Articles by Date : July 01 2003 - July 31 2003

Draft incapacity 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
(23 July 2003 11:59)

MPs say Cafcass close to disaster
The Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service has been operating “close to disaster”, the parliamentary inquiry into the organisation’s.... more
(23 July 2003 00:00)

New system for children's services to be piloted
Councils with social services responsibilities are being invited by the department for education and skills to bid to become pilots for the.... more
(23 July 2003 11:50)

Wednesday 23 July 2003
Home secretary announces extension of restorative justice schemes. Woman convicted of murdering grandmother after sister taped confession. more
(23 July 2003 09:57)

New antisocial behaviour bill 'contravenes' other acts
Sections of the government’s proposed Antisocial Behaviour Bill could contravene both the Children’s Act 1989 and the Human Rights Act 1998,.... more
(22 July 2003 10:42)

Another Welsh council given critical review
A joint review of Bridgend social services, which highlights that the department has uncertain prospects for improvement, is the latest critical.... more
(22 July 2003 15:13)

Disabled children are focus for nearly quarter of children's trusts
Eight out of the 35 children's trusts will initially focus on providing services for disabled children to prevent them from having to undergo.... more
(22 July 2003 14:56)

Scheme cuts reoffending by people with mental health problems
A Revolving Doors Agency rehabilitative scheme has reduced reconviction rates among people caught up in the criminal justice system with mental.... more
(22 July 2003 14:45)

Tuesday 22 July 2003
Rate of cot death murders 'exaggerated'. Mother told she is too old to take child to playgroup. more
(22 July 2003 09:59)

Warning of human rights breaches in Anti-Social Behaviour Bill
A coalition of thirteen major children’s charities have obtained legal advice that the Anti-Social Behaviour Bill contains significant breaches of.... more
(21 July 2003 18:10)

Name change mooted for childminders
Childminders are set to change their name later this year. more
(21 July 2003 18:09)

High hardship risk for children in 3+ families
Families with three or more children are nearly twice as likely to be living “in hardship” as one or two child families, according to new research.... more
(21 July 2003 18:07)

Inquiry report calls for national funding review after older woman's death
An inquiry into the death if an 88-year-old woman who died less than two weeks after being moved to a new care home because the council could not.... more
(21 July 2003 17:09)

Draft proposals for new mental incapacity laws published
An outline of the main legal provisions in the bill more
(21 July 2003 16:00)

Climbie inquiry cost nearly £4m
The Victoria Climbie Inquiry cost £3.8 million, children and young people’s minister Margaret Hodge revealed this week in the House of Commons. more
(21 July 2003 16:38)

People moves
All the latest new appointments in the social care sector. more
(21 July 2003 00:01)

Monday 21 July 2003
Girl tortured to death by father's partner. Vicar jailed for sex abuse of girls. more
(21 July 2003 09:57)

Exclusive: Mental health 'tsar' admits services suffer from institutional racism
As the inquiry into the death of another black patient in psychiatric care nears fruition, Katie Leason looks at what is being done and talks to the.... more
(17 July 2003 00:00)

Capped budgets threaten schemes
Schemes for vulnerable people in Wales could be abandoned after being allocated inadequate funding by the Welsh assembly, the social housing sector.... more
(17 July 2003 00:00)

Racism remains rife
Comment on impact of Race Relations (Amendment) Act more
(17 July 2003 00:00)

Deadlock in duty team pay battle
Birmingham social services department and its emergency duty team are locked in a battle over pay, which has seen EDT staff refusing to carry out.... more
(17 July 2003 00:00)

Council chief takes over social services
Northamptonshire Council's chief executive is to assume responsibility for social services in response to Lord Laming's report into the death of.... more
(17 July 2003 00:00)

Publicity needed for advocacy services
Ronald Waterhouse has called for advocacy services for vulnerable children to be publicised, arguing that many children are still unaware of how to.... more
(17 July 2003 00:00)

Expelled student seeks damages
A woman from Devon claims she was thrown off a social work course in September 1999 after her local council informed her university that her son had.... more
(17 July 2003 00:00)

Policies worsen health of those with HIV, say Lords and MPs
A "complete lack" of communication between the Home Office, the National Asylum Support Service and social services departments could result in the.... more
(17 July 2003 00:00)

