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Students
borrowing thousands of pounds blind
A recent survey reveals a
severe lack of personal finance education in the UK, with 68% of
students worried about repaying large sums of money borrowed from
banks during university. The majority of students heavily rely
on bank overdrafts to supplement the growing cost of higher
education. Without such a facility, 45% of students surveyed claim
that they would not have attended university at all. But
shockingly, half of students are unaware of their repayment
conditions. Banks typically require students to repay a large
proportion of their overdraft within a year of graduating to avoid
high interest charges. Students need to pay close attention to the
small print and choose their bank carefully.
A final year student said:- "I hadn't realised that I have
just a year to pay back my full £3,000 overdraft, until I got a
letter from my bank a few weeks before graduation. New students
should apply with caution."
The online survey by student money website Save the Student!
highlights the severe lack of financial education for young people.
This is in spite of them being increasingly driven into debt through
significantly higher tuition fees in the midst of an ongoing
recession. The problem is further compounded by confusion
surrounding the new student finance system in this country, which
has already put off some bright students from poorer backgrounds
from applying for university at all.
Owen Burek, founder of Save the Student!, argues:- "If
students are now expected to take on in excess of £40,000 of debt
for their university education, then they should rightly expect to
be better educated about both personal and student finance to
maximise the life choices they have to make. They don't teach this
stuff in schools. What we are doing at Save the Student! will go
some way to correcting the balance."
In response to the changes to our university education system, the
team of students and graduates at Save the Student! have written The
Essential Student Guide to Finance for 2012. The free 80 page
eBook provides the 540,000 new students heading off to university
this year with all the important financial information and advice
that they need in one publication. Topics include budgeting, student
finance and funding, student banking, understanding debt and lots of
money saving tips and tricks. The writers are confident that the
information in the book can reduce the debt of some students by
£7,000 a year. The Essential Student Guide to Finance is
available to students for free download from their
website.
Huge regional variation in
patients having diabetes care checks
NHS Diabetes are calling on
healthcare providers to urgently address the regional variations
highlighted by a report into diabetes care checks. In some
parts of the country people with diabetes are up to 4 times more
likely to have all 9 essential care checks than patients in other
areas of England and Wales, the National Diabetes Audit report on
care processes has revealed.
The audit, has now shown that that while rates are improving, 36
Primary Care Trust (PCT) areas in England recorded fewer than half
of people with diabetes as having had all their annual diabetes
checks. In 1 PCT, only 16% received all nine checks, which include
assessment of blood pressure, feet and blood sugar. At the other end
of the scale, 1 PCT reported 71% receiving all their checks.
Anna Morton, Director of NHS Diabetes, said:- "We are urging
healthcare providers to address the regional variations in diabetes
care checks highlighted by today's report as a matter of priority.
Every person with diabetes should be receiving all of the nine care
checks as a routine part of their care. To not do so could result in
avoidable complications such as foot amputations or blindness, which
early detection can prevent. NHS Diabetes has a team of diabetes and
commissioning experts who work with clinicians and managers in
primary care to raise the standards of care for people with
diabetes. If local NHS organisations recognise from today's report
that they need to address their diabetes services, we will help
review improvement plans."
The report also shows that younger people with diabetes below the
age of 55 are less likely to have all of the checks compared to
older people. The study was managed by the NHS Information Centre in
partnership with Diabetes UK and commissioned by the Healthcare
Quality Improvement Partnership. It looked at care processes
recorded by 83% of GP practices in England and 49% of practices in
Wales between January 2010 and March 2011. The report can be
accessed from 14 June 2012 at:-
ic.nhs.uk/ndaa. |
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Shared parenting
should not be confused with parental rights, says Law Society
SHARED parenting
legislation, aimed at strengthening relationships between parents
and children after separation, could detract from children's
wellbeing, the Law Society is warning. Responding to a Government
consultation, has been published, in which ministers are proposing
different ways to establish the notion of shared parenting Law
Society President John Wotton said:- "Introducing a
legislative presumption of shared parenting could lead to
unrealistic expectations from fathers, with a huge rise in fathers
asking the courts for 'equal time'. This could undermine the
Government's drive towards mediation and out of court settlements.
