John Hutton’s threat to reduce or withdraw benefits from a section of the long-term unemployed in a bid to break the cycle of dependency was yesterday condemned by anti-poverty campaigners.

Newly released statistics show a reduction in the reported number of heroin users injecting the drug, and a reduction in the number of addicts sharing needles. Key figures from the information on compendium of drug statistics how that:

A consultation got under way today on plans to modernise and improve services for children in the draft Children’s Services (Scotland) Bill. The move is the latest stage in the Getting it Right for Every Child programme which was developed following a consultation on the future of the children’s hearings system.

A shortage of flu vaccine triggered a drop in people getting vaccinated, according to new NHS statistics. By the end of November, 54% of over-65s had received the flu jag compared to 70% last year. The figures showed that less than a third of those in younger at-risk groups had received the vaccination.

Patients fighting killer chest complaints in Scotland would be better off if they suffered from cancer because services are so neglected, according to a charity. While Scotland has the highest rates of respiratory illness in the UK, it is the only country not developing a strategy to tackle the problem, said the British Lung Foundation Scotland.

This Christmas, a new billboard poster advert will reinforce the message that many in Scotland live with domestic abuse, as the annual awareness-raising campaign begins. This phase builds on the approach taken last year which highlighted that domestic abuse can take many forms including psychological abuse.

Private landlords have a key role to provide good quality affordable housing to tenants. That’s the message from leading housing and homelessness charity, Shelter Scotland, as the charity launched a new Private Renting Project recently. The Private Renting Project has been set up by Shelter to promote good practice in the private rented sector through working with tenants and landlords to raise awareness of their rights and responsibilities.

Student social workers are to be given more consistent and improved guidance on how to protect vulnerable children when they enter practice.

{mosimage}The Key Capabilities in Child Care and Protection have been developed by the Scottish Institute for Excellence in Social Work Education (SIESWE) in collaboration with other key stakeholders and funded by the Scottish Executive.  

The Key Capabilities provide a framework for learning outcomes and competencies in Child Care and Protection across all generic social work degree programmes to support social workers in protecting vulnerable children. The Key Capabilities will further enhance the knowledge base of social work degree students in Scotland, ensuring that all newly qualified social work practitioners will have core knowledge, understanding and skills in child care and protection regardless of whether they work directly with children, or in other settings such as learning disability, mental health or older people’s services.

Councils throughout Scotland have admitted to a range of problems in coping with community service orders. Staff and funding shortages have meant long waiting lists, offenders being sent home and credited with hours off their sentences, and failure to report breaches.

Beti Jones played an important part in the launching of the Social Work Scotland Act of 1968 and establishing the Children’s Hearing system when she became the first Chief Adviser of Social Work to the Scottish Office in 1968.