Articles by Date : September 01 2003 - September 30 2003

Every worker matters too
The green paper, Every Child Matters , is set to transform the shape of children’s services in this country. more
(26 September 2003 15:58)

Government wins asylum appeal
Refugee campaigners have expressed their bitter disappointment at the Court of Appeal’s ruling that an asylum seeker forced to sleep rough after.... more
(23 September 2003 16:06)

Government wins asylum appeal
The court of appeal has ruled that a destitute asylum seeker who slept at Heathrow airport was not entitled to government support from the National.... more
(23 September 2003 11:32)

Young lives in limbo
Many children seeking asylum arrive here alone, confused and not even knowing which country they are in. And that is just the start of their.... more
(26 September 2003 15:30)

A winner of battles
Frances Rickford talks to Philippa Russell who helped win disabled children the right to an education and fought hard for a better quality of life.... more
(26 September 2003 14:28)

A suitable allowance
Neil Bateman talks through rules governing how to claim disability living allowance; a vital benefit for those parents with a disabled child. more
(26 September 2003 14:26)

Children's charities welcome closure of MSN chatrooms
The decision by one of the world’s biggest internet providers MSN to close all its chatrooms in the UK and Europe in a bid to protect children from.... more
(26 September 2003 12:19)

Where life is put first
This week is Children’s Hospice Week. Aileen Hunter explains why it matters. more
(26 September 2003 10:47)

Quality engagement
Engaging fathers is seen as crucial to children’s well-being. But how best to do it, asks Jack O’Sullivan. more
(26 September 2003 10:45)

Past tense
Young clients of Haringey youth offending service look back on their crimes and reflect on their hopes for the future. Anita Pati listens. more
(26 September 2003 10:39)

What's the score?
Are any of the preventive approaches to problem drug use among young people proving effective, asks Sarah Wellard. more
(26 September 2003 10:38)

Out of the shadows
Evidence is emerging of a link between being a teenage crime victim and becoming a perpetrator. Mark Hunter reports. more
(26 September 2003 10:35)

Poverty kills
Britain stands near the bottom of the western European infant mortality league. Yet there is some good news, reports Kendra Inman. more
(26 September 2003 10:32)

Friday 26 September 2003
Tracy Reid lodges appeal against prison sentence more
(26 September 2003 10:05)

Commissioner on the cards
After years of campaigning by children’s charities and children’s rights groups the government is proposing to establish a children’s commissioner.... more
(26 September 2003 09:30)

What’s in the lunchbox?
Most packed school lunches are less healthy than school meals, according to the Food Standards Agency. more
(26 September 2003 09:36)

Secure units see large rise in children under 14
Children in local authority secure units are getting younger, and are staying for longer. more
(26 September 2003 09:35)

Economists claim huge cost benefits for free child care
Providing child care for all one to four year olds could be worth around £40bn to society, according to a new economic analysis. more
(26 September 2003 09:33)

Bid to pull in ‘better’ staff
Far-reaching changes to the children’s services work force are proposed, including a long-term strategy for attracting more people of ability into.... more
(26 September 2003 09:32)

Ideas sought for parents
Responses are invited on how to improve support for parents. More universal parent support services are mooted, including parents’ information.... more
(26 September 2003 09:29)

Plans for radical changes in young people’s services
A unique identification number for every child and young person in England, plus new powers for agencies to share information about children and.... more
(26 September 2003 09:28)

Government takes lead on bullying
A "zero tolerance" culture towards bullying in schools is the aim of a new package of measures being developed by the Department for Education and.... more
(26 September 2003 09:27)

Rise in pupils with mental illness
One of the key challenges almost all local education authorities (LEAs) face is the increase in the number of pupils with mental health difficulties.... more
(26 September 2003 09:26)

Police gain new powers over alcohol use by young people
Police have been given powers to confiscate unopened bottles and cans of alcohol from under-age drinkers wherever they are in an attempt to tackle.... more
(26 September 2003 09:24)

Recruitment still a burning issue as Ladyman bids to dismantle barriers
Community care minister Stephen Ladyman tells Derren Hayes how he intends to tackle the recruitment problems in social care and how to support and.... more
(25 September 2003 00:00)

Help needed to flee domestic violence
Social services should be doing more to help children fleeing domestic violence in rural areas, according to a new report by the Countryside Agency.... more
(25 September 2003 00:00)