The Government should avoid any implication in the statute of any
right to equal time with a child, or any prescription of appropriate
amounts of time. The primary focus should be on the rights and
welfare of the children, not those of parents. The principle that
the welfare of the child is the court's paramount consideration
should be maintained."
John Wotton pointed out that:- "The current legislation does
not favour 1 parent over another, but seeks to ensure that
arrangements following breakdown are based on the best interests of
the child. It is in a child's best interest to have a meaningful
relationship with both parents where it is safe to do so. The
benefit of ongoing involvement with both parents is already a factor
in the court's decision-making process. There is no doubt,
unfortunately, that once a court has made an order for access, and a
father finds that the access is being thwarted by the mother, there
is no currently effective remedy for the father. The Law Society
therefore welcomes the Government's intention to find more effective
sanctions to enforce breaches of court orders regarding care
arrangements."
New plan for Children's Centres
MORE staff are to be retained at
Children's Centres in Liverpool following consultation over a
proposal to save £2 million. The city council has been looking at
how the money can be saved while at the same time keeping all 26
centres open. Consultation began earlier this year on a proposal for
10 sites to become 'lead' centres, with the remaining 16 becoming
'satellites' affiliated to them. The savings would have been
achieved through reductions in administration and sharing staff,
leading to the loss of around 30 posts. However, during the
consultation; which included more than 50 sessions for the public
and staff; concerns were raised about how the proposals would impact
on services. Now, an alternative model is being put forward by the
city council which will see only 7 staff placed at risk, with
centres retaining additional management capacity as well as
receptionists. 8 centres which are mainly in the areas of highest
deprivation will remain as they are, while the rest will cluster
together in pairs as 'leads' and 'satellites'
to reduce management and administration costs. Services will
continue to be delivered from all sites. The changes will be funded
through money transferred from other areas, reductions in premises
costs and contributions from schools. Deputy Mayor, Councillor Paul
Brant, said:- "Despite the huge budget challenges that we are
facing we are determined to do what we can to protect front line
services and take into account the concerns of people who use
services when we make decisions. This proposal means we are able to
keep Children's Centres in every part of the city with a good level
of staffing." Councillor Jane Corbett, Cabinet member
for children's services, said:- "This has been a real team
effort with everyone working together and finding ways in which we
could incorporate the views and ideas of staff and parents into the
proposals. It is clear that there is a huge amount of passion and
commitment towards our Children's Centres and I am pleased we have
been able to respond to the issues raised. The plan we have come
with enables us to find the necessary savings while at the same time
making sure they still have enough staff to be able to deliver a
good service for local people. We are hopeful that it will mean that
we won't have to propose any closures in the next few years which is
excellent news for people right across the city."
| The
following centres will remain as they are:- |
The lead and 8 satellite
centres are:- |
| Granby |
Lead Satellite |
| Kensington |
County Walton |
| Everton |
Tuebrook West Derby |
| Picton |
Belle Vale Hunts Cross |
| Anfield
|
Yew Tree Knotty Ash |
| Speke |
Fazakerley Croxteth |
| Dingle Lane |
Wavertree Childwall & Woolton |
Stoneycroft
(Corinthian Primary School will
fund the service coordinator posts) |
Garston Church and Mossley
Hill |
Also Fountains Vauxhall (to merge
to form a single centre operating from 2 sites).
Ellergreen and Clubmoor Children's Centres, which merged in 2011/12,
will be unaffected by the changes.
Universal services such as stay and play sessions and rhyme time
will still be provided at all 26 centres. Plus targeted support will be
provided to families in the greatest need, living within each area.
The proposal will be scrutinised by select committee later this
month and it is anticipated it will be considered by the Cabinet in
July 2012. |
