Society daily 20.04.12

Sign up to Society daily email briefing Today's top SocietyGuardian stories • Number of NHS patients waiting over 18 weeks for treatment up 27% • Couple cleared of their baby's murder call for inquiry • Home births cheaper than hospital, study suggests • Dale Farm eviction: six months on - video • An end to male, pale and stale? Scottish parties promise action on equality • The Undateables: Channel 4's ad campaign is cleared by watchdog • Housing transfer from Leeds city council worries helpers of asylum seekers and refugees • Peter Wilby: This sentimentality over old people is hitting our young • Polly Toynbee: Chris Grayling calls me a job snob for questioning those who pay so little • Dr Harpal Kumar: Breast cancer study could lead to new generation of drugs for the disease • Andy Grossett: Parliament would benefit from a move to Middlesbrough All today's SocietyGuardian stories On the Guardian Professional Networks • Would devolution have made a difference for housing , asks Hannah Fearn • Ruth Haig-Ferguson gives a local authority's view on how children's centres can best prepare for Ofsted inspectors • Access to information should not be confused with transparency , open data does not necessarily mean open government, writes Rob Dale • Bettina Fitt , general manager of GE Healthcare UK, explains what the private sector can learn from the public sector , and vice-versa • Will an overhaul of civil service training give greater power to line managers, asks Simon Gillon, managing editor of Government Gazette. • Carlos Miranda from IG Advisors shares his tips on how charities can improve their nurturing of high-net-worth individuals • Daniel Bhugon and Meera Chadha explain how companies can find their inner social enterprises On my radar ... • Shocking claims on the Void blog, which says that as well as possibly losing their children's free school meals, some of the country's poorest families may miss out on free prescriptions, legal aid and help with utility bills . Blogger Johnny Void writes: Currently if someone claims certain benefits such as Income Support, Housing Benefit or Employment Support Allowance then they automatically become entitled to free prescriptions, basic dental care and other in kind benefits which are known as passported benefits. This will all end after the introduction of Universal Credit meaning that for anyone with children, or a health condition, the loss of these benefits could see them forced to cut down their hours or give up part time work altogether. Despite all of IDS' claims that Universal Credit will make work pay, the reality is people are set to be forced between choosing to give up work, or letting their children go hungry. Far from helping people who may be sick or disabled into work, Universal Credit could mean they will face losing free prescriptions if they take up a part time job. The latest barely readable report from the DWP (PDF) to address these problems reveals that they haven't actually yet decided how they will manage passported benefits. It's almost as if they hadn't even considered them before. (thanks to Deborah George for sharing the link) See also this heartfelt letter to the prime minister and his deputy on welfare reform from the Dear Dave and Nick blog: A callous lot we must seem to people outside this country: a rich nation allowing our wealthiest to remain in a disconnected bubble, rewarded in the Budget with a reduction to the top rate of income tax, whilst the disabled and their families see benefits and services withdrawn. Is this what you mean in your Coalition agreement by " freedom, fairness and responsibility", gentlemen? There are other ways to reduce the deficit,than treating the vulnerable in this way. • Grant Shapps . The housing minister yesterday tweeted a photograph of a Tenant Services Authority bag in a waste paper basket, along with the message Binned! I've abolished this wasteful multi-million £ Quango set up under Labour to waste cash on your behalf. Jon Land, editor of the 24housing site, writes that the attack is ill judged : Grant Shapps' latest attack on the 'bloated' TSA seems utterly pointless. Like some sort of playground bully, he taunted and humiliated the defenceless quango for months prior to its very public execution but he still feels the need to put the boot in. Why? Despite the allegations of waste, including the purchase of the "bright pink" camper van which no doubt still haunts former chief executive Peter Marsh, the TSA was ultimately set up for the right reasons. It was about putting tenants at the heart of social housing and about giving them a voice. It was about setting up a regulation framework that everyone bought into. It was about ensuring landlords were financially viable and their services were up to scratch. What was wrong with that? And housing commentator Jules Birch sums up "a vintage week" for the minister : ... while it's good to see a housing minister back things