Articles by Date : September 01 2003 - September 30 2003

Self-inflicted damage
One of the aims of our Right to Refuge campaign is to encourage professionals and politicians to highlight the valuable contribution asylum seekers.... more
(25 September 2003 00:00)

Poor services put older prisoners at greater risk of ill-health, says report
Charities are calling for alternatives to the imprisonment of older people amid concerns that their specific needs are being ignored by prisons and.... more
(25 September 2003 00:00)

What Jeffrey Archer learned on the inside
The need for prison reform is pressing - as Jeffrey Archer has been well-placed to testify. more
(25 September 2003 00:00)

Brutalised in Britain
Far from offering salvation from torture, anarchy and atrocities, the UK is proving to be a hotbed of hostility for many asylum seekers. It is like.... more
(25 September 2003 00:00)

Enjoying your stay?
Many asylum-seeking children are being detained at Dungavel (pictured) among other removal centres. But as a result, reports Janet Snell, their.... more
(25 September 2003 00:00)

Does every child really matter?
The prime minister may have hailed it as the precursor to the biggest reform of children's services for 30 years, but many in social care are more.... more
(25 September 2003 00:00)

Dementia's cultural challenge
New research looks at how carers from ethnic minorities view statutory services for family members with dementia. Liz Forbat and Suresh Nar discuss.... more
(25 September 2003 00:00)

Make it mainstream
A new study has highlighted how disabled parents want more access to formal support and services, writes Michele Wates of the Disabled Parents.... more
(25 September 2003 00:00)

Lib Dems vote to ban smacking
Liberal democrats voted this week to ban the smacking of children, despite warnings that it will heap more pressures on to already overworked social.... more
(24 September 2003 18:00)

Don't they know there is a war on?
Deng Yai claimed asylum in 1995 and has seen the asylum process become more punitive over the past eight years. more
(25 September 2003 00:00)

McTernan on politics
The Brent by-election result should serve as a wake-up call, not only for Blair, but for the left. more
(25 September 2003 00:00)

Gaps are here to stay
Gayle Sanders' experiences have led her to the conclusion that services can never cover everybody's needs. more
(25 September 2003 00:00)

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

Exclusive: Asylum seekers should be able to work, says poll
There is widespread public support for a change in the law to allow asylum seekers to work and support themselves while their application is being.... more
(25 September 2003 08:50)

Thursday 25 September 2003
Ministers prepare legislation for files on children more
(25 September 2003 10:13)

Exclusive: Mentoring could improve recruitment crisis in London
Mentoring schemes for social workers could go some way towards improving retention rates in London, according to key industry figures in the social.... more
(25 September 2003 08:51)

Strike planned in capital over London weighting
Local government workers across London are to stage a one-day all out strike next month over London weighting payments after the national industrial.... more
(24 September 2003 13:47)

Hodge announces extended schools
Over 60 extended schools have been announced by the minister for children, young people and families. more
(24 September 2003 15:06)

List of extended schools
North West Extended Schools - Darwen Vale High School, Darwen, Blackburn - Montgomery High School, Blackpool - Hayward Community.... more
(24 September 2003 14:54)

Lib Dems attack government over asylum
Liberal democrat MP Simon Hughes has slammed the government for allowing the issue of asylum seekers to overwhelm it because “of its own.... more
(24 September 2003 12:18)

Wednesday 24 September 2003
Court of Appeal backs government's asylum policy more
(24 September 2003 10:16)

Disabled parents could encounter further problems under DfES plans
The development of children's trusts and the relocation of children's social services in the Department for Education and Skills could worsen the.... more
(24 September 2003 08:17)

DfES says “no plans” for children’s white paper
The social care sector has raised fears that proposals in the children’s green paper could be rushed through too quickly because of the government’s.... more
(23 September 2003 16:25)

Plans for children’s emergency accommodation approved
Falkirk Council Joint Housing and Social Work Committee has approved the use of four council properties as emergency accommodation for young people.... more
(23 September 2003 13:02)

“Mental health skills needed by all who work with children”
All professionals working with children should develop mental health skills to give them a better understanding of children’s mental health, and how.... more
(23 September 2003 10:52)

