Thursday 11 September 2003

By Amy Taylor, Clare Jerrom and Alex Dobson.
Carer group counts costs
People who bring up the children of friends or relatives
after a bereavement or family crisis, get inadequate support from
the state and often experience financial difficulties.
Only a minority of the 300,000 children in this position are
officially fostered, with most brought up within official
arrangements, according to a report by the Family Rights
Group.
Although benefits such as child benefit, tax credit and income
support can be transferred from the child’s birth parent to the new
carer, this can take a long time to arrange and can be hard if the
parent continues to claim them.
Source:- The Times September 11 Thursday page 3
Schools to test for sex diseases
Secondary schools across the country could soon provide tests for
the sexually transmitted disease chlamydia, if two pilot schemes
are successful.
The service is due to be offered at two schools in York, and aims
to reduce the current level of one in 10 women being infected by
the disease.
The schemes have been provisionally backed by headteachers, but is
not yet formally approved by the governors.
The recommendations come after the Commons select committee on
health called for more sexual help and advice to be available for
young people.
Source:- The Guardian September 11 Thursday page 7
Treasury accused over take-up of tax credits
The treasury was met with cries of “complacency” yesterday after
heralding its tax credit system as a “huge success” despite up to
700,000 families not being in receipt of their benefits.
The paymaster general, Dawn Primarolo, used the recent publication
of figures showing 5.8 million people are now in receipt of the
credits to hail them a “huge success”. She added: “This means that
after just five months tax credits are reaching over 93 per cent of
those expected to be reached over an entire year.”
However, the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats accused her of
reducing the estimate of the number of families eligible.
The Inland Revenue now says that six million families are eligible,
but the publicity for the scheme claimed that nine out of 10
families, would be better off working out at around 6.5
million.
Source:- The Guardian September 11 Thursday page 12
Big rise in homeless under Labour rule
Despite government pledges to end local councils housing people in
bed and breakfast accommodation, the number has trebled since
Labour came to power.
Over 11,000 households were living in B&Bs in the second
quarter of this year compared with 4,100 in 1997, according to
government figures.
There has also been a 12 per cent rise in the numbers of people
living in hostels and refuges in 2002. This figure is now over
10,000.
Source:- The Independent September 11 Thursday page 10
A problem with numbers may add up to
dyscalculia
Children who have problems with sums maybe suffering from the
mathematical form of dyslexia, characterised with an inability to
handle numbers, according to a leading expert.
Speaking at a British Association for the Advancement of Science
conference, Brian Butterworth, professor of cognititve
neuropsychology at University College London said that the children
can be “misdiagnosed as stupid” when they are actually suffering
from the disability.
“Their teachers think they are stupid; they think they are stupid.
We have done focus groups with nine-year-olds and it is
heartbreaking.
Source:- The Times September 11 Thursday page 13
Scottish newspapers
Asylum mother’s plea for freedom
A woman and her three children who had their refugee
status granted then taken away will apply for bail today after
being held in detention for more than three weeks.
Bushra Sharif and her children aged seven, six and 13-months-old
were granted refugee status in August last year after an
independent adjudicator ruled the woman had a well-founded fear of
persecution.
However, the decision was revoked by the Home Office in August this
year after it emerged she was from Kuwait although she was born in
Pakistan. Sharif said she lied about where she came from because
she was terrified her abusive husband would track her down.
Her lawyer has applied for a judicial review which means the case
could last for months.
Source:- The Herald Thursday 11 September
Home office to meet executive over
‘difficulties’ faced by the detainees
Scottish ministers’ failure to act over Dungavel was
condemned by human rights activists yesterday as it emerged the
Home Office will now meet the Scottish executive to discuss
“specific difficulties” faced by children detained at
the centre.
Rosemarie Mcllwhan, director of the Scottish Centre for Human
Rights, said it was an “international disgrace” that
ministers were prepared to sit back and let the rights of people in
Scotland be trampled over by Westminster.
Last night government sources said there was no easy solution to
Dungavel immigration centre near Strathaven, and that the Home
Office and Scottish Executive had spent weeks working behind the
scenes.
