Let social workers fix families | Lola Okolosie
At-risk children need frontline staff who are allowed to their jobs properly – something Martin Narey does not seem to understandThe call from Martin Narey, the Barnardo's chief, for social workers to...
View ArticleShannon Matthews 'aunt' jailed for benefit fraud
Amanda Hyett sentenced to a year for making false benefits claims worth almost £36,000The "aunt" of Shannon Matthews became the latest family member to go to jail today after the huge investigation...
View ArticleSocial workers face criticism in Shannon Matthews review
Report published today examines role agencies played in life of Shannon Matthews before she was kidnapped in plot hatched by her motherSocial workers in West Yorkshire could face criticism when a...
View ArticleTwist upon twist in the Shannon Matthews case
Nine-year-old's disappearance gripped the country, but details gradually emerged of a 'truly despicable' kidnapping plotFor more than three weeks, the image of a grinning Shannon Matthews had been...
View ArticleShannon Matthews serious case review clears social workers
Safeguarding children board finds Kirklees council staff could not have foreseeen abduction by her mother, Karen MatthewsSocial workers could not have foreseen the abduction of Shannon Matthews by her...
View ArticleShannon Matthews inquiry clears social workers
Independent serious case review says Kirklees council social services not to blame over fake abduction of girl by her motherSocial services and staff from 21 other agencies were cleared of blame over...
View ArticleKaren Matthews's chaotic lifestyle left her children frequently at risk
Serious case review into abduction of Shannon Matthews by her mother reveals a family 'characterised by neglectful parenting'From failing to ensure decent hygiene among her children to her tendency to...
View ArticleShannon Matthews case puts spotlight on incompetent parenting
How can social services intervene to support families where the issue is neglect rather than abuse or harm?For 12 years, Karen Matthews, mother of seven, wobbled precariously along the line separating...
View ArticleKaren Matthews 'released from prison'
Mother jailed for eight years in 2009 over plot to abduct nine-year-old daughter Shannon Matthews thought to have been freedA mother jailed for eight years for what a judge called a "truly despicable"...
View ArticleShannon Matthews police join search for missing schoolgirl Tia Sharp
Force that found nine-year-old who was kidnapped by her mother help detectives looking for young LondonerThe police force that investigated the kidnapping of Shannon Matthews has been drafted in to...
View ArticleYorkshire pensioners take over 50 holidays five miles from where they live
Home is (almost) where the break is for Gordon and Betty Whitham, champion flag-flyers for their county's many charmsYorkshire's constant self-promotion can be annoying to some readers so I apologise...
View ArticleShannon Matthews TV drama plans causes anger in Dewsbury
MP and residents voice concerns about mooted drama about the 2008 kidnapping hoaxA proposed BBC drama about Shannon Matthews, the nine-year old girl from Dewsbury in West Yorkshire who endured a hoax...
View ArticleSheridan Smith to star in BBC's Shannon Matthews drama
Cilla star will play head of the residents’ group which led the search for the kidnapped Dewsbury schoolgirlSheridan Smith is to play the head of the tenants’ association who spearheaded a search for...
View ArticleThe Moorside: why the Shannon Matthews abduction drama is TV at its finest
The duo who tackled Fred and Rose West are now telling the harrowing story of Shannon Matthews, with Sheridan Smith on mesmerising form. Mark Lawson on the power – and the pitfalls – of docudramaThe...
View ArticleThe Moorside: ‘It’s a story of people who didn’t have a lot, giving everything’
When Shannon Matthews went missing in 2008, the community worked tirelessly to find her – but were tarred as feckless, broken Britain. Ahead of a new BBC drama, the two women who rallied the locals...
View ArticleBBC defends TV drama about search for Shannon Matthews
The Moorside depicts events surrounding 2008 abduction but grandparents of the schoolgirl say show is ‘sick and disgusting’The BBC has defended a new drama about the search for Shannon Matthews after...
View ArticleThe Moorside review – Sheridan Smith finds a new way into the familiar, awful...
Neil McKay’s drama told a story with less focus on Broken Britain and more on the community that came together in a crisis. Plus: Britain’s Greatest HoaxerI thought I knew this story. Well, it was such...
View ArticleBBC admits real-life characters in Shannon Matthews TV drama were paid
Admission comes as cousin of kidnapped schoolgirl’s mother says The Moorside should not have been broadcastThe BBC has admitted that some of the real-life characters depicted in a controversial...
View ArticleThis Shannon Matthews drama continues TV’s fixation with people on benefits |...
New media is blamed, but mainstream dramas on the underclass are creating fervid, rightwing viewsThe Moorside, a drama billed by the BBC as the untold story behind the Shannon Matthews mystery, has its...
View ArticleThe week in TV: The Moorside, Roots, Apple Tree Yard and more
Sheridan Smith and Gemma Whelan stand out in the BBC’s controversial Shannon Matthews drama. Plus, the towering remake of RootsThe Moorside (BBC1) | iPlayerRoots (BBC4) | iPlayerApple Tree Yard (BBC1)...
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