Articles by Date : July 01 2003 - July 31 2003

Photo synthesis
Photographs are powerful things. For most of us they are a record of our lives – captured moments and incidents that are either disposable (like some.... more
(28 July 2003 16:05)

Family fails in court battle for extra bedroom for son with learning difficulties
A family has failed in its high court bid to get a council grant to build an extra bedroom in their home for their 12-year-old son who has Asperger’s.... more
(28 July 2003 14:58)

Leaders fear agenda for change
Local government leaders have raised major concerns about the implications of the Wanless review of health and social care in Wales, writes Alex.... more
(28 July 2003 12:51)

Curran leads attack on antisocial behaviour
Scotland’s new minister for communities, Margaret Curran, makes no apologies for her tough stance on antisocial behaviour. But even the police are.... more
(28 July 2003 11:59)

Slow climb for equipment
A major effort is under way to improve the provision of equipment for older people and disabled people. Here, the leader of the government's.... more
(17 July 2003 00:00)

Monday 28 July 2003
Fears grow that missing girl intended to copy suicide of two friends. Sex attacker to be banned from owning toys used to groom children. more
(28 July 2003 10:00)

Friday 25 July 2003
NSPCC official suspended and older man leaves £1m to charity. more
(25 July 2003 10:11)

Review says asylum support service is failing in purpose and direction
The government has failed to make public details of a critical review of the National Asylum Support Service, a move that only underlines its.... more
(24 July 2003 00:00)

Fines to pave way for care investment
Shrewsbury social services are pioneering an agreement with a hospital trust to invest delayed discharge fines in intermediate care. more
(24 July 2003 00:00)

Animosity but also success in Sweden
Fines for delayed discharge could improve the life expectancy of older people, reduce the number of hospital admissions and save money to invest in.... more
(24 July 2003 00:00)

Hackney impasse threatens units
Two mental health residential units could face closure because of a disagreement over which council department should provide funding, it has been.... more
(24 July 2003 00:00)

Education may take social services cash
Social services budgets could be raided to subsidise increased education spending as a result of stricter schools funding guidelines announced by the.... more
(24 July 2003 00:00)

Bill will 'not breach human rights law'
A Joint Committee on Human Rights report has concluded that the implementation of the draft Mental Incapacity Bill would not be a breach of human.... more
(24 July 2003 00:00)

Tribunal turns down care home appeal
The Care Standards Tribunal has rejected an appeal by learning difficulties charity Alternative Futures against the National Care Standards.... more
(24 July 2003 00:00)

Charities insist antisocial behaviour bill is in breach of children's rights
Sections of the government's proposed Antisocial Behaviour Bill could contravene both the Children Act 1989 and the Human Rights Act 1998, according.... more
(24 July 2003 00:00)

Social workers take industrial action
Approved social workers in Derbyshire are due to take industrial action in a dispute over pay and grading. more
(24 July 2003 00:00)

Hope for change in public attitudes
The Wanless review of health and social care in Wales could help raise the low public and political profile of social work, Welsh health and social.... more
(24 July 2003 00:00)

Single voice urged in domiciliary sector
Domiciliary care needs a single national voice and a workforce planning strategy if it is to gain a higher profile and solve its recruitment and.... more
(24 July 2003 00:00)

High-performing Cornwall set to bail out struggling health care providers
Cornwall Council may use new financial freedoms gained from performing well under the comprehensive performance assessment to lend £8m to five local.... more
(24 July 2003 00:00)

Hospitals rebuked on use of seclusion
Two hospitals were wrong to disregard the Mental Health Act 1983's code of practice on the use of seclusion, the hospital equivalent of solitary.... more
(24 July 2003 00:00)

Support for young who arrive alone
Baaf Adoption and Fostering is to develop an information and advice service for unaccompanied asylum seeker children and young people in foster care. more
(24 July 2003 00:00)

Commission pressurises councils over better race equality policies
Councils that perform badly on race equality might be prevented from getting an "excellent" rating in their comprehensive performance assessment,.... more
(24 July 2003 00:00)

Extent of unmet need revealed
More than a quarter of refugee and asylum-seeking children have significant unmet mental health needs, research published this week reveals. more
(24 July 2003 00:00)

