In Today's Papers

By Clare Jerrom, Lauren Revans, Sally Gillen, David Callaghan and Alex Dobson.

Doorstep loans study may lead to OFT inquiry
Next month’s findings of a National Consumer Council study examining doorstep lending to consumers on low incomes in parts of the north and north west could form the basis of a “supercomplaint” to the Office of Fair Trading about the controversial practice.
Research by the coalition campaign group Debt on our Doorstep suggests that annual percentage rates offered by some lenders to thousands of poor families across the country can be as high as 177 per cent.

Source:- Financial Times Monday 13 October page 3
Law Society warns over legal aid
The financial services industry should pay a levy to the civil legal aid fund to help pay for debt-related legal advice, the Law Society is expected to warn later this week.
The society, which will call for a review of the criminal, legal and civil legal aid services, believes public defenders could soon have to provide legal aid unless the government acts to head off a looming crisis in the system.
Source:- Financial Times Monday 13 October page 4
Kennedy brings in new blood in bold reshuffle
Sutton MP Paul Burstow will take over from Dr Evan Harris as the Liberal Democrat’s spokesperson on health as part of a reshuffle of the party’s frontbench team.
Mark Oaten, the party’s chairperson, will replace Simon Hughes, the party’s candidate for mayor of London, as home affairs spokesperson.
Source:- Financial Times Monday 13 October page 4
Social work has come bottom of a list of 170 courses ranked according to the A-levels achieved by the undergraduates taking them.
The findings, based on 2.3 million students, reveal that secondary education also attracts less able students, with the degree course coming in at 162nd.
Source:- Daily Mail Monday 13 October page 15
Letwin says sorry over attack on state school
Shadow home secretary Oliver Letwin has apologised to his local comprehensive school for saying that he would rather beg than send his children there.
He said he was sorry for causing any offence to Lilian Baylis school in Kennington, south London, with his comments at a fringe meeting at the Conservative Party conference last week.
Source:- The Daily Telegraph Monday 13 October page 2
‘Abducted’ boy found under bed
The search for a nine-year-old boy feared abducted over the weekend has ended after he was discovered asleep in a den he had built under his bed.
Christopher Offord’s mother had raised the alarm Saturday evening when her son apparently failed to return to his Suffolk home from a friend’s house nearby.
Source:- The Daily Telegraph Monday 13 October page 2
Curfew plan faces court challenge
Child curfews aimed at tackling antisocial behaviour and low-level crime will breach four articles of human rights legislation, according to human rights lawyers Matrix Chambers.
The curfews for under-16s are part of an antisocial behaviour action plan to be launched by the government this week, based on measures in the Antisocial Behaviour Bill expected to reach the statute book in January.
Source:- The Guardian Monday 13 October page 7
Firms to fit hearing aids for NHS
Two high street suppliers will be able to provide a free assessment and fitting service for digital hearing aids under government plans to accelerate a £125 million programme to increase uptake. Previously, the free service was only available on NHS premises.
Source:- The Guardian Monday 13 October page 7
Legal aid system in crisis, says solicitors
GP-style contracts for legal aid solicitors could help to stem the exodus into better-paid private work, the Law Society suggests in a new report.
The society, which represents 85,000 solicitors in England and Wales, is calling on the government to act urgently to avert a growing crisis in the legal aid system.
Children in care should go to Eton too, says Letwin
Shadow home secretary Oliver Letwin is considering a plan to send looked-after children to private boarding schools such as Eton.
Letwin has launched a working group on the future of local authority care, which will explore the possibility of handing control of care homes to independent boarding schools and charities.
Source:- The Independent Monday 13 October page 1
OAPS get council tax rises pegged to inflation
Older people living in Kent will have council tax raises linked to the rate of inflation, following a decision by ministers to allow the council to introduce a discount plan.
The landmark discount scheme, which was approved by local government minister Nick Raynsford, will mean other residents will pay 10 or 15 pence a week more.
The plan has been introduced under the Local Government Act, which came in last month, and Kent is believed to be the first council to use the new powers it gives to introduce exemptions and discounts for certain groups.
Source:- Financial Times Saturday 11 October page 2
Mother jailed as her son plays truant for 94 days
A mother who was unable to stop her 15-year-old son truanting has been jailed for a month.
The boy missed 94 days of school and his mother had already been convicted of failing to ensure her child attended school. She received a two-year conditional discharge in July 2002.
