Campaigners call for review into child care cases
Campaigners are calling for an independent review into cases where children have been taken into care on the advice of expert witnesses.
Lawyer Sarah Harman, the sister of Solicitor General Harriet, demanded the review into parents diagnosed with Munchausen's Syndrome by proxy following a Court of Appeal ruling on Friday.
The court ruled that the verdict did not change the responsibilities of local authorities who take youngsters into care.
Children's Minister Margaret Hodge had ordered the review of family as well as criminal cases where expert testimony is disputed,
Source: The Observer, May 16 2004, page 2
Mothers fail in child-abuse appeals
The first two mothers taking legal action to be reunited with their children after Sir Roy Meadow's evidence was discredited have lost their civil court challenges. They wanted to have their rulings overturned after they had their children taken into care after receiving a diagnosis of Munchausen syndrome by proxy.
Source: Times page 4, 15 May 2004
Romania to ban adoption by British couples
British people will be banned from adopting Romanian children under a new law. The law, which is expected to come into effect to be approved next week, will ban all foreign nationals from adopting.
Source: The Daily Telegraph, page 14, 15 May 2004
Midwives defy orders to shop asylum seekers
Midwives are opposing plans to make them shop asylum seekers who claim free childbirth on the NHS.
A consultation paper, released last week by the Department of Health, wants midwives and nurses to make it compulsory to alert managers if they discover someone is receiving NHS care to which they are not entitled.
A Department of Work and Pensions report proposes using health professionals to gather evidence as part of a medical assessment of people claiming incapacity and disability benefits.
Source The Observer, May 16 2004, page 16
Local Authorities reluctant to support people with autism
Local authorities are reluctant to support people with Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD), reveals a report by the National Autistic Society.
The report, A Place in Society, said 70 per cent of parents felt their son or daughter would be unable to live independently and 65 per cent of ASD adults had not had a community care assessment and did not know of the agencies that could help them.
There are an estimated 500,000 people with ASD in Britain of who 320,000 are adults.
Source: The Daily Telegraph, Monday May 17 2004, page 7
Independent Healthcare Forum launch
Lord Warner is to launch an Independent Healthcare Forum, a trade association for private sector health providers today (Monday).
The forum will replace the Independent Healthcare Association.
By 2008 private providers both from overseas and the UK are set to be treating a minimum of 600,000 NHS patients a year. That figure is likely to represent about 10 per cent of all waiting list operations.
Source: Financial Times, May 17 2004, page 4
No mention of probation service in NOMS
Senior probation and prison staff are alarmed the Home Office's preferred organisational structure for the new National Offender Management Service (NOMS) makes no mention of the probation service.
Instead its role is to be taken over by public sector intervention staff, complete with its own director, whose job will be to manage community penalties and programmes such as probation and electronic tagging.
NOMS is the result of a merger between the prison and probation services.
Source The Guardian May 17 2004, page 6
DIY drug kits from chemists
Parents will be able to buy a DIY drug testing kit from chemists to check whether their children are taking illicit drugs.
Anti drug campaigners warn parents home testing could destroy trust with their child.
The £12 kits are available from tomorrow (Tuesday).
Source: Daily Mail, May 17 2004, page 8
Scottish newspapers
Scottish communities to receive asylum seekers
Scottish communities are set to receive thousands of asylum seekers next year under plans to end Glasgow's monopoly of housing refugees.
A total of six councils are believed to be in talks with the Home Office about taking asylum seekers when Glasgow's £105m contract ends.
Councils include Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Fife, West Dunbartonshire and South Lanarkshire. Around 6,000 asylum seekers are currently living in Glasgow.
Source: Scotland on Sunday, May 16 2004, page 1
Major in cadet sex probe
An army cadet leader has been suspended over claims he sexually assaulted recruits on camping trips. Alexander Bisset is under investigation by the Ministry of Defence police. He has been banned from the Glasgow and Lanarkshire battalion. Bisset denies the allegations.
Source: Daily Record, Monday 17 May 2004, news page 7
Childcare tax break for more families
Childcare tax breaks will be available to more families, children's minister Margaret Hodge has announced. The child tax credit is limited to parents using childminders and nurseries but will in future parents will be able to use it to pay for nannies and holiday club schemes. The change will come into force after April.
Source: Daily Record, Monday May 17 2004, page 11
Call for child trafficking crackdown
Police and social workers were today expected to call for number of measures to tackle child trafficking. It follows a study of unaccompanied children entering the UK. A report released today, based on a three-month analysis of unaccompanied children entering Heathrow Airport, will recommend safeguards, including safeguarding teams at ports.
Source: The Scotsman, Monday 17 May 2004
'Cover-up' fear over child abuse review
The Scottish executive has been accused of a "whitewash" over concerns that a review into child protection cases may never be published. Lawyers are demanding that ministers publish its findings, after dozens of parents in Scotland claim to have been wrongly diagnosed with Munchausen's syndrome by proxy. Eric Scott, an Edinburgh-based solicitor representing two women, said the review by the Scottish Children's Reporter Administration was little more than a paper-chasing exercise.
Source: The Scotsman, Monday 17 May 2004
Homeless research points to a solution
Homeless people need wide-ranging support to ensure they do not become homeless again, according to a study published by the Glasgow Simon Community. The study by the charity is following the progress of 75 homeless people over a year.
Source: The Herald, Monday 17 May 2004
Extend anti-social laws into class, say teachers
The Scottish Secondary Teachers' Association is urging the government to extend anti-social behaviour orders to schools. It is arguing that some behaviour outside schools should be covered by the legislation.
Source: The Herald, Monday 17 May 2004
Welsh newspapers
Doubt cast on free bus passes
The effectiveness of a flagship scheme providing free bus passes for pensioners in Wales may be in doubt following the publication of new UK figures.
Tables showing the fastest growing bus routes and bus networks in Wales do not include any actually in Wales, in spite of the Welsh assembly putting £33m into unlimited free travel for all pensioners.
The new figures appear to support the views of government ministers in England who argue that there are more effective ways to spend public money to boost bus services.
Source Western Mail Monday 17 May page 3
Fewer children recognise dangers of HIV/Aids
Children are becoming less well informed about the risks of catching HIV/Aids and are putting themselves in increasing danger according to a new report.
New research by the Schools Education Health Unit that surveyed more than 140,000 young people across the UK found a decline in the knowledge of 12 to 15-year-olds about the disease.
Source Western Mail Monday 17 May page 4
