By Maria Ahmed
Coroner calls for care home inquiry
A coroner has called for the deaths of 13 older people in the
same nursing home to be investigated by a public inquiry, chaired
by a high court judge.
Aidan Cotter, a Birmingham coroner, has been asked to review the
deaths at the former Maypole nursing home.
Source:- The Guardian Thursday January 27 2005 page 6
Nursery care costs soar
The cost of childcare in Britain is rising at over three times the rate of inflation, with nursery fees in inner London soaring by 17 per cent, according to research by the Daycare Trust.
Source:- The Guardian Thursday January 27 2005 page 9
Child prisoners 'had bones broken'
Children in custody have had their bones broken by staff attempting to control them, the chief inspector of prisons said yesterday.
Anne Owers added her voice to the international criticism of the government over the number of children who are incarcerated.
Source:- The Independent Thursday January 27 2005 page 26
Minister is ready to nuke the 'woeful' CSA
A cabinet minister sounded the death knell for the troubled Child Support Agency yesterday.
Work and Pensions Secretary Alan Johnson twice said he was considering the 'nuclear option' of abolishing the agency over its failure to clear a backlog of a quarter of a million cases.
Source:- The Daily Mail Thursday January 27 2005 page 33
Detention boy hangs himself
A 14-year-old boy hanged himself with a belt in his bedroom after he got a detention at school for breaking a ceiling tile.
Thomas Walker was found a few hours later by his brother, eight, in Sedgeley, West Mids.
Source:- The Daily Telegraph Thursday January 27 page 8
Scottish newspapers
Every school must teach sexual health, executive insists
Mike Rumbles, the executive's Liberal Democrat health
spokesperson confirmed there would be a full legal requirement on
all schools to teach the new guidelines, including those at
Catholic schools.
The plans have run into opposition from groups concerned they would
lead to children in faith schools being taught about sex and
contraception rather than abstinence.
Source:- The Scotsman Thursday 27 January 2005
Council tax outstrips wage rises to jump 30% in five years
Some Labour activists are worried recent large council tax rises could be a turnoff with voters at the next general election.
New figures show council tax has risen by 30 per cent over the past five years, partly due to an expansion in the number of council staff.
Source:- The Scotsman Thursday 27 January 2005
Campaign targets mental illness in young
A TV campaign targeting young people and the stigma of mental illness is being launched today.
The cartoon advert, supported by £650,000 of Scottish Executive money, highlights the findings of a previous survey which revealed that one in 10 young people in Scotland experiences mental health problems.
Source:- The Scotsman Thursday 27 January 2005
Children sent from city in foster crisis
A shortage of foster parents in Glasgow is leading to 50% of
children being placed in care outside the city, some as far away as
Fife and the Borders.
Other significant areas of concern highlighted by a report include
foster carers looking after more children than they should be,
unrelated children sharing bedrooms and the number of carers who
had not been formally reviewed for more than two years.
Source:- The Herald Thursday 27 January 2005
Carers want to know who cares for them
Short profile piece complementing the report article on the
difficulties a foster carer couple in Glasgow have doing the
job.
Source:- The Herald Thursday 27 January 2005
New HIV victim every day
One person a day was diagnosed with HIV in Scotland last year as figures rose to a new high.
The 365 new cases were an increase of 40 per cent on 2003, largely due to more people being tested, experts said.
Source:- Daily Record Thursday 27 January 2005
£50m lost house bill
Scotland's local authorities lost out on £50 million last year as a result of rent arrears and empty council houses.
Source:- Daily Record Thursday 27 January 2005
Award for care skills
A new qualification for inspectors who monitor the standard of care services in Scotland has been launched.
Around fifty staff, who inspect homes, nurseries and childminding, from the Scottish Care Commission will study for the one-year Regulation of Care Award, developed by Anglia Polytechnic University.
Source:- Daily Record Thursday 27 January 2005
Welsh newspapers
Girls jailed for arson attack
An arson attack was carried out on the home of three Iraqi asylum seekers by two drunken teenage girls.
The girls, who were both 16 at the time and who cannot be named for legal reasons, were sentenced to two years in detention.
They pleaded guilty to arson and being reckless as to whether life was endangered.
Source:- Western Mail Thursday 27 January 2005
