A refuge for women fleeing domestic violence is to change hands for the first time in more than 30 years.

One of his most famous works told the story of a poverty-stricken family battling against homelessness. Now Ken Loach will be the special guest at a reception for homeless people in Bath.

Staff and parents have blasted university chiefs for bringing the axe down on a “lifeline” nursery.

One of history’s original protesters has joined the fight to save Staffordshire’s council-run care homes. Lady Godiva, aka campaigner Simone Christian, rode topless on a mobility scooter outside the County Buildings in Stafford this morning to protest against the Changing Lives programme.

Social Services in Plymouth were not to blame for the death of baby Perrin Barlow five years ago, a coroner said today. Perrin died of natural causes to which neglect contributed, Nigel Meadows the coroner said.

A “Nurse of the Year” is leaving her job because of the strain of working for the NHS in an atmosphere of “mistrust and fear”, she said.

Most pensioners forced to sell their houses to cover care home bills are charged more than fellow residents paid for by the council, according to a damning Whitehall report.

Binge drinkers arrested for alcohol-related offences in Liverpool are to be fined £30 to pay for the costs of their own counselling.

A few weeks ago, the cry went up from my nine-year-old daughter at the laptop: “Oh, no, it’s the social worker!” It turned out that the appearance of the social worker on her Sims computer game signalled that her computer child was being taken away due to neglect.

Society still needs to come to terms with abuse of older and disabled people. Do we need a shake-up of complaints and investigation? Chris Mahony reports