Articles by Date : October 01 2003 - October 31 2003

Monday 20 October 2003
Big Issue sellers arrested in police swoop. Number of prisoners reaches record levels. more
(20 October 2003 10:07)

New president calls for legal duty to promote well-being
The new president of the Association of Directors of Social Services has put forward his vision for social care that would see councils having a.... more
(17 October 2003 13:27)

New figures show rise in total of supported adults
The number of adults in care homes supported by local authorities has risen by seven per cent in the last year due to people on ‘preserved rights’.... more
(17 October 2003 13:07)

Friday 17 October 2003
New programme will target mental health needs of ethnic minorities. Inquiry ordered into racist killing at young offenders institution. more
(17 October 2003 10:14)

Tories promise to scrap delayed discharge fines
Delayed discharge fines would be scrapped if a Conservative government was elected, the shadow health minister pledged at the National Social.... more
(17 October 2003 00:00)

Local government leaders call for new board for older people in each area
An older people's partnership board should be set up in every local authority, according to a new discussion paper launched at the National Social.... more
(17 October 2003 00:00)

Training materials
Turning Down the Heat: Controlling Aggression at Work and Child Protection Awareness in Health. more
(16 October 2003 00:00)

NHS continuing care claims 'top £550m'
The NHS is facing claims of more than £550m after wrongly charging people for their continuing care, according to the Liberal Democrats. more
(16 October 2003 00:00)

Kitemark on the cards
Would children's services improve if a sector skills council were set up as envisaged in Every Child Matters? Anabel Unity Sale reports. more
(16 October 2003 00:00)

Ready, steady, growth
Society needs social care staff, says health minister Stephen Ladyman. That is why the government wants to make social care a more attractive career.... more
(16 October 2003 00:00)

Scope for creativity
What can public sector employers learn from private firms about making themselves more attractive? Cut the size of application forms for starters,.... more
(16 October 2003 00:00)

Edinburgh director resigns
Edinburgh’s director of social work Les McEwan has resigned following a highly critical inquiry report into the death of an 11-week-old baby on the.... more
(15 October 2003 17:13)

Funding for Supporting People announced with review of spiralling costs
The government announced the cash available for the Supporting People programme this year with a review of the unexpected growth of the transitional.... more
(16 October 2003 12:25)

Rise of the locum
Locum social workers are more in demand than ever. Here, Rachel Foggitt looks at the pros and cons of working for an agency as opposed to being.... more
(16 October 2003 00:00)

McTernan on politics
Schwarzenegger's victory in California may lead to a similar debasing of politics here. more
(16 October 2003 00:00)

New president set to offer strong lead
Andrew Cozens, the Association of Directors of Social Services’ president-elect, tells Community Care editor Polly Neate that he is motivated by.... more
(14 October 2003 12:40)

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

How food rules my life
Heidi Emma Osborne has been battling against a series of eating disorders for six years. more
(16 October 2003 00:00)

How not to serve our children well
Years of hard work may be undone if the proposal to appoint directors of children's services is taken up, says Alison King. more
(16 October 2003 00:00)

Are we a nation of child-haters?
Yvonne Roberts asks why the UK continues to have such a poor record in defending the rights of children. more
(16 October 2003 00:00)

A modest proposal
The green paper's children's trusts are too big and divorced from everyday life. A better alternative would be to have small teams of social workers.... more
(16 October 2003 00:00)

Partnership boards and generic care workers at centre of services reform
Older people are often marginal to decisions that affect the services they use. A new report aims to put them at the heart of planning their wants..... more
(16 October 2003 00:00)

A president with a road map seeks to right past wrongs
Andrew Cozens, the Association of Directors of Social Services' new president, tells Polly Neate that he is motivated by the desire to lead staff.... more
(16 October 2003 00:00)

Victoria Climbie school in doubt as government drags heels on donation
The parents of Victoria Climbie have been dealt a blow in plans to build a school in the Ivory Coast for children who may otherwise receive no.... more
(16 October 2003 00:00)

Davis pledges local government review
Local government was told it would be given "a fair deal" under a Conservative government . more
(16 October 2003 00:00)

Asylum system 'a disaster spiralling out of control' says Duncan Smith
Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith branded the asylum system "a disaster". more
(16 October 2003 00:00)

