In Today's Papers

By Amy Taylor, Clare Jerrom and Alex Dobson

Pay deal put to council workers

A three-year pay deal worth 7 per cent, which was rejected by unions, is to be put to council workers.

Unison, the GMB and the Transport and General Workers’ Union said the move was designed to put pressure on employers to improve the offer.

Source:- Financial Times Saturday 8 May page 2

Social workers to be in police stations

Social workers could be based in police stations to help officers take pre-emptive action before neighbourhoods reach crisis point.

The scheme, which was the idea of Paul Evans, head of the Police Standards Unit, would involve clinical social workers working with problem families to target issues such as gangs and drugs.

The initiative would be based on a successful experiment in the American city of Boston where Evans was formerly police chief.

Source:- The Observer Sunday 9 May page 4

Abuse 'hysteria' puts kids at risk

The media's focus on paedophiles as strangers to their victims is putting children at risk, according to Britain's most senior policeman.

Only 10 per cent of paedophile attacks are carried out by strangers while 60 per cent are committed by family members.

The remaining 30 per cent are committed by friends and neighbours, according to Matthew Sarti, head of the Metropolitan Police's Paedophile Unit, at The Lost Children conference at Scotland Yard last week.

Source:- The Observer Sunday 9 May page 7

Scandal of the home-help firms failing Britain's elderly

More than half of private care companies fall short of acceptable standards - and 500,000 older people are suffering abuse.

Source:- The Observer Sunday 9 May page 10

Church leader urges forgiveness for Maxine Carr

A church leader based in Maxine Carr's home town of Grimsby has called for the public to forgive her.

Canon Michael Hunter, the rector in Grimsby, said there were many people in the town who would welcome back the former fiancée of the Soham murderer Ian Huntley.

Hunter pointed out that Carr, who is expected to be released this month, was one of Huntley's victims.

Source:- The Independent on Sunday Sunday 9 May page 5

GP's cash incentive to shop health tourists

GPs will be offered a cash incentive to detect failed asylum seekers who are attempting to access free NHS care, under new government proposals to be revealed this week.

The plans would mean failed asylum seekers would have to pay for services from GPs.

The government is planning to allow the GPs to keep the money as an incentive to uncover those who are not entitled to free care.

Source:- The Independent on Sunday Sunday 9 May page 12

Man sells daughter to pay gambling debts

West Yorkshire police are investigating a man who sold his 15-year-old daughter to a family friend to pay off his gambling debts.

The girl, who lives in Bradford, was set to be sent abroad to marry the family friend when she phoned the police to tell them what had happened.

If the man had become her husband, he would have been eligible to apply for British citizenship after 12 months.

Source:- The Sunday Telegraph Sunday 9 May page 1

Children in care miles from home

A shortage of 8,000 foster families in Britain is causing children in care to be placed in homes miles away from their friends, family and schools.

Twenty five per cent of children placed in foster care in England have to live outside their local authority area.

Source:- The Times Monday 10 May page 2

Scottish newspapers

Aberdeen to set alcohol prices in war on bingeing

A minimum price for alcohol in Aberdeen’s pubs and clubs will be set in a bid to discourage binge drinking.

Members of the city’s licensing board had split five-five in a vote on the introduction of the price tariff or a code of conduct which would end discounted drink sales including happy hours.

But they ordered officials to come back with a more detailed plan for the introduction of minimum price option following the casting vote of the board’s chair councillor Ron Clark.

Yesterday’s special board meeting was arranged after the licensing authority received a report from Grampian police which warned that crimes of violence, many of them alcohol-related, had risen significantly.

Source:- The Scotsman  Saturday 8 May

City children berated for behaviour

Teachers in Glasgow should not have to put up with the “crap” they face from pupils, according to a senior city councillor who has slammed ill-discipline in the city’s schools.

Hanzala Malik, who is a senior member of Glasgow’s education committee, also accused parents of treating schools like crèches rather than places of learning and urged parents to take more responsibility for their children.

Some committee members fear the city’s children are falling behind the rest of the country in terms of attainment and exam results.

