Directors of children’s services `strongly support’ the principle that young people should continue education and training up to the age of 18. But they have rejected the view, expressed in a broadcast interview by a spokesman for the Confederation of British Industry, that half of young people leave school functionally illiterate.

A Conduct Committee of the General Social Care Council (GSCC) has decided the case of a social worker from Scunthorpe who was alleged to have breached the Code of Practice for Social Care Workers by engaging in inappropriate relationships with service users.

More than 250 mental health nurses have gone on strike in Manchester over plans to change the way patients are treated in the community. Staff at Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust are staging the one-day action on Wednesday.

Treating people with acute psychiatric problems can mean sparse, unappealing wards – but what if stimulation is the key?

Police officers are being encouraged to “adopt” criminals in an attempt to cut down on drug-related crime, it has been revealed. The project, thought to be one of the first in the country, is being trialed in Worksop by Nottinghamshire Police, who were inspired by their counterparts in Holland.

The Archbishop of Canterbury is due to deliver the Prison Reform Trust’s annual lecture as the debate continues over the crisis surrounding the UK’s prison system.

A new database from the Commission for Social Care Inspection rating adult social care in all 150 local authorities in England has shown that all but six councils are now investing in telecare.

Paramedics could be given the right to refuse to pick up patients who call ambulances for minor problems, under plans announced by the health minister Andy Burnham.

A child who was given the wrong vaccination because of a mix-up over names and a new mother who almost bled to death following poor treatment at an acute hospital are among complaints received by England’s health watchdog, its first report on patients’ concerns reveals.

The British Red Cross has launched a new online shop enabling medical professionals and the public to choose from an extensive range of Independent Living products and gadgets to help older and disabled people maintain their independence.