Wednesday 18 May 2005

By Simeon Brody, Maria Ahmed and Derren Hayes

Serial peace protestor electronically tagged

A grandmother was ordered to wear an electronic tag yesterday as
punishment for peace protests outside an American intelligence
base.

Lindis Percy, 63, will be tagged as part of a curfew order.

The District Judge Roy Anderson rejected an application for Percy
to be made the subject of an antisocial behaviour order.

Source:- The Times Wednesday 18 May 2005 page 7

‘I know the Piano Man’

The mystery surrounding the identity of a pianist who is unable to
express himself except through music too an unexpected twist last
night when a Polish mime artist claimed they were friends.

More than 400 people have contacted the Missing Person’s
Helpline about the man who is staying at a psychiatric unit.

Source:- The Times Wednesday 18 May 2005 page 11

Police appeal over ‘feral youths’ after attack on
father

A senior police officer from Greater Manchester Police has warned
that gangs of feral youths are running wild in Britain’s
cities following an attack on father of four Phil Carroll.

Source:- The Times Wednesday 18 May 2005 page 21

Target areas

Specialists analyse what Labour has in store for public
services

Source:- Society Guardian Wednesday 18 May 2005 page 8

If the cap fits…

In the wake of the controversy over youth headwear, a cross-section
of professionals and young people give their views on the
‘hoodie’ debate

Source:- Society Guardian Wednesday 18 May 2005 page 10

Care professionals doubt adult blueprint

The government’s long-awaited vision for adult social care
has been greeted with scepticism by those working in the
sector

Source:- Society Guardian Social Care Wednesday 18 May 2005 page
2-3

What’s the extra in extra-care?

Ministers keen on very sheltered housing for older people, but
others say care homes are still needed

Source:- Society Guardian Social Care Wednesday 18 May 2005 page
4-5

Authorities grow their own social workers

A staffing crisis in children’s social worker has led some
authorities to offer their own trainee schemes.

The response is shattering the myth that young people aren’t
interested.

Source:- Society Guardian Social Care Wednesday 18 May 2005 page
6-7

Who are you calling a pedagogue?

Plans to create a ‘world-class’ children’s
workforce include proposals to transform early-years work into a
fully-fledged profession.

Many such reforms are long overdue.

Source:- Society Guardian Social Care Wednesday 18 May 2005 page
7

UK childcare gets fourth musketeer

Al Aynsley-Green’s appointment as England’s first
children’s commissioner has raised concerns that his role may
undermine the authority of his UK counterparts

Source:- Society Guardian Social Care Wednesday 18 May 2005 page
8

Asbo threat to cottagers

Norfolk police are considering whether to use antisocial behaviour
orders to stop gay men meeting for sex in public toilets in
Roundham Heath, near Thetford, after complaints from nearby
residents.

Source:- The Guardian Wednesday 18 May 2005 page 6 

Police bid to protect children

A crack down on mobile phone and digital camera paedophiles was
announced by Scotland Yard yesterday.

Source:- The Guardian Wednesday 18 May 2005 page 8

Clarke backs uniforms for young offenders

Charles Clarke, the home secretary, tried yesterday to keep alive
the idea of putting offenders on community punishment schemes into
uniform by saying it was essential that community penalties were
not seen as the soft option.

Source:- The Guardian Wednesday 18 May 2005 page 9

Sending home all the asylum cheats will take 21 years

Failed asylum seekers are being deported at such a slow rate that
it will take 21 years to clear the backlog, according to official
figures.

Source:- Daily Mail Wednesday 18 May 2005 page 2

A benefits boom for single mums

Soaring benefits have pushed up the incomes of single mothers by
half since Tony Blair came to power, official figures
revealed.

Source:- Daily Mail Wednesday 18 May 2005 page 31

Man who abused child on video escapes prison

A man who was caught on video swinging a young girl around his head
while holding her leg walked free yesterday.

Jamie Ian Thompson, 28, was caught by a camera left filming by the
girl’s mother.

Leicester Crown Court gave Thompson, of South Wigston
Leicestershire, was served with a community rehabilitation order on
condition that he seeks treatment for post traumatic stress
disorder.

Source:- The Guardian Wednesday May 19 page 5

Role for parents in child law change

The role of parents in safeguarding children is to be written into
the children bill after concern that the legislation leaves out the
family.

While some see the move as just recognition of parent’s role
others see it as an opportunity to provide a check on the
states’ ability to act in families.

The Conservative peer Lord Lucus who pushed for the change said:
“Too often the easy solution is taking the child away from
the troubled family, rather than supporting the family. Where the
child might be in danger, fine, but there are many cases in which
the right answer is to work with the family.”

Source:- The Guardian Wednesday, May 19 page 6

Scottish news

Detained children ‘at greater risk’ in Dungavel

The situation for children held at Dungavel detention centre has
worsened, with their development at greater risk than ever before,
according to the chief inspector of prisons new report.

Anne Owers said she was extremely concerned about the children
there and is calling on the Home Office to take action.

Source:- The Herald Wednesday 18 May 2005

McCabe’s public service stand angers unions

Finance minister Tom McCabe has said it is “pointless” debating
whether the public or private sector is better at delivering
services.

McCabe said people had to dump their pre-conceived ideas and
celebrate the private sector’s successes. But his comments angered
unions.

Source:- The Herald Wednesday 18 May 2005

Care residents scared to complain

Many older care home residents do not complain about conditions for
fear of being evicted, MSPs have heard.

Will Mallinson, of the Independent Advocacy Service for Older
People, told Holyrood’s health committee there was a growing fear
of reprisals. Mallinson said home owners would rarely go as far as
eviction, but might, instead, ask them to leave because of
“behavioural issues” or problems over money.

Source:- The Herald Wednesday 18 May 2005

Poor health of parents ‘is leading to child abuse’

A study of the Childline helpline by the University of Edinburgh
has found thousands of children are struggling to cope with cancer,
depression and substance abuse within their families.

The problems often go unreported, as children fear adding to their
abusers’ problems. A third of callers to Childline said their
parents drank too much, and nearly 60 per cent of them were being
physically abused.

Source:- The Scotsman Wednesday 18 May 2005