In Today's Papers

By Maria Ahmed, Clare Jerrom. Shirley Kumar and Amy Taylor

Swimming lesson trial collapses

The trial of a swimming teacher charged over the drowning of a four-year-old girl with special needs in a swimming pool has collapsed.

Emma Farrar, a pupil at Park school in Blackpool, drowned at nearby Woodlands school in November 2001.

Woodlands swimming instructor Pauline Mills of Newton in Lancashire was cleared yesterday when the prosecution at Preston Crown Court offered no further evidence and the judge told the jury to return a verdict of not guilty to a manslaughter charge.

Source:- The Guardian Friday  15 October page 14

Secret texts that ask 15-year-olds: Did you take your Pill today?

Family campaigners have condemned a scheme inviting teenage girls to sign up for a mobile texting service reminding them to take their contraceptive pill, saying it raises “huge moral and ethical questions”.

South Birmingham Primary Care Trust has reportedly invested £5,000 in the scheme sending messages for up to 300 teenage girls aged 15-21.

Source:- The Daily Mail Friday 15 October 2004 page 4

Force workers to boost skills, urges Milburn aide

Workers should be forced to attend training to improve their skills according to the special advisor to Alan Milburn, Labour’s general election co-ordinator.

Patrick Diamond also suggests penalties to individuals who fail to attend parenting, childcare or literacy programmes.

Source:- The Guardian Friday 15 October 2004 page 1
 
Patients receive out-of-hours guarantee from health service

The NHS guaranteed every patient in England the right to a home visit by a GP in the case of genuine need.

The move follows strengthening its quality standards for out-of-hours medical care.

Source:- The Guardian Friday 15 October 2004 page 8

Scottish newspapers

Noise ‘police’ to fine offenders on the spot

Complaints about noisy neighbours in Edinburgh are to be tackled by a dedicated team of wardens.

Edinburgh Council is planning a £1 million crackdown by creating a team of environmental wardens who will have the power to issue on-the-spot fines of £100.

The team will begin work with complaints to the police from February.

Source:- The Scotsman  Friday 15 October

Teenage asylum seekers back in Dungavel as bail refused

A group of teenage asylum seekers were returned to Dungavel detention centre yesterday after their bail application was denied.

Mirela Tinichigui, who has an 18-month-old baby, and her sister and two brothers attended the Immigration Court where a request for them to be bailed was heard.

The four Romanians have been held at Dungavel for almost two weeks under suspicion of making repeated applications for asylum under assumed names.

During this period, Mirela was separated from her child Michael who is in the care of social services.

Source:- The Scotsman  Friday 15 October

Disabled workers in protest

A protest outside Edinburgh’s city chambers was held today by blind and disabled workers campaigning against plans by the BlindCraft factory to axe 40 staff.

City officials have recommended that BlindCraft slashes its workforce of 66 disabled people to just 37 and a further 12 of its 42 able-bodied workers would also lose their jobs.

The move comes amid fears that the factory would have to close completely after external consultants were last month drafted in to evaluate the struggling business, which suffered an operating deficit of £2.18 million last year.

Source:- Evening News  Thursday 14 October

Move to transform social housing into ‘beautiful’ areas

Europe’s largest social landlord yesterday told residents they wanted to transform local housing to create beautiful and distinctive neighbourhoods.

Under a consultation exercise on Glasgow Housing Association’s neighbourhood renewal programme launched by the deputy communities minister Johann Lamont, tenants are being given the chance to comment on the next stage of the evolution.

Glasgow Housing Association's chief executive Michael Lennon said the association wanted to look for a mix of housing types and aim to “create beauty in these neighbourhoods”.

Source:- The Herald  Thursday 15 October
 
Welsh newspapers

Children’s services guide published

A set of guidance giving parents a clear idea of what they can expect from children’s services in Wales is published today.

The National Service Framework for Children, Young People and Maternity Services  sets out guidelines for local authorities, health boards and the Assembly Government.

Source:- Western Mail Friday 15 October page 3

Ex-carer cleared of ill-treating patients

An ex-carer has been cleared of ill-treating two people with mental health problems at Mold Crown Court.

Mary Violet Doreen Williams told the jury that she liked the men she cared for and that she had loved her job.

Source:- Western Mail Friday 15 October page 7