'Community worries must be addressed'
The government's failure to address local concerns about the resettlement of asylum seekers is contributing to ill feeling and hostility, a new.... more
(17 July 2003 00:00)

'On your bike' in Yorkshire
More young people in Yorkshire will be able to look for jobs easily or attend college thanks to the expansion of a moped hire scheme. more
(17 July 2003 00:00)

Poll reveals targets for public prejudice
Asylum seekers, refugees, travellers and Roma people are the groups the public is most prejudiced against, according to a major new survey of public.... more
(17 July 2003 00:00)

Rise to the challenge
Comment on leaked government response to Climbie report. more
(17 July 2003 00:00)

Policy partners
Local authorities in Wales are facing the twin challenges of recruitment and modernisation. What strategies are they adopting to meet these.... more
(17 July 2003 00:00)

Regulations that drive out carers
It is adult placement schemes that should be registered rather than individual carers, says Sian Lockwood. more
(17 July 2003 00:00)

Spiritual awakening
Sue Holt describes how mental health staff found it difficult to deal with her becoming a Christian. more
(17 July 2003 00:00)

Deprived areas set to gain resources
Heavy hints that the government might allocate funds for every deprived area in the country to help them develop a local strategic partnership have.... more
(17 July 2003 00:00)

Forum wants time for partnerships
Urban Forum will push the government to give the 88 most deprived areas with local strategic partnerships more time to achieve their aims. more
(17 July 2003 00:00)

Climbie inquiry cost nearly £4m
The Victoria Climbie Inquiry cost £3.8 million, children and young people’s minister Margaret Hodge revealed this week in the House of Commons. more
(18 July 2003 15:57)

Top rating to be held back from councils failing on race equality
Councils that score badly on race equality may in the future be prevented from gaining an ‘excellent’ rating in their comprehensive performance.... more
(18 July 2003 15:53)

Unchecked cruelty
Letter from Bulgaria: Amnesty International's Ivan Fiser reports on an inquiry's failure to bring prosecutions or recommend safeguards to prevent.... more
(17 July 2003 00:00)

'Education must target young men'
The Independent Advisory Group on Teenage Pregnancy has urged the government to increase its efforts to lower conception rates by targeting.... more
(17 July 2003 00:00)

Sun sets on ageism
Legislators are waking up to our ageing population leading to action on age discrimination. But, predictably, unions and employers are unable to face.... more
(17 July 2003 00:00)

Price of good health too high for the poor
The state is stealing 10 years from a man's life simply because of his birth and upbringing. more
(17 July 2003 00:00)

Dividends of devolution
Alex Dobson looks at how Wales is developing its own vision of how health and social care can be improved, but still must implement Westminster.... more
(17 July 2003 00:00)

Behind the headlines
Deputy prime minister John Prescott was in typical fighting form when he told the Local Government Association annual conference earlier this month.... more
(17 July 2003 00:00)

Research into practice
Studies show that rural communities have higher rates of supporting people with dementia at home than urban areas, writes Jill Manthorpe. more
(17 July 2003 00:00)

Friday 18 July 2003
Former marine denies sexual contact with Shevaun. New deal for disabled people extended. more
(18 July 2003 09:56)

Minister targets care home crisis as priority
Social care minister Stephen Ladyman has pledged to tackle the crisis in the care and residential home sector, writes Derren Hayes. more
(17 July 2003 16:38)

Director appeals for culture training for social workers
Social work training does not include enough teaching on cultural issues, according to a social services director, writes Sally Gillen. more
(17 July 2003 16:34)

Exclusive: Department of health accused of racism
The department of health has been accused of watering down a critical report into the state of mental health services for people from black and.... more
(17 July 2003 00:00)

Thursday 17 July 2003
Pupils bribed with burgers to stop them playing truant. Shevaun returns home to family. more
(17 July 2003 10:04)

So what went wrong?
The children’s guardians service is in a mess. Derren Hayes finds out why from Susan Bindman, the former head of the guardians’ professional.... more
(14 July 2003 10:39)

Exclusive: Draft government response to Laming report leaked to Community Care
Area child protection committees will be scrapped and the child protection register phased out under proposals in the children’s green paper,.... more
(17 July 2003 00:00)