Children continue to be bullied in care

A new survey has discovered one in five children is being bullied in care, with many expressing unhappiness at being separated from their siblings.

The finding is the result of a study of children's views of being in care, with 76 per cent saying they have been separated from their brothers and sisters when placed in care.

Over a thousand children took part in the study, which gave a very mixed picture of their experiences.

Over nine out of ten children said they feel safe in the home they live in and 90 per cent thought their care was good. However, concerns have been raised over the separations and reports of bullying.

The report, Children's care monitor 2009, produced by the children's rights director for England, Dr Roger Morgan, is the second annual survey of its kind, taking first-hand account children's experiences in care or otherwise living away from home.

Dr Morgan said: 'In order to improve the experiences of children in care or living away from home, it is essential that we get their views first hand. That is why this annual monitoring is so important.

'This year's figures are close to last year's, which is reassuring as it indicates things have remained stable. However, I am concerned that it also demonstrates that we still need to sort out the same issues for children.'

When feeling unsafe, the most likely people a child would go to for help were their friends, with 62 per cent of children going to friends for help. The police were listed as second most likely to be contacted, then foster carers and fourthly teachers.

'It is important that children are listing friends as the main person they would go to if they feel unsafe. We need to recognise the burden often carried by friends, and to make sure that they know where to turn for information and support, and when they should pass concerns on,' Dr Morgan added.

Although more children in care or living away from home are reporting that they have never been bullied, up from 39 per cent to 45 per cent this year, one in five children in care continue to be bullied simply for being in care. Girls were more likely than boys to be bullied for being in care and 19 per cent of care leavers were also bullied because they used to be in care.

Facebook flirts propositioning doctors

Facebook is being used by patients to send flirty messages to their doctors, the Medical Defence Union (MDU) has said today.

The MDU is warning medics not to respond to the 'amorous approaches' of their patients, saying it would be 'wholly inappropriate' to do so.

The medical organisation said they were aware of a number of cases where patients had propositioned doctors, by sending them an unsolicited message on Facebook, or other social networking sites.

The MDU advises that responding to patients in this way may be seen as overstepping the professional boundary of the doctor/patient relationship.

Dr Emma Cuzner, MDU medico-legal adviser, whose article on the hidden dangers of social networking appears in the latest edition of the MDU Journal, said: 'The pitfalls posed to doctors using social networking sites by inadvertently breaching confidentiality or posting unprofessional content, such as photos, have been well documented. But doctors may be less prepared for patients using sites like Facebook to ask them out on a date.

'Some doctors have told the MDU they feel it would be rude not to reply, if only to politely refuse, but given that this is not a professional route of communication, any correspondence of this sort would clearly stray outside the doctor/patient relationship.'

In one case highlighted in the MDU Journal, a female GP was asked out for a drink by a patient as she left her surgery. When she declined, the patient started pestering the doctor via Facebook and sent her a bunch of her favourite flowers, lilies, which he had ascertained from her freely available Facebook page. The MDU said they helped the GP nip the patient's advances in the bud, and also suggested she considered employing some of the security and privacy settings on the site.

In a separate study in the journal, Karen Roberts, MDU clinical risk manager, reviews claims and complaints about women's health made against GPs.

During the five-year period of the study, there were 48 complaints about the use, or more usually the absence, of a chaperone for an intimate examination. The majority of complainants alleged an inappropriate examination had taken place or that no chaperone was offered, although six patients complained about the presence of a chaperone or that the doctor would not perform the examination without one.

The MDU advises doctors that, as well as offering a chaperone for intimate examinations (of the breast, genital or rectum), communication is often the key to avoiding such complaints.

Dr Cuzner added: 'We are advising our members about the importance of keeping relationships with patients on a professional footing. This is in line with doctors' ethical duties not to pursue improper relationships with patients. Doctors could face a GMC investigation if they are accused of overstepping the boundary.

