A daily summary of social care stories from the main newspapers

By Clare Jerrom.

Blacks lead parallel lives warns race riot
report

Lack of contact between races has been highlighted in an
official government report, which exposes the polarisation of
Britain’s white and ethnic minority communities.

Segregation fuels fear and suspicion, which is easily exploited
by extremists, the report warns.

Black and white people “tiptoe” around the issue of race
resulting in a lack of honest debate, according to the report into
last summer’s race riots in northern England.

Ted Cantle, former chief executive of Nottingham council and
report author, calls for a national debate on a shared British
identity, but his study insists this must include universal
acceptance for the English language and the law.

The report will be published just hours before home secretary
David Blunkett makes a keynote speech on race relations.

Source:- The Times Tuesday 11 December page 1

Mentally ill man detained for killing teenage
sunbather

A paranoid schizophrenic, who stabbed a teenager to death as she
sunbathed in a busy city, was ordered to be detained indefinitely
at a secure hospital yesterday.

Inderjit Kainth had paranoid delusions that he had to kill a
woman to save himself.

Rosie Ross was lying on a wall in Birmingham’s Centenary
Square in May when Kainth approached her, the court heard
yesterday.

Mr Justice Eady said it was clear Kainth was and was likely to
remain a threat to the public.

He said: “I am satisfied that you were suffering from a mental
illness, namely paranoid schizophrenia.”

“It is clear to me that it is necessary for the protection of
the public from serious harm that a restriction order should be
made under section 41 of the Mental Health Act 1983 without limit
of time and with maximum security,” he added.

Source:- The Guardian Tuesday 11 December page 4

Climbie inquiry tells council chief to explain
himself

The chief executive of Haringey Council has been ordered to
explain whether his officials are guilty of gross incompetence or a
deliberate attempt to conceal the truth, by Lord Laming who is
leading the public inquiry into the death of Victoria Climbie.

Yesterday, the inquiry’s lawyers found that they had been
denied a file giving the council’s assessment of the
competence of Lisa Arthurworrey, the social worker responsible for
Victoria’s case.

David Warwick was ordered by Lord Laming to attend the inquiry
and explain its failure to provide evidence in good time.

Neil Garnham, QC to the inquiry, said Haringey’s failure
to produce evidence was “either of gross incompetence or the
deliberate attempt to frustrate the efforts of this inquiry to
arrive at the truth. In either case it seems to us that it is
wholly unacceptable”.

Source:- The Guardian Tuesday 11 December page 5

Alcohol may get government health warning

Alcoholic drinks may contain a government health warning in
response to alarming evidence that Britain’s youngsters are
binge drinking, causing long term liver damage and premature
death.

Chief medical officer Liam Donaldson said cirrhosis of the liver
claimed the lives of 470 men and 288 women under 44 in England last
year.

He linked the sharp rise in drink-related hospital admissions
and deaths to increased consumption of alcohol and binge
drinking.

Yesterday he said: “It would be unrealistic to seek to curb
advertising, but I hope we could change the nature of advertising
to emphasise healthier patterns of drinking.”

Source:- The Guardian Tuesday 11 December page 5

Have courage, Sarah jury told

The jury of the Sarah Payne trial was warned to remain unswayed
by emotion as they retired to a hotel after considering their
verdicts.

The nine men and three women on the jury were told to apply
common sense and steer away from the desire to speculate as they
decided whether Roy Whiting was guilty of kidnap and murder.

Mr Justice Curtis said: “You must bring to this case a calm and
dispassionate mind. Deciding a case like this requires courage. Do
not shrink from being decisive. Be careful of going to extremes
either of repugnance or rushing to the other extreme of seeking out
non-existent evidence.”

Whiting denies kidnap and murder.

The jury resumes its deliberations today.

Source:- The Guardian Tuesday 11 December page 7

Dead refugees’ UK destination

The 13 refugees found inside a freight container following a
human trafficking operation had intended to go to Britain, Irish
police believe.

Documentation in the container where eight of the refugees died,
indicated their destination was a port in south England, not
south-east Ireland.

Source:- The Guardian Tuesday 11 December page 7

Points mean prizes in £1m scheme to cut juvenile
crime

Teenagers in areas like the south London estate where Damilola
Taylor was stabbed, will be offered trips to football matches and
Disneyland by the police, in return for good behaviour.

More than 8,000 children will receive smart cards on which to
collect good behaviour points, which can be exchanged for tickets
to sports events across London. Some children could even travel on
the Eurostar to Disneyland under the £1 million
initiative.

Police expect to be criticised for the scheme but believe it
will reduce juvenile crime and save £1.5 million in two
years.

Source:- Daily Telegraph Tuesday 11 December page 9