MONDAY 13 FEBRUARY 2006

Children’s jails are medieval, says report
Hundreds of children in young offender institutions are being held in solitary confinement, often for weeks at a time, in what prison reform campaigners claim is a “medieval” form of punishment. The practice will be highlighted this week in the report of an independent inquiry by Lord Carlile QC.
Source:- The Observer, Sunday 12 February 2006, page 18

Shaken baby cases will stand
The controversial issue of shaken baby syndrome will be reignited this week when Britain’s most senior law officer admits that only three cases will be referred to the Court of Appeal.
Source:- The Observer, Sunday 12 February 2006, page 7

Baby Charlotte faces foster care as parents separate
Charlotte Wyatt, a severely handicapped toddler, whose parents have fought the medical establishment for two years, may be put into foster care when she is discharged from hospital. Her parents’ marriage is reported to be under strain.
Source:- The Sunday Times, Sunday 12 February 2006, page 3

Three held over baby’s death
Three people arrested in connection with the death of baby Troy Simpson were still being questioned by police yesterday. The six-month-old baby’s body was found on wasteland in Smethwick, Birmingham, after his grandmother reported him missing last Tuesday.
Source:- The Observer, Sunday 12 February 2006, page 5

Lois Jenkins tells devastating story jury never heard
The ex-wife of Siion Jenkins says her husband was a liar with a frighteningly controlling nature who beat both her and their children.
Source:- Mail on Sunday, Sunday 12 February 2006, page 1

Playground attack
A boy, 11, has been arrested for a suspected racially aggravated assault in a playground in Irlam, near Manchester. It is thought that another 11-year-old boy, who suffered a bruised leg after being thrown to the ground, had been on the receiving end of racist remarks for six months.
Source:- The Times, Saturday 11 February 2006, page 34

Frequent flyers costing NHS £2.3 billion a year
Patients who regularly go to hospital – dubbed “frequent flyers” – number nearly half a million and cost the NHS £2.3 billion a year, according to the report by Dr Foster Intelligence.
Source:- The Guardian, Monday 13 February 2006, page 6

Kelly hopeful after councils leader backs education bill
The most senior Labour figure on the Local Government Association, Sir Jeremy Beecham, called on Labour MPs to back the education bill, saying any outstanding issues could be resolved subsequently.
Source:- The Guardian, Monday 13 February 2006, page 6

Ban on interviews will not stop schools selecting by stealth
A ban on interviews with parents will not be enough to stop schools selecting pupils by stealth, according to a report by the education think tank Iris.
Schools are already using devious means, such as assessing parent’ affluence when they visit, specifying expensive uniform providers and hinting at hoped-for donations to the school fund.
Source:- The Independent, Monday 13 February 2006, page 19

Scandal of home tutors hired with no vetting
An urgent review of the home tutor industry was demanded yesterday after it emerged that most agencies do not carry out police checks.
Source:- The Daily Telegraph, Monday 13 February 2006, page 9

Jobcentre staff threaten to strike
Thousands of members of the Public and Commercial Services Union working in Jobcentres and benefit offices are threatening to walk out in a dispute over job cuts.
Source:- The Daily Telegraph, Monday 13 February 2006, page 9

Brown’s call up for state school cadets
Gordon Brown will announce a massive expansion of the school cadets programme. He wants to teach young people discipline and pride in their country.
Source:- Daily Mail, Monday 13 February 2006, page 1

Sexual health tests for all
The government is to invest millions of pounds into testing for infections such as chlamydia and gonorrhoea, and funding home-testing kits. Free home-testing kits are to be given away at supermarkets, barber shops and even petrol stations in a bid to combat record levels of sex infections sweeping the country.
Source:- Independent on Sunday, Sunday 12 February 2006, page 1

Nurseries can damage toddlers, says parenting guru
Placing children younger than three in a nursery can damage social development, says Australian author Steve Biddulph in  anew book. The advice is a complete volte-face for Mr Biddulph, who was previously an outspoken believer in nursery care.
Source:- Independent on Sunday, Sunday 12 February 2006, page 5

Scottish news

Unhealthy Scotland
New research has found that 22 of the top 25 unhealthiest areas in the UK are in Scotland. Caci, the information services company, found that Scots are more likely to suffer long-term illness, take less exercise, be more overweight, and spend more on cigarettes and alcohol than other Britons.
Health experts claim the Caci survey, one of the most comprehensive conducted, proves efforts are failing to improve the health record of deprived communities.
Source:- The Herald, Monday 13 February 2006

Scots living longer but falling ill at earlier age
The average Scot will be plagued by long-term illness at just 55 years of age, according to new research which highlights health inequalities between rich and poor regions. The age at which Scottish men are struck down by chronic conditions is just 47 in Glasgow, compared with Orkney, where they become seriously ill at 61.
The extensive study, commissioned by the Faculty of Actuaries and carried out by researchers at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, shows that while Scots are living longer, many will be unable to enjoy their retirement as a result of conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and Alzheimer’s.
Source:- The Scotsman, Monday 13 February 2006

Chisholm hints at rent debt cut
Communities minister Malcolm Chisholm has hinted that Edinburgh is in line to have a substantial amount of its £310 million housing debt written off.
Mr Chisholm suggested it was still possible that the executive would cancel part of the debt even if only part of the city’s housing stock is transferred out of council control.
Speaking in a Parliamentary debate, Chisholm said the idea of a partial debt write-off in return for a smaller-scale stock transfer was “one possible scenario”.
Source:- The Scotsman, Saturday 11 February 2006

Unique service for disabled  people faces axe after funding crisis
A pioneering city counselling centre for disabled people – the only one of its kind in Scotland – faces closure due to a funding crisis.
Since it was first set up 13 years ago, the service at the Leith-based Lothian Centre for Integrated Living has helped hundreds of disabled people with everything from financial difficulties to emotional issues.  The centre is now approaching the end of a three-year funding grant from the Scottish executive, and needs to find £58,000 by the end of March.
Source:- The Scotsman, Saturday 11 February 2006

Welsh news

Report hope for jailed nurse
The husband of a nurse who was jailed for trying to kill two terminally ill patients hopes a highly critical report on her former hospital will lead to her release.
Derek Salisbury made the comments last night after the publication of a new Healthcare Commission report into Leighton Hospital, Crewe.
Barbara Salisbury was found guilty of trying to kill May Taylor, 88 and Frank Owen, 92, last year. She launched an unsuccessful attempt to clear her name at the Court of Appeal.
Source:- Wales on Sunday, Sunday 12 February 2006

Welsh mental disgrace
Welsh children’s commissioner Peter Clarke has said that the lack of mental health services in Wales for some groups of young people is a “disgrace” this week.
Clarke, who makes the comments in his annual report, says that more than 40 adolescents with mental health problems aged between 16 and 18 have to go to England each year due to the lack of treatment in Wales.
Source:- Wales on Sunday, Sunday 12 February 2006