Articles by Date : September 01 2003 - September 30 2003

Three-year degree gets under way
The first wave of 2,340 students enrolled on the new three-year social work degree will start the course this week, marking the beginning of the.... more
(18 September 2003 00:00)

Staff may have to work 'outside the law' unless rules on checks relaxed
Care associations have joined forces to plead with the government to allow new staff to work before their records have been checked by the Criminal.... more
(18 September 2003 00:00)

Evidence needed on heroin prescribing
The government's plans to expand the prescription of heroin could fail without further research into its effectiveness, according to a new report. more
(18 September 2003 00:00)

Dispute mediation on the increase
More young people and asylum seekers need to use mediation services to resolve disputes, Mediation UK's 2002-3 annual report shows. more
(18 September 2003 00:00)

Lack of transport mars job prospects
Almost a quarter of disabled people looking for employment having had to turn down a job due to inaccessible public transport, new research reveals. more
(18 September 2003 00:00)

Government unveils funding guidelines
New guidelines on how the £125m "futurebuilders" fund will be distributed have been welcomed by the National Council for Voluntary Organisations. more
(18 September 2003 00:00)

Gay people wary of residential homes
Older gay men, lesbians and bisexuals have such a "notable distrust" of care providers' opinions about sexuality that most see living in care and.... more
(18 September 2003 00:00)

Screen captivates disorder children
Children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder spend more time playing computer games and watching cartoons than healthy children, a new.... more
(18 September 2003 00:00)

Rethink on working patterns urged to ward off staffing crisis in 10 years
A social care workforce prepared to work intense shift patterns could help solve the sector's retention problems, the author of a major new report.... more
(18 September 2003 00:00)

Treatment in prison fails to keep pace
The NSPCC is urging the government to ensure convicted sex offenders undergo treatment before being released into the community. more
(18 September 2003 00:00)

Lib Dem blast for processing system
Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesperson Simon Hughes has slammed the system of processing asylum applications. more
(18 September 2003 00:00)

Hodge sends confused messages over the future of social services
Children's minister Margaret Hodge has warned that care must be taken to prevent a return to divided social services departments as the proposals in.... more
(18 September 2003 00:00)

Charity claims official child deaths figure is half the real number
There could be more than twice as many child deaths from maltreatment in the UK than official records state, according to a United Nations Children’s.... more
(18 September 2003 17:03)

Name change may end paternalism
Clients must make their own decisions and assert their rights despite professional opposition, writes Michael Elvin. more
(18 September 2003 00:00)

Top reasons why lists serve only to irritate
Yvonne Roberts says that power lists are lazy devices that often ignore women and ethnic minorities. more
(18 September 2003 00:00)

Strain of feeling better
Recovering from mental health problems means less help and more responsibilities for Alex Williams. more
(18 September 2003 00:00)

They will have to pay us more
The green paper proposals look good, says social worker and writer Rachel Foggitt, but will front-line staff and service users feel the benefit? more
(18 September 2003 00:00)

We owe it to Victoria's memory
Lord Laming, who headed the inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the death of Victoria Climbie in 2000, outlines how Every Child Matters will.... more
(18 September 2003 00:00)

Is the vision clear - or blurred?
Polly Neate finds that while some professionals believe the concentration on improving the quality of lives is a big advance on previous documents,.... more
(18 September 2003 00:00)

A revealing generosity
In the final article ofour New York two-part special,Sally Gillen reports on how the generosity shown by agencies to those affected by the terrorist.... more
(18 September 2003 00:00)

A different world
Community projects should be at the heart of putting into action the ideas generated by Every Child Matters , says Bob Holman. But the green paper.... more
(18 September 2003 00:00)

Act now to retain staff
The only surprising thing about the causes of poor staff retention in social care, highlighted in the report to launch Community Care 's Care in the.... more
(18 September 2003 00:00)

Time for a reality check
At last, we have proposals for a dramatic increase in the scope of support offered to parents and children. The breadth of the green paper's vision.... more
(18 September 2003 00:00)

Thursday 18 September 2003
Baby entombed in concrete lived in agony. more
(18 September 2003 10:05)

