MORE than £7 million is being invested in better understanding major diseases and developing new treatments for common conditions like cancer and mental illness.

A social worker who is said to have missed opportunities to prevent a teenager sexually abusing two children says he has been made a scapegoat.

The Welsh Government’s progress towards its target of eradicating child poverty by 2020 needs to speed up dramatically if it is to be achieved, research released today shows.

A social worker who did not warn a family their children were at risk before allowing a sexual predator to live with them has been found guilty of misconduct.

Cuts have been made to support for families needing respite care in parts of Wales, figures obtained by the BBC have shown.

THE random street killing of a Caerphilly pensioner by a 23- year-old man could have been avoided, a report concludes.

There were significant shortcomings in the care and treatment by the Welsh NHS and social care services to former mental patient Martin Davies, who killed Mrs Gwen Poole in Llanbradach, Caerphilly, on 24 March 2009.

The Care Council for Wales has launched a major consultation exercise into plans to overhaul post-qualification social work training. The plans propose establishing clearer career pathways and ongoing qualification requirements for registered social workers.

IT LOOKS likely that a Pwllheli care home is to remain open, after overwhelming support persuaded Gwynedd Council to shelve plans for its closure.

GWENDA THOMAS has criticised the “supermarket approach” towards social care, arguing it does not provide real choice or quality care.