Portsmouth has a new man in charge of its children – and he is determined to see them succeed. Julian Wooster has been appointed the director of children’s services at Portsmouth City Council.

A SOCIAL worker gave cash to a vulnerable mother because God wanted her to visit a Nigerian prophet. Paul Collett, 45, from Southampton, has admitted writing to the woman, after her five children were taken into care, telling her she “needed a miracle, probably several”.

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation is inviting people to join a panel of experts to discuss the future of adult social care in England. Two seminars – What do community and family mean in the 21st century? and The future and funding of adult social care in England – will discuss key points from seven reports recently commissioned by JRF and will offer an opportunity for delegates to help influence and shape the debate on the government’s recent Green Paper, Shaping the future of Care Together.

The former head of Haringey children’s services Sharon Shoesmith was sacked because she was “in the wrong place at the wrong time”, her lawyers said today.

CUMBRIA County Council is backing the Evening Mail campaign to save Barrow’s NSPCC centre from closure. The council is calling for an urgent meeting with NSPCC representatives in a bid to keep it open.

BOURNEMOUTH councillors say they are not surprised that their social workers have seen a rise in cases, following the death of Baby Peter in Haringey, London.

Two thirds of children killed or seriously injured by their parents were being monitored by social workers at the time — with one in five on the “at-risk” register.

Councils are still failing to learn from their mistakes in some of the most serious cases of child abuse, despite the renewed focus on safeguarding in the wake of the Baby Peter tragedy, inspectors say today.

The deputy chair of the Social Work Taskforce has said employers must work more closely with training providers to bolster the social work profession.

Autism sufferers are being “cast adrift” when they become adults because of a lack of knowledge and awareness among health and social care staff, MPs have said.