Articles by Date : November 01 2004 - November 30 2004

Leading psychiatrist warns that bill will lead to professionals quitting
Mental health professionals will be driven out of the field because they will be forced to section more people under proposals in the draft Mental.... more
(11 November 2004 00:00)

Teachers do not think schools should accept offenders back from custody
Fewer than half of head teachers and only a quarter of classroom teachers believe mainstream schools are a suitable option for young offenders.... more
(11 November 2004 00:00)

Call for shake-up in care homes culture
A "seismic shift" in thinking is needed to improve the quality of life for care home residents. more
(11 November 2004 00:00)

Will new law against child killers convict women victims of violence?
New legislation closes a loophole that has allowed couples to escape child murder convictions. But is there a danger that women victims of domestic.... more
(11 November 2004 00:00)

Antisocial definitions cause concern
It is not yet clear whether antisocial behaviour legislation will become friend or foe to disabled people, Capability Scotland said. more
(11 November 2004 00:00)

New ministerset to tackle bed-blocking
Scotland's new deputy minister for health and community care Rhona Brankin has singled out reducing the delayed discharge of older people from.... more
(11 November 2004 00:00)

Review must consider wider team
The Scottish executive's 21st century working group on social work is focusing too much attention on qualified social workers, it was claimed. more
(11 November 2004 00:00)

Commissioner warns that money for Mental Health Act has 'disappeared'
Some of the money given to Scottish local authorities to implement the country's new Mental Health Act has "disappeared into the ether", a social.... more
(11 November 2004 00:00)

Age Concern wants more abuse training
All health and social care staff in Scotland should receive compulsory training in the abuse of vulnerable adults. more
(11 November 2004 00:00)

'Creeping' squeeze on hearing system cuts time workers spend with families
Running the children's hearing system in Scotland on the cheap is undermining preventive work with young people and their families, delegates were.... more
(11 November 2004 00:00)

Registration sparks fly across Scotland
What qualifications should be acceptable and who should pay the annual fee have caused the most debate on the registration process in Scotland,.... more
(11 November 2004 00:00)

Charity urges child protection helpline
A leading Scottish children's charity is demanding a child protection helpline for Scotland. more
(11 November 2004 00:00)

Support groups must evolve to meet direct payment needs
Fears that support groups for Scotland's direct payments clients will find it difficult to represent all service-user interests were raised at the.... more
(11 November 2004 00:00)

Partnerships for correction services
Plans for a single agency for correction services in Scotland are likely to be dropped in favour of a partnership-based approach, the Convention of.... more
(11 November 2004 00:00)

Councils relieved of housing obligations
The government has insisted that most people evicted as a result of antisocial behaviour would be considered to have made themselves intentionally.... more
(11 November 2004 00:00)

Teams want more help with housing
Local housing authorities should be made statutory partners with youth offending teams to ensure more effective resettlement, Yot managers said last.... more
(11 November 2004 00:00)

GP commissioning rejig sparks alarm
Plans to devolve commissioning from primary care trusts to GP practices may badly affect mental health services, says a charity. more
(11 November 2004 00:00)

Support for users fails to match need
Drug services are failing to provide integrated support for drug misusers, a report by the Audit Commission has found. more
(11 November 2004 00:00)

Groups fear government is seizing control of National Lottery money
Voluntary organisations fear for their future because the government is using National Lottery cash instead of taxes to fund mainstream services. more
(11 November 2004 00:00)

Learning difficulties services lack choice
People with learning difficulties still do not have enough choice and support to help them live independently, an inspection report published this.... more
(11 November 2004 00:00)

Man faces court on smacking charge
A man has been arrested and charged with actual bodily harm for smacking a child, police have confirmed. more
(11 November 2004 00:00)

Bills ignore users' views
If social care still has a distinctive voice at the highest levels of policy-making, there is evidence this week that it is not being listened to..... more
(11 November 2004 00:00)

Of Little Benefit
The government's grand plan to eradicate the social exclusion of people with mental health problems will fail unless it also reforms the benefits.... more
(11 November 2004 00:00)

Funding concern over pooled budgets
Urgent child protection work could "suck up resources" from youth offending teams under the new children's trusts' pooled budgets, the Youth Justice.... more
(11 November 2004 00:00)

Can They Be Kept Together?
Two sisters with parents who are addicted to drugs have reacted to their neglect very differently, leaving a tough dilemma. more
(11 November 2004 00:00)

