Prisons Struggling To Cope With The Increase In Elderly Inmates

A Prison Reform Trust report says that prisons are struggling to cope with the increase in elderly, sick and disabled people behind bars.

It reveals that those aged 60 and over are the fastest growing population in English and Welsh prisons, with an increase of 146% between 2002 and 2014. Those aged 50-59 are the second fastest-growing group.

Longer sentences mean more people are growing frail in prison, but high rates of social and support needs are unmet, says the trust. It added that two in five prisoners over 50 now have a disability of some kind.

Trust director Juliet Lyon said: "In the last few years, prison has been reduced to a punitive holding operation for people growing older and sicker behind bars. Prisons are less safe and less decent than they were even a year ago when we published our last report."

The proportion of prisons whose performance is "of concern" or "of serious concern" according to the National Offender Management Service has risen from 13% in 2012-13, to 23% in 2013-14.

On TV Tonight: Baby P, the Untold Story

Tonight (27th October 2014) on BBC 1 at 8.30 pm there will be a documentary entitled Baby P: the Untold Story.

The 90 minute film hears from those directly involved in the investigation into the death of Baby P in 2007.

Film-maker Henry Singer's documentary detailing the timeline of events leading to the death of 17-month-old Peter Connelly at the hands of his mother, her boyfriend and her boyfriend's brother in August 2007, and considering its aftermath. The programme examines how some powerful institutions evaded the spotlight, while public attention was focused on the involvement of social workers in the infant's home area of Haringey, north London. Among the interviewees featured in the film are social workers Gillie Christou and Maria Ward, then-Children's Secretary Ed Balls MP and the husband of the last medical practitioner to see Peter before he died.

Child Poverty Set To Rise Says Social Mobility Commission

The UK risks becoming a "permanently divided" society unless "radical new approaches" are taken by the next government, a report suggests.

The Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission also claims the target to reduce child poverty by half by 2020 will not be met.

Chairman Alan Milburn said the three largest Westminster parties were being "less than frank" on the issue.

He said housing costs and youth unemployment needed to be tackled.

Mr Milburn, a former Labour minister, said the current government had "discredited existing child poverty targets and failed to put in place new ones", creating an "unholy mess".

The existing targets were put in place in 2010 by the last Labour government. Currently, a child is classed as being in relative poverty if his or her family income is less than 60% of median earnings.

According to the commission's report "absolute child poverty increased by 300,000 between 2010-11 and 2012-13" and "independent experts expect child poverty to increase significantly over the next few years". It also says that "working poverty after housing costs is rising".

The Benefits of Setting Up a Personal Account with DISCOVER

Did you know that you can set up a FREE personal account with DISCOVER? A personal account allows you to:

• Store your search results online (backup to stop you losing your results)
• Sort your search results into folders (for different assignments)
• Save your searches so you can run the same search, with the same search terms again
• Set up "Search Alerts" - DISCOVER will email you each time a new record matching your search terms is added to a database - helping you to keep up-to-date with the latest research on your topic

To set up a personal account with DISCOVER:

1. Go to DISCOVER.
2. Click on the Sign in link in the top red menu bar.
3. Click on the link Create a new account.
4. Fill in the form (making a note of the username and password you choose)

That's it! You're now able to make use of all DISCOVER's features.

Emotional Needs of Children Leaving Care are Unmet says new Study

A study by the charity Action for Children says that the emotional needs of children who have been in care are not being well looked after.

The small but in-depth study by Action for Children called Too Much Too Young is based on in-depth work with 31 care leavers and 12 professionals working with such children in England and Wales.

It says: "Most young people who have been in care continue to cope with the lasting impact of a traumatic childhood.They can suffer from depression and anxiety, on top of dealing with the challenges of living on their own for the the first time."

The report argues that leaving care is not the same as leaving home, as care leavers rarely have the stability or support networks that most teenagers take for granted. It says that government policy has focused on the quality and location of accommodation that youngsters move into when they leave care and the practical support they are offered.But it warns: "Emotional wellbeing should be our starting point. Without it, practical support is not enough for the most vulnerable young people. Poor emotional health permeated young peoples' stories. Essential support disappears rapidly after those with complex needs and disabilities leave care".

FREE Writing & Study Skills Workshops at the Study Hub in October

The following FREE drop-in workshops on Writing / Study Skills are available in October at the Bedford Library Study Hub (1st Floor of the Library). There's no need to book just 'drop-in' anytime between 1 - 4 on a relevant date.

Dates of the workshops are:

• Monday 6th October 1 - 4
• Tuesday 7th October 1 - 4
• Wednesday 8th October 1 - 4
• Thursday 9th October 1 - 4
• Monday 13th October 1 - 4
• Tuesday 14th October 1 - 4
• Wednesday 15th October 1 - 4
• Thursday 16th October 1 - 4
• Monday 20th October 1 - 4
• Tuesday 21st October 1 - 4
• Wednesday 22nd October 1 - 4
• Thursday 23rd October 1 - 4
• Monday 27th October 1 - 4
• Tuesday 28th October 1 - 4
• Wednesday 29th October 1 -4
• Thursday 30th October 1 -4