The sale of 12 care homes to the private sector has been approved by Nottinghamshire County Council. The homes will go on sale in September and the process is expected to take between 12 and 18 months.

LANCASHIRE’s new advice service for people with dementia has been hailed as a ‘flagship’ at its launch at the start of Dementia Awareness Week.

An investigation which branded Birmingham’s children’s social services department as unfit for purpose has won a national award for straight-talking.

Immigration lawyers have called for the immediate end to detention of child asylum-seekers, rather than wait for alternative approaches to be established.

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence is expected to produce 150 quality standards over the next five years to help trusts measure progress on clinical outcomes, according to the health white paper.

Representatives at councils involved in England’s most high-profile child protection cases are urging civil servants to proceed with utmost caution in carrying out government plans to publish serious case reviews (SCRs) in full.

PLANS to turn a house into a home for troubled adolescents have met with fierce opposition from residents. Castle Point Council has received 30 letters objecting to an application to convert 459 Rayleigh Road, Thundersley, into a home for six or seven children.

BASW has defended independent social workers against a “major assault” by the president of the Association of Directors of Social Services, who last week called for their role in court proceedings to end.

THOUSANDS of suspected cases of abuse of elderly people are being reported to North councils. Latest figures show more than 5,690 alleged incidents were referred to local authority safeguarding adult boards . . . equivalent to around 15 a day.

Coalition’s welfare cuts will combine with joblessness and home repossessions to leave thousands homeless, charities predict.