Domestic Abuse Reports In Scotland Rise By 7% In A Year

The number of reported incidents of domestic abuse in Scotland has increased by 7% in a year, government figures have shown.

The chief statistician said police recorded 59,847 cases in 2011-2012, rising from 55,698 the previous year.
But there was a 4% drop in the number of domestic abuse incidents being recorded as a crime or offence.
The Scottish government said the figures showed too many women and men were still being subjected to abuse.

According to the figures, domestic abuse was most likely to happen in the home, where 87% of incidents took place in 2011-12. The victim was most commonly a woman, with 81% of cases having a female victim and male perpetrator. And women were at most risk between the ages of 22 and 25, while men were most likely to be victims between 31 and 35 years old.

The number of cases with a male victim and female perpetrator stood at 17% in 2011-12, which is an annual increase of one percentage point. There has been an 8% rise in these cases since 2002-03. Assault, which accounted for 44% of all incidents, was the most commonly recorded crime or offence, with threatening or abusive behaviour second most common, at 17%.

You can read more on this story here.

Support For Teens In Care A 'National Scandal'

Children's Minister, Edward Timpson has said that too many teenagers in England leave care without enough support, ending up in a "trap of poverty and joblessness".

Mr Timpson said it was a "national scandal" and urged councils to do more to make sure they have a "solid start". He wants such teenagers to be given higher allowances towards setting up home and more foster placements. The Local Government Association says councils should not face new financial expectations at a time of drastic cuts.

Mr Timpson's comments come as figures suggest many 16-year-olds leaving care are not in education, work or training by age 19. According to the figures cited by Mr Timpson, more than a third (35%) of children in care leave by the age 16 and, of those, 45% will not be in education, employment or training - so-called Neets - three years later.

Mr Timpson said the "cliff-edge" of leaving care was often too sudden and poorly planned, with many teenagers finding the move "traumatic".

You can read more on this story on the BBC News website here.

Universal Credit: Benefits Claimants Could Find Themselves Trapped in Poverty

Benefit claimants could find themselves "trapped in poverty" when a new single welfare payment is introduced next year, it is being claimed.

While the Universal Credit was sound "in principle", the Joseph Rowntree Foundation said its implementation could leave some people worse off. It warned any financial gains people might make in part-time jobs may be wiped out if they found full-time work.

In the biggest shake-up of the welfare system in generations, the single consolidated payment will replace a host of existing working age benefits for new claimants from October 2013.

Ministers say the Universal Credit - to replace income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Income Support, Child Tax Credits, Working Tax Credits and Housing Benefit - will increase work incentives and reduce poverty among those on low incomes by ensuring people keep more of their income in employment and benefits are withdrawn more gradually.

But analysis of the new system for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, by the University of Portsmouth and the Centre for Social and Economic Inclusion, has raised serious concerns about its administration and potential outcomes.

You can read more on this story on the BBC News website here.

International crack down on human trafficking | Home Office

Immigration Minister Mark Harper has joined with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) to call on international partners to redouble efforts against human trafficking. You can read what he had to say and more facts about human trafficking here:
International crack down on human trafficking | Home Office

Latest Statstics From The Home Office On Arrests, outcomes and stop and searches Great Britain 2011/12 Released

Operation of police powers under the Terrorism Act 2000 and subsequent legislation: Arrests, outcomes and stop and searches Great Britain 2011/12 | Home Office

On TV tonight...

On BBC 1 tonight, (29th October 2012) at 8. 30 PM Panorama reveals new evidence of poor training and and false record-keeping at the Winterbourne View hospital outside Bristol.

Last year BBC Panorama exposed the violent abuse of people with learning disabilities at Winterbourne.  A number of former patients have faced further assaults or unnecessary restraints in other care establishments.

Following the closure of Winterbourne View, and as 11 of its former staff are sentenced in court, Panorama asks: are the most vulnerable people in society any better protected? http://www.bbc.co.uk/i/b01nqn4d/

More Support On Pinterest

I've set up a page on Pinterest where I'm putting links to useful books on study skills, dissertations, and referencing, as well as videos and anything else useful I find. You can check it out under the tab "Information Literacy" on this blog at: http://pinterest.com/sfensome/

Disabled People To Lose Out With Universal Credit

New reports by the Children's Society: The Parent Trap: Childcare Costs Under Universal Credit  and by Disability Rights UK and Citizen's Advice: Holes in the Safety Net  say up to half a million disabled people and their families stand to lose out under the government's proposed Universal Credit.

The Universal Credit will replace Jobseeker's allowance, tax credits, income support, employment and support allowance - formerly known as incapacity benefit - and housing benefits with a single payment.
The system will be "piloted" in parts of north-east England next April and will come into force across Britain for new claimants from October 2013.

The report argues that the changes will mean 230,000 severely disabled people who do not have another adult to assist them will receive between £28 and £58 less in benefits every week.