like self-build and community land trusts, could he be doing more than hosting receptions and launching £30 million funds? The housing strategy included a case study of Almere, the new city in the Netherlands that includes a 100ha self-build zone. If the vague talk of garden cities in England really does turn into something, if there is strong backing for self-build and community land trusts as part of them, and if there's encouragement for England's mutual housing sector too, then we really would be talking. Until then, and while Shapps allows the rest of the DCLG housing agenda to be dictated by the big housebuilders, it is mostly just talk. In the meantime, the housing crisis continues to get worse. There is only one person in the country who believes he stands a chance of meeting his 'Gold Standard' of building more homes than Labour. The rushed launch of NewBuy is threatening to come back to bite him as big builders and lenders fall out with each other in public. And with every new initiative, every new scheme and every reheated announcement, the Cheshire Cat Shapps is slowly dissolving before our eyes, until he reaches the point where only the grin is left behind. • A new report from charity Depaul UK on the health needs of young homeless people . Making It Matter: Improving the Health of Young Homeless People finds that young homeless people have poorer health than their peers, are more likely to use emergency health services and face considerable barriers in accessing the care they need. Depaul has also put together this video highlighting some of the key findings . • The first UK Open Data Cities Conference , taking place in Brighton today. The event is looking at "how publicly-funded organisations can engage with citizens to build more creative, prosperous and accountable communities". Speakers include Jonathan Carr-West, of the Local Government Information Unit, and Emer Coleman, of the Government Digital Service. Follow the conference via Twitter using the hashtag #ODCC • The Academy of Care Practitioners , a new organisation for people who work in social care in Wales, which is being formally launched today. The academy, hosted for its first two years by Glyndwr University, will be the first organisation of its kind in the UK. • Fascinating data on the London Marathon , which takes place on Sunday, from JustGiving. The marathon is apparently the world's biggest fundraising event and these stats look at runners who live in London and have set up JustGiving pages. Other news • BBC: Policing changes will 'divert money from victims' • Children & Young People Now: 16,000 sign petition against Derbyshire youth cuts • Community Care: Independent social workers don't delay cases, study finds • FT: Party off amid charities tax row • Independent: Demonstrations set to take place over Remploy closure plans • Inside Housing: Charity makes 100 homeless • Telegraph: Parents could get DVDs on how to play with their child • Third Sector: Introduction of face-to-face penalty points system is delayed until August Awards Is your organisation using technology to revolutionise frontline services? Have you implemented a shared service that improves efficiency and saves money? Enter the Innovation Nation awards – deadline for entries is 30 April. Innovation Nation, in partnership with Virgin Media Business, is an initiative to uncover the most innovative organisations and chief information officers in the UK. Events and seminars Making the most of social media for social housing Friday 4 May, Kings Cross, London This overview of social media channels will show you how to use them to maximum effect, with clear, practical examples of ways to save money, improve your communications and form a social media campaign Managing volunteers Tuesday 15 May, Kings Cross, London Engaging with volunteers is an increasingly challenging task. This half-day seminar will help you explore what 21st century volunteers want and what you need to do to involve them effectively. Delivered by leading expert Rob Jackson, this session is a must for anyone building a long-term volunteer engagement strategy. Digital engagement surgery Thursday 17 May, Kings Cross, London This engaging and participatory workshop will look at real-life scenarios and how charities are using digital techniques to collaborate and communicate. Attendees will be asked bring challenges in with them (submitted advance), which will be shared in a workshop format to collectively tackle common themes running through the sector. Successful bid writing Friday 18 May, Kings Cross, London Bid writing is an essential skill in voluntary sector organisations. This interactive seminar will help you create applications and bids that demonstrate your organisation's strengths and priorities, how you differ from other projects, what the benefits are for your clients and the community and how you'll be able to measure them. 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