(12 May 2003 16:27)

Monday 12 May 2003
Race commission chief has no regrets after boy from council estate selected for boarding school is expelled. more
(12 May 2003 10:06)

Commission calls for less red tape to improve standards
Changes need to be made to the national minimum standards to cut paperwork, close loopholes that could threaten people’s quality of care and provide.... more
(09 May 2003 16:44)

Youth Justice: Critical Readings
Edited by John Muncie. more
(08 May 2003 00:00)

Shaping Childcare Practice in Scotland: Key papers on Adoption and Fostering.
Edited by Malcolm Hill. more
(08 May 2003 00:00)

Declaration of independence
New research examines what independence really means to older people. Social policy academic and researcher Caroline Glendinning discusses the.... more
(08 May 2003 00:00)

Social worker appeals against stress compensation refusal
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
(09 May 2003 13:06)

Thursday 8 May 2003
Labour rebels fail to halt foundation hospitals bill. Pete Townshend placed on sex offenders register. more
(08 May 2003 10:05)

Lest we forget
Bosnia may have retreated into the background as more recent conflicts have taken centre stage, but efforts to rebuild its war-ravaged society still.... more
(08 May 2003 00:00)

Weapons of mass reconstruction
The key to rebuilding the social fabric of Iraq after years of turmoil will be harnessing the expertise and enthusiasm of the Iraqi people, reports.... more
(08 May 2003 00:00)

All-American families
Kinship care, in which looked-after children are cared for by members of their extended family rather than the state or foster carers, is on the.... more
(08 May 2003 00:00)

Ploughing a lonely furrow
Finding help for mental health problems outside the main towns can be very difficult. But more outreach workers would help, reports Katie Leason. more
(08 May 2003 00:00)

Where are all the caring people?
Suitable recruits to fostering are declining, mirroring the fall in other caring roles, writes Gill Osborn. more
(08 May 2003 00:00)

Kinship care pioneer
Ian Brown, who developed the idea of fostering by relatives, would have been 100 this year. Despite scepticism, he won over the critics for a time,.... more
(08 May 2003 00:00)

'Protect people with progressive diseases'
New legislation is urgently required to prevent discrimination against people with conditions such as cancer and HIV, the Disability Rights.... more
(08 May 2003 00:00)

Health needs still go unheeded
The health of young people who have survived traumatic childhoods is suffering because professionals are failing to listen to their needs, according.... more
(08 May 2003 00:00)

London life harsh on Bangladeshi women
Bangladeshi women in London experience high levels of poverty, exclusion and discrimination, and one in three cares for a chronically ill partner,.... more
(08 May 2003 00:00)

Shock therapy rules 'not tough enough'
Mental health charity Mind has warned that guidance released this week by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence on the use of shock therapy.... more
(08 May 2003 00:00)

Prisons meet with inspectors' favour
Parc Prison, which holds young offenders and remanded juveniles, is a safe prison poised to move forward and extend its role in south Wales,.... more
(08 May 2003 00:00)

TV stereotypes switch off readers
Eighty-six per cent of visitors to Community Care 's website believe the portrayal of social workers in the media, such as BBC TV's Eastenders ,.... more
(08 May 2003 00:00)

Carers 'Forum must look at private agencies'
The director of social services at North Tyneside Council has called on the government's new National Partnership in Placement Forum to investigate.... more
(08 May 2003 00:00)

'Children should pay for parents' actions'
Children could be excluded from school because of their parents' misbehaviour under proposals put forward by a head teachers' union last week. more
(08 May 2003 00:00)

Poor health linked to bad housing
The British Medical Association has called on the government to create a healthy housing task force this week after a report found that poor housing.... more
(08 May 2003 00:00)

Guardians' warning over inexperience
A group of self-employed children's guardians has told MPs that the quality and standard of employed children's guardians has fallen since the.... more
(08 May 2003 00:00)

New standards to rule out smacking
Childminders must not smack children in their care or smoke in front of them under amended government standards to take effect from September. more
(08 May 2003 00:00)

Disabled workers reject pay offer
General union GMB has dismissed as "a disgrace" a pay offer from Remploy, the organisation that employs thousands of disabled workers across the UK. more
(08 May 2003 00:00)

Data to be shared across services
Families of disabled children with special educational needs will no longer have to repeat their details to a range of professionals working in.... more
(08 May 2003 00:00)

Stepmother on trial for girl's murder
The trial began this week of a woman accused of murdering her four-year-old step stepdaughter who was brought to the UK from Jamaica by her father.... more
(08 May 2003 00:00)

Loss of six Labour seats in Scotland could see social care climb agenda
The Scottish executive could face renewed pressure to improve its social care provision following last week's elections. more
(08 May 2003 00:00)

Courts 'should push parenting orders'
Magistrates should take the lead in increasing the use of parenting orders, Lord Warner urged at a conference in London last week. more
(08 May 2003 00:00)

Ten steps to end Welsh homes crisis
Wales needs to take 10 steps to revive the fortunes of its ailing independent care sector, home owners have urged. more
(08 May 2003 00:00)

Protocols will help keep confidentiality
The government allayed fears last week that regulations designed to encourage joint working between the NHS and councils would lead to problems.... more
(08 May 2003 00:00)