Wednesday 14 September 2005

By Maria Ahmed, Clare Jerrom, Sally Gillen and Amy
Taylor

Childminder wrote n***** on tot’s head

A childminder faced jail last night for writing
“n*****” on a black girl’s forehead.

The three year old’s horrified mum alerted social workers
over the racist tag and they called in police to investigate.

Fay Stockley faced jail after a jury convicted her of
“racially aggravated assault”.

Source:- The Sun  Wednesday 14 September page 15

How British schools slipped down the league

Britain has tumbled down international league tables of the number
of school-leavers with basic qualifications.

The study also shows that the social divide between people with
five good GSCE’s and those without has widened.

Source:- Daily Mail  Wednesday 14 September page 16

Lifeline for poor children exposed as £3bn
failure

Labour’s multi billion pound flagship plan to provide
deprived pre-school children with decent childcare, health and
education is a failure according to independent research into Sure
Start.

Source:- Daily Mail  Wednesday 14 September page 18

My five year hell with the CSA

The Child Support Agency is in ‘meltdown’ and has
wasted an incredible £1 billion. This mother’s diary of
her nightmarish battle for maintenance reveals the appalling human
cost of this incompetence.

Source:- Daily Mail  Wednesday 14 September page 28 and
29

Mother in court

A 21-year-old mother accused of killing her baby in a house fire
appeared at Newcastle Crown Court via a video-link from prison for
a preliminary hearing.

Danielle Wails is accused of the murder of four month old Alexander
Gallon last month.

Source:- The Times  Wednesday 14 September page 11

Go-ahead to marry your mother-in-law

A ban in England and Wales on marriages between parents-in-law
and their children-in-law is in breach of human rights, the
European Court said yesterday.

The judgement yesterday will force an overhaul of legislation
governing family law which will see men being able to marry their
mother-in-law for the first time – as long as they do not
have a blood link.

Source:- The Daily Telegraph Wednesday 14 September 2005 page
1

William becomes patron of homeless

Prince William has become patron of Centrepoint, the youth
homelessless charity.

Source:- The Daily Telegraph Wednesday 14 September
2005 page 3

Adoption case on hold

A couple at the centre of row about the children of low-IQ
parents being taken into care learnt yesterday that the adoption of
their two children has been put on hold.

The couple, from Essex, have not seen their daughter, four, or
their year-old son since November when they were accused of
neglect.

Source:- The Daily Telegraph Wednesday 14 September
2005 page 6

Teenager is charged with the boy’s
murders

Police charged an 18-year-old with the murders of two school
friends whose bodies were found with stab wounds beside a woodland
path.

Thomas Palmer will appear before Reading magistrates today. He is
accused of killing Steven Bayliss, 16, and Twood Nadauld, 17, both
from Finchampstead, who were found dead on Sunday night after a
tip-off to police.

Source:- The Daily Telegraph Wednesday 14 September
2005 page 8

Blair warns unions to modernise or fail

Tony Blair last night warned trade unions to modernise or face
terminal decline, as he rejected out outright a shopping list of
demands.

The prime minister, who met union general secretaries at a private
dinner in Brighton at the Trades Union Congress, spoke of his
frustration at their calls to be allowed to stage secondary strike
action and for the government to water down its proposed reforms to
public sector pensions.

Source:- The Financial Times Wednesday 14 September
2005 page 1

Children missing out on hot food

Hundreds of thousands of children have no access to hot food at
lunchtimes because the school meal service has been abandoned in
many areas.

Source:- The Guardian Wednesday 14 September 2005 page
13

Future dark for 16-year-old school leavers

The large number of Britons who leave school at 16 are
condemning themselves to a life of poorly paid work and a higher
risk of unemployment, according to research.

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development found
that more teenagers leave school at 16 in the UK than in the most
industrialised countries, and that the social divide between this
group and those who go on to university has widened
dramatically.

Source:- The Guardian Wednesday 14 September 2005 page
16

For whom the bell tolls

The government wants to outlaw age discrimination, but Germaine
Greer, 66, believes old and young alike are hooked on the
stereotypes that lead to inter-generational war.

Source:- The Society Guardian Wednesday 14 September
2005 page 1

Charities slate poverty strategy

Anti-poverty campaigners are spitting fire following publication
of the latest strategy for Northern Ireland which, they say,
ignores vital recommendations and will do nothing to alleviate
poverty.

According to the Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action
(NICVA), which along with 180 charities has launched a campaign
against the draft, the document “reeks of
complacency.”

Source:- The Society Guardian Wednesday 14 September
2005 page 2

The flying Scotswoman

Paula Sage has Down’s syndrome. She also has an Olympic
medal and a Bafta award, acts in a TV soap, is a charity ambassador
and rubs shoulders with the stars. She talks about breaking the
mould.

Source:- The Society Guardian Wednesday 14 September
2005 page 5

Soul searching

Social work is undergoing major change and the role of its
professionals is under review. Experts give their verdicts on what
should be considered.

Source:- The Society Guardian Wednesday 14 September
2005 page 6

The cat’s whiskers

Cat’s Club, a childcare club in Merton, south London is at
the forefront of the ‘Kelly hours’ drive – and
the kids are loving it

Source:- The Society Guardian Wednesday 14 September
2005 page 7

Scottish news

Executive faces major spending cuts

A major review of public spending in Scotland that is expected
to result in millions of pounds worth of cuts is expected to be
approved by the Cabinet.

Finance minister Tom McCabe is expected to announce the plans,
which will affect 15 areas ranging from health to transport.
Experts will be brought in to identify areas where cuts can be
made.

Source:- The Scotsman Wednesday 14 September 2005

Call for outcry on asylum family

Scotland’s children’s commissioner has called for a “public
outcry” over the way asylum-seeking families facing deportation are
treated.

Kathleen Marshall urged people in Scotland to think about whether
the way people were treated was “acceptable”. Her comments follow
the removal of a Kosovar family who had been living on a Glasgow
estate. They were taken from their home during a dawn raid and
witnesses said children were wearing pyjamas and the father and son
had been handcuffed.

“Serious questions must be asked about the fact that our processes
are allowing this sort of thing to happen in Scotland,” she
said.

Source:- The Scotsman Wednesday 14 September 2005

Welsh news

Anti-social behaviour scheme transforms estate

A dedicated action line to enable people to report anti-social
behaviour has been set up on an estate in Wales.

The Bayside estate in the Splott area of Cardiff was once a no go
area but a number of initiatives have helped to turn it
around.

Louise Casey, the government’s co-ordinator for respect,
visited the estate yesterday and hailed the residents as role
models for taking a stand against anti-social behaviour.

Source:- icWales Wednesday 14 September