Scottish society is at “a very dangerous tipping point”, because young people are being turned into hate figures by adults, according to a leading council official. The Rev Ewan Aitken, the leader of Edinburgh city council, said the nation’s youth was being “demonised” and that it was vital to address the misconception that most of them were up to no good.

A woman accused of trying to murder her baby son will discover tomorrow whether she has won a 12-year legal fight for justice. Regarded as a test case in Scots law, the landmark legal action challenges the controversial theory of Munchausen syndrome by proxy (MSBP), which she believes has resulted in thousands of parents being wrongly accused of child abuse.

Two new asylum specialist teams are to be set up in Scotland to deal with cases north of the border, Immigration Minister Liam Byrne has said. His announcement comes ahead of talks in Scotland with the first minister.

For nine long years she fought the might of the Church of Scotland – a battle which took her to the highest court in the land. And yesterday Helen Percy was celebrating a substantial 11th-hour out-of-court settlement in her claim for sex discrimination against the Church.

Physiotherapy graduates are being left without jobs even though official figures show more than 28,000 people are waiting for an appointment.Half of those who qualified from Scottish universities this summer have been unable to find permanent jobs in the field, according to a survey published today. Cash shortages at health boards are among the factors blamed for the lack of junior positions.

Funding for children’s services in Scotland is facing a £160m shortfall, social work directors have warned. The Association of Directors of Social Work said there had been a 10% rise in the number of children being looked after by local authorities since 2001.

A violent sex offender has made legal history by becoming the first person in the UK to be assessed for a new kind of sentence that will last the rest of his life. Colin Ross is now on the verge of being subject to intensive supervision while in jail and after his eventual release for the attempted murder of an American tourist in an attack which has left her in a coma.

One hundred victims of alleged abuse by nuns at Catholic children’s homes in Scotland are to seek criminal injuries compensation. The former residents of Nazareth House started giving evidence this week at hearings held by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Appeals Panel in Glasgow.

{mosimage} People who allegedly suffered abuse at Catholic children’s homes will have their claims for compensation heard this week. Twenty-one former residents at Nazareth House homes in Glasgow, Aberdeen and Kilmarnock are seeking awards after claims they were abused by some of the nuns who ran the homes.

In July, 18 people received payments ranging from £1000 to £7500 from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority and now lawyer Cameron Fyfe is taking the other cases forward.

{mosimage} He said: “What is important in this instance is not the amount of money my clients will receive, but the recognition by a government-run organisation of the severe abuse suffered over many years.

“My clients are unlikely to receive large sums of money and have never been motivated by the thought of remuneration. Their ideal outcome is that eventually the criminal case will be tried again and be found in their favour.”

One former resident, Christopher Daly, from Rutherglen, Glasgow, claims he suffered physical and emotional abuse during the five years he spent at Nazareth House in Aberdeen.

A crisis of confidence exists among older people in Scotland because of the “overwhelmingly negative” portrayals of its ageing population. This has been claimed by the WRVS in Scotland, a charity with 12,000 volunteers, 11,000 of them aged 50 or over. And backing for its concern has come from an independent organisation involved in the welfare of the elderly.