Articles by Date : December 01 2003 - December 31 2003

Wednesday 10 December 2003
Amnesty plan for internet paedophiles Threat of suicide leads to ban on anti-depressants. more
(10 December 2003 10:02)

Government clawback threatens Children’s Fund projects
Some Children’s Fund partnerships are facing big shortfalls in the next few months as the government claws back money they didn’t spend in the first.... more
(09 December 2003 15:08)

Government effort to tackle insurance costs welcomed by children's care homes
The children’s care home sector has welcomed government measures to tackle the recent hikes in employers’ liability compulsory insurance (ELCI), .... more
(09 December 2003 14:58)

Exclusive: Government clawback threatens Children’s Fund projects
Some Children’s Fund partnerships are facing big shortfalls in the next few months as the government claws back money they didn’t spend in the first.... more
(08 December 2003 18:05)

One in three children leaves the room when parents light a cigarette
Over half of parents who smoke are told by their children that they should quit and a third say their children leave the room when they light up,.... more
(08 December 2003 17:57)

Tuesday 9 December 2003
Disabled girl barred from shop's grotto. Brown to pledge more cash for child care. more
(09 December 2003 10:02)

Call for new breed of professional to support teenagers
Teenagers are being let down by inconsistent and unreliable services according to the Institute for Public Policy Research, the think tank closest to.... more
(08 December 2003 18:00)

Exclusive: Children stripped naked and kept in dark cells
Children displaying disruptive behaviour in Stoke Heath Young Offenders’ Institution in Shropshire are being stripped naked and placed in small cells.... more
(08 December 2003 17:53)

Children's bill expected in February
The children’s bill and its accompanying regulations and guidance are expected to be published in February, Community Care has learned, writes.... more
(08 December 2003 17:51)

Cafcass board told to resign
The board of the crisis-hit Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service has been told to resign by the government. more
(08 December 2003 17:50)

Contract to run care record service handed to BT
British Telecom has been awarded the 10-year contract worth £620 million to establish and run an electronic care record service for health and care.... more
(08 December 2003 17:10)

Shake-up of domestic violence laws
A legal loophole, which allows parents co-accused of their child’s murder to escape punishment by remaining silent or blaming each other, will be.... more
(02 December 2003 15:18)

Monday 8 December 2003
Mental health charities warn police over use of stun guns. New bill will be 'back door' to euthanasia. more
(08 December 2003 10:00)

Sector skill council for social care
The social care sector has received a boost with the approval of its own sector skills council. more
(04 December 2003 14:31)

Pay foster carers more, says MP
Pay for foster carers has not been properly addressed in the children's green paper, Labour MP and former social worker Hilton Dawson said last.... more
(04 December 2003 14:35)

Cafcass board told to resign
The board of the crisis-hit Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service has been told to resign by the government. more
(05 December 2003 16:55)

Care homes 'over-charge' older people
A complaint against the “dysfunctional” care home market has been made to the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) by the Consumers’ Association and a.... more
(05 December 2003 15:50)

Friday 5 December 2003
Minister calls for Cafcass board to stand down. more
(05 December 2003 09:27)

Green paper inspires bill to protect children but the jury is out on trusts
The introduction of legislation to safeguard children and protect their rights will be a main plank of the government's plans for next year, it was.... more
(04 December 2003 00:00)

Caution urged over fall in bed-blocking
Delayed discharge figures are falling but there are concerns that bed blockages are being shifted around the system, the deputy director of the.... more
(04 December 2003 00:00)

Teenager on conduct order found dead
An 18 year old who was given an indefinite antisocial behaviour order last December was found dead at his mother's home last week. more
(04 December 2003 00:00)

Councils fail to fulfil runaways guidance
Half of local authorities in England do not have policies to protect young runaways a year after guidelines were issued, a study shows. more
(04 December 2003 00:00)

Fury over handling of top support post
The government has been slammed for filling a top post at the National Asylum Support Service (Nass) with a member of an independent team that was.... more
(04 December 2003 00:00)

Cash can cure you
Poverty lies behind so much depression and mental illness, writes Bob Holman, that only a concerted effort to fight inequality coupled with skilled.... more
(04 December 2003 00:00)