'They have a duty to maintain the public trust in the profession at all times, in their professional and private lives and not only when at their place of work.'

Spanked children have lower IQs

Children who are spanked have lower IQs worldwide, groundbreaking new research has found today.

According to professor Murray Straus of the University of New Hampshire, children who were spanked in the US had lower IQ's four years later than those who were not spanked.

Prof Strauss said: 'All parents want smart children. This research shows that avoiding spanking and correcting misbehaviour in other ways can help that happen.

'The results of this research have major implications for the well being of children across the globe.'

Prof Strauss and Mallie Paschall, a senior research scientist at the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, studied 806 children aged two to four, 704 aged five to nine. Both groups were 'nationally representative' and were retested four years later.

IQs of children in the younger group who were not spanked were five points higher four years later than the IQs of those who were spanked. The IQs of children in the older group who were not spanked were 2.8 points higher four years later than the IQs of children the same age who were spanked.

On a national level, Prof Strauss also found lower IQ in nations in which spanking was prevalent. His analysis indicates the strongest link between corporal punishment and IQ was for those whose parents continued to use corporal punishment even when they were teenagers.

He added: 'The worldwide trend away from corporal punishment is most clearly reflected in the 24 nations that legally banned corporal punishment by 2009. Both the European Union and the United Nations have called on all member nations to prohibit corporal punishment by parents.'

Warnings of more Baby P-type tragedies

There have been warnings that unless nannies are compulsorily registered there could be more Baby P-type tragedies.

The grave warning was given in a speech by James Tweed of Childcare Matters consultancy at the Professional Nanny Conference at Chiltern College.

Mr Tweed warned that unless the government introduces a compulsory register for nannies, a tragedy such as the case of Baby Peter could happen again, but this time involving a nanny.

He criticised the government for saying 'Every child matters', but not, according to Mr Tweed, those who are cared for by nannies.

Baby Peter died in August 2007 after receiving sustained abuse from his mother, her boyfriend and their lodger. A post-mortem revealed he had sustained more than 50 injuries.

Despite being on the child protection register and seen 60 times by authorities, Peter was not taken into care by local authorities or health professionals.

In his speech, Mr Tweed said that nannies need to be properly registered and regulated as they are the only form of high-quality professional childcare that is not fully regulated by the government.

He expressed his concern that the government wants to register parents for giving lifts to their children's friends when playing football but does not want to register nannies.

Mr Tweed said: 'The government wants to regulate parents who work in a voluntary capacity for a few hours a week with children and young people. Yet the government will not properly regulate the nannies who work with children for whole days on a daily basis.

'Why is the government so reluctant to implement a compulsory register of nannies who want to be regulated, and instead is trying to register and regulate parents?

'The government says Every Child Matters. This phrase is the cornerstone of its policies for children and young people. But the reality is that Every Child Matters apart from those cared for by nannies.'

Mr Tweed went on to say how important it is for families to know their nanny is registered and meets a clearly identifiable set of accepted competencies. He said concerns about a nanny could be properly investigated and if found proved the nanny would be struck off the register and no longer allowed to work as a nanny.

At the moment, a nanny could move to another part of the country and parents would be none the wiser.

TV harms parent-child interaction

A study has found background television negatively affects relationships between parents and young children.

Researchers in the US found more than a third of American infants and toddlers live in homes where the television is on most of the time, even when no one is watching it.

The study has been published in the journal Child Development, and was undertaken by researchers at the University of Massachusetts. At a university child study centre 50 one-, two-, and three-year-olds were watched in different sessions along with their parents.

One session was conducted in a room with a TV, and one session without. The researchers observed how often parents and children talked with each other, how actively involved the parents were in their children's play, and whether parents and children responded to each other's questions and suggestions.

With the TV on researchers found the quantity and quality of interactions between the children and their parents dropped. Parents spent around 20 per cent less time talking to their children and the quality of the interaction declined, being less active, attentive and responsive.

