From pillar to post

Poverty front line

Prospective adopters to get council housing help

Couples in council housing who want to adopt will be helped to find bigger homes to speed up the process, under new proposals.

London council pact to protect children

Councils in London are drawing up an agreement to stop vulnerable families in social housing being placed outside their home boroughs as town halls try to save money.

Flaws of feminism

The feminist agenda has eroded the meaning of family, so it’s no wonder our children are turning to gangs, says Julie Fawcett

Child asylum seekers will receive worse care, union warns

Unison has warned that funding cuts could lead to child asylum seekers receiving worse care.

Who cares, wins

Existing social care laws are too complex and reform is to be welcomed, says Linda Convery, partner at Lewis Silkin

Sheltered lives

Care providers must demonstrate they have acted fairly when changing services to avoid costly legal action, says Robert Wassall

Teaming up with the Met

What happened when a housing association joined its local police force to improve the response to anti-social behaviour? Simon Brandon finds out

The order of importance

The Localism Act allows councils to decide who they allocate homes to, but beware of discrimination, warns Samantha Hall, senior associate at Trowers & Hamlins

Calling in the movers

The ‘bedroom tax’ is meant to encourage tenants to downsize if they are under-occupying their homes. But, especially in the north of England, social landlords say there are simply not enough smaller houses and flats to move tenants into.