Up to 4,000 children in Suffolk – some as young as five – are now the main carers for either their parents or siblings, shocking new evidence has revealed. It sparked calls last night for more help from social services and support groups to assist the youngsters amid fears they are missing out on their childhoods. Suffolk Young Carers, a project run by Claydon-based charity Suffolk Family Carers, has revealed that children as young as five are taking on responsibilities in the family household that would usually be carried out by an adult.

An inquiry has been ordered by Met Police chief Sir Ian Blair after a Muslim constable was excused from guarding the Israeli embassy in London. Sir Ian says he wants an “urgent review of the situation and a full report”. The Sun newspaper said the officer was reassigned on “moral grounds” as he objected to Israeli actions in Lebanon.

The history of child-based social care is a history of poor outcomes, especially for looked after children. Yet, in general, the social workers who deal with looked after children come to the work with a moral purpose, with idealism, energy, enthusiasm and a commitment to rectifying injustice.

Health Minister Lord Warner has launched a new discussion document asking how urgent care services can be improved in the future to deliver a better patient experience. The document – Direction of Travel for Urgent Care: a discussion document – is seeking the views of staff and service users on how urgent care services, such as GP practices, NHS Walk-in Centres, and ambulance services, can best work together to create services that respond more effectively to local patients’ needs.

A row blew up last night after victims of crime were told to exaggerate their calls for help in a bid to get a faster response from the police. The advice came from a Norfolk Police Authority member amid growing fears that people living in outlying rural areas of East Anglia were being let down. Outspoken John Perry-Warnes told a council meeting that it was vital to “exaggerate” details of crimes to trigger a speedier police reaction.

A therapy that trains brains to alter mental state may help ADHD, says David Mattin. In a South London clinic a young girl is sitting with an electrode attached to her scalp, staring intently at a computer screen. Every so often there is a ping and on the screen, which shows a simple graphic of sea and sky, another bird appears, hovering above the water. That’s a signal that in the game Lara Hargrave, 10, is playing, using only her brain waves to control the action, she has just scored a point.

More than 80 nurses from Staffordshire have been offered jobs at a hospital in Australia. Cairns Base Hospital in Queensland advertised its posts in the county’s newspapers after Stoke-on-Trent’s main

More than half (56%) of recent mental health inpatients rated their ward as unpleasant or very unpleasant, a survey has found. The charity Mind also found 29% were dissatisfied with the state of repair of their ward, and 28% with standards of cleanliness. Mind is calling all patients to be treated in a therapeutic environment.

{mosimage} A new network of expert advisors to give victims of sexual violence better care and support at every stage of the criminal justice process was unveiled today by Home Office Minister Vernon Coaker.

Thirty eight Independent Sexual Violence Advisors (ISVAs) will be working across England and Wales as part of a £3 million Government package to provide targeted professional support to victims of sexual violent crime.

The professionally trained specialists will work alongside victims from the point of crisis, such as initial contact with emergency services, throughout the legal process and beyond. The ISVAs will also work with victims and survivors outside of the criminal justice system.

Vernon Coaker said: “The Government is committed to combating sex offences – appalling crimes that devastate the lives of victims and their families and inspire fear in our communities.

Home Secretary John Reid is due to meet top prison service officials to discuss the acute problem of overcrowding in British jails, it is reported. Mr Reid is meeting with