Articles by Date : November 01 2002 - November 30 2002

Monday 18 November 2002
Child sex offender given lighter sentence due to prison overcrowding, and Ian Huntley to be tried at Old Bailey. more
(18 November 2002 09:55)

Free personal care policy hits funding problem
The Scottish executive's free personal care for older people policy has run into trouble after a local authority refused to tighten the rules.... more
(18 November 2002 11:46)

Recruitment problems hit children's services in Scotland
Staff shortages across Scotland are seriously affecting services for children and young people, according to the chief social work inspector, .... more
(15 November 2002 17:49)

Overcrowding in juvenile estate goes beyond 'serious turbulence'
The extent of overcrowding in the juvenile estate was highlighted by the chairperson of the Youth Justice Board at its annual conference, writes.... more
(15 November 2002 17:40)

Less than four in 10 councils meet child protection review targets
The publication of this year’s performance assessment framework indicators show that fewer than four in 10 councils met the targets on reviews of.... more
(15 November 2002 17:27)

Government issues new guidance on charges for home care services
Given the wealth of guidance provided by the government on charges for residential accommodation it has always been surprising that there has.... more
(15 November 2002 17:00)

Services told to link with other sectors
Mental health services should develop partnerships with agencies outside their field to help promote social inclusion of the people they serve, a new.... more
(14 November 2002 00:00)

Connexions needs more cash to help children with learning difficulties
The success of Connexions services for young people with learning difficulties could be jeopardised unless more money is made available, it was.... more
(14 November 2002 00:00)

Common assault
Women from ethnic minorities, and recent immigrants, who suffer domestic violence face an uphill struggle to gain help. Ruth Winchester reports. more
(14 November 2002 00:00)

Merton only council to achieve upgrade from zero rating
Merton council is the only authority to be upgraded from a zero star rating in the refreshed star ratings, writes David Callaghan. more
(15 November 2002 00:00)

New star ratings for social services announced
A dozen councils were upgraded in the refreshed star ratings, published by the Social Services Inspectorate, writes Sally Gillen. more
(15 November 2002 00:00)

Balancing act
Beverley Hughes went from a long career in social care to parliament, and is now Home Office minister responsible for policy on asylum seekers. She.... more
(14 November 2002 00:00)

Cross-sector knowledge vital for Valuing People success
Care workers must find out what the priorities of people working in other sectors are in order to make Valuing People work, said the government's.... more
(14 November 2002 00:00)

Don't ignore older people, says expert
A US expert in learning difficulties warned the government that it must not forget about the employment and training needs of older people. more
(14 November 2002 00:00)

Think-tank fury over 'segregation' of disabled children in education
An education think-tank has attacked the government over its failure to take a tougher line with local education authorities that place a high number.... more
(14 November 2002 00:00)

Standards 'must not be changed'
The national minimum standards for care homes should not be changed in any way, according to the National Association of Inspection and Registration.... more
(14 November 2002 00:00)

'Child custody breaches human rights'
The use of custody for children must be stopped as a matter of urgency, according to the Children's Rights Alliance. more
(14 November 2002 00:00)

Debate on whether parents with learning difficulties are given enough support
We asked whether people with learning difficulties receive the support they need from professionals to be successful parents. more
(15 November 2002 12:30)

Inspector criticises Whatton's role
Whatton Prison needs to redefine its resettlement role and develop employment and training opportunities for sex offenders held there, according to.... more
(14 November 2002 00:00)

Poor transport isolates the young
Poor public transport is leaving many young disabled people trapped at home. more
(14 November 2002 00:00)

London's elderly 'living in poverty'
More than one-third of the capital's pensioners are living in poverty, according to figures released by London Mayor Ken Livingstone last week. more
(14 November 2002 00:00)

Abuse cases harm justice, says Tory
The issue of child abuse has become so emotive that no thought has been given to victims of miscarriages of justice, a senior politician said this.... more
(14 November 2002 00:00)

Review of child care recommends councils should take on Sure Start
Responsibility for delivering the government's flagship Sure Start initiative looks set to be handed over to councils as part of a programme to.... more
(14 November 2002 00:00)

Charity attacks delay on abuser list
Older people's charity Action on Elder Abuse has warned that the decision to postpone the introduction of the Protection of Vulnerable Adults list.... more
(14 November 2002 00:00)

