News round up: ‘Stop trying to fix families we can’t fix’

By Mithran Samuel on September 7, 2009 in Child safeguarding, Domiciliary care, Fostering and adoption, Looked after children, Older people, Social care leaders, Youth justice

‘Stop trying to fix families we can’t fix’: Barnardo’s head’s ‘heretic’ call for bad parents to lose their children

The children of bad parents should be taken away as babies and offered for adoption, the head of a leading charity said yesterday.
Barnardo’s chief Martin Narey said it is impossible to fix some families that are ‘broken’.
He acknowledged that many in the social work establishment will see his views as ‘illiberal heresy’.

200,000 elderly will lose their home care: Weak and vulnerable pay price of bank bailout

More than 200,000 frail elderly people will lose meals on wheels and other care at home in a savage round of cutbacks.
Only the most seriously sick and disabled will retain the right to free meals and help with washing, cleaning and shopping by next year.

Youth restraint pledge ‘broken’, say prison reform campaigners

Prison reform campaigners have accused the government of breaking its promise to overhaul restraint policies in young offender institutions, after it emerged that use of the controversial techniques has increased by 25% over the last year.

Figures released after a freedom of information request show that restraint was used in young offender institutions 4,274 times between April 2008 and March 2009, compared with 3,409 times between April 2007 and March 2008.

Three genes linked to Alzheimer’s

Scientists have discovered a trio of genetic mutations that account for nearly 100,000 cases of Alzheimer’s disease in Britain today.

Three genes that protect the brain from damage and ensure neurons work properly were found to be impaired in many patients with the disease, in the largest genetic study of the condition yet.

New Labour strategy: NHS and overseas aid will not be spared cuts

Health and overseas aid budgets will not be spared from a programme of public spending cuts that will be rolled out by ministers over the next two months, the Guardian has learned.

Gordon Brown and the chancellor, Alistair Darling, agreed the outlines of the new strategy through two lengthy discussions this summer – and it will be billed as a return to New Labour’s original commitment to public service reform.

CEOP: Parents failing to protect children from online sexual predators

Parents are a weak link in the chain of defences intended to safeguard children from online sexual predators, says the senior policeman responsible for child protection on the internet.

Too many parents prefer to hide behind technological ignorance rather than engage with advice about how to protect their children from internet threats.