Bush's Spiritual Side Won't Help the Poor
Any hopes of a redistribution of wealth have taken a big hit with George Bush's re-election. more
(11 November 2004 00:00)

The Big Question
Should young people be fined for underage drinking? more
(11 November 2004 00:00)

Keep Them Special
The government is again sounding its mantra on inclusiveness. This time it is targeting children with special needs by forcing them into mainstream.... more
(11 November 2004 00:00)

Homing Instinct
Where have New York's homeless people gone? Well, some of them are staying in formerly run-down hotels that have been smartly renovated by a charity,.... more
(11 November 2004 00:00)

It Pays to be Direct
Struggling to interest service users in direct payments? An award-winning video produced by Enfield in north London might inspire a solution. Graham.... more
(11 November 2004 00:00)

How Special?
Should children with special educational needs be educated in mainstream or special schools? Roisin Woolnough talks to people on both sides of the.... more
(11 November 2004 00:00)

Councils should provide sites for gypsies, MPs warn
A cross-party group of MPs are calling for councils to be given a statutory duty to provide sites for gypsies and travellers to ease the public.... more
(11 November 2004 16:33)

Draft Mental Health Bill "unworkable" in Wales
The draft Mental Health bill is “unworkable” in Wales because services are not sufficiently equipped to deliver the legislation, Welsh organisations.... more
(12 November 2004 10:18)

Lack of training in substance misuse criticised
Delegates at the Baaf Adoption and Fostering conference heard this week that it was a “shocking oversight” that the new social work degree did not.... more
(12 November 2004 10:30)

Debate on medical intervention for premature babies
We asked:- Should aggressive medical intervention be withdrawn from premature babies in pain and without hope of survival? more
(12 November 2004 09:22)

Delegates query benefits of interprofessional training
“An older woman spent all morning in a day centre trying to find someone who could help fix her fire but none of the staff knew who to contact.” more
(12 November 2004 08:19)

Concerns over direction of review
Delegates were concerned at the initial focus on qualified social workers of the Scottish executive’s 21st Century Working Group on social work. more
(12 November 2004 08:12)

New mental health role to accredited
Talks are under way between the Department of Health and the General Social Care Council about the accreditation of the new role of approved mental.... more
(12 November 2004 08:03)

President calls for more pay for staff
More has to be done to improve the pay and status of the social care workforce, the new president of the Association of Directors of Social Services.... more
(12 November 2004 07:51)

People with learning difficulties lack choice and support
People with learning difficulties still lack choice and support to help them live independently - although improvements have been made, according to.... more
(09 November 2004 14:52)

Thursday 11 November 2004
Charities to take on health work Second refuge for abused men to open more
(11 November 2004 09:46)

Yots pulled up over assessments
Two youth offending teams (Yots) have been told to improve assessments of offenders who pose a risk of harm following visits by the Probation.... more
(10 November 2004 15:47)

Minister rejects attempt to insert advocacy role in Mental Capacity Bill
Health minister Rosie Winterton has rejected amendments to the Mental Capacity Bill that would have seen independent consultees replaced by.... more
(10 November 2004 15:30)

Suicide among older people "hidden tragedy"
The high level of suicides among older people in Scotland is a “hidden national tragedy” delegates heard at Community Care Live Scotland last week,.... more
(09 November 2004 13:27)

Drug users failed by services
Drug services are failing to provide integrated support for problem drug users, an Audit Commission report has found, writes Maria Ahmed . more
(08 November 2004 15:21)

Wednesday 10 November 2004
Mother cleared of baby murder had killed ex-husband Judge won't meet fathers rights campaigners more
(10 November 2004 09:50)

Wheelchair user wins damages
A wheelchair user has won a landmark legal action after an Appeal Court judge ruled that it was unacceptable for disabled people to be expected to.... more
(09 November 2004 16:39)

Numbers of children in prison set to reduce
The Youth Justice Board is to slash the numbers of children held in custody by 10 per cent within the next three years, following a successful .... more
(08 November 2004 15:47)

Oakington fails to adequately safeguard children
The procedures for safeguarding children at Oakington Immigration Reception Centre were not “sufficiently robust” at the time of inspection,.... more
(09 November 2004 13:44)

Wider definition for 'vulnerable adult' needed
There should be a wider definition of what constitutes a vulnerable adult, according to speakers at Community Care Live Scotland event, writes.... more
(09 November 2004 13:10)