Ex-armed forces staff seek most help
Of all the people advised last year by homelessness charity Shelter's UK-wide housing aid centres, two-thirds were ex-armed forces personnel,.... more
(14 November 2002 00:00)

Building a united front
Flexibility was the key word in legislation that aimed to make health and social services work more closely together. Caroline Glendinning, Brian.... more
(14 November 2002 00:00)

'Trawling' backed by social care staff
Sixty per cent of visitors to Community Care 's website support police use of "trawling" to identify victims of abuse in institutions. more
(14 November 2002 00:00)

Wheelchair users may need insurance
Motorised wheelchair users may have to fork out for insurance because of a rise in the number of accidents involving the vehicles. more
(14 November 2002 00:00)

Report warns on cultural judgements
Stereotypical and sometimes racist judgements can be made by professionals about domestic violence, a report has claimed. more
(14 November 2002 00:00)

Director launches attack on star ratings system
The director of a social services department that dropped from two stars to one in the performance ratings, has launched an attack on the system, .... more
(15 November 2002 00:00)

Haringey sacks two Climbie workers
Two Haringey social workers involved in the case of Victoria Climbie have been sacked for gross misconduct after disciplinary hearings held in.... more
(14 November 2002 00:00)

Rise in orders likely despite criticism
The Home Office issued new guidance to maximise the use of antisocial behaviour orders this week, despite evidence that the orders are costly,.... more
(14 November 2002 00:00)

Antisocial behaviour bill high on agenda
A new antisocial behaviour bill was expected to feature at the heart of the Queen's Speech delivered to the House of Commons this week. more
(14 November 2002 00:00)

RNID head goes to Audit Commission
The former chief executive of the Royal National Institute for Deaf People has been appointed chairperson of the Audit Commission. more
(14 November 2002 00:00)

Registration Social workers' fee levels still unknown
The General Social Care Council confirmed last week that an annual fee linked to the registration of qualified social workers would be introduced.... more
(14 November 2002 00:00)

Asylum and adoption bills face down opposition to become law
Controversial bills on asylum and adoption finally reached the statute book last week, after months of debate. more
(14 November 2002 00:00)

Study points to link with victimisation
Children who become victims of crime, often at the hands of other children, are at risk of turning into delinquents, according to the interim.... more
(14 November 2002 00:00)

Register chief puts onus on agencies
Ruth Fasht, director of the Adoption Register, has defended its performance despite new figures showing that the children it puts forward for.... more
(14 November 2002 00:00)

MPs and Lords attack draft bill
The draft Mental Health Bill could threaten people's human rights, the parliamentary joint committee on human rights warned this week. more
(14 November 2002 00:00)

Politics
Benefit dependency could be alleviated by the use of positive incentives rather than the current punitive approach, writes John McTernan. more
(14 November 2002 00:00)

Find the children
The government should launch an awareness campaign to ensure that all children of asylum seekers and immigrants are accounted for and known to local.... more
(14 November 2002 00:00)

A national alcohol strategy nears but will it be a short measure?
After years of waiting, next year will see the publication of an alcohol strategy for England. But there are worries that it will not go far enough,.... more
(14 November 2002 00:00)

Six departments lose their shine
Six social services departments across England are understood to have been downgraded during the star refreshing exercise, the results of which were.... more
(14 November 2002 00:00)

Hospitals for people with learning difficulties unlikely to close on time
More than three-quarters of the long-stay hospitals for people with learning difficulties may not meet the April 2004 deadline for closure set out in.... more
(14 November 2002 00:00)

Nickel and Dimed
By Barbara Ehrenreich. more
(14 November 2002 00:00)

Effective Child Protection
By Eileen Munro. more
(14 November 2002 00:00)

Space to think
Dealing with children at risk is one of the most demanding areas of social care. More reason, then, for staff to take time to manage their own.... more
(14 November 2002 00:00)

London calling
The capital is faced by unique problems in the social care and health fields, which will be exacerbated by recent funding proposals, writes Stephen.... more
(14 November 2002 00:00)

A case of social exclusion
It is an accepted principle that services for children should be tailored to the child's individual circumstances, while allowing children with any.... more
(14 November 2002 00:00)

A vote of confidence
The government's review of child care published last week is a significant vote of confidence in local government. The Prime Minister's strategy unit.... more
(14 November 2002 00:00)