Tearaways ‘make good soldiers’

By Caroline Lovell, Mithran Samuel, Derren Hayes and Sally Gillen

Amnesty plan for illegal migrants – with conditions
 
The Liberal Democrats proposed an “earned citizenship” scheme yesterday for illegal migrants who entered the country 10 years or more ago.
 
This plan would be conditional upon the estimated 600,000 migrants who entered the country illegally having a clean criminal record and speaking English, said Nick Clegg, the Lib Dem home affairs spokesman at the Liberal Democratic conference in Brighton.
 
The proposal faced criticisms from the Conservative and Labour party who said it would encourage law breaking.
 
Source: – The Guardian, Wednesday September 19 2007, page 12
 
Kennedy backs plan to cut poverty gap
 
Charles Kennedy, the former Liberal Democrats leader, has supported plans to introduce a new set of tax and benefits targeted at the “rich”.
 
The party aims to bridge the levels of inequality in Britain by targeting households that earn more than $68,000 a year, said Vince Cable, the Lib Dem’s Treasury spokesman.
 
Source: – The Guardian, Wednesday September 19 2007, page 12

An army chief has said that young offenders have the potential to become good soldiers, at the launch of a new recruitment campaign for the armed forces.

Source:- Daily Mail Wednesday 19 September 2007 page 17

No mobile means poverty, say children

Not having a mobile, not being able to afford to go on a school trip and not having the correct school uniform are the biggest signs of poverty, according to a poll of 700 children aged seven to 16.

The survey, undertaken as part of the Dare to Care volunteering campaign to tackle child poverty, found that almost half of children in some parts of the country associated not having a mobile with poverty.

Source:- The Guardian Wednesday 19 September 2007 page 7

Late for work? Don’t mention the nanny

A survey has found that working mothers are not being treated sympathetically at work, with two-thirds saying that asking for flexible working arrangements led bosses to assume that they were less committed to the job.

The study, by nursery chain the Family Care Company, found 94% felt their careers had been affected by motherhood but only 31% felt their partners’ careers had been so affected.

Source:- The Times Wednesday 19 September 2007 page 8

Higher taxes than the UK have enabled Sweden to ensure 93% of over-65s can stay at home, while those with more severe needs tend to have their own supported living arrangements, without anyone paying more than £118 in care costs per month, and £146 in board.

By contrast, in England, older people and their families are facing bills for care and nursing home placements of over £500 a week, while recent reports have castigated the quality of care provided in the residential sector.

Source:- Society Guardian Wednesday 19 September 2007 page 2

Failed contract bids anger charities

The Department for Work and Pensions has come under fire for only awarding one of 16 contracts for its Pathways to Work scheme to a charity, the Shaw Trust.

The Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations said it was “absolutely furious” and launching an independent inquiry into the decision on Pathways, a scheme to get people off incapacity benefit into work.

Source:- Society Guardian Wednesday 19 September 2007 page 2

Rights direction

Ensuring the proper implementation of legislation giving carers the right to an assessment of need in their own right will be a priority for the new standing commission on carers, according to its head.

Longstanding social care campaigner Philippa Russell said the Carers (Equal Opportunities) Act 2004 has been interpreted in different ways on the ground, in an interview following her appointment as chair of the new commission.

She also called for the level of hate crime against people with learning disabilities not to be used as a reason for preventing them from living independently.

Source:- Society Guardian Wednesday 19 September 2007 page 3

Scottish news

Woman stuck in home after NHS rejected wheelchair bid

A 25-year-old woman was trapped in her own home – because she is deemed to be too disabled for a powered wheelchair from the NHS.

Donna McKeown was too heavy for anyone to push around in her manual wheelchair. Her electric one was taken away to cut costs, her family claim they were told. As a result, Ms McKeown was forced to stay indoors for eight months.

Ms McKeown, however, was lucky. A resident of the Quarriers Village near Bridge of Weir, she eventually gave up on the NHS and got a new chair from the charity instead.

Source:- The Herald, Wednesday 19 September

Welsh news

‘Sexist remarks’ social worker struck off
 
A social worker who used his work phone to make racist and sexist remarks about colleagues has been removed from the social care register.
 
Dermot Evan Jones, a former social worker at Swansea Council, also allowed a child to visit his father in direct contravention of a child protection agreement; failed to keep adequate records and allegedly made references to the purchase of illegal drugs.
 
He resigned from his job when the issues about his conduct came to light. The committee considered 19 misconduct charges.
 
Jones did not attend the hearing.

Source:- IC Wales Wednesday 19 September