Huge bill for care payment errors
The Department of Health has allocated about £300m to compensate people who have been wrongly made to pay for their long-term care more
(24 July 2003 00:00)

Bodies want boost for natural leaders
Two leading voluntary organisations are calling for a cash boost to help promote much-needed leadership skills within the sector. more
(24 July 2003 00:00)

Families framework pilots are sought
Councils with social services responsibilities are being invited to bid to become pilots for the Department for Education and Skills' new framework.... more
(24 July 2003 00:00)

NSPCC suspends abuse trial witness
The NSPCC has suspended a staff member over his role as a character witness in a court case involving a man found innocent of sexually abusing.... more
(24 July 2003 00:00)

Death inquiry urges review of funding
An inquiry into the death of an 88-year-old woman soon after she was moved to a new care home has called for a national independent review of social.... more
(24 July 2003 00:00)

Solitary outlawed for young people
Prisons can no longer put young people in solitary confinement as punishment. more
(24 July 2003 00:00)

Whose life is it anyway?
As the genetics juggernaut rolls inexorably on, is society concerned enough about its implications for disabled people? Consultant Steve Dowson.... more
(24 July 2003 00:00)

Active ingredients
Care homes could be doing more to ensure that older people remain active and so help maintain good physical and mental health, writes consultant Alan.... more
(24 July 2003 00:00)

First port of call
The government's first induction centre for asylum seekers has been operational for a year and a half. Anabel Unity Sale gained exclusive access to.... more
(24 July 2003 00:00)

Vision welcomed but doubts over training, register, committees persist
The government's ideas show the influence of the sector's own thinking in the wake of the Victoria Climbie Report, but reservations remain in.... more
(24 July 2003 00:00)

Trusts target disabled children
A quarter of children's trusts will initially focus on providing services for disabled children. more
(24 July 2003 00:00)

Directors doubt age judgement accuracy
The Association of Directors of Social Services has warned of the difficulties in determining the age of asylum seekers after the High Court ruled.... more
(24 July 2003 00:00)

Guardians' service running 'close to disaster', say MPs in damning report
The Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service has been operating "close to disaster", the parliamentary inquiry into the organisation's.... more
(24 July 2003 00:00)

A profession in need of surgery
The crisis of low pay and poor morale in social care can be overcome only through radical solutions, argues Chris Tansley. more
(24 July 2003 00:00)

Wake up to our needs
Social services are adept at putting up barriers to disabled people, says service user Carol Jenkin. more
(24 July 2003 00:00)

McTernan on politics
The government's drive towards communitarianism has one major flaw - apathy. more
(24 July 2003 00:00)

Scandal that school tax breaks persist
Yvonne Roberts bemoans a lost chance to deprive private schools of their undeserved tax privileges. more
(24 July 2003 00:00)

Delay in Liverpool work placements
Students in Liverpool studying for their social work diploma have experienced "stress and frustration" waiting for the city's social services.... more
(24 July 2003 00:00)

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

No room for rehab
Our prisons are old and overcrowded, and their inmates often experience bad conditions, violence and poor health services. So how can they be.... more
(24 July 2003 00:00)

Unified assessments fail to convince
Most visitors to Community Care 's website believe a unified assessment process for children at risk is not likely to work in practice. more
(24 July 2003 00:00)

Give us the whole truth
Immigration minister Beverley Hughes has conceded that the National Asylum Support Service, responsible for supporting and dispersing asylum seekers,.... more
(24 July 2003 00:00)

A failure of leadership
A House of Commons committee has just published a damning report on the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service, which appoints.... more
(24 July 2003 00:00)

Thursday 24 July 2004
Parents to check childminders' history and ministy admits illegal workers are out of control. more
(24 July 2003 10:16)

More than one in 10 young offenders contemplate suicide
Eleven per cent of young offenders have contemplated committing suicide and one in 10 have deliberately hurt themselves, according to a Youth Justice.... more
(23 July 2003 17:34)

Councils could face bill of millions for mental health aftercare
Social services authorities could be faced with bills for millions of pounds reimbursing mental health sufferers who have been incorrectly charged.... more
(24 July 2003 00:00)

NSPCC suspends abuse trial witness
The NSPCC has suspended a staff member over his role as a character witness in a court case involving a man found innocent of sexually abusing.... more
(24 July 2003 00:00)