1. Malaysia's PM to face confidence vote  NEWS.com.au
2. Coronavirus: Mahathir Mohamad lines up third leader Muhyiddin Yassin for the boot  The Australian
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1. Coronavirus: China’s great wall of silence  The Australian
2. The Murdoch media’s China coronavirus conspiracy has one aim: get Trump re-elected  The Guardian
3. Coronavirus: What did China do about early outbreak?  BBC News
4. Part two: China’s great wall of silence: ‘You are the sinner’  The Australian
5. China, U.S. stand by trade deal as coronavirus crisis pushes relations to lowest level in decades  The Washington Post
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1. Second White House staffer has coronavirus after Donald Trump's personal valet was infected  SBS News
2. Donald Trump 'not worried' about coronavirus spread in White House after Mike Pence's press secretary tests positive  ABC News
3. Coronavirus US: Second White House staffer catches COVID-19  NEWS.com.au
4. Member of Mike Pence's staff tests positive for coronavirus  Sydney Morning Herald
5. Coronavirus is still ravaging the US. Donald Trump's campaign ads would make you think otherwise  ABC News
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1. Queen Elizabeth's VE Day speech says veterans would be proud of coronavirus effort today  ABC News
2. Queen’s VE Day TV address: Tells Brits to ‘never give up’  NEWS.com.au
3. 'Streets filled with love': The Queen gets personal in VE Day broadcast  Sydney Morning Herald
4. King George VI VE Day speech: Read poignant message 'Our will-power is inexhaustible'  Express
5. A message of hope in difficult times  Telegraph.co.uk
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Unpacking the Wuhan connection to Victoria's biggest COVID-19 cluster  The AgeView Full coverage on Google News

1. The best secret spots to visit in Australia after coronavirus restrictions ease  Daily Mail
2. Coronavirus Australia: World reacts to Scott Morrison’s bold plan  NEWS.com.au
3. How travel will resume around Australia as coronavirus restrictions ease in each state and territory  ABC News
4. Scott Morrison opens the door for international students to return to Australia  SBS News
5. Coronavirus lessons Australia must learn as lockdown restrictions are lifted  NEWS.com.au
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1. Tributes flow after death of veteran journalist Frank Crook  Sydney Morning Herald
2. Editor, broadcaster, raconteur and writer’s writer Frank Crook dies  Daily Telegraph
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1. Coronavirus cases continue rise due to meatworks cluster as Victorians wait for restrictions to be eased  ABC News
2. Coronavirus: Victorian restrictions in place, Daniel Andrews waits  NEWS.com.au
3. 'Only ones who can’t celebrate Mother’s Day': Liberal MPs and senators critical of Victoria lockdown  Sydney Morning Herald
4. Government tries to play down 'childish' coronavirus attack on Victorian premier  SBS News
5. Cedar Meats outbreak reaches 75 as authorities investigate animal cruelty  The Age
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'Think outside the box': How public transport will change as lockdowns are eased  Yahoo News Australia

1. Barbaro family makes emotional plea as manhunt continues following death of Melbourne mum  9News
2. Ellie Price’s murder investigation ramps up as police from three states unite in manhunt for Ricardo Barbaro  7NEWS.com.au
3. 'Please come forward': Fugitive's step mum pleads for Ricardo Barbaro to make contact  The Age
4. Ricardo Barbaro’s stepmother pleads ‘please come forward’ as police continue manhunt  NEWS.com.au
5. Fugitive suspected of murdering Ellie Price, 26, in Melbourne had just got out of jail  Daily Mail
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1. Laid bare: How the Dean Laidley story reveals cultural change  Sydney Morning Herald
2. Dean Laidley police photo leak: Fourth officer suspended  NEWS.com.au
3. 'Gross stupidity': Fresh investigation into Dean Laidley photo leak  Yahoo Sport Australia
4. Vic watchdog to probe leaked Laidley pics  AFL
5. IBAC to investigate leaked Laidley photos  Yass Tribune
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1. Coronavirus Australia latest: at a glance  The Guardian
2. Coronavirus update: 'You have made Australia the envy of the world' | ABC News  ABC News (Australia)
3. Coronavirus Australia live coverage: The number that matters most  NEWS.com.au
4. 'All very good news': 16 new cases as COVIDSafe app downloads reach 5.4 million  SBS News
5. Coronavirus restrictions could be derailed if a widespread outbreak happens, Paul Kelly says  ABC News
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1. Jackie Trad to stand aside from ministerial duties  Courier Mail
2. Queensland Deputy Premier to stand aside from ministerial duties over corruption probe | ABC News  ABC News (Australia)
3. Queensland Treasurer Jackie Trad stands aside as CCC investigates  NEWS.com.au
4. Editorial: Premier, Queensland needs a new treasurer now  Courier Mail
5. Analysis: Latest investigation not a good look for Jackie Trad  Courier Mail
6. View Full coverage on Google News

