Tuesday 13 January 2004

By Natasha Salari, Amy Taylor, Clare Jerrom and Alex
Dobson

Law on private fostering to be tightened
The law on private fostering is to be tightened, but the
changes do not bring in a registration scheme called for by many
campaigners.
The changes in private fostering, which involve children being
looked after by relatives or other families, have been made in an
attempt to reduce the amounts of  “hidden” arrangements such as in
the case of Victoria Climbie.
Under the measures, which are in the forthcoming Children’s Bill,
local authorities will have to be more “proactive” in monitoring
private fostering.
Source:- The Guardian Tuesday 13 January page 7
Tragic death that uncovered the shadowy world of Britain’s
Chinese workers
Fatal 24-hour shift at a microwave plant highlights plight of
migrants working long hours, under false names, for low pay
Source:- The Guardian Tuesday 13 January page 4
Vulnerable denied aid, says church
Hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people in the UK do not receive
the help they need due to a responsibility gap, the Salvation Army
has warned.
It added that more and more vulnerable were slipping unnoticed
through gaps between the care offered by the government, the
private sector and individuals.
The revelations come in a report based on research by social
forecasters at the Henley Centre. It concludes that a growing
individualism and sense of ‘time famine’ amongst people fuels the
problem.
Source:- The Guardian Tuesday 13 January page 12
Bowel virus found in autistic children who had MMR
jab
A study has found signs of a chronic viral infection in the bowels
of children who became autistic after having the MMR jab.
The virus, feared to come from the measles component of the
injection, appears to have sparked an abnormal response of the
immune system similar to that in patients with HIV.
Researchers at the Royal Free Hospital in London conclude that
there is further evidence of a new form of bowel disease in
children with ‘regressive autism’ – losing the power of
speech and becoming autistic.
Source:- The Daily Mail Tuesday 13 January page 16.
No-one would help us when our daughter fell for a junkie
twice her age. Now she’s dead at 16
The parents of a teenager who died from a heroin overdose after she
feel under the spell of an addict nearly twice her age, have spoken
about how they pleaded with police and social workers in Swindon to
act.
Deborah and Anthony Walsh were told nothing could be done because
the 16-year-old had reached the age of consent. Kate was found dead
in a rubbish-strewn squat in a red-light district.
Her parents are furious that nothing was done to stop the man
preying on young girls.
Source:- The Daily Mail Tuesday 13 January page 35
Catholic Church to pay £330,000 to former altar boy
abused by priest
A former altar boy who was sexually abused by a priest, is to
receive record damages of £330,000 from the Catholic Church in
England and Wales.
Four more claims against the same priest are still to be heard by
the courts, but if successful they could leave the church facing a
final compensation bill of £2 million.
The church has admitted liability for failing to take proper steps
to protect children from Father Clonan when he was practising as a
priest in Coventry in the 1970s.
Source:- The Independent Tuesday 13 January page 2.
Register of child minders to go on internet
Parents will be able to look at reports on the internet about more
than 70,000 child-minders before deciding who to employ.
Carers will be identified  by their registration numbers and the
first part of their postcodes. Parents will be able to fill in
their postcodes and access reports on local childminders, then make
contact through their registration details.
Childminders did not do well out of the first round of Ofsted
inspections. Ofsted is half way through the second round of
inspections, and will begin to publish the reports on its website
in April 2005.
Source:- The Daily Telegraph Tuesday 13 January page 1
Scottish newspapers
Strike will let our crooks off the hook
Offenders could roam the streets unchecked if police support a
staff walk-out over a pay row.
Staff at Strathclyde Police’s new crime management centre are
angry at plans to axe shift allowances. But if industrial action
goes ahead, police who pick up suspects would be unable to check if
there is a warrant for their arrest, if they are in breach of bail
or if they had recently been held.
One worker said if strikes went ahead “it would be a good
time to be a criminal”.
Source:- Daily Record Tuesday 13 January page 2
Pupils to sort out bullying
Pupils in primary and secondary schools are to be trained to sort
out playground fights under a new scheme announced by Peter
Peacock, the education minister, yesterday.
The youngsters’ job will include bringing bullies
face-to-face with their victims and asking them to apologise. They
will also step in to settle playground disputes.
Schools in Fife, Highland and North Lanarkshire will pilot the
£150,000 restorative justice scheme.
Source:- Daily Record Tuesday 13 January page 2
Wonder drug ‘not for Scots’
Scottish Alzheimer’s sufferers have been denied a new drug,
which can slow down the advance of the disease.
The Scottish Medicines Consortium, which advises health boards on
new drugs, yesterday announced that the drug Ebixia should not be
made available on the NHS.
Ebixia costs up to £900 a year for each patient and Jim
Jackson, chief executive of Alzheimer’s Scotland, said the
drug would be cost effective if it deferred admission to a nursing
or residential home.
Source:- Daily Record Tuesday 13 January page 6
Jail bosses reveal numbers of beasts
Scottish prisoners will no be able to make phone calls without
people knowing where they are phoning from.
The scheme, which already operates in Barlinnie prison, will this
week be introduced at Peterhead prison and will be rolled out
across Scottish jails in a bid to protect victims of crime being
harassed.
Whenever an inmate makes a call, a recorded message will tell the
receiver of the call which jail it is being made from.
However, offenders at Peterhead in Aberdeenshire are threatening
legal action and claim the move violates their human rights.
Source:- Daily Record Tuesday 13 January page 21
£1m fund package for integration of asylum
seekers
The Scottish executive announced a £1 million funding package
for projects to help asylum seekers integrate into their local
communities.
The funding for 44 initiatives, the majority of which are in the
Glasgow area, will be divided among social inclusion partnership
areas and the council which will then allocate the resources
locally.
Source:- The Scotsman Tuesday 13 January
Parents pour oil on troubled children
Lord Winston, the television scientist, has prompted a surge in the
sales of fish oils after he demonstrated how the capsules could be
used to help disruptive children.
Health food shops across Scotland are reporting a rise in sales of
supplements containing omega oils as parents seek healthier
alternatives to Ritalin, which has increasingly been prescribed to
treat hyperactive behaviour, despite links with five deaths.
Source:- The Herald  Tuesday 13 January
Welsh newspapers
£67m paid so far to ex-miners
Ex-miners and their families in Gwent have received more than
£67 million in compensation for chest disease, according to
new figures.
A total of £284 million has been paid to miners across Wales
for respiratory complaints, but Nacods, the miners union, that won
the original test cases for compensation say that the vast majority
of claimants are still waiting to have their cases resolved.
Source:- South Wales Argus Monday 12 January page 5
Willing hands at work
Volunteers are building a new therapy and relaxation suite at a
unit for disabled children.
Thanks to the hard work of dozens of people the £25,000
hydrotherapy and sensory room at the Torfaen Opportunity Group
(TOG) premises at New Inn, Ponypool, is being carried out
completely free of charge by a team of builders.
Cynthia Beynon, director of TOGS, said that the new suite would
improve the quality of life of many disabled children.
Source:- South Wales Argus Monday 12 January page 6
Healthy eating is junk food for children
Children in Wales have made it clear that they want more fast food
at mealtimes even though health experts are warning of an obesity
time-bomb.
A survey of hundreds of comprehensive school pupils in Swansea
found that children felt they were not getting enough so-called
junk food.
The survey backs findings from the Food Standards Agency in Wales
that shows that although healthy options are being offered at
school mealtimes, children are not opting for healthy foods.
Source:- Western Mail Tuesday 13 January page 7