Wednesday 7 April 2004

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

Teacher who was left disabled by pupils awarded £92,500
payout

A teacher has been awarded £92,500 damages after pupils as
young as seven years old attacked her and left her partially
disabled.

Jo Redmond was punched, kicked, spat at and urinated on by pupils
at a special school in London for boys with emotional and
behavioural difficulties. She lost a number of teeth in one attack
and her left wrist is now “useless” after she was
struck with a fire extinguisher and had her hand slammed in the
door.

She was forced to retire early because of ill-health.

Source:- The Daily Mail Wednesday 7 April page 35

Dealers “selling drugs on psychiatric
wards”

Drug dealers are trading in overcrowded psychiatric wards,
according to a new report.

Three charities, Rethink, Sane and the Zito Trust, have called for
hospital mental health care to be updated . They claim that despite
650 government initiatives in five years, too little has
changed.

The report, ‘Behind Closed Doors’, claims that 30 to 40
per cent of patients with severe mental health problems are also
drug users and that crack and cocaine are readily available from
dealers who visit the wards.

Source:- The Daily Telegraph Wednesday 7 April page
2

Villagers lose fight to stop asylum centre

An asylum centre has been given the go-ahead by the high court
after protesters lost a legal battle to block the plan.

Hundreds of refugees are to be housed in the accommodation complex
to be built on unused Ministry of Defence land near Bicester,
Oxon.

It will hold up to 400 single men, 50 single women and 300 family
members while their asylum applications are being processed.

A lengthy planning inquiry last year rejected the £100 million
scheme, but its objections were overturned by the deputy prime
minister, John Prescott.

A judge has ruled that there are no legal grounds for challenging
his decision.

Source:- The Daily Telegraph Wednesday 7 April page
4

Benefit curbs ‘increase crime’

The crackdown on unemployment benefit has led to an increase in
crime because former claimants are searching for a new
“income”, a new study reports.

Academics have linked the Jobseeker’s Allowance directly to
rising levels of burglaries and theft and violent crime such as
assault and robberies in areas including Merseyside, Manchester and
inner London.

The study by Professor Stephen Machin and Oliver Marie of
University College, London, will be presented to the Royal
Economic

Society’s annual conference in Swansea.

Source:- The Daily Telegraph Wednesday 7 April page
4

Child of Achievement trustees quit over cash
discrepancies

The trustees of a leading children’s charity have resigned
after a three-year investigation discovered that they had received
thousands of pounds in unauthorised payments.

The Child of Achievement awards, which holds an annual ceremony for
courageous children, was the subject of an inquiry by the Charity
Commission after routine monitoring found discrepancies in its
accounts.

The trustees resigned after paying back substantial amounts of
money. But even though the trustees have been replaced, the annual
ceremony has not taken place for two years because of the
investigation.

The charity has announced that it is now reforming to become the
Child of Achievement Partnership and will be holding a ceremony
next year.

Source:- The Daily Telegraph Wednesday 7 April page
6

Doctor barred over child porn

A consultant child psychiatrist has been barred from practising for
a year after he admitted looking at child pornography on his home
computer.

Julian Morrell was found guilty of serious professional misconduct
and ordered to have his registration suspended at a hearing of the
General Medical Council.

Dr Morrell, of Summertown, Oxford, did not attend the hearing in
London, but he admitted deliberately accessing between two and four
websites containing child pornography.

According to his psychiatrist’s report, he was not a risk to
young people.

Source:- The Times Wednesday 7 April page 8

RE teacher admitted sex with pupil, 14

A married schoolteacher could be jailed after admitting having a
sexual relationship with a 14-year-old pupil.

Mike Hardy, who was head of year at an inner-city comprehensive in
Hull, had an affair with the schoolgirl when she developed a crush
on him.

Hardy admitted five counts of unlawful sexual intercourse with a
girl under 16. Sentencing was adjourned until next month.

Source:- The Daily Telegraph Wednesday 7 April page
8

Race crime linked to dispersal policy

An increase in race hate crimes has prompted concerns that the
government’s dispersal policy for asylum seekers could have made
them more vulnerable to racist attacks.

Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) figures published yesterday show
that race crime rose by 12 per cent last year.

Professor Gus John, a former advisor on race to the CPS, said a
report he had undertaken for Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council
had found that the policy of sending asylum seekers to areas with
little ethnic minority representation or where the BNP is active
had created problems.

He urged the CPS to investigate whether this was the case
throughout the country.