1. Coronavirus restrictions to lift in NSW from Friday, but will not be following all National Cabinet measures  ABC News
2. Berejiklian's roadmap to freedom in NSW  Sydney Morning Herald
3. Mother's Day state by state: What can and can't you do?  The Canberra Times
4. Permission to mingle: NSW will ease lockdown laws on Friday  Daily Telegraph
5. NSW to ease lockdown restrictions from Friday  The Age
6. View Full coverage on Google News

A great card offering big rewards for Best Buy lovers. Best Buy is one of the largest retailers of consumer electronics in the world and sells computers, smartphones, gaming systems and more. The company offers several store credit cards to reward customers for purchases, including the My Best Buy® Credit Card. If you sign up, you’ll be able to earn 5% rewards on everything you buy at the store, which you can redeem for Best Buy gift cards. Once you […]

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How to establish credit is a common concern for younger individuals. While they may be ready to make their first significant purchases, the lack of any credit often presents a major hurdle. Similar obstacles confront those with the task of rebuilding poor credit history. Thankfully for both groups, a secured credit card allows each to start (or restart) their credit journey with the goal of financial independence. How do secured credit cards work? Let’s take a closer look. What is […]

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If you’re like most adults in the U.S., there’s little doubt your mailbox — the snail-mail version — is regularly inundated with credit card offers. The vast majority of the offers declare your pre-selection, or pre-qualification, for its credit card. Even better, some note you have actually been pre-approved for its best offers and rates. But what exactly does this mean, to be pre-approved? And what does it mean for you specifically? Are these prefixed words simply a marketing ploy […]

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How to Prepare for Severe Weather Season When spring arrives in some parts of the U.S., so does extreme weather like tornadoes and thunderstorms. And as fall and winter approach, many homeowners begin bracing themselves for wildfire season or hurricane season, followed by winter storm season. Although the types and the severity of these extreme weather events varies widely depending on where you live, it’s important for all homeowners to stay informed and to be prepared. With more people spending […]

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You may be ready to say goodbye to your car insurance company to find a new insurer that offers better rates or customer support, but you might be wondering how to switch car insurance. Switching insurance carriers isn’t difficult, but it takes some planning. Considerations such as coverage, claims experience, discounts and price play a crucial role in finding an insurer that can protect your car. Learn how to tell if you need to switch insurance companies and what to […]

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An attractive rewards credit card for frequent Delta flyers. While some American Express rewards cards offer great perks, like complimentary access to its exclusive network of airport lounges, you won’t get that perk with the (lounge access costs $39 per visit). However, you will get attractive rewards rates on several types of travel-related purchases along with other valuable travel benefits. This card offers you the highest reward rate when you make purchases with Delta or spend on hotel bookings, which […]

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One of the most powerful strategies I’ve found for improving my life is the idea of systems. Basically, rather than setting a goal for yourself, you develop a system of some kind, a set of daily actions that gradually nudge you toward that goal. For example, instead of saying “I’m going to lose 100 pounds this year,” you ask yourself, “What can I sustainably do each day to lead to gradual but significant weight loss over the course of this […]

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Once a month (or so), I share a dozen things that have inspired me to greater personal, professional, and financial success in my life. I hope they bring similar success to your life. Please enjoy the archives of earlier collections of inspirational things. This month’s installment is heavily geared toward things that have inspired me to better writing, being a better parent, being a better husband, and keeping my head on straight during this most challenging of times. 1. Winnie […]

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A top-shelf rewards credit card with luxury travel perks. The gives you access to coveted airport lounges, which is a unique benefit that will be highly attractive to some. Only a few American Express rewards cards will get you into the 10 Centurion Lounges around the world. Additionally, the card offers a number of other travel benefits, including access to Delta Sky Clubs and a free checked bag on Delta flights. Like any credit card, it does come with some […]