'Although previous research found that background television disrupts young children's solitary play, this is the first study to demonstrate its impact on the quantity and quality of parent-child interactions,' the researchers said.

'Given that high-quality parent-child interaction plays an important role in children's development, the study challenges the common assumption that background TV doesn't affect very young children if they don't look at the screen.

'We need to pay greater attention to children's early, chronic exposure to TV.'

UK teen girls among 'biggest drunkards' in world

Teenage girls in the UK are more likely to get drunk than their counterparts anywhere else in the developed world, a survey has found.

The report, entitled Doing Better for Children, from the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) found 15-year-old girls were more likely to have been drunk than boys of the same age.

Despite underage drinking and teenage pregnancies being high, the report also said young people in the UK are materially well-off and have a good school life.

'The UK stands out as increasing early investment in recent years,' said co-author of the OECD report Mr Dominic Richardson. 'But reinforcement of this trend for disadvantaged older children is also needed.'

The report said high public spending on child welfare and education in the UK is failing to produce results in many key areas, saying spending on older children should be better targeted. It also found the UK spends more on children than most OECD countries, at just over £90,000 per child from birth up to the age of 18, compared to an OECD average of just under £80,000.

However, the report concluded children in the United Kingdom are materially fairly well-off. Average family income is higher and child poverty is lower than OECD averages.

Children in the United Kingdom also enjoy a high quality of school life. The United Kingdom ranks fourth out of 25 countries for children's school satisfaction and rates of bullying are also relatively low.

Drug driving campaign launched

The government has today launched a drug driving campaign to tackle the issue on roads in England and Wales.

Today marks the first TV advertising campaign to address the issue, at a cost of £2.3 million.

The key to the campaign is 'it's all in the eyes'- meaning those under the influence of drugs will be obvious to police because of the involuntary effect drugs will have upon their eyes.

Transport secretary Lord Adonis launched the campaign, after research found one in ten young male drivers admit to driving after taking illegal drugs. The first television advert will be shown tonight before Coronation Street on ITV.

With the campaign, the government are hoping to highlight the fact that 'police can and will detect drug drivers - and that anyone convicted will face the same tough penalties as a drink driver'. They added one in five young drivers killed in a road accident may have an impairing drug in their system.

Lord Adonis said: 'Government campaigns over the past 40 years have succeeded in making drink driving socially unacceptable and cutting the number of people killed in drink drive accidents by nearly three quarters.

'But some drivers who would never get behind the wheel after drinking still believe they can drive after taking drugs. We are determined to get the message through to this reckless minority that their behaviour is putting lives in danger.

'The penalties for drug driving are just the same as for drink driving because drug driving is just as dangerous. Drivers should be in no doubt that if you get behind the wheel while under the influence of drugs then the police can spot you, they can test you and you will face punishment.'

Anyone convicted of driving while under the influence of illegal drugs will be banned from driving for a minimum of a year, as well as receiving a criminal record and large fine. The government added police would be particularly targeting drug drivers over the August music festival and holiday season.

But a leading road safety charity has said more still needs to be done. Mary Williams OBE, chief executive of Brake, the road safety charity, said: 'This is a long-overdue campaign to tackle one of the biggest killers on our roads. The government has been aware for years of the significant prevalence of drug driving and its devastating effects.

'Brake is calling on the government to stop dragging its heels and build upon this campaign by urgently approving roadside testing devices to catch drug drivers and implementing their use across all police forces in random tests of drivers at targeted times such as late at night near clubs.'

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), added drug driving is a growing problem in the UK. Kevin Clinton, RoSPA head of road safety, said: 'We know of at least 71 road deaths in 2007 in which impairment due to drugs (illicit or medicinal) was a contributory factor in the accident. But we believe the real number of people affected by drug-drive incidents is probably much higher.