Tories highlight gaps in green paper
The government's failure to focus on private fostering in the children's green paper came under attack at the Conservative Party conference last week. more
(16 October 2003 00:00)

Government risks 'marginalising' social care
The government was warned it risks marginalising social care and seeing it as a "rescue service" rather than as a means to ensure the overall.... more
(15 October 2003 14:27)

Secure funding must underpin strategy
The government should underwrite the cost of combating domestic violence, according to responses to the Home Office consultation paper on the issue. more
(16 October 2003 00:00)

Professional bodies seek clarity on powers contained in new legislation
Further clarification is needed on the relationship between the forthcoming Mental Incapacity Act and the Mental Health Act 1983, the joint committee.... more
(16 October 2003 00:00)

Thursday 16 October 2003
New pension credit only attracts 100,000 applicants. Edinburgh director resigns after 36 years. more
(16 October 2003 09:59)

Care Standards Commission hopes to broker deal on homes insurance costs
The National Care Standards Commission is in talks with insurers and banks to tackle the growing problem of spiralling insurance premiums for care.... more
(16 October 2003 00:00)

Training targeted to individual needs
Training for care workers in the learning difficulties field will become increasingly tailored towards individual needs rather than one-size-fits-all.... more
(16 October 2003 00:00)

Kent's grant goes to private sector
Kent social services has taken the unusual step of giving all its £450,000 allocation of the national training strategy grant to the private and.... more
(16 October 2003 00:00)

Deaf-blind people face sex tips ban
Proposals for tougher sexual offences laws could make it impossible for severely disabled people who rely on touch to communicate to receive sex.... more
(16 October 2003 00:00)

Switch of emphasis to home care urged
Home care should be promoted more vigorously as an alternative to residential care, a conference was told last week. more
(16 October 2003 00:00)

Staff are difficult, say service users
More than half of service users find their first meeting with mental health professionals "difficult" and only one-fifth report an overall positive.... more
(16 October 2003 00:00)

Catalogue of agency flaws revealed in case of baby killed by his father
The death of an 11-week-old baby at the hands of his father could have been avoided had every agency that dealt with the case not been flawed "at.... more
(16 October 2003 00:00)

Council enters the holiday business
Isle of Wight Council is offering free caravan holidays in a bid to attract new foster parents. more
(16 October 2003 00:00)

Report turns the heat on leadership
Weak corporate governance is a major factor in service failures in the public sector, a report by the Audit Commission concludes. more
(16 October 2003 00:00)

Blunkett: 'use new powers or face sack'
Professionals working to reduce antisocial behaviour who fail to use new powers afforded to them by ministers should be sacked, the home secretary.... more
(16 October 2003 00:00)

Children Charities' anger at slow rights progress
A year after a damning report into the UK's treatment of children was published by the United Nations, little progress has been made in key areas,.... more
(16 October 2003 00:00)

Fears grow that Haringey social services are still failing children
The social services department at the centre of the Victoria Climbie case is still not serving most children well and has uncertain prospects for the.... more
(16 October 2003 00:00)

Doubts linger over green paper plan
Two out of three visitors to Community Care 's website say the green paper fails to ensure clear lines of responsibility are established in local.... more
(16 October 2003 00:00)

Cozens backs legal duty of well-being
The government should create a statutory duty on councils to promote people's well-being, new president of the Association of Directors of Social.... more
(16 October 2003 00:00)

Refugee group hails ruling on housing
The Refugee Council says life will be more "bearable" for asylum seekers after the Home Office was ordered to re-think its policy of not publicising.... more
(16 October 2003 00:00)

Compensation for abused residents
People with learning difficulties who suffered a "regime of punishment" in which they were raped and abused could receive more than £1m in.... more
(16 October 2003 00:00)

Merger of funds into single cash pot threatens social regeneration work
Crucial social regeneration work could be jeopardised because the voluntary and community sector is to lose more than £60m funding. more
(16 October 2003 00:00)

Not perfect but needed
The winding up of the single regeneration budget is going to lead to the closure of some excellent community projects promoting social inclusion.... more
(16 October 2003 00:00)

Where real neglect lies
The children's green paper has prompted much discussion about society's kneejerk stereotyping as victims or demonising of children, and the fact that.... more
(16 October 2003 00:00)