Tuesday 17 June 2003

By Amy Taylor and Alex Dobson.
Social workers may be based in schools
Social workers could soon work out of schools as a part of
government plans to create more co-ordinated approach to protecting
children at risk.
Education secretary Charles Clarke said the new system would aim to
break down the “silos” that agencies work in.
Source:- The Financial Times Tuesday  17 June page 3
Immigrant numbers jump by 400,000 in census
confusion
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has estimated that the
number of immigrants that came to this country from 1994-2001 is
400,000 higher than it estimated in November.
In November, the ONS said that the 2001 census had shown that
Britain’s population was lower than had previously been believed.
It put this down to inflated immigration levels and knocked an
average of 76,000 off the figures for each year from 1994 to 2001.
But the ONS has now published revised figures that increase the
numbers once again.
Source:- The Daily Telegraph Tuesday  17 June page 1
£100m jobs subsidy scheme is poor value, say
auditors
A £100 million jobs subsidy scheme in England’s poorest
regions has been branded poor value for money by a new report from
the National Audit Office.
The report states that over half of the new jobs financed by the
scheme would have come into existence anyway.
Source:- The Guardian Tuesday  17 June page 6
U-turn over Balkan camps for refugees
The government axed its plans to create offshore asylum application
processing camps outside the European Union’s borders last
night.
Jack Straw said the idea to have camps in the Balkans or Ukraine is
“not being actively considered within the EU at the moment”.
The idea had received fierce opposition from asylum
campaigners.
Source:- The Independent Tuesday  17 June page 6
Scottish newspapers

Rehab boss to set up drug and alcohol
watchdog
A watchdog dedicated to drug and alcohol is being set up because
the current services available are “scandalous”.
Peter McCann, founder of the County Craig, the borders
rehabilitation clinic, has written to hundreds of patients asking
them if they would support such a watchdog which would stand up for
patients and challenge officials and politicians.
McCann stressed that the watchdog would be separate from County
Craig.
Source:- The Herald Tuesday 17 June

Social services under fire over site of home for
troubled teenagers
Glasgow council’s social work department has come under
attack for  plans to build a home for troubled teenagers next to a
primary school.
More than 650 residents have written objections to the plans to
open the six-bedroom unit in Carmyle.
The opposition comes in the same week as an argument about the
reopening of a children’s home on the south side of the
city.
Source:-  The Herald Tuesday 17 June

Pensioner group at war with charity finds some political
allies
An older people’s group has received offers of support from
politicians including the independent champion of senior citizens
after a financial dispute with a leading older people’s
charity.
Older people in the Dunblane Senior Citizens group said that it had
became affiliated with Age Concern Scotland four years ago in the
hope that they would provide support to help build a social club,
but the relationship became problematic within a few months.
The group alleged that £300,000 in pledged donations had
failed to become reality after complaints about it lead to four
unfounded investigations.
Source:- The Herald Tuesday 17 June
The bully breakers
Education minister Peter Peacock will propose new plans to
beat break-time bullies today.
The anti-bullying measures will include a discipline crackdown on
school playgrounds, corridors and cloakrooms, areas identified as
the most likely places for bullying to occur.
The minister wants to recruit a team of 10 headteachers with a
track record of driving bullying out of their schools to give
“masterclasses” to over 3,000 other headteachers over
two years.
Source:- The Daily Record Tuesday 17 June

Welsh newspapers
Why uniforms cash will be here pretty smartish
A two-page feature looking at Welsh assembly plans to draw up new
rules to ensure all councils in the principality offer parents cash
support for school uniforms.
Education minister Jane Davidson is to hold talks with councils to
end the postcode lottery that exists at present, where six out of
the 22 councils currently offer no grant assistance at all.
Source:- South Wales Argus Monday 16 June pages 8-9
Chop out low value food, for kids’
sake
Millions of pounds must be invested to remove “cheap, fatty
and processed meals” from Welsh school canteens.
Leading Welsh academic, Professor Kevin Morgan says that locally
produced ingredients are the key to improving the quality of meals,
and that Wales should follow Scotland and make a substantial
investment in the school meals service.
Morgan believes that school meals have a vital role to play in the
growing problem of childhood obesity.
Source:- Western Mail Tuesday 17 June page 3