Northamptonshire council said the woman had failed to attend meetings to get her son back to school, and had used the Education Act 1996 to prosecute her.
Source:-  Daily Telegraph Saturday 11 October page 14
Climbie audit finds child protection patchy
More than three years after the death of Victoria Climbie, 45 per cent of social services departments are still failing to serve most children well.
A report on the audits of child protection procedures carried out by health, police and social services has found that performance was improving but was still dangerously patchy.
The report noted that there was still a high number of unallocated cases and that there was “concern” about the variation on services provided by NHS organisations.
Source:- The Guardian Saturday 11 October page 13
Child sex laws too lenient says judge
A top judge yesterday called on the government to change the law to allow tougher sentences on paedophiles.
Lord Justice Kay said that the public and judiciary had been concerned for years about the sentencing in some cases of sexual offences against children.
Source:-The Times Saturday 11 October page 13
Care home refund ‘to cost £550m’
The bill for compensating families for the cost of long term care for sick and older people could reach £600 million, a new survey from the Liberal Democrats reveals.
A health service ombudsman report in February found that health authorities are liable for the continuing care costs of many families who have had to use savings to meet the bills.
The survey of 23 of the 28 strategic health authorities shows that the costs amount to £557 million, and administration of claims could cost as much as £30 million.
Source:- The Observer Sunday 12 October page 6
Lie detector tests for rapists and paedophiles
Paedophiles and rapists could be subject to lie detector tests as part of their rehabilitation into the community. The probation service is to run a series of pilot schemes to monitor offenders released on licence.
It will be a voluntary scheme to begin with, but could become compulsory.
Source:- The Observer Sunday 12 October page 11
Beggars hit by crackdown on anti-social behaviour
Beggars who harass people at cash machines are to be targeted in a new crackdown on antisocial behaviour to be announced by the prime minister this week.
He will unveil 30 intervention programmes in cities and towns which will clear beggars off the streets offering them hostel accommodation.
A government survey is expected to show that in one 24-hour period in September more than 50,000 incidents of begging, drunkenness, kerb crawling , rowdy behaviour and vehicle related nuisance, were recorded.
Source:- The Observer Sunday 12 October page 3
Blair v Brown over pensions
Tony Blair and Gordon Brown are to clash over Treasury plans to apply a tax on pensions. The row is likely to delay progress on the government’s pensions bill.
The Treasury has proposed a tax of more than 60 per cent on people’s pension funds, which would raise £1.4 million.
Source:- The Sunday Times 12 October page 2
Scottish newspapers

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Child abuse pledge can’t be delivered
Senior social workers have admitted that Edinburgh council can not honour its pledge to urgently review the cases of 342 children known to be at risk of physical abuse by their parents.
The authority had promised the review of all acute child protection cases on file following the damning independent report into the death of Caleb Ness, who was killed by his father while he was on the social work at risk register.
Last night a source within the authority told ‘The Scotsman’ it was impossible for the council to “urgently” look at all the cases.
“The reality is that we don’t have the staff resources to systematically scrutinise all our cases as intensively as we need to,” the source said.
Source:- The Scotsman Saturday 11 October
Counselling for children over family breakdowns
Children in the Lothians whose parents have separated or divorced are to be offered counselling under a new service.
The initiative by Couple Counselling Lothian is aimed at giving young people a chance to talk confidentially if they are having difficulties relating to their parents’ separation.
Source:- The Scotsman Saturday 11 October
Revealed: scandal of the neglected children in residential care
Children in care are being failed by the system set up to protect them, according to a damning new report that shows a “shocking” catalogue of health problems facing this group.
Looked after children have health problems which are not being picked up and treated, according to the study. They are not being told about safe sex and some are abusing drugs and alcohol.
Just 14 per cent of the children in residential care in Edinburgh, Midlothian and East Lothian had undergone a full set of routine check ups and immunisations. Just over 80 per cent had physical problems, from minor ailments to major concerns, the study by paediatrician Dr Anne Grant found.
Source:- Sunday Herald 12 October
New funding to tackle depression
A £4.5 million programme to improve the treatment of depression in Scotland has allocated funding for its first round of projects.
The Scottish executive funded programme called ‘The Doing Well by People With Depression’, is being undertaken by the Centre for Change and Innovation, which is an NHS organisation that aims to improve patient care.
Argyll and Bute Health Board was selected this week to lead the first round of projects in a three-year scheme.