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When you buy renters insurance, you probably have one primary reason for making that purchase: you want to protect your belongings. Renters don’t have to worry about rebuilding their homes after a disaster, but that doesn’t mean fires, theft and other perils can’t impact their belongings. Fortunately, renters insurance gives you a way to protect your furniture, clothes and electronics. Thanks to off-premises coverage, your policy can extend to your belongings even when they are not at your rental. Still, […]

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What kind of impact do you have on the environment? According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a typical passenger vehicle emits 4.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year. One ton is equivalent to a balloon that’s about 30 feet in diameter, so if you were to visualize the metric tons emitted per person per year, picture a balloon 138 feet in diameter. We created a car emissions calculator to help you understand how you’re directly impacting the […]

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Every few months, Sarah and I clean out our pantry and cupboards. We pull out absolutely every item in there, sort them into sensible groups, make sure everything in there is still good, and put the good items back in there in a sensible fashion. Usually, at the same time, we make a bunch of meal plans for the next few weeks to use up some of the items that have been there for a while. The thing is, you’ll […]

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As summer approaches, people start looking forward to spending time outdoors. Children especially get excited about playing outside. While parents should be encouraging their children to be active, it is important to be aware of the potential dangers they could face in their outdoor environments, especially in the summertime. In fact, the National Safety Council indicates that more preventable, accidental deaths happen during the two months of July and August each year than during any other two-month period. Without exception, […]

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The spread of coronavirus has shaken the economy with mass layoffs and increased uncertainty. As a result more and more Americans are finding themselves in mounting debt. In 2018, the American household debt reached an all-time high at $13.21 trillion across 300 million people. But for those with a diagnosable mental illness, debt has an even more detrimental impact.  One in four adults will experience a mental health event at some point in their life. The relationship between debt and […]

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One complaint people often make when they settle into a more frugal lifestyle is that their life begins to take on a feeling of “sameness,” in that each day feels more similar to the others than it did before they made frugal changes to their life. (This same shock is being felt by people under stay at home orders, too, for similar reasons.) I’ll give you a great example of this. Many people settle into a routine of eating out […]

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What’s inside? Here are the questions answered in today’s reader mailbag, boiled down to summaries of five or fewer words. Click on the number to jump straight down to the question. 1. Using my stimulus check 2. Gas prices and hybrid cars 3. Worried about returning to work 4. Wedding planning suggestions? 5. Safely storing cash at home 6. CSA and safety 7. Financial success and self-worth 8. Figuring out break-even point 9. What’s the plan after unemployment? 10. Castile […]

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Mother’s Day is coming up this weekend and, for a lot of us, it’s an event that won’t be like normal. The possibility of many Mother’s Day traditions, like a nice dinner at a restaurant, isn’t even possible in many areas, and social distancing closes the door on many ideas, whether it’s enforced in your area or not. So, what options are there for Mother’s Day that don’t involve just ordering a gift online somewhere and having it shipped to […]

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One positive side effect of this period of social distancing is that, over the past two months or so, many people who have found themselves working from home and unable to go out — teachers, computer programmers, professors, accountants, office workers, engineers, managers and many others — have found themselves saving a ton of money. I’ve had several friends express quite a bit of pleasure at the amount of money building up in their checking accounts since they can’t go […]

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Tornadoes can happen in any state in the U.S., and with more than 1,200 occurring annually, they are not uncommon. If you live in Texas, Kansas, Florida, Oklahoma, or Nebraska — the five top states for tornadoes — be sure your homeowners insurance has tornado coverage.  Even if you don’t live in a state where tornadoes are common, it’s worth noting that the only state that hasn’t had at least one tornado in the past decade is Alaska. No matter […]

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Many Americans — and people all across the world — are facing a personal finance apocalypse right now. A lot of people are dealing with a sudden job loss or a major cut in hours. Some people are riding out unemployment insurance, while others may not even have that. Many people are facing unexpected and sudden medical expenses. If you add that to the fact that almost four in five Americans were living paycheck to paycheck before coronavirus arrived on […]

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Home not Housing was one of five Scottish Universities Insight Institute programmes on Wellbeing. A set of ideas workshops explored the concept of ‘home’ from the perspectives of various academic disciplines – housing, planning, social work, healthcare – in order to develop a common vocabulary that will better inform policies relating to house-building, home-working, home-care and general place liveability. This blog records the discussions and findings of the workshops.