Link no longer missing
In the second in a series of articles on Community Care Awards 2003 winners, Alison Miller reports on the carers category winner, the unique.... more
(04 December 2003 18:01)

McTernan on politics
Tony Blair wants our ideas for Labour’s hoped for third term. It’s good to talk. more
(04 December 2003 17:55)

Training materials
Working Together for Healthy Young Minds - A Practitioner's Workbook and Organising Successful Learning Events more
(04 December 2003 00:00)

Debate on aggressive and violent clients
We asked people to share their experiences of aggressive and violent clients. more
(04 December 2003 17:29)

Cash for carers
New research backs the case for the payment of carers who are the friends or family of the young person, argue the Family Rights Group's Alison.... more
(04 December 2003 00:00)

Heading for another crash?
Westminster is expecting councils to build databases on local children which professionals from various services can access. But can they cope with.... more
(04 December 2003 00:00)

The Italian job
In Italy the rapidly growing social co-operative movement is creating jobs and offering accommodation for the socially excluded - an approach to.... more
(04 December 2003 00:00)

Recovery service for young victims
Young people's experience of crime is markedly different from that of adults and many are reluctant to open up. Researcher Peter Dunn looks at how.... more
(04 December 2003 00:00)

Children's bill expected in February
The children’s bill and its accompanying regulations and guidance are expected to be published in February, Community Care has learned, writes.... more
(05 December 2003 00:00)

Nick or treat?
Pilot schemes will direct arrested young people who use drugs and alcohol to treatment programmes in thehope it will break the relationship between.... more
(04 December 2003 00:00)

Is mental health the key issue?
Young people who offend are more likely to experience mental health problems. Once locked up, they are further than ever from the treatment they.... more
(04 December 2003 00:00)

Tag of war
A bewildering array of sentences is now open to youth courts. And it appears to be the more punitive options that are the least effective and most.... more
(04 December 2003 00:00)

Targeting teenagers
In opposition Labour said imprisoning children should be avoided. In power they have locked up record numbers of teenagers. Ruth Winchester asks.... more
(04 December 2003 00:00)

Appropriate acts need to be backed
Vulnerable people involved in the legal system need much better support and advocacy, writes Leslie Carr. more
(04 December 2003 00:00)

Blunkett's policy may ruin children's lives
Asylum seekers' contribution to society is being ignored in the pursuit for tougher sanctions. more
(04 December 2003 00:00)

MPs back a review of stamp duty
MPs have backed a campaign calling on the government to review new laws on stamp duty paid by children's care home providers. more
(04 December 2003 00:00)

Skills drive only dents vacancy rates
Councils' efforts to train more social workers have only contributed to a 1.5 per cent fall in the vacancy rate, figures from the Social Care and.... more
(04 December 2003 00:00)

Social care wages in England
(Click here for a pdf of regional pay break down for children’s and adult’s services social workers.) Last month we looked at recruitment.... more
(04 December 2003 14:46)

Targets needed to tackle inequalities
The government should set explicit targets to tackle inequality between disabled and non-disabled children or risk an increase in the levels of.... more
(04 December 2003 00:00)

Agency staff subject to new vetting rules
New safeguards to vet agency staff working with vulnerable children and adults have been announced by the government. more
(04 December 2003 00:00)

Revised report
The Social Services Workforce Report was revised last month. Key revisions included: vacancy rates in London averaging 17 per cent. more
(04 December 2003 14:47)

Lack of child protection indicators in GPs' new contracts triggers concern
Fears have been raised that child protection's absence from GPs' new contracts will mean that it will remain a relatively low priority among health.... more
(04 December 2003 00:00)

Hutt avoids using sanctions on Cardiff
Welsh health minister Jane Hutt came within one vote of being ordered to impose statutory directions on Cardiff Council last week following two.... more
(04 December 2003 00:00)

Return to work schemes 'confusing'
The number of initiatives to help job seekers back into work is too confusing and complex, according to a report from the Social Security Advisory.... more
(04 December 2003 00:00)

The Local Government Pay Commission report
The Local Government Pay Commission (LGPC) was set up earlier in the year as a result of industrial action in the public sector by the unions.... more
(04 December 2003 14:40)

Strikes for more London weighting
Local government workers were on strike last month in London seeking a flat rate weighting of £4,000. more
(04 December 2003 14:33)