Source:- The Independent Wednesday 7 April page 8

Blair demands audit of official asylum figures

The prime minister has ordered an audit of official asylum
statistics in an attempt to restore public confidence in the
government’s immigration policy.

The review, which will be carried out by parliament’s spending
watchdog the National Audit Office, is part of a package of
measures.
Blair defended his management of immigration policy and said that
migrants were essential to the country’s economy.

Source:- The Financial Times Wednesday 7 April page
2

Row over £1bn overspend on care scheme

Ministers are embroiled in a row over who should pay for an
overspend of £1 billion by the Supporting People
programme.

The scheme, which provides care to vulnerable people combined with
housing, only started last year but has cost £1.8 billion,
compared with initial estimates of £400 million and £750
million.

The social care minister Stephen Ladyman is alleged to have said
that he is not prepared to see people “cut adrift”, and is calling
for separate funding to be found for learning difficulties and
mental health problems if they are no longer allowed to benefit
from the program after a Whitehall review.

Source:- The Guardian Wednesday 7 April page 5

Home truths

Stephen Ladyman, social care minister, is on a mission to shake up
the residential care sector and claims he isn’t worried about
ruffling a few feathers on the way

Source:- Society Guardian Wednesday 7 April page 2

Playing the field

Can J.Lo and the four quadrants of human experience revitalise
social work?

Source:- Society Guardian Wednesday 7 April page 6

In a class of their own

The latest generation of young social carers are going back to
school to urge teenagers to ignore the stereotypes and consider a
career in the profession

Source:- Society Guardian Wednesday 7 April page 7

A firm foundation for trust?

The low electoral turnout figures for the first wave of foundation
hospitals could indicate a base line to build on – or a failure to
engage local communities

Source:- Society Guardian Wednesday 7 April page 8

Question of identity

Who is responsible for tackling alienation among young British
Muslims?

Source:- Society Guardian Wednesday 7 April page 10

Telling it like it is

Beverley Hughes resigned as immigration minister following a civil
service leak. David Walker reports why Whitehall whistle-blowing is
on the increase

Source:- Society Guardian Wednesday 7 April page 14

What else can I do?

Helen is tired of working long hours as a partner in a law firm and
would take a big pay cut to move to job in the public or charity
sector.

Source:- Society Guardian Wednesday 7 April page 80

Scottish newspapers

Overhaul of Glasgow drugs programme ‘a disaster’

The Scottish executive has been attacked for failing to deliver a
key plank of its drugs policy by one of the world’s leading
experts on drug misuse.

‘The Scotsman’ has learned of proposals that would remove GPs from
work with methadone programmes in Glasgow and for the city’s
5,000 heroin addicts to instead be helped by social workers and
community clinics. The dispute is said to be the result of a
dispute between GPs and the local health board over the cost of
supplying methadone programmes.

Dr Bob Newman, director of the Baron Edmond de Rothschild Chemical
Dependency Institute in New York, believes there will be a public
backlash by communities in Glasgow, which could be faced with 25
new drug centres. He branded the overhaul of drugs services a
disaster.

Source:- The Scotsman  Wednesday 7 April

Capital nursery nurses vote for peace talks

Nursery nurses in Edinburgh are to hold peace talks with local
authorities in a bid to resolve the long-standing dispute over pay
and conditions.

Striking nurses in the capital have voted in favour of holding
local talks with the council.

The vote signals a major change in approach from public sector
union, Unison, which has been calling for a national
settlement.

Source:- Evening News  Tuesday 6 April

Welsh newspapers

‘Residents are fat, sick and deprived’

A ‘vicious cycle of deprivation’ has been highlighted
in Torfaen, south Wales, according to a report.

Torfaen has some of the worst health problems in Europe, the
report, which is part of the health and well being strategy for the
area, found.

John Skinner, chief executive of the Torfaen Local Health Board,
said that various agencies had been aware of the problems for some
time. However, the report brought the issues together and painted a
stark picture of deprivation in the area.

Source:- South Wales Argus Tuesday 6 April page 4

Rugby players help tackle child safety

Welsh rugby team ‘The Llanelli Scarlets’ have helped
police launch a new child protection campaign.

The ‘In Safe Hands’ scheme focuses on the injuries that
can result when babies are shaken or handled roughly and which can
result in what is known as shaken baby syndrome.

Research shows that 70 per cent of those who injure young children
are male and the rugby team are trying to highlight the need for
parents to seek help rather than put their children at risk.

Dyfed Powys police have dealt with six instances of shaken baby
syndrome in the last two years.

Source:- Western Mail Wednesday 7 April page 9