{mosimage} Children are missing out on crucial time reading, playing and eating with their parents, according to a study published today that reveals nine out of 10 families suffer from unsocial working hours. Eight out of 10 working fathers and more than half of all working mothers are forced to work outside the hours of 8am-7pm, Monday to Friday, says a report from the National Centre for Social Research.

Family life is being irrevocably damaged because few parents ever make up the time lost, the study of 11,000 people found. Mothers working unsocial hours are losing eight hours a week with their children, while a third of working fathers are losing more than 15.

{mosimage}Family separations and commercial pressures are causing a crisis in modern childhood, the Archbishop of Canterbury has warned. Dr Rowan Williams says a new generation of young parents fail to offer the right example to their children who, in turn, are becoming “infant adults”. His comments come as an inquiry is launched into the state of childhood by the Children’s Society. But fertility expert Lord Winston said lack of data made comparisons hard. The Children’s Society is concerned about rising levels of child depression in the UK. The independent inquiry is looking at all aspects of childhood amid growing concern over the health and quality of children’s’ lives. Bob Reitmeier, the chief executive of the charity, said a period of reflection was needed to review the changed status of childhood, which had altered dramatically in terms of new technologies and a more diverse population.

A former prisoner who is dying from a brain tumour has been recalled to jail for swearing at staff at a care home, it emerged yesterday. A prison watchdog has criticised the decision to recall Christopher Tierney, who is paralysed down one side, losing his sight and displaying behaviour that medical opinion says he cannot control.

One of the country’s top experts on modern life may have killed himself after catching a rare brain disease from a tiny insect bite. University professor Alasdair Crockett was found dead in woods near his home on Saturday 48 hours after he was reported missing.

More than a third of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have been excluded from school, a survey of parents claimed. The BBC reports that a poll of 526 families found 39% had had a child excluded from class, and in 11% of cases this was permanent.

Members of the Learning Disability Support Group have staged a protest outside Salisbury College as part of their ongoing fight to get more than 100 disabled students reinstated after their college Pathways courses were scrapped at the end of last term. The group is looking to Salisbury leading a national protest over education for students with learning disabilities following changes in the way funding is provided. College spokeswoman Jacqui Udy said college bosses are “disappointed” that the protest took place when the “focus of the debate has moved on”.

Thousands of young criminals should be spared incarceration, according to a proposal by a senior government adviser to raise the age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 14. In a paper to be published this week by the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, Rob Allen says children should be counselled and placed in the care of the social services, rather than labelled as criminals. Under his proposals some of Britain’s most notorious offenders would have escaped public trial and long custodial sentences.

Calls have been made for major improvements in mental health services in Norfolk amid fears that patients are not being properly cared for. The concerns have been voiced as a national report this week revealed the NHS is failing people with mental health problems because of a belief that they “just do die younger”. The Disability Rights Commission (DRC) said the Government could face a legal challenge under new laws unless it takes action to stamp out discrimination. Mental health campaigners in Norfolk have hit out at recent plans which could see two wards at Hellesdon Hospital close and dozens of vulnerable patients being left with limited care.

Thousands of vulnerable elderly people could continue to be wrongfully denied free NHS care, even if proposals to simplify the system are accepted, the UK’s largest charity for older people claims. The Department of Health is consulting on a national framework for fully funded NHS care for the elderly. The consultation period ends on Friday. People in care homes who have a combination of significant physical health needs, such as being confused, immobile and incontinent, should, in theory, be entitled to full funding from the NHS, regardless of their assets. Those who fail to qualify for NHS care have to meet the full costs if they have assets worth more than £21,000, including a house.

Faith, racism and community interaction are some of the biggest issues facing Muslims with mental health issues according to a report. Research was conducted by Sharing Voices (Bradford ) (SVB) – a charity devoted to mental health in the inner-city. SVB released its findings at a meeting after its AGM. SVB patron Lord Kamlesh Patel, who is also head of the Centre for Ethnicity and Health at the University of Bradford, spoke of the need for statutory bodies to do more to engage with ethnic minority people suffering mental health issues.