Social workers see rise in adults at risk of abuse

Social services sees rise in adults at risk of physical and sexual abuse

Social services departments have seen a rise in the numbers of vulnerable adults referred to them because they are at risk of physical and sexual abuse, as well as financial fraud, a study has found.

The survey of directors of adult services suggests the fallout from the death of Baby Peter has influenced social workers’ attitudes to vulnerable adults – with more older people or those with a learning disability deemed to be at risk of abuse being referred for assessment.

Social services ‘to take baby from teenager deemed too stupid to marry’

Kerry Robertson, 17, who has mild learning difficulties, has been told that she will not be allowed to bring up her own child, who she has already named Ben.

Last month Miss Robertson was prevented from marrying her fiancé Mark McDougall, 25, after council officials claimed that she “did not understand the implications of getting married”.

Read more on this story in the Telegraph

Criminal checks on school exchanges: Now families hosting foreign pupils face anti-paedophile vetting

Vetting rules aimed at shielding children from paedophiles could put an end to the tradition of school foreign exchange trips.

Ministers are insisting that both parents in British host families submit to child protection checks before they can put up an overseas pupil.

Read more on this story in the Daily Mail

Paedophile faces court after extradition

One of Britain’s most wanted criminals who was arrested overseas is due to appear in court today, police said.

Paedophile Stephen Burnell, 56, was tracked down in Crete earlier this month and was last night returned to the UK by North Yorkshire Police’s Protecting Vulnerable Persons Unit.

Read more on this story in the Independent

Half of fathers do not take paternity leave, study says

It is a Catch-22 situation facing every modern father: how to spend more time with children during their formative years while also providing for the family’s long-term financial security.

On this issue, society has frequently failed fathers by either forcing them to give up work and become house husbands or demand that they spend long hours in the office bringing home the bacon. Those men who try to reconcile the two roles end up pleasing neither the family nor the boss, and, in the worst cases, suffer stress and even marital breakdown.