News round up: Inspector urges temporary closure of child jail

By Caroline Lovell on March 17, 2008 in Adults, Asylum and refugees, Carers, Child safeguarding, Family support, Looked after children, Pay and conditions, Sexual exploitation, Workforce, Youth justice

Inspector urges temporary closure of child jail

An unprecendented call for the temporary closure of a privately run child jail because of its “staggeringly high level of use of force by staff” is made today by the chief inspector of prisons.

Police warn Shannon’s parents of delay before she returns home

Shannon Matthews is not expected to return home for several days, following her discovery in a relative’s flat, while police try to find out what lay behind her 24-day disappearance.

Detectives have told the nine-year-old’s mother and stepfather that gentle questioning of the child is being undertaken slowly by trained officers under an emergency protection order.

Community penalties hit by long delays

Offenders who are ordered by the courts to undergo sex offender treatment courses or domestic violence programmes are having to wait up to a year because of a crisis in resources, a probation union survey reveals today.

‘Back to work’ social teams will steer people from a lifetime on benefits

A major expansion in occupational health services to keep people in work and off disability benefit is likely to be recommended in a report to be published today.

India warns UK on immigration rules

Britain’s new points-based immigration system risks making it harder for India and other developing countries to export information technology systems to the UK, New Delhi has warned.

Fund seeks to help poor Irish in the UK

The elderly Irish residents of Arlington House hostel in Camden Town, north London, will on Monday do their best to celebrate St Patrick’s day with a fiddle band and traditional Irish food.

Ed Balls plans ‘baby Asbos’ for 10-year olds

Ed Balls, the Children’s Secretary, will tomorrow announce a £218 million expansion of Family Intervention Projects – a scheme which tackles potential troublemakers by signing them up to good behaviour contracts.

Toddler dies after drinking methadone

A toddler has died after drinking the drug methadone.

Doctors were unable to save two-year-old Brandon Davis after he was brought to Birmingham Children’s Hospital after taking the liquid drug last week.

His two brothers Lewis, three and Kyle, three months, are also being treated for methadone poisoning after ingesting the drug.

White men may miss out under job plans

White men could be stopped from getting jobs under controversial government plans to allow employers to hire ethnic minority and female candidates ahead of them.

Naughty children as young as FIVE could be put on DNA database as Government brings in ‘baby Asbos’

Badly behaved children as young as five should be recorded on the national DNA database, a police chief said yesterday.

Gary Pugh, forensic science director for the Metropolitan Police, said children should be ‘targeted’ because future offenders can often be picked out at a young age.

Brush show deemed ‘racist’

AN INVESTIGATION has been launched into a complaint of racism against a TV programme featuring the popular children’s puppet, Basil Brush.