There has been a marked increase in the number of youngsters in Argyll and Bute who have been referred to the Child Protection Service as a result of physical neglect. And the Argyll office of the Scottish Children Reporters Administration has reported a “huge increase” in the overall number of care and protection referrals it has dealt with in the last year, with the recorded rise being higher than any other local authority area.

Police in Edinburgh are waiting for the results of tests on a one-year-old baby girl to discover if she has been suffering from the effects of heroin. It is understood that paramedics found the girl unconscious at her home in the Wester Hailes area of the city. A Lothian and Borders police spokeswoman said the baby was in a stable condition.

A record 54,000 troubled youngsters were investigated by the Children’s Reporter last year with “bad parents” identified for the first time as the single biggest cause of referrals.

A new report revealed 17,901 children were referred because they were suffering a lack of parental care, outstripping the 17,624 who had committed offences. While politicians argued over the Scottish Executive’s record on youth offending, child welfare experts demanded more action to identify children suffering neglect and abuse in the home.

{mosimage}They described the figures as alarming and called on teachers, health staff, social workers and other professionals to intervene earlier to identify and address cases of child neglect. There were also calls for more family centres and programmes to teach parents, many of whom suffered abuse and neglect as youngsters, how to look after their children. At the same time, figures released by the Scottish Executive showed nearly 13,000 children were in local authority care – the highest number since 1986.

Families caring for a loved-one with dementia in Scotland want more information and support, according to a survey. The study found fewer than 30% of those looking after someone with the condition were satisfied with the level of care available for the elderly.

A Woman who suffered a stroke, aged just 39, spoke yesterday about how a local support group had aided her recovery over the past year. As Different Strokes (DS) Moray celebrated its first birthday, Diane Ford, 44, told of the support and encouragement she received from other sufferers in the area.

Scotland’s national youth agency has condemned the “piecemeal attitude” towards funding of the youth work sector claiming it results in chronically low staff pay and morale. In a hard-hitting submission to ministers, YouthLink Scotland, which represents public and voluntary sector organisations working with young people, said in many cases organisations “lived from hand to mouth”.

Pensioners in Aberdeen are to be scrutinised more closely to find out whether they qualify for help with basic chores such as cleaning and shopping under a new cost-cutting exercise.

Children in care have gained more qualifications this year, but most are still not fulfilling their potential according to Deputy Education Minister Robert Brown. Statistics released today show that, this year, half of children left care with at least one qualification – up from 43 per cent in 2005.

New guidelines aimed at improving the care of people with eating disorders have been issued by the health service watchdog. NHS Quality Improvement Scotland has set out treatment plans for conditions such as anorexia and bulimia. It has also made recommendations for treating teenagers and warned about inaccurate information on the internet. Campaigners have welcomed the guidelines but called for greater funding. The guidelines will have to be followed by GPs and hospitals.

Patients in Scotland have not benefited from a new NHS consultants contract, according to a report by MSPs. An extra £235m has been paid out to Scotland’s 3,500 NHS consultants over the past three years. A report from the Scottish Parliament’s Audit Committee said health boards and the Scottish Executive should do more to ensure it delivers what it promised. It criticised the lack of accurate cost estimates and information on working hours and conditions in Scotland.