Training needs to include partnerships
Social work, health and education professionals should be made to study joint working as part of their training, the incoming chief inspector of the.... more
(25 September 2003 00:00)

Hunger strike ends after three weeks
A former soldier on the Isle of Wight has ended his hunger strike in protest at the level of mental health care treatment available on the island. more
(25 September 2003 00:00)

Ealing set to charge more for services
A cabinet meeting at Ealing Council into its multi-million pound budget overspend has reinforced fears that users of social services will face.... more
(25 September 2003 00:00)

Higher salaries needed to prevent exodus of children's social workers
Children's social workers will leave for less pressurised posts unless their salaries are increased, delegates at a child health and care conference.... more
(25 September 2003 00:00)

Slow progress in meeting targets
The government has failed to make any progress in at least 10 of its 55 anti-poverty indicators since they were introduced four years ago. more
(25 September 2003 00:00)

Pensioners' savings system under fire
A new savings system for pensioners will "penalise people for having long-term care needs", older people's charity Help the Aged has warned. more
(25 September 2003 00:00)

Breaks depend on extent of disability
The more disabled a child is the less likely they are to receive short-break care, according to a report published this week to mark Share the Care.... more
(25 September 2003 00:00)

Council loses fight over return of child
The Court of Appeal has backed a judge's decision to resist the advice of social workers and order the return of a child to her father's care. more
(25 September 2003 00:00)

Minister warns voluntary sector it must innovate or risk losing funding
Delayed plans for how £80m will be used to build the infrastructure of the voluntary sector have been unveiled, with a warning that money must be.... more
(25 September 2003 00:00)

Bias harms access to justice, says charity
Police officers' negative attitudes towards people with learning difficulties are hampering their access to justice, according to learning difficulty.... more
(25 September 2003 00:00)

Falkirk admits using hotels for children
Four council properties will be used as emergency accommodation for young people by Falkirk Council, after it admitted it had been forced to house.... more
(25 September 2003 00:00)

'Prison Service must work with families'
Children suffer greatly as a result of a parent's incarceration, a conference was told last week. more
(25 September 2003 00:00)

More 'buddies' would help councils keep staff, say social care chiefs
Mentoring schemes for social workers could help improve retention rates in London, according to key social care figures. more
(25 September 2003 00:00)

Majority say degree will split workforce
Fifty-seven per cent of voters in Community Care 's website poll thought the new social work degree would create a two-tier workforce. more
(25 September 2003 00:00)

Alcohol prevalent in protection cases
Between 30 and 60 per cent of child protection cases involve alcohol and up to 1.3 million children in the UK are affected by their parents' alcohol.... more
(25 September 2003 00:00)

Care trust slammed over abuse claims
Concerns about the running of one of the first care trusts have been raised by the Commission for Health Improvement (CHI), after allegations of.... more
(25 September 2003 00:00)

It's a fit-up as MP volunteers for tag
A Labour MP has been electronically tagged this week to test a scheme that could be used to track paedophiles. more
(25 September 2003 00:00)

Trusts 'may hinder disabled parents'
The development of children's trusts and the switching of children's social services to the Department for Education and Skills could hamper disabled.... more
(25 September 2003 00:00)

Sector fears limited input as green paper plans placed on the fast track
The social care sector fears that proposals in the children's green paper could be rushed through too quickly because of the government's intention.... more
(25 September 2003 00:00)

Antidepressant drug use banned
Mental health charity Mind has called for an urgent review of drug licensing laws after the antidepressant Efexor was banned from being given to.... more
(25 September 2003 00:00)

Review of murdered girl's care confirmed
Birmingham Council confirmed last week that it was conducting a thorough review of the management of the care of Toni-Ann Byfield, who was murdered.... more
(25 September 2003 00:00)

Homeless refugee's rights 'not breached'
Refugee campaigners have expressed grave disappointment at this week's Court of Appeal ruling that an asylum seeker forced to sleep rough after being.... more
(25 September 2003 00:00)

Four out of five agree that asylum seekers should be allowed to work
There is widespread public support for a change in the law to allow asylum seekers to work and support themselves while their applications are being.... more
(25 September 2003 00:00)

Out of control
The over-prescription of drugs to control psychological and emotional problems in children, without much evidence of their effectiveness or possible.... more
(25 September 2003 00:00)