A daily summary of social care stories from the main newspapers

By Clare Jerrom, Reg McKay and Alex Dobson.

Jail all mobile phone thieves, says Woolfe

Would-be mobile phone thieves were warned yesterday that they
could face sentences of at least 18 months, and more than five
years in cases of extreme violence.

Lord chief justice Lord Woolfe issued the warning as he
increased sentences on two 19-year-old muggers whose previous
penalties were deemed “unduly lenient” by the attorney general Lord
Goldsmith.

Lord Woolfe warned phone muggers to expect severe punishment.
Except in extreme circumstances, he said a custodial sentence “will
be the only option available”. He added this would apply
irrespective of the age of the offenders and their previous
convictions.

The lowest sentence would be 18 months and terms could be
increased to three years for offences involving weapons and five
years when weapons and violence were used.

Source:- The Guardian Wednesday 30 January page 3

Blunkett remedy for anti-social behaviour

The home secretary has urged chief constables to adopt a ‘can
do’ attitude as he revealed an overhaul of the way police, and
landlords can deal with anti-social behaviour.

Police will be able to apply to the courts for immediate action
to tackle teenagers who torment their neighbours, and evict noisy
neighbours under changes to anti-social behaviour orders.

The announcement was made by David Blunkett at a police reform
summit attended by all 43 chief constables in England and
Wales.

Source:- The Guardian Wednesday 30 January page 6

Health and social services Climbie deal

Health and social services authorities agreed to a secret deal
not to fall out over the way they handled Victoria Climbie’s
care, it emerged yesterday.

Haringey council and health chiefs in north London believed they
had agreed to an understanding that they would act with mutual
respect for one another, and not attack each other for mistakes
made in the care of the eight-year-old child, according to a letter
written after the inquiry was underway.

The counsel for the NHS last September did not criticise the
council in an opening statement to the inquiry. But
Haringey’s counsel later suggested North Middlesex
hospital’s behaviour was evidence of a “lack of serious
concern”.

Counsel to the inquiry Neil Sheldon read out a letter to the
inquiry yesterday signed by NHS representatives on 2 October 2001
to Haringey council leader George Meehan and chief executive David
Warwick.

The inquiry continues.

Source:- The Guardian Wednesday 30 January page 7

Mother jumped to death with son

A mother who feared she could be parted from her autistic son,
jumped 180 feet to her death from a bridge, taking the 11-year-old
boy with her, an inquest was told yesterday.

Helen Rogan’s body was found with Mark Owen Young’s
in September near their home in Consett, County Durham.

Verdicts of suicide and unlawful killing were recorded.

Source:- The Independent Wednesday 30 January
page 6

Refugees force cuts to Chunnel freight
links

Hundreds of freight trains through the Channel Tunnel have been
cancelled due to the action of asylum seekers, it emerged
yesterday.

Rail companies have slashed the number of freight trains by two
thirds due to fears that refugees will board them.

The French railway SNCF cut its services in November after
groups of refugees raided its yard in Frethun, near Calais.

It now runs goods trains for only a few hours during the night
and only has five daily services instead of 15.

Source:- Daily Mail Wednesday 30 January page 26

Guardian Society

Colour blind

Black carers lose out on support services

Source:- Guardian Society Wednesday 30 January page
4

Closing the doors

Barnardo’s former holiday centre to be sold for
development

Source:- Guardian Society Wednesday 30 January page
4

Cost of wrong score

Payout for family of a woman wrongly assessed in care case

Source:- Guardian Society Wednesday 30 January page
4

Splashing out

Charities are not supposed to use donations to subsidise state
services, but often they do

Source:- Guardian Society Wednesday 30 January page
12

Grand plan

When a child is adopted, the extended family often receives no
training or support

Source:- Guardian Society Wednesday 30 January page
120-119

Trafficking in evil

Asylum seekers drawn into child prostitution, warns expert

Source:- Guardian Society Wednesday 30 January page
119

Scottish newspapers

Legal threat over anti-abortion campaign

A Scots-based anti-abortion group, UK Life League, is being
threatened with legal action by one of its counterparts over the
authenticity of images to be used in a national campaign.

UK Life League claims the photographs are the first images of
British abortions which were recovered by its members from the
waste bins of two private clinics.

US anti-abortion group, the Centre for Bio-Ethical reform (CBR)
claims the images were bought by UK Life League from its
website.

CBR has described UK Life League’s actions as “sensationalist,
self-aggrandising and unhelpful”, and has threatened legal action.
UK Life League is about to use the images in a variety of 1.5
million posters to be distributed nation wide.

Source:- The Scotsman Wednesday 30 January page 1

More money for city housing

The Scottish Executive has decided to give an additional
£300 million towards the controversial transfer of Glasgow
council’s housing stock transfer after accountants found
crippling cash flow problems in the £4 billion financial
plan.

The additional “revenue sharing grant” brings the total amount
of public money to featherbed the handover over to a private
landlord up to £1.6 billion.

Last year the Treasury agreed to write off Glasgow
council’s housing debt of £900 million, if the transfer
went through, and the Scottish executive pledged £417 million
towards improving social housing in the city on the same
condition.

Critics of the scheme described the new money as “ideology gone
mad”.

Source:- The Herald Wednesday 30 January page
2

Psychiatric unit for Stobbhill Hospital

Stobbhill Hospital in Glasgow is to be the site of a medium
psychiatric unit in spite of two years of protest by local people,
politicians and health campaign groups.

The 76-bedded £12.5 million unit will house patients from
the State Hospital in Carstairs, who no longer need a top secure
environment.

The decision to go ahead with the Stobbhill site was taken by a
majority of the full board of NHS Glasgow last night

Source:- The Herald Wednesday 30 January page 7

Welsh newspapers

Tory AMs press for full inquiry

Conservative members of the National Assembly for Wales are to
call for an independent inquiry into the way a residential home for
older people has been run.

The call comes after a damning report by council-funded
inspectors found a catalogue of incidents at Hazelcroft Residential
Home in Fairwater, Cardiff, including neglect, slapping and
insulting behaviour by staff towards patients, as well as the loss
of a large quantity of medication.

Source:- South Wales Echo Tuesday 29 January page
18

6,000 pitmen have died in payout wait

Over 6,000 former miners have died while waiting for
compensation claims to be agreed, the government has revealed.

Junior industry minister Lord Sainsbury speaking at the House of
Lords said that since they made their claims in 1999, 6,721
claimants for diseases like bronchitis and emphysema had died
before receiving any money

Source:- South Wales Argus Tuesday 29 January page
7

Minister may launch inquiry into care home for
elderly

The Welsh Assembly may launch an inquiry into the running of a
Cardiff care home after a worker was found with a photograph of a
naked elderly resident.

Conservative AM Jonathan Morgan demanded an inquiry into the
running of Hazelcroft Residential Home, which has been the subject
of a damning report and is now closed.

Morgan told the Assembly during a debate yesterday, that
following a seaside holiday for the residents, a staff member was
found to have a picture of a naked older lady.

He said that making a speech where he had to disclose facts of
such a nature, which had been recognised in official Cardiff
council documentation, sickened him.

Health and social Services minister at the Welsh Assembly, Jane
Hutt, has agreed to consider holding an inquiry into the troubled
background of the home.

Source:- Western Mail Wednesday 30 January page 5