Community work orders failing to punish offenders

Community work orders failing to punish offenders
Criminals ordered by the courts to work in the community are often going unpunished because there are too few staff to supervise them, according to a report by the chief inspector of probation.
Source:- The Daily Telegraph, Friday 26 May 2006, page 10
 
£9 million care bill
The ministry of defence has spent more than £9 million treating staff for psychiatric problems at chain of Priory health clinics founded by a Labour donor.
Source:- The Times, Friday 26 May 2006, page 28

Troubled town
The racial hostilities between white and Asian youths that led to riots in Oldham in 2001 will take at least a generation to eradicate, a report says.
Source:- The Times, Friday 26 May 2006, page 4

Academic’s Asbo
Jonathan Oppenheim, 35, a Cambridge don, and George Fenoulhet-Walker, 24, a Green Party candidate, were among seven people given Asbos at Snaresbrook crown court after assisting a train-top protest against an arms fair.
Source:- The Times, Friday 26 May 2006, page 4

NHS chief resigns after calling reforms a deceit
The management crisis in the health service has worsened with the resignation of a senior director who accused ministers of “deceit over reform.”
Source:- The Times, Friday 26 May 2006, page 11

NHS hospital staff ‘leave patients to go hungry’
One in three patients who need help eating while in hospital does not receive regular assistance, exacerbating the growing problem of malnutrition in the NHS, research has revealed.
Source:- The Times, Friday 26 May 2006, page 31

Johnson vows continuous reform in schools
Education secretary Alan Johnson set himself the goal of showing that state schools could outperform the independent sector in terms of exam results but warned this could only be achieved by a period of “continuous reform”.
Source:- The Independent, Friday 26 May 2006, page 19

Scottish news
 
Councils block executive’s Asbo plans
Councils have rebuffed pressure from ministers to increase the use of antisocial behaviour orders for young people, after only four have been issued in two years.
Many councils have warned they will resist any targets being set for issuing Asbos – they have only been issued in Paisley, Dundee and two in Edinburgh.
The executive wrote to heads of social work in the 32 councils asking them to explain why there had been so few Asbos, but umbrella body Cosla replied by saying they were against any target being set.
Source:- The Herald, Friday 26 May 2006

McConnell attacks media over teenage abortions
Scottish first minister Jack McConnell has blamed the rise in abortions on the media and entertainment industries for their role in encouraging sexual activity among teenagers.
The first minister highlighted the pressure they face from the common use of imagery aimed at youth.
His comments follow new figures that showed a record 3304 teenage girls had abortions last year, including 341 who were under 16 – a figure 10% higher than 2004.
Source:- The Herald, Friday 26 May 2006
 
Union urges rethink on disruptive pupils
Scotland’s largest teaching union called yesterday for an urgent rethink of the Scottish executive’s policy of placing violent and disruptive special needs pupils in mainstream schools.
The Educational Institute of Scotland says the measure is “inappropriate or impossible” for many violent pupils and has called on ministers “urgently” to sanction more out-of-school sin bins for the most disruptive children.
The union has also called for extra staff to run in-school behaviour units for the most unruly youngsters and says headteachers must have the power to exclude the most disruptive.
Source:- The Scotsman, Friday 26 May 2006

Welsh news

Experts in Wales in £1 million childhood depression study
Experts at Cardiff University are set to launch a major study looking at childhood depression after winning a £1 million grant.
A team at the university’s School of Medicine and School of Psychology is set to spend the next five years on the research.
The study will look at children aged 10-17.
Source:- Western Mail, Friday May 26 2006

New job for social services inspector
Wales’ chief inspector of social services is set to leave his position in June.
Graham Williams is leaving to take up a position as head of the NHS’ Mid and West Wales regional office on June 19.
He has been chief inspector at the Social Services Inspectorate for Wales since March 1999.
Source:- Western Mail, Friday May 26 2006