A summary of social care stories from the main newspapers

By
Sally Gillen and Reg McKay.

Catalogue
of errors in abuse case

An
inquiry into the death of eight-year-old Victoria Climbie yesterday heard of a
catalogue of official errors and oversights that caused a failure to intervene
in possibly the most horrific child abuse case in British legal history.

Inquiry
chairman Lord Laming said at the start of the inquiry that the girl’s suffering
would be “an enduring turning point for securing proper protection of children
in this country”.

Neil
Garnham QC, counsel to the inquiry, said she died a “miserable and lonely
death” in February last year, 10 months after arriving in Britain in the care
of her great aunt Marie Therese Kouao.

Kouao
and her lover Carl Manning, who were sentenced to life imprisonment in January,
tied Victoria up and kept her in a plastic bag, lying in a bath in a room
without windows. She was left to lie for hours on end in her waste and was fed
cold food off a piece of plastic.

Garnham
highlighted a catalogue of  failures by
social services in the boroughs of London, Haringey and Brent. He said: “There
were at least 12 chances for the agencies charged with duties of child
protection to have saved her. All those chances were missed.”

Source:
The Guardian September 27, page 12

Scottish newspapers

Tower
blocks may be demolished

Glasgow’s
highest and worst tower blocks may be demolished if council tenants vote for
the transfer of housing stock to the independent Glasgow Housing Association.
The most infamous of the blocks, the 30-storey Red Road flats, seem destined
for demolition after years of controversy. 

The
proposals are contained in a survey report by private company FPD Savills
commissioned by Glasgow Council. The report proposes that thousands of the 81,000
properties be demolished if the stock is transferred to the Glasgow Housing
Association.

Source:
The Scotsman September 27, page 1

Father
jailed for the murder of two infant sons

Darren
Jenkinson was jailed for life yesterday at the High Court in Glasgow for the
murder of his two sons, two-month-old Aaron in September 1995 and
three-week-old Jacob in October 1999. 

Jenkinson
from Glasgow was also sentenced to five 12-year sentences after being found
guilty of attempting to murder his two sons on five separate occasions. Lord
McEwan presiding described the crimes as “monstrous” acts and recommended
Jenkinson serve a minimum of 15 years. Jenkinson is considering an appeal.

Source:
The Scotsman September 27 2001, page 8

Deacon
defiant on care package

Susan
Deacon, health minister, insisted yesterday that the Department of Work and
Pensions in Westminster would “bend” its own rules and allow Scottish older
people to keep their attendance allowance benefits.

Deacon
was responding to questions in the Scottish parliament. If Alistair Darling,
secretary for work and pensions, refuses to relent, the executive will be
forced to find an additional £20 million per year to fund their free personal
care package.

Source:
The Scotsman September 27 2001, page
10