Minister warns voluntary sector to innovate or lose cash
Delayed plans into how £80 million will be used to build the Infrastructure of the voluntary sector has been unveiled by the voluntary sector.... more
(17 September 2003 14:51)

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
(17 September 2003 14:42)

Pushy parents win better services for disabled children
The quality of services for disabled children depends on where they live and how hard parents push for change, says a report this week. more
(17 September 2003 11:31)

Frail older people lose out in bid to reduce hospital discharge delays
Attempts to reduce delayed discharge levels could lead to older people with the most complex needs being left in hospital, a Commons Committee report.... more
(17 September 2003 11:37)

Law Commission moves to strengthen child cruelty sentences
Failing to protect a child from serious harm could carry a maximum seven-year prison sentence under proposals from the Law Commission. more
(17 September 2003 11:35)

Wednesday 17 September 2003
Commons committee has criticised level of delayed discharges. more
(17 September 2003 10:02)

Midwife shortages put babies at risk
Babies are regularly being put at risk by shortages of midwives in hospital maternity units, according to a new study. more
(16 September 2003 10:30)

Caution urged over Green Paper reforms
The government’s proposals for a wide-ranging changes to children’s services in England have led to concerns about the implementation of closer.... more
(16 September 2003 10:24)

Tuesday 16 September 2003
Charity Commission investigates children's cancer charity. Met police faces boycott in race row. more
(16 September 2003 09:55)

Childcare investment would provide £40bn return
Providing childcare for all one to four year olds could be worth around £40 billion to society, according to a new economic analysis. more
(15 September 2003 18:07)

Time called on the carrying of alcohol
Police have been given powers to confiscate unopened bottles and cans of alcohol from under-age drinkers anywhere in the country in an attempt to.... more
(15 September 2003 18:11)

New shift patterns could help solve capital's staff retention crisis
A social care workforce prepared to work intensive shift patterns over a few weeks followed by the equivalent time off could help solve the sector’s.... more
(15 September 2003 17:21)

Monday 15 September 2003
Older people becoming healthier. Beggar sets himself outside Buckingham Palace after being arrested 100 times. more
(15 September 2003 09:18)

First reactions to the green paper
We asked a panel of people from different parts of the social care sector to give us their views on the green paper. more
(08 September 2003 20:50)

Debate on the green paper on children
We asked people for their views on the green paper on children, 'Every Child Matters'. more
(14 September 2003 17:48)

Write here Write Now
For some any form of writing is scary. But expressing yourself through creative writing can be stimulating and fun. Writing that comes from the heart.... more
(14 September 2003 17:31)

Future of child protection pinned on trusts, but is the vision wide enough?
The inevitable revolution in children's services moved a step closer this week with the launch of a green paper. Janet Snell reports on what the.... more
(12 September 2003 00:00)

Scotland launches first aid kit for mental health
A three-year action plan for improving mental health and well-being in Scotland is launched by the Scottish Executive this week, writes Maggie.... more
(12 September 2003 12:19)

Clarke puts onus on integration in drive to reform children's services
Sally Gillen talks to education secretary Charles Clarke about how bringing children's services under one departmental roof has laid the basis for.... more
(11 September 2003 00:00)

Soundbites on the green paper.
"Teachers are already overburdened. The government must make sure that adequate staff and investment to deliver the changes and ensure benefits.... more
(11 September 2003 00:00)

Victoria's parents wanted new agency
The parents of Victoria Climbie have expressed their disappointment at the government's failure to create a national agency for children and families. more
(11 September 2003 00:00)

New dawn for children's services sees creation of dedicated director posts
Every local authority should appoint a new director of children's services to take responsibility for children's social services and education, under.... more
(11 September 2003 00:00)

Have your say on the green paper
We would like to hear your views on the green paper. more
(11 September 2003 00:00)

New targets for children in care
All looked-after children will be set an individual education target by local authorities, under a new government approach to improve their.... more
(11 September 2003 00:00)

Judge selection for youth cases mooted
Crown court judges dealing with young people will receive special training under new proposals published alongside the children's green paper. more
(11 September 2003 00:00)

Minister says councils should make money from bed-blocking system
Community care minister Stephen Ladyman says he is "very confident" that councils doing a "reasonable job" of managing residential care will make a.... more
(11 September 2003 00:00)