Care home and adult day care services managers registering with the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) have until 31 May 2009 to get their applications submitted to meet the Scottish Government deadline for required registration.

SOCIAL work services in West Dunbartonshire were given a glowing report card from auditors. Inspectors rated the local authority’s performance as ‘good’ in nine out of 10 evaluated areas and the other was scored as ‘adequate’.

An official who commissioned an investigation into the death of toddler Brandon Muir in Dundee has been appointed to Aberdeen City Council’s new social work director post.

Highland Council’s director of social work is the new president of the Association of Directors of Social Work. Harriet Dempster yesterday took up her post after being elected at ADSW’s annual meeting at Crieff on the 40th anniversary of both ADSW and of the commencement of the Social Work (Scotland) Act.

SOUTH Lanarkshire Council’s use of an online auction to acquire care provision for the elderly has been compared to “buying cheap jewellery on a TV shopping channel”.

A scheme to encourage failed asylum seekers to leave Scotland voluntarily, rather than through enforced detention, began yesterday.

MANAGEMENT failure, poor training and a “macho” culture are among the damning criticisms raised by an official Scottish Government report into the Kerelaw abuse scandal published yesterday. The Ayrshire residential unit faced hundreds of alleged cases of sexual and physical abuse from its former pupils dating back to the early 1990s.

Poorly-trained staff at a residential school were able to abuse children with impunity, according to an independent inquiry published yesterday.

Inverclyde Council’s education and social work chief Ian Fraser has been suspended. The council issued a brief statement last night saying that Mr Fraser, who is Corporate Director of Education and Social Care, was suspended by chief executive John Mundell on Friday afternoon pending a full investigation into “a number of management and operational matters.”

A CENTRE supporting people with learning difficulties is celebrating after the council performed a U-turn and agreed to continue funding dozens of its members.