You can read the full story and the Government's response on the BBC News website here.

Some Useful Books On Report Writing

A number of people have been asking me about report writing - so here are some books that you might find useful:

• Aveyard, H., Sharp, P. and Wooliams, M. (2011) A beginner's guide to critical thinking and writing in health and social care. Maidenhead: OUP. [Ebook] A straightforward guide showing you how to demonstrate critical thinking and critical appraisal in health and social care.
• Healy, K. and Mulholland, J. (2007) Writing skills for social workers. London: Sage. [Ebook] Covers a whole range of writing skills in the filed of social work. Chapter 5 deals with effective report writing.
• Murray, N. and Hughes, G. (2008) Writing up your university assignments and research projects: a practical handbook. Maidenhead: OUP. A clear handbook on assignment and report writing at university.

New Report Says Children In Care Run Away Despite The Risks

Photograph by Pink Sherbert Photography

A new report from the Children's Rights Director for England finds that children in care are running away from placements despite being well aware of the dangers of sexual exploitation, drugs and gang culture.

The report Running Away 2012  found they ran away for many reasons, such as stress, anger and unhappiness at being in care.

The research gathered views from 62 girls and 36 boys from different ethnic backgrounds and in different types of placement.

The children identified many dangers associated with running away - getting raped, being sexually exploited, being stabbed, being kidnapped, being taken and trafficked for sex, being murdered, getting involved in drugs or being made pregnant.

However,  issues such as anger, stress, fear of people living in the same placement, feeling "you don't get what you want or need in your placement", not being listened to, being scared and getting away from bullies were felt to justify the risks associated with running away.

Children's Minister Edward Timpson said: "We have been very concerned that some local authorities and care homes are letting down children by failing to act as a proper 'parent'. "This is a very important report - which makes clear that carers and social workers need to listen and address children's concerns as early as possible, before it reaches the crisis point of them feeling they have no option but to run away."

Figures published by the Department for Education last month show the number of children in local authority care in England rose by 2% from 65,520 last year to 67,050 this year. 

New Report Says That Possessing Small Amounts Of Drugs Shouldn't Be A Crime

A new report from the UK Drug Policy Commission urges that the penalties for drug misuse be relaxed so that possession of small amounts of drugs would no longer be a crime.

The Commission undertook six years of research and concludes the UK is wasting much of the £3bn it spends each year on tackling illicit drugs.

Its report, called A Fresh Approach to Drugs, says the annual estimated cost to England and Wales of class A drug use is £15bn.It says that while drug use and drug problems have declined in the UK in recent years, there are still about 2,000 drug-related deaths each year and 380,000 problem drug users.

The Home Office says drug use is falling and it does not plan to alter its approach.

You can read the full story on the BBC News website here.

Warning Over Middle Class Parents' Alcohol Habits

Too many middle class parents are drinking excessively as a way of coping with the demands of family life, a report suggests.

The study for charity 4Children warns of a "silent epidemic" of alcohol misuse in British families. It claims that two million parents drink alcohol daily, with the highest earners drinking the most.

The study claims parenting capacity can be hampered by habitual drinking.
The report, Over the Limit: The Truth about Families and Alcohol, suggested about a third of mothers and fathers drink more than their recommended units a week.

You can read more about this story on the BBC News website here.

E-books On Dawsonera

Here's another one minute video this time on using Dawsonera e-books - the University's main supplier of e-books.

Using The Library Print Credit Machines

Here's a brief video on how you go about using the print credit machines in the Library. It's part of the Library's "Just a Minute" series of videos - and only lasts a minute!



Number Of Children In Care In England Rises

The number of children in the care system in England is rising, official figures show. 

Department for Education data shows the number of children in local authority care rose by 2% from 65,520 last year to 67,050 this year.The figures reveal 28,220 children were taken into care during the year ending 31 March 2012, an increase of 3% from the previous year's figure of 27,500. The data also shows more youngsters were adopted, with 3,450 given a home.

Most affected are 10 to 15-year-olds, with 24,150 currently in care. The main reason for children living apart from their parents is to protect them from abuse or neglect, with 41,790 of those currently in care falling in this category.

Family dysfunction was the next most common reason given for being taken into care, with 9,530 children falling into this category. After this, "family in acute stress" affected 6,000 youngsters. And a total of 3,490 children had absent parents.

The number of babies less than a year old taken into care has also risen, from 3,680 last year to 4,190 this year. The official figures show there has been a steady rise in children being taken into care since 2008, from 59,380 to 67,050 in 2012 - 7,670 more children in total.

The death after months of abuse of Peter Connelly, in north London in 2007, is thought to have contributed to the increase. Social workers in the "Baby P" case were criticised for not removing the 17-month-old from his home sooner, prompting a mood of caution in the profession.

The figures also show that 3,450 looked after children were adopted during the year ending 31 March 2012.  You can read more on the BBC News website here.