As the population ages, current adult social care arrangements are proving both unaffordable and unfair and, as the government struggles to get public debt under control, the solutions may be unpalatable, warns Andrew Cozens

The “horrifying” death of Baby P should have been prevented by the professionals paid to save children from abuse, an inquiry found today.

Baby P’s ‘stepfather’ was jailed for life today after a campaign of abuse against the little boy and the rape of a two-year-old girl. The 32-year-old was given a life sentence with a minimum of ten years for the rape and a 12 year sentence for his part in Baby P’s death, which will run concurrently.

The Most Rev Vincent Nichols, the new leader of Catholics in England and Wales, has been criticised for claiming that members of the clergy who admitted abusing children are “courageous” for facing up to their mistakes.

Hartlepool Council has launched an investigation into the running of a care home in the town for people with mental health needs.

A new report has said that more than £27 billion is spent on autism support and care every year in the UK. Published in the journal Autism and carried out by the London School of Economics, the findings reveal the financial burden of the learning disability on public sectors such as social care, health care, education and housing.

NURSING and care homes in Wirral are warning of a legal challenge to council plans to reduce their fees. Owners and managers fear the reduction could see homes across the borough closing as a result of the drop in their income.

Birmingham City Council and Housing 21 continue to buck the economic trend by working in partnership to construct a new multi-million pound extra care housing development at The Meadway, Yardley – the second one in Birmingham in a month.

Families who care for young people with severe learning difficulties say they are at crisis point after care was cut back at a Bradford Council-run respite centre.

A controversial children’s home near Bristol looks set to open this summer in spite of widespread opposition from locals.
Residential care provider Northerncare has applied for a licence for its new home in Portishead and said the new facility could be up and running in two to three months.