Father-shortage in Sure Start
There is little involvement of fathers in most Sure Start programmes, and when fathers do become involved it is usually in activities aimed specially.... more
(23 September 2003 10:51)

Plan to beat the school run
The government is asking schools and local councils in England to look at ways of encouraging pupils to walk, cycle and use public transport to get.... more
(23 September 2003 10:50)

Tuesday 23 September 2003
Care homes allowed leeway on vetting staff more
(23 September 2003 09:57)

Hodge warns against divided services
Children’s minister Margaret Hodge has warned that care must be taken to prevent a return to divided social services as the proposals in the green.... more
(22 September 2003 17:15)

Children’s social workers’ salaries must rise
Children’s social workers will leave for less pressurised posts unless their salaries are increased, delegates at a child health and care conference.... more
(22 September 2003 17:13)

Mind calls for review of drug licensing laws
Mental health charity Mind has led calls for an urgent review of drug licensing laws after the antidepressant Efexor was banned from use on young.... more
(22 September 2003 17:09)

Children’s social workers’ salaries must rise
Children’s social workers will leave for less pressurised posts unless their salaries are increased, delegates at a child health and care conference.... more
(22 September 2003 13:33)

Monday 22 September 2003
Alcohol abuse costs Britain £55m a day more
(22 September 2003 10:24)

Government fails on 10 anti-poverty targets
The government has failed to make any progress against at least 10 of its 55 anti-poverty indicators since they were introduced four years ago, the.... more
(19 September 2003 18:27)

The will is there, but is the money?
What do the proposals in the green paper on children 'Every Child Matters' mean for the professionals who will be charged with putting them into.... more
(14 September 2003 00:00)

Can we work together?
As health bodies and social services try to move closer together cultural differences present obstacles. writes David Callaghan. looks at how.... more
(19 September 2003 16:40)

Overwhelming fear over green paper
Proposals in the green paper Every Child Matters will not protect other children suffering the same fate as Victoria Climbié, said 83 per cent of.... more
(18 September 2003 00:00)

Would Victoria have been saved?
At the Victoria Climbie inquiry, Neil Garnham QC identified 12 missed opportunities to save her life. Community Care asked health and social care.... more
(18 September 2003 00:00)

Field dampens high expectations
Former social security minister Frank Field MP warned delegates at the conference to limit their demands on the government over the issue of pensions.... more
(18 September 2003 00:00)

Poverty 'can best' be beaten by work
Staying in work is the "best antidote" to the growing problem of pensioner poverty. more
(18 September 2003 00:00)

Sure Start-style scheme for older people would help tackle poverty
Help the Aged's policy director has outlined how a scheme to tackle poverty among older people could run along similar lines to the Sure Start.... more
(18 September 2003 00:00)

Media encouraging rise of far-right'knuckle-draggers', says race chief
The mainstream media's portrayal of asylum seekers and refugees as scroungers is fuelling the success of the British National Party, the chairperson.... more
(18 September 2003 00:00)

Practice issues top commission gripes
More than 12,500 complaints were made to the National Care Standards Commission in its first year of operation, its 2002-3 annual report shows. more
(18 September 2003 00:00)

Workers ignored abuse allegations
A social services department ignored the concerns of a father and school by failing to investigate allegations of child abuse, the Local Government.... more
(18 September 2003 00:00)

Council strains to meet exiles' needs
A council has spent £500,000 of its social services budget on caring for people from the remote island of Diego Garcia because of a wrangle over who.... more
(18 September 2003 00:00)

Women-only homes 'need more money'
The London Housing Federation is calling for more funding for women-only housing. more
(18 September 2003 00:00)

Warning on future services for elderly
Councils in the South East are unprepared for an increase in demand for mental health services for older people, a report from the charity Friends of.... more
(18 September 2003 00:00)

Friday 19 September 2003
Abuse of children causes two deaths per week. more
(19 September 2003 09:24)

Councils continue to skimp on allowances
A survey of fostering allowances has found that more than half of English councils pay less than its recommended minimum. more
(18 September 2003 00:00)

People with complex needs left behind
Attempts to reduce delayed discharge levels could lead to older people most in need being left in hospital, an influential group of MPs has warned. more
(18 September 2003 00:00)