Source:- Sunday Herald  Sunday 12 October
Forget ‘neds’ …most teenagers benefit society
Most of Scotland’s young people think respect is an important quality, value citizenship and want to put something back into their communities, according to a poll carried out for Youthlink Scotland.
The results suggest the media and politicians are wrong to demonise young people for the actions of a small number, the organisation’s chief executive Simon Jaquet said.
Source:- Sunday Herald 12 October
Chiefs ordered to explain how to avoid another Caleb Ness tragedy
The Scottish executive has summoned social work chiefs at the centre of the death of Caleb Ness to explain plans to avoid another tragedy.
Ministers will demand evidence of reform of Edinburgh council’s social work system following the death of the 11-week old baby at the hands of his father.
Experts have suggested that the government could take over the running of the city’s social work department if they are dissatisfied with the progress made.
Source:- Scotland on Sunday 12 October
Outrage over child tagging plan
Controversial plans to electronically tag children as young as 10 have been criticised amid fears they could become a ‘badge of honour’ for young people.
Critics including children’s groups, police chiefs and churches believe that allowing young offenders to be tagged could lead to some being left in abusive homes where they could be in danger, instead of being sent to secure accommodation.
Source:- Scotland on Sunday 12 October
Unions in yob blast
Unions have urged the Scottish executive to crackdown on thugs who abuse and attack public service workers.
Police face the highest risk of injury with more than a quarter reporting assaults or threats. Social workers and probation officers are next at risk, followed by government staff and nurses.
Source:- Daily Record Monday 13 October
New Alzheimer’s Aid
A new drug to treat Alzheimer’s disease could soon be available for Scottish people in spite of being refused approval earlier this year by the Scottish Medicines Consortium, which advises NHS Boards on new drugs.
The consortium are to reconsider claims that Ebixa can be of “significant benefit” in delaying severe symptoms.
Source:- Daily Record Monday 13 October
Social work staff crisis ‘putting child safety at risk’
A leading MSP, Scott Barrie, called for a national audit of social work departments last night after further damning evidence of the crisis facing child protection emerged just days after the report into the death of Caleb Ness was published.
More than 400 social care posts are unfilled within Scotland’s 32 local authorities. Glasgow council has around 120 posts vacant with a 30 per cent shortfall in staff.
Public sector union, Unison, claims that a significant number of the vacancies are within child protection and the scale of the problem is such that hundreds of children on the at risk register are not getting adequate protection from frontline officers.
Source:- The Scotsman Monday 13 October
Mental unit rethink call
The consultation process around plans for a medium secure unit for offenders with mental health problems in the west of Scotland has been criticised by an executive minister.
Hugh Henry, the deputy justice minister, said the process had been “seriously flawed”, and called for a fresh consultation.
Bruce McFee, an SNP list MSP for the west of Scotland, also called on Malcolm Chisholm, the health minister, to intervene. He plans to lodge a parliamentary motion asking the minister to review the process, claiming the local council has “strong grounds” for refusing a planning application.
Source:- The Scotsman Monday 13 October
Asylum-seeking nurses work without pay in Scots hospitals
Six asylum seekers are working as unpaid nurses in Glasgow hospitals as part of a bid to overcome chronic nursing shortages in the NHS.
Another 24 with overseas nursing qualifications are queuing up to be part of a new system, an “adaptation” programme, which will enable them to be employed by NHS trusts in Scotland.
Source:- The Herald Monday 13 October
Welsh newspapers
Deaf ‘losing out on education’
Deaf Welsh children are at risk of losing out on a basic education, according to the British Deaf Association in Wales.
The association says that many of them are wasting time learning to speak, instead of being taught sign language, and as a result suffer high levels of mental health problems.
Richard Jones, community advocacy officer for the BDA, said that all too often deaf children are expected “to do all the work” to live in a hearing world, and are not given adequate access to the deaf world and deaf role models.
Source:- Western Mail Monday 13 October page 5
Mental health services ‘failure’
Vulnerable children and young people in Wales are being failed by mental health services.
Research by the children’s charity Barnardo’s has found widespread failings in mental health services for young people and there are growing concerns that the national service framework to improve services in Wales has become bogged down in bureaucracy.
The charity’s Youth Crisis Group based in Cardiff, carried out the research and found that mental health issues were being dealt with as an isolated medical matter rather than in a holistic way.
Source:- Western Mail Monday 13 October page 5