Care plan row; inheritance tax; playgroup sex assault probe

Gordon Brown’s care plan misleads the elderly, say councils
More than 70 leaders of social care throughout England are warning that the Government’s plans to provide free home care are flawed, unfunded and will force cuts to current services. Writing in a letter to The Times, the councillors, representing all three major parties and every geographical region, describe Gordon Brown’s key electoral pledge as ill conceived and likely to put considerable pressure on the social services system.

Read more in The Times

Will Labour hit middle classes with death tax for elderly care?
Middle class families could be hit by a new death tax worth tens of thousands of pounds to fund Labour’s pledge to provide social care for the elderly.
Health Secretary Andy Burnham signalled yesterday that the Government is planning a new ‘inheritance levy’ on every estate if it wins the general election.

Read more in The Daily Mail

Playgroup shut after sex probe
A PLAYGROUP has been forced to close as cops investigate an alleged sex assault on a young child. Detectives have arrested a suspect who has been released on bail pending further enquiries. The probe centres on the St Padarn’s Playgroup in Aberystwyth, West Wales, which is run by volunteer parents. It is registered to care for 20 children under the age of four and has been operating for 30 years.

Read more in The Sun

Helpline’s award-winning webcam for deaf people in distress
People who are deaf are almost twice as likely to experience a mental health problem as people who can hear, and the very nature of the disability ­creates problems accessing helplines that could offer support in cases of stress, ­depression or suicidal thoughts. However, an innovative webcam ­service that allows deaf people in Scotland to ­communicate face-to-face with trained mental health advisers has been ­honoured in this week’s awards by the Helplines Association (THA).

Read more in The Guardian