By David Callaghan and Reg McKay.
Children's charity role for Booth
Cherie Booth, the prime minister's wife, has been appointed president of Barnardo's filling a post vacant since the death of Diana, Princess of Wales.
Her appointment coincided with the release of two reports from the charity which show that children in care are 10 times more likely to be excluded from school and only 4 per cent gain five GCSE passes.
Source:- The Guardian Tuesday 18 September page 13
Church vows to pursue child abuse priests
The Roman Catholic Church has pledged to deal with accusations of child abuse by tightening its procedures for investigation.
The move follows a set of recommendations issued by an independent committee chaired by Lord Nolan. Parishes and all religious orders will be required to appoint child protection officers to monitor and investigate allegations of abuse. Criminal records for all candidates for the priesthood and lay workers must be checked.
Source:- The Guardian Tuesday 18 September page 12
Care hit by staff shortages, say nurses
Two thirds of NHS nurses say staffing levels at hospitals and clinics are insufficient to meet patient needs. The finding was revealed in a Royal College of Nursing survey of 6,000 nurses.
Source:- The Guardian Tuesday 18 September page 12
Pregnant at 11? It's one of those things, says mother
A girl of 11 from Hull, who has become pregnant after having regular sex with a 13-year-old boy, will give birth in December.
Source:- Daily Mail Tuesday 18 September page 24
Scottish newspapers
Princes to visit Sighthill
Prince William and his father, the Prince of Wales, are to visit the Sighthill area of Glasgow on Friday to meet local people and asylum seekers. The visit comes a month after asylum seeker, Firsat Dag, was murdered on the streets of Sighthill. The visit will centre on local projects funded by the Prince’s Trust which is considering investing more money into the area.
Source:- The Scotsman Tuesday 18 September page 7
SNP warning over free personal care
The Scottish National Party yesterday warned Westminster not to "undermine" the will of the Scottish parliament over its plans to introduce free personal care.
The SNP’s reaction follows reports that the department of work and pensions headed by Alistair Darling might not agree to keep paying £55 a week attendance allowances to those receiving additional help from the Scottish executive towards their personal care. The care development group’s report recommended that attendance allowance should continue with the executive contributing an additional £90 per week towards the average costs of personal care of £145 per week. If Westminster withholds attendance allowance it will leave a £20 million hole in the executive’s financial calculations.
Source:- The Herald Tuesday 18 September page 8
