Thousands of people in Northern Ireland risk death or disability because they do not know enough about strokes, a leading medical charity has warned. NI Chest Heart and Stroke has labelled the findings of a new survey “shocking”. Eighty-four people in 100 did not think a high-fat diet was a risk and just 13% understood the danger of too much salt.

The Government says it will not consider introducing legislation setting out the rights of natural parents despite last week’s controversial High Court judgment in which a married couple failed to win back custody of a child they put up for adoption. Ministers say they want to wait until after a Supreme Court hearing into the case of the child, referred to as baby “Ann”, is completed. Brian Lenihan, the minister for children, said the government would have to await “an authoritative ruling” before deciding what to do about the High Court decision.

With the new school year under way, here’s a damning statistic: more than half of teenagers leaving the care system have no qualifications whatsoever. Fostering Achievement, a trailblazing scheme which is the first of its kind in the UK, has been launched in Belfast with the aim of turning that around. Terry Vallely, a foster mum for nearly 30 years, and her foster daughter Brenda, a university student, tell why a brighter future is well worth fighting for.

A new government scheme supporting Northern Irish foster parents to help fostered children to achieve their potential has been officially launched in Belfast. The scheme, Fostering Achievement: supporting foster carers as first educators, is the first of its kind across the UK. Managed by charities the Fostering Network and Include Youth, it will provide foster carers across Northern Ireland with independent access to advice and funding to improve the education of fostered children.

Foster parents are to be given more money to provide extras for the young people living with them. In a scheme unique to Northern Ireland, they will be able to buy in music tuition, driving lessons and computers. Research shows that young people in care do not do as well in education. More than half leave school with no qualifications at all.

The investigation into the deaths of 95 patients at Leas Cross nursing home uncovered “grave and disturbing” facts about the care of elderly people, the author of the report has said. Professor Desmond O‘Neill, who spent four months investigating standards at the Dublin nursing home, said urgent attention much now be given to the whole system of nursing home care. He said he was also extremely concerned at the delay in appointing 30 senior healthcare workers to deal with the abuse of elderly people, especially as funding for their posts had been approved by Health Minister Mary Harney as far back as May 2005.

The government has taken steps to reduce the level of suicides in NI following a large rise in the number of people who take their own lives. The Suicide Strategy Implementation Body was announced by Health Minister Paul Goggins. Last year, 213 people took their lives in Northern Ireland, a rise of more than 60 from the previous year.

The Irish Government’s current mental-health services violate the human rights of people with intellectual disabilities, the Opposition part have claimed. Fine Gael and Labour have pledged to create modern, world-class services for the mentally ill as they launched pre-election proposals on the issue. Fine Gael’s deputy health spokesman Dan Neville said: “Our psychiatric service is out of step with international best practice and falls far short of full respect for the human rights of people with mental illness.”

Sligo, Leitrim and Donegal have recieved over 280,000 euro in funding for local groups who provide marriage, child and bereavement counselling services. It’s part of nine million euro allocated nationwide

The NI Children’s Commissioner has applied for a judicial review into proposed new legislation about physically punishing children. New laws will make it illegal for a parent/guardian to hit a child only if it results in lasting harm or marks. Commissioner Barney McNeany said the government was failing in its duties to promote and protect children’s rights.