Ministers are giving the go-ahead for a fundamental reform of the “perplexing” law governing adult social care in England and Wales, pulling together more than 30 acts of parliament passed over 60 years.

A FORMER Birmingham social worker in charge of a childrens home has been struck off the professional register for abusing his power and carrying out inappropriate intimate examinations on vulnerable children.

A FARMER from Derbyshire who helps troubled youths is to meet ministers to discuss how they might extend schemes like his nationally.

I worked in the Child Development Centre in Haringey. I left before Baby P was seen by the service (»  Media witch-hunt puts more children at risk, 22 November), but would like to share my thoughts.

SOUTH Devon College is celebrating after being announced as an AoC Beacon Award winner. The Awards, which this year celebrate 15 years of rewarding outstanding teaching and learning in further education colleges, were announced at a ceremony hosted by comedian, writer, musician and philanthropist, Tony Hawks, at the AoC’s annual conference in Birmingham.

UNION bosses are set to fight plans to privatise the jobs of more than 70 Calderdale home helps. The move was agreed by councillors in March in a bid to save £200,000 a year.

BOSSES have vowed to try to find alternative employment for dozens of disabled workers who face losing their jobs under plans to shut a factory.

MERSEYSIDE is reviewing social services cases jointly held by councils, police and health authorities following the death of Baby P. At the suggestion of Merseyside Police’s chief constable Bernard Hogan-Howe, the force along with councils’ children services and PCTs are reviewing all jointly held cases.

The appalling life and death of Baby P has touched a national nerve in a way that the deaths of other babies killed by their parents or carers did not, even though their plight was equally shocking. Perhaps one reason is that the council involved with Baby P was Haringey and the link to the Climbie case, in the same borough eight years ago, was an easy one for the media, even though the cases and the context were different.