The number of people applying for asylum in the UK fell by over 2,000 in 2006 to its lowest level since 1993, according to Home Office statistics. The figures show that 23,610 applications, were lodged last year, representing an 8% fall in applications on 2005.

The Children’s Workforce Development Council (CWDC) has announced that it is calling for children and young people to get involved in its work, share views on projects and ultimately shape the skills of the workforce which is helping them.

Hackney Council is introducing a new style of social work that will give staff more freedom to practice and extra training. All social care staff will receive training in systemic family therapy, where social workers support whole families.

Scientists today raise the first hope of a cure for Huntington’s disease after unlocking the secrets of what goes wrong in the brains of sufferers.

Patients with severe arthritis are to be given access to a new generation of drug on the NHS – a decision hailed by campaigners as a “triumph”. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has approved the “smart drug” MabThera for prescription in England and Wales.

Some older people are being stranded in their homes where they are unable to perform basic tasks and look after themselves, a charity has warned today. Help the Aged claims some elderly people cannot bathe properly, putting their health and wellbeing at risk.

{mosimage}Its research revealed that one in ten older people find it difficult to have a bath or shower in their own home and one in five struggles to use their stairs.

The charity is calling on the government to help older generations lead a more integrated approach to providing social care services and low level housing support.

An improved national network of ‘handyperson’ services could ensure people are able to remain in their homes for longer by installing items such as rails in their showers.

At present over 200 handyperson services operate in the whole of England. If steps are not taken to help older people, the Help the Aged believes the NHS will face a greater burden on its services.

“When older people struggle with bathing it can have a detrimental effect on their health and wellbeing, putting additional pressure on an already creaking health and care system,” said Joe Oldman, senior housing policy adviser at Help the Aged.

Achieving the goals of Every Child Matters may not be possible without making the environment one of its top priorities, is the claim made by a newly released report by the Sustainable Development Commission.

Thousands of patients could die as a result of Labour’s policy to downgrade accident and emergency departments, research shows today.

{mosimage}A study has found that the further patients travel in an ambulance to reach hospital the more likely they are to die.

Its authors say the findings show Government policy-making “may be driven by anecdote or supposition” rather than based on evidence of what is best for patients.

The policy of providing community-based services and downgrading A&E departments, which was outlined in a White Paper in January 2006, has provoked protests.

Many fear it will mean they have to travel further for emergency care and say it is simply a cost-cutting measure.

Yesterday, David Cameron said the policy would lead to the closure of 29 hospitals.

He said people could not understand why A&E departments were closing when admissions were up and promised to fight to save units.

Hundreds of dangerous prisoners could be freed from jail because of “disastrous” failings by the Government when it introduced a new prison sentence, a High Court judge said yesterday.

Jack Straw, the justice secretary, yesterday backed plans to help inner city black youths avoid the temptations of crime by providing them with successful black mentors, including army officers.