Hundreds of video witness statements made by child abuse victims were unusable in court because the recordings were of such poor quality. A three-year Scottish Executive pilot project used shop-bought video equipment to record evidence given by vulnerable children when they spoke to police and social workers.

Hundreds of children whose parents are drug addicts face the risk of being taken into care because of a “moral panic” over the issue, Scotland’s drug and alcohol tsar has warned.

Alcohol and drug addiction among teenagers in Glasgow is to be treated with a new form of therapy that involves their family. A pilot project will see about 40 teenagers with addictions take part in family therapy.

Criminals in Scotland are to be given vitamins in an innovative attempt to cut violence and antisocial behaviour. Inmates at a Scottish prison are to take part in a government-sponsored study to determine whether healthy eating can help influence behaviour.

Concern is mounting for the jobs of 600 staff at the crisis-hit One Plus, one of Scotland’s biggest after-school and nursery providers. The company, which owned a chain of creches which collapsed last month, has told unions staff may not be paid after tomorrow.

Some of Scotland’s worst serial offenders, such as shoplifters, housebreakers and prostitutes, are to be given the choice of signing up to drugs and alcohol rehabilitation or being pro-actively targeted by police.

Thousands of community projects in Scotland will be in dire financial straits if the Treasury raids the lottery fund supporting them to meet the soaring costs of the London Olympics. The warning has come from Dharmendra Kanani, the Big Lottery Fund Scotland Director.

The Scottish Executive is to cut funding to a project dealing with cocaine addiction, BBC Scotland has learned. The scheme in Aberdeen is one of only two of its kind north of the border. A working party is to be set up to recommend how to tackle the growing problem. A similar investigation was ordered five years ago.

Parents of children with special needs have mounted a campaign for improved therapy services in the north-east. They want a dedicated help centre set up for youngsters with a range of learning, emotional and developmental difficulties such as autism, dyslexia and attention deficit disorder (ADD).

The Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) Codes of Practice for Social Service Workers and Employers have been translated into British Sign Language (BSL) and are now available to order on DVD. The Codes of Practice set out the standards of conduct and practice that social service workers and employers must adhere to.