'Those willing to endanger themselves and others by getting behind the wheel after taking drugs need to know that it is simply not true that they will evade detection or prosecution. The police can, and do, conduct roadside tests to help them assess whether a driver is impaired.

'We hope this sorely-needed campaign will give drug users, as well as the general public, pause for thought so that they consider their actions before needlessly putting other people's lives at risk. Passengers should also think carefully before getting into a car if they suspect its driver has taken drugs.'

Tories reassure voters over NHS

The Conservative party has attempted to reassure the public the NHS is a top priority following anti-health service comments made by a Tory MEP.

Daniel Hannan told a US TV show: 'I wouldn't wish it on anybody. We have a system where the most salient facts of it you get huge waiting lists, you have bad survival rates and you would much rather fall ill in the US.'

The comments came as Labour members, including the prime minister and his wife Sarah Brown, supported the welovetheNHS campaign on the microblogging website Twitter, sparked by US criticism over the health service.

The Twitter feed has received ten's of thousands of messages of support.

The Conservatives have offered their support for the NHS in the wake of Mr Hannan's comments. Shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley said Mr Hannan's comments gave a 'distorted' view of the health service.

In his blog, opposition leader David Cameron added: 'Millions of people are grateful for the care they have received from the NHS - including my own family.

'One of the wonderful things about living in this country is that the moment you're injured or fall ill - no matter who you are, where you are from, or how much money you've got - you know that the NHS will look after you.'

Mr Cameron also sent an email to supporters to further reassure them of his party's support for the NHS.

The NHS debate was sparked by opponents of US president Barack Obama's health reform plans who have described the British health system as 'evil' and 'Orwellian'.

The Twitter site has been inundated with support for the NHS over the last few days. Health secretary Andy Burnham said: 'Over the moon about strong support for NHS - an institution I will defend to my dying day.'

And prime minister Gordon Brown tweeted: 'NHS often makes the difference between pain and comfort, despair and hope, life and death. Thanks for always being there.'

Children 'falling through cracks in society'

Children who have been trafficked into the UK are being lost after being put in to the care system.

Research today from End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes (Ecpat UK) found many trafficked children who are placed in care end up back in the hands of criminals.

Further research, commissioned in collaboration with The Body Shop, also suggested one in ten Britons do not believe child trafficking happens in this country and 34 per cent believe child victims of trafficking end up in foreign countries, not in Britain.

Ecpat wants to see trafficked children appointed legal guardians, after they found 60 per cent of children rescued from traffickers later go missing from local authority care.

Christine Beddoe, director of Ecpat, said: 'The key to protecting child victims of trafficking is guaranteeing safe accommodation for them. At the end of this three-year campaign, we want safe accommodation, including specialist foster care, to be available for all child victims of trafficking.'

More than a fifth of Britons may also be unknowingly contributing to child trafficking, the survey found. Buying pirate DVDs and roses from street vendors, smoking home grown cannabis, giving money to child beggars and using prostitutes all contributed to child trafficking.

Detective Inspector Gordon Valentine, from the Metropolitan police's specialist child trafficking team Paladin told the BBC: 'If you buy off these children who are selling DVDs, especially during school hours, that must be questionable.

'People who are giving to children who are begging, or people who visit brothels that are using children - these people are fuelling an awful crime.

'They are encouraging this crime and the further use of these victims and other victims that may be brought in.'

Ecpat and The Body Shop have today launched a three-year campaign to stop the trafficking of children and young people by raising awareness of the issue and 'empowering people to make a difference'.

Jan Buckingham, values director at The Body Shop UK said: 'The objectives of this campaign are not only to raise awareness of the issue and raise funds to support Ecpat campaigns and prevention projects against child trafficking, but to influence government to ensure stricter anti-trafficking policies and legislation, and to dedicate more resources to this cause.

'The government has to do more to guarantee children and young people their right to protection from trafficking. There is hope, and real and practical solutions exist.'