Cornwall County Council is to spend an additional £500,000 commissioning social care services from voluntary organisations, charities and community groups throughout the county to improve the health and well being of the population and support people with low and moderate levels of need.

Harnessing the skills of Britain’s disabled workforce could boost the UK economy by as much as £48 billion in the next three decades, a report claims. The Social Market Foundation (SMF) thinktank believes improving disabled people’s skills will provide a £35 billion bump while the help they give to the employment rate is worth £13 billion.

As Suffolk battles to shed millions pounds from its social care budget by asking charities to take over the workload, the county council has been accused of making late payments to the volunteer groups and putting them into financial difficulties.

The English Community Care Association (ECCA) has welcomed the research by Professor Ron Brookmeyer from the Bloomberg School of Public Health in Maryland which clearly identifies that the growth in the older population will require more residential care if we are to support people with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.

The English Community Care Association (ECCA), the leading representative body for independent care homes, is pleased that the Government has listened to the sector and delayed its plans to extend the second phase of annual leave entitlement to 2009.

All of those who receive day care services from Herefordshire Council will be given an opportunity to comment on proposals to change charges. At last week’s meeting of Cabinet, councillors agreed to proposals for a number of changes in charging for services to adults needing non-residential social care.

Westminster Council is calling on carers across the country to get help from a network of support. Over 12,500 people in Westminster care for a loved one with a disability with 88% of those not benefiting from the support and assistance on offer from a ‘family’ of carers.

A Government report due out this week is to call for youth services to get more involved in community cohesion and integration work. The Communities and Local Government study, produced by the Commission on Integration and Cohesion, is expected to say services need to increase their focus on the area.

The Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) has added its support to this year’s Carers Week, ‘My Life As a Carer’ (11-17 June). Paul Snell, CSCI’s Chief Inspector, said:

Plans to offer more “chemical castrations” to serious sex offenders will be among a raft of measures set to be unveiled by the government. Increasing provision of libido-reducing treatments forms part of a crackdown on paedophiles, sources told the BBC.