In Today's Papers

By Amy Taylor, Clare Jerrom and Alex Dobson.

New pension credit draws only 100,000 households
Only 100,000 households have applied for the new pension credit despite 1.6 million eligible older people receiving letters from the government inviting them to apply.
New figures from the Department for Work and Pensions show that about 1.9 million older people households are receiving the credit but 1.8 million of them were recipients of the minimum income guarantee and automatically transferred.

Source:- The Financial Times Thursday 16 October page 4
Longer jail term for internet paedophile
Paedophiles who use internet chatrooms to 'groom' victims received a warning to expect long jail sentences yesterday when three judges increased a man's three-year sentence for abusing two 13-year-old girls by 18 months.
Michael Wheeler's sentence, given out at Norwich crown court, was described as "significantly too lenient" by three judges in the court of appeal.
Source:- The Financial Times Thursday 16 October page 4
Action urged on child protection
Local authorities will be stripped of their responsibilities for child protection if they do not improve their record on preventing children from being harmed. Lord Laming, the chairperson of the Victoria Climbie inquiry, is expected to warn social services officials today.
Speaking at the annual social services conference he is expected to state the government's plan to merge child protection with education and some health services, is the last chance for English local government to improve its record in this area.
Source:- The Guardian Thursday 16 October page 7
Courts 'clogged' by asylum cases
Courts are being clogged up and large amounts of public money is being ‘wasted’ by an increasing number of court applications for financial help from destitute asylum seekers, a high court judge ruled yesterday.
The court has a caseload of 800 asylum support cases and 60 new applications from cases funded by legal aid every week.
The increase in figures comes after a change in the law stating that asylum seekers must make their claim 'as soon as reasonably practicable' after arriving in the UK or face being denied any support.
Source:- The Guardian 16 October Thursday page 12
Scottish newspapers
Council chief quits
Edinburgh Council’s social work director resigned yesterday following damning reports into the death of Caleb Ness.
Les McEwan, who has worked in Edinburgh for 36 years, said he had been shocked and saddened by the death of Caleb, and that as director he had ultimate responsibility for everything that happens in the department.
Caleb was on the child protection register when he was shaken to death by his father, Alexander Ness. A report into the handling of the case found failings at almost every level in the agencies involved with the 11-week-old baby’s case.
Source:- The Scotsman Thursday 16 October

Children at risk left unprotected

The social work recruitment and retention crisis has left many vulnerable children unsupervised in breach of statutory requirements, ‘The Herald’ has discovered.

In the worst case, one council cannot even provide social workers for the supervision of 16 children on the at-risk register.

Other councils are failing to assign social workers to children under supervision orders from the children’s hearing system.

Source:- The Herald Thursday 16 October

Mental anguish of stressed students

Students seek more support for mental health problems than their counterparts outside higher education, according to a report by the Royal College of Psychiatrists.

More undergraduates are seeking counselling and their problems are becoming more severe, the report found.

The main causes of stress were financial difficulties, the desire for academic achievement and home-sickness.

Source:- The Herald Thursday 16 October

Welsh newspapers

Councils rage at budget plan

Politicians in Gwent have condemned the Welsh assembly’s draft budget and are warning of damaging repercussions if it gets the go-ahead.

Under the draft budget for 2003-2004 health and social services will receive £4.53 billion close to 40 per cent of the assembly’s total spending for the year.

Social justice will receive £631.25, an increase of almost eight per cent on last year.

But local councils are unhappy with their share, with local government receiving £3.41 billion while education and lifelong learning are given £1.22 billion.

Source:- South Wales Argus Wednesday 15 October page 2

Parents’ distress as autism service is axed

Parents of autistic children are angry that Torfaen council in south Wales has cancelled babysitting care, without warning them.

The cuts come at a time when the council’s social services department is facing a projected overspend of £2.2 million.

Tim Davies chairperson of the Gwent Autistic Society said that parents had not been informed of the changes formally, and that the council had taken away the only service they provided for autistic children.

A spokesperson for the council said that they were disappointed at having to discontinue the small but valuable sitting service.

Source:- South Wales Argus Wednesday 15 October page 7

Youth courses face the axe in funding row

Hundreds of disadvantaged young people face having their training schemes axed because of cash limits imposed by the Welsh education and training quango, Elwa.

Manchester-based charitable trust Rathbone has announced that it can no longer afford to subsidise many of the training courses it has been running across south and west Wales because of the low level of funding it receives from Elwa.

Rathbone’s chief executive Darrel James travelled to Wales yesterday to meet with officials from Elwa and the Welsh assembly.

After the meeting he said that he had outlined the position that Rathbone found itself in as a result of the funding problems, but that no additional money was on offer.

Source:- Western Mail Thursday 16 October page 2