Society daily: Call for mandatory reporting of child abuse

We've changed email address. Please add us to your safe sender list. Having trouble viewing this email? Society daily 17.09.13 Call for mandatory reporting of child abuse Clare Horton theguardian.com, Tuesday 17 September 2013 07.08 EDT Daniel Pelka was starved, tortured and beaten to death by his mother and stepfather. Photograph: West Midlands police/PA Sign up to Society daily email briefing Today's top SocietyGuardian stories • Daniel Pelka: call for debate on mandatory reporting of child abuse • Council staff face action after report into care of woman left to starve • Inspectors catch Bristol prison officer denying meals to inmate • Unfavourable results from medical trials are being withheld, MPs warn • NHS spells out breast cancer screening risks • Liberal Democrat activists condemn bedroom tax • Pioneering prison literacy scheme gets ministerial go-ahead • Andrew Marr: stroke has made me more aware of people with disabilities • Melissa Kite: Why legalising cannabis isn't logical All today's SocietyGuardian stories In tomorrow's SocietyGuardian section • Housebuilders and councils in Britain's biggest cities are failing to comply with affordable housing targets, an investigation reveals • A diagnosis of schizophrenia has turned film-maker Jonny Benjamin into a poster boy for young people's mental health. Mary O'Hara reports • Some brave soul may venture from a conference platform that Britain's main drug problem – namely, alcohol abuse – has been sidelined by a government that has caved in to the drinks industry, says Peter Hetherington • William Morris (Lord Nuffield) might have attracted more notice if he had bequeathed his wealth to a single philanthropic body, says David Walker • Abandoned dogs are being trained by prisoners for rehoming in the first project of its kind in the UK • The relationship between politicians and senior public servants is delicate, symbiotic and sometimes precarious, writes Stella Manzie Jobs of the week • Executive director, Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders: "You will be a strong leader with experience of directing and managing organisations, with the ability to generate high performance in others." • Deputy director of operations, Institute of Cancer Research • Independent chair, Portsmouth safeguarding children board • Commissioning Officer, children and early years, Royal borough of Kensington and Chelsea The Guardian's public and voluntary sector careers page Hundreds of public and voluntary sector jobs On the Guardian Professional Networks • Can co-operatives provide an alternative to capitalism, asks Simon Birch • Local authorities must fight the decision to close the independent living fund, writes Linda Burnip, co-founder of Disabled People Against Cuts • Online consultations can save valuable time for both patients and doctors, writes Mohammad Al-Ubaydli, chief executive and founder of Patients Know Best • Housing associations take the lead in promoting social value • Sex education: young people with learning disabilities are being left out, says Emma Sterland of special needs community Netbuddy • A Department for Communities and Local Government recruit explains how his role as a special constable has helped him see success as a civil service graduate • Charities need to set clearer goals before trying to measure impact, writes Tris Lumley On my radar ... • Alastair Campbell, who is supporting Alcohol Concern's call at the party conferences for a minimum 50p unit price, and raising levels of treatment for dependent drinkers. On his blog, Campbell writes that Britain is not doing enough to combat the damage done to individuals, families and communities by alcohol. He adds: As a problem drinker I know that you can only begin to solve the problem when you admit to it. It is the same for a problem drinking country which is what we are, and how we are increasingly seen abroad. Russia of all people did it and has had some success in lowering rates of alcoholism with a mix of price rises, availability controls and a ban on TV, radio, billboard, Internet and public transport advertising. In France rugby fans watch the H Cup not the Heineken Cup because any linkage between sport and alcohol is banned – Ireland is thinking of following suit – and advertising strictly regulated. ... David Cameron did at least admit to the problem, and proposed following Alex Salmond's SNP with minimum unit pricing for England. But an industry worth £37.7billion a year, which supports two million jobs and contributes £16.3billion to the public finances, was never going to let that happen without a fight, and the government backed down. • ChildLine, which has launched an appeal and campaign, Now I Know, to promote and fund its programme in primary schools. More than 3,500 primaries have already received training to help children to recognise abusive behaviour and how to identify trusted adults they can tell if they experience it. ChildLine's aim is that from 2016, 3,000 volunteers will deliver the Schools Service to all 23,000 primary schools across the UK. The NSPCC, which operates ChildLine, sponsored a recent Guardian roundtable debate on preventing child abuse. • The Mind Media Awards, which aim to honour the very best media portrayals and reporting of mental health problems. The shortlist for this year's awards has just been announced and includes documentaries featuring Ruby Wax, Stacey Solomon and Stephen Fry, dramas Homeland, My Mad Fat Teenage Diary and the Village, and campaigns on mental health stigma, mental health in the hospitality industry, and the prescription and effects of medication. The winners will be announced at a ceremony in November. • PartialInsight, a new blog detailing a man's experiences as he comes to terms with sudden partial sight loss. He writes: I'd already realised at home that I had gone from being a very fluent reader to someone who had great difficulty with text – literally overnight. I've worked for many years as a teacher and dealt with many partially sighted and blind people needing assistive technology. I thought that now it would be my turn to find out what it's like to be a consumer of that technology. (thanks to Charlotte of the Purple Persuasion blog for sharing the link) Other news • BBC: New NHS inspections target poor care • Children & Young People Now: Charities criticise lack of sexual health teaching in national curriculum • CivilSociety.co.uk: Plastic bag levy proceeds to go to charities • Community Care: Gove - 'My banker friends have it easy compared to social workers' • Inside Housing: £65m fund for self builders who will provide affordable homes • LocalGov.co.uk: Government and charity staff waste billions searching for lost documents • Public Finance: Clegg vows to review council housebuilding limits • Telegraph: Sarah Teather was poor families minister because she is childless, ex-minister suggests • Third Sector: RSPCA is 'too political' and risks losing its best staff, deputy chairman says in leaked memo SocietyGuardian blogs Patrick Butler's cuts blog Sarah Boseley's global health blog SocietyGuardian on social media Follow SocietyGuardian on Twitter Follow Patrick Butler on Twitter Follow Clare Horton on Twitter Follow Alison Benjamin on Twitter SocietyGuardian's Facebook page SocietyGuardian links SocietyGuardian.co.uk The Guardian's public and voluntary sector careers page Hundreds of public and voluntary sector jobs SocietyGuardian editor: Alison Benjamin Email the SocietyGuardian editor: society@guardian.co.uk You are receiving this email because you are a Society Daily subscriber. 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