Round-up of the week

Round-up of the week 31 January to the 4 February
2005


Monday 31 January 2005

The King’s Fund launched an independent review of funding for
older people’s services in the form of a one-year inquiry,
headed by Derek Wanless.

Gordon Brown

The Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit and the Office of the
Deputy Prime Minister’s Neighbourhood Renewal Unit published
proposals to tackle the causes of deprivation and turn around
deprived areas by 2021.The report pledged better childcare for
working parents, help for working age people who are living on
benefits get back into work and for people in deprived areas to
benefit from wider public service reforms.

Chancellor Gordon Brown encouraged young people to do voluntary
work as part of their everyday lives.

Tuesday 1 February 2005

Education Secretary Ruth Kelly called for a zero tolerance approach
to classroom disruption. Kelly told an audience of head-teachers in
Blackpool that real progress had been made in tackling serious bad
behaviour in schools, but a focus was needed on the disruptive
behaviour by a minority of pupils

Wednesday 2 February 2005

The biggest shake-up of incapacity benefits since they were created
were outlined in the Department for Work and Pensions Five Year
Strategy. People with the most severe health conditions or
disabilities will qualify for more money than they do now under the
new incapacity benefit system.

The draft Children (Contact) and Adoption Bill  was published
proposing new powers to be offered to judges to improve contact
arrangements for children and their parents following parental
separation. The draft bill also explains the process by which
inter-country adoptions from individual countries may be suspended
where there are concerns about child welfare.

Thursday 3 February 2005

New figures for the number of pensioners receiving Pension Credit
indicated that over 80 per cent of the poorest older people are now
having their income topped up to the guaranteed level, which is at
least £105 per week – rising to £109 in April this
year.

Jo Williams

Community Care launched the results of our poll to find
the most influential person in the social care sector. Jo Williams,
chief

executive of Mencap, was crowned the most influential person while
Dame Denise Platt, chair of the Commission for Social Care
Inspection, was the runner-up.

Friday 4 February 2005

Gordon Brown’s plans to recruit young people to volunteer to
help disabled people were branded as “patronising” by
disability charity John Grooms. The charity believes the idea
undermines and devalues the current needs of disabled people.