Thursday 9 December 2004

By Maria Ahmed, Amy taylor and Derren Hayes

Father banned from home for smacking his son

A father was barred from his own family home for six months after a
policeman spotted him giving his three-year-old son a smack during
a shopping trip.

The man pleaded guilty to assaulting the child and was given a
two-year rehabilitation order by Manchester magistrates yesterday.
He told them he used a “little bit too much force” but
gave his son only a single smack on the bottom for running in front
of a car.

Source:- The Times Thursday 9 December 2004 page 4

‘Adam’ died of neck wounds

A boy whose headless and limbless torso was found floating in the
Thames in 2001 died from neck wounds suffered while he was still
alive, an inquest heard yesterday.

The unidentified boy, known as Adam, who was from Nigeria and was
between five and seven, had probably been paralysed by potion used
in witchcraft, Poplar Coroner’s Court was told.

Andrew Reid, the Coroner, recorded a verdict of unlawful
killing.

Source:- The Times Thursday 9 December 2004 page 13

Tax credits extended to childcare at home

Parents earning up to £59,000 will be able to claim tax
credits for nannies under an accreditation scheme launched
yesterday. It is one of the measures under the government’s
10-year strategy to increase affordable childcare.

Source:- The Financial Times Thursday 9 December 2004 page
4

The disabled join fight against living wills law

The disability lobby yesterday joined the growing rebellion against
a proposed new law that would allow critically ill patients to be
starved to death.

The Disability Rights Commission fired a warning shot against the
Mental Capacity Bill while the cerebral palsy charity Scope
withdrew its support for the new law.

Source:- The Daily Mail Thursday 9 December 2004 page
8

Mothers ‘should get £24,000 in baby’s
first two years’

A £24,000 ‘motherhood endowment’ has been proposed
to encourage young mothers to stay at home and care for their
children.

Former Welfare Minister Frank Field said the cash could be paid
over the first two years of a child’s life.

Source:- The Daily Mail Thursday 9 December 2004 page
22

Digital TV for model conflicts

Prisoners are being given Freeview digital television in their
cells as a reward for good behaviour.

The service is being provided to 50 inmates at Shrewsbury Prison,
funded by charitable trust overseen by the jail’s independent
monitoring board. Penal reformers believe it will contribute to a
safer environment.

Source:- The Daily Mail Thursday 9 December 2004 page
24

Mother appeals against baby’s removal

A mother whose daughter was freed for adoption after a high court
judge ruled she had obstructed the child’s breathing four
times was the victim of a “real injustice,” her QC told
the court of appeal yesterday.

The 21-year-old is one of the first two mothers to appeal against
care orders in the wake of the Angela Cannings judgement. A
decision is expected in the New Year.

Source:- The Guardian Thursday 9 December 2004 page
5

Teenager was wrongly held in adult psychiatric unit

A teenage with severe learning difficulties was heavily sedated,
sometimes forcibly, and locked up in an adult psychiatric unit for
18 months because a local council failed to fund an appropriate
place for him, the local government ombudsman said yesterday.

Bolton Council has been ordered to pay the boy and his mother
£30,000 for the injustice and distress it caused.

Source:- The Guardian Thursday 9 December 2004 page
6

Public-sector pensions face cuts, say unions

The unions have warned that people working in the public sector
could have their pensions cut after the government announced to
changes to pension schemes for civil servants.

All Whitehall workers will no longer get a final-salary pension
under the changes instead a new scheme based on average career
earnings will be introduced.

Source:- The Independent Thursday 9 December page 18

Field blames yob culture on Labour for making mother go
back to work

The former Labour minister for welfare reform has said that the
government’s policy of getting mothers with young children to
go out to work is one cause for the increase in yobbish
behaviour.

In a speech today Frank Field will call for mothers to be given a
financial incentive to stay at home when their children are
young.

Source:- The Daily Telegraph Thursday 9 December page
2

Scottish newspapers

Sickies crackdown

Civil servants take off an average of 10.7 days a year due to
sickness.

It has prompted the government to look at a range of new measures
to reduce the figure down to 7.5 days.

Workers who are frequently poorly will be challenged about their
illnesses, while others will be forced to phone in every day.

Source:- The Daily Record Thursday 9 December

Children, 12, to be tagged by Reliance

Children as young as 12 in Scotland are to be electronically tagged
under a pilot scheme to tackle juvenile crime.

The pilot is due to start in April once security firm Reliance
takes over the contract to manage young offenders.

Source:- The Scotsman Thursday 9 December

New boss for Scotland’s health service

The NHS in Scotland has got a new chief executive to take over from
Trevor Jones.

Dr Kevin Woods, chief executive of North Central London Strategic
Health Authority, held a senior post with the Scottish health
department just over four years ago.

Source:- The Herald Thursday 9 December

Welsh newspapers

Warning over social services

The chief inspector of social services in Wales has warned that the
overall quality of the services was inadequate.

Graham Williams made the comments in his annual report and told
council bosses to raise standards quickly.

Source:-Western Mail Thursday 9 December

Revealed – the health gap between poor and
affluent

A range of illnesses are much more common amongst poor families in
Wales than middle class families, according to new research.

The complaints, revealed in a report by the National Public Health
Service in Wales, include asthma, poor hearing and diabetes.

Source:-Western Mail Thursday 9 December