Source:- The Scotsman  Saturday 8 May

Child sex attacker goes back to jail as appeal is rejected

A sex attacker who tried to rape an 11-year-old girl lost a legal bid to have his convictions overturned.

John Bermingham was jailed for 12 years for the attacks on the schoolgirl and a teenage nursing assistant in Edinburgh in November 2000.


Bermingham asked law lords to overturn his conviction by a jury at Edinburgh High Court in July 2002. But a panel of judges has thrown out the appeal.

Source:- Evening News  Saturday 8 May

Overhaul of social work after Miss X

Social workers need to radically change in order to meet the different needs of the 21st century, according to Peter Peacock.

The minister for education and young people said changes in society such as a breakdown of the standard family unit, widespread drug and alcohol dependency and people’s changing work patterns meant a fresh approach to social work was needed.

Peacock questioned whether society was asking too much of social workers. His comments were made in the wake of the publication of a report into how a woman with learning difficulties known as Miss X, was abused for an extended period.

Source:- Sunday Herald  Sunday 9 May

Scores of Scottish child abuse cases re-opened after expert witness struck off

Scores of Scottish child abuse cases are to be revisited after a bone specialist who appeared as an expert witness in court was struck off.

Children’s minister Peter Peacock has ordered an investigation into court cases involving pathologist Dr Colin Paterson who was hired by defence lawyers to expound his theory about temporary brittle bone disease.

The Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration has been asked to establish whether there are any cases involving Paterson “that give concern”.

Source:- Sunday Herald  Sunday 9 May

Children suffering due to a shortage of foster carers

A national shortage of foster carers is resulting in thousands of children suffering instability and disruption, a charity will warn today.

Many youngsters are being moved from home to home, split from siblings and forced to live miles away from their family and friends because of the shortfall.

The Fostering Network predicts that Scotland needs at least 650 new foster carers in order to provide better standards of care.

Source:- The Scotsman  Monday 10 May

Time bomb of shrinking and aging Highland population

The population in the Highlands is likely to fall and age significantly over the next 13 years creating a demographic time-bomb, it has emerged.

The number of people living in the region will drop by 4.3 per cent to 199,958 by 2017 when the population will be falling by almost 800 a year.

The area will see a marked decrease in the number of young people and a considerable rise among older people.

Source:- The Scotsman  Monday 10 May

Nursery nurses’ pay row erupts anew

Council officials hit out at union leaders last night after the row over nursery nurses’ pay boiled over once again.

Public sector union Unison accused officials in some of Scotland’s largest local authorities of trying to employ their members “on the cheap” after failing to agree local pay deals.

But the umbrella group for local authorities Cosla accused the union of a “stunt” and said councils were committed to “major investment” in nursery nurses.

Source:- The Scotsman  Monday 10 May

Welsh newspapers

Detectives abandoning paedophile inquiries

Parents and children are being let down by detectives who do not do enough to bring paedophiles to justice, according to a Welsh police chief.

Terry Grange, chief constable of Dyfed-Powys police who is also child protection spokesperson for the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) claimed that “far too often” investigations are abandoned and that the public trust is breached when officers do not do enough to secure convictions.

Source:- Western Mail Monday 10 May page 1

Nearly half of all nurses unhappy with managers

Almost half of all nurses in Wales are unhappy with the way the NHS is being run by the Welsh assembly, according to a survey by the Royal College of Nursing.

One in three feared the NHS would get worse over the next few years.

The study also revealed deep concern about workforce issues and lack of progress in reducing waiting times.

Source:- Western Mail Monday 10 May page 11

Old wives’ tales may be ‘putting mums off breastfeeding’

Old wives tales may be deterring thousands of mothers from breastfeeding, according to new research.

As a result as part of National Breast Feeding Awareness Week, a new online quiz has been launched which aims to dispel the myths surrounding breastfeeding.

National Breastfeeding Awareness Week, which is being run by the Welsh assembly, will be launched today in Cardiff.

Source:- Western Mail Monday 10 May page 11