Source:- The Herald Thursday 11 September
Jodi’s boyfriend says no to home
tuition
The boyfriend of Jodi Jones has refused individual tuition at home
after walking out of his school.
Luke Mitchell left St David’s RC High School in Dalkeith
earlier this week following a row with Marion Docherty, the
headteacher over being isolated from other pupils.
His family continued discussions with the education authority about
attending another school, but his solicitor Nigel Beaumont said
home tutoring was “not an option to be
considered”.
Jodi was on her way to meet her 15-year-old boyfriend when she was
murdered two months ago.
Source:- The Herald Thursday 11 September
Girl of 15 bullied to death
A 15-year-old girl hanged herself after being tormented by
bullies at a private school.
Marianne Shanks’ body was found in an out building at her
family’s farm. Friends claim Marianne had been subjected to
verbal abuse from bullies at the £7,000-a-year Dundee High
School.
Police are set to visit the school to investigate the claims, and
Marianne’s funeral takes place tomorrow at Perth
Crematorium.
Source:- Daily Record Thursday 11 September pages 1 and 7
U2 will be a hit
A former homeless woman who was seriously hurt in a road accident,
has been signed by the same record firm as U2 and Elton John.
Singer Julienne Taylor went from rags to riches yesterday after
signing a deal with Universal.
Source:- Daily Record  Thursday 11 September page 11
Taking the P
A driver who removed his disabled badge to show parking enforcers
was given another fine for not having the badge displayed.
Charles Fraser went to tackle Edinburgh’s wardens after they
gave him a ticket for displaying his badge the wrong way round at a
hospital. But the diabetes victim was given a second ticket and
fined for £60 for not displaying his permit.
The enforcers refused to withdraw either ticket or apologise to
Fraser yesterday.
Source:- Daily Record Thursday 11 September page 31
OAP to keep on driving
A disabled older woman has pledged to keep using her electric buggy
on the road despite complaints from motorists and run-ins with
police.
Betty Dow says she goes on the road in her 8mph vehicle because the
city’s pavements are bumpy. She added that motorists swear at
her but the 73-year-old says she ignores them.
A police spokesperson said the matter was “a grey
area”.
Source:- Daily Record Thursday 11 September page 31
Cannabis campaigner sold drugs
A drugs experts who campaigned to legalise cannabis was caught
dealing the drug.
Neil Montgomery, who has given evidence to the House of Commons
select committee on using cannabis in medicine, was ordered to do
150 hours community service at Edinburgh sheriff court
yesterday.
Source:- Daily Record Thursday 11 September page 37
Welsh newspapers
Welsh are best at playing happy families
Welsh families are bucking the trend by making time to sit
down and eat as a family.
While 93 per cent of Welsh families said they sit down together for
dinner compared to the UK average of only 30 per cent, almost half
felt that they wanted to spend more time together as a
family.
Half of those surveyed said that sharing problems contributes to a
happy family life, and 85 per cent of those questioned said open
communication was the key to family harmony. The research was
carried out for the bakers, Warbutons.
Source:- Western Mail Thursday 11 September page 5
Cash boosts for health boards
Welsh local health boards are to receive a cash injection of more
than £11 million, Welsh assembly health and social services
minister, Jane Hutt announced yesterday.
The funds will be used towards tackling health inequalities in
Wales and to improve services for those most in need.
Source:- Western Mail Thursday 11 September page 5
Teacher hopes jailing is deterrent
The headteacher at a Cardiff school where a boy assaulted two staff
members, said
that he hopes the teenager’s sentence will act as a deterrent
and give a clear message that such criminal behaviour will not be
tolerated.
The 14-year-old was sentenced to four months’ detention and
training by a youth court following assaults on two teachers at
Cathays High school in the city. The boy had been transferred to
the school following an assault on a pupil at another school.
There had been a history of problem behaviour, culminating in the
boy’s expulsion and he had come back onto school premises as
an intruder, when the assaults on the teachers took place.
Source:- Western Mail Thursday 11 September page 7