Little is known about the effects of repeated imprisonment. Very few research studies have examined how those who are punished by the criminal justice system experience and interpret their sentences. Research that does exist, like my PhD, has largely focused on one single sentence. But people who have served many sentences (in other words, who have long punishment careers), are likely not to experience criminal punishments in isolation, but in the context of their wider lives and previous sentences. The aim of the Lives Sentenced project is to address this gap in the knowledge base by examining the life stories of 35 people with long punishment careers

This project aims to identify factors which contribute to effective, child focussed, SMART plans for children by getting the views of social workers who work in child protection and those who chair child protection case conferences. It will consider ways of working in a more inclusive, collaborative way with children and their families, as well as ways to work more effectively in partnership with other agencies. It will also consider whether the Signs of Safety approach to child protection has a role to play in making plans more effective. The project is an IRISS project in partnership with East Lothian Council and is supported by WithScotland and Social Work Scotland. It is anticipated that the final report will assist with further development of positive outcomes for children and young people across Scotland.

Home supervision requirements are a type of legal supervision order at home which is unique to the Scottish system of child legislation. Despite being the most common type of disposal used by the Children’s Hearing little is known about how HSRs work in practice or about its impact on young people and families. Using a multi-method approach that included secondary analysis of the Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration (SCRA) dataset; documentary analysis of social work case files; and in-depth interviews; this research seeks to find out more about the nature, scope and outcomes of HSRs from the perspective of those who are affected the most by this type of compulsory intervention – young people, their parents and social workers.

This article explores the impact of abandonment abuse and neglect, not only on children but, centrally, on the foster carers, adopters and kinship carers who parent children where it has been deemed that a return home to birth parents is not in their interests. (For purposes of simplicity we will refer to these carers as ‘parenting figures’.) In doing this we aim to provide parenting figures with support and understanding as well as reducing the feelings of isolation that is often integral to parenting ‘looked after’ children.

The topic of domestic violence is an emotive one conjuring visions of child abuse by parents or carers, or marital violence, in general abuse by men of their wives or partners. According to published police statistics in Scotland for the years of 2012 – 13 male violence of women accounted for 80% of all domestic abuse, and in 2014 over 2,600 children in Scotland were identified as needing protection from abuse. This is particularly concerning since the NSPCC suggests that, for every child who has been identified, there are 8 other children who are at risk but who are ‘under the radar’. These statistics, highlighting the underlying nature of inter-family abuse relationships, i.e. the abuse of less powerful and more vulnerable family members by more powerful adults, undoubtedly account for the majority of the abuse situations within family homes. However this is, sadly, not the whole story. Understanding abuse within a family means recognising the impact of sibling aggression on every family member. It also needs to encompass the growing recognition of child to parent aggression and it is this latter aspect of inter-family relationships with which this article is primarily concerned.

The Personal Outcomes Collaboration is made up of several organisations working towards the development and implementation of a personal outcomes approach. This site has been developed to bring together a range of resources to support the development and implementation of a personal outcomes approach in health and social care, as well as other human services.

Meaningful and Measurable was a Collaborative Action Research project funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). The project brought together three academic organisations, eight practice partners and four national stakeholder organisations with a shared interest: adopting a focus on personal outcomes in health, social care and other human services. The project aims included: 1.To develop and test out in practice approaches to the qualitative and quantitative analysis of personal outcomes data and use of this information for decision making within organisations. 2.To capture emergent good practice in the analysis and use of personal outcomes information and disseminate this widely to practice, policy and academic audiences. 3.To explore the practical, epistemological and political tensions inherent in this work and capture evidence as to the benefits and limitations of different approaches

This report describes the rationale, process and learning from a project led by IRISS which explored the topic of supervision with a group of six partners from across the social services sector. The purpose of this report is to share the learning gathered through the project to provide some evidence, inspiration, and pointers for those interested in improving supervision. Key points from the report can be used to prompt reflection and discussion with teams, to review current supervision practice and to help plan improvements.

In 2013-15, the Scottish Government funded 16 projects proposed by criminal justice partners across Scotland to develop community services for women who offend. Developments were based on existing service provision and to ensure changes could be sustained locally at the end of the funding. Funding varied in amount and timeframes. Most of the projects were undertaken by local authority criminal justice social work1 (CJSW) departments with partner providers, including public and third sector agencies. The national evaluation examined how the 16 women’s community justice services (WCJSs) were implemented and to what extent they contributed towards positive outcomes for women. A further aim was to build local capacity for self-evaluation in WCJSs. Findings were drawn from two phases of interviews with practitioners and women, secondary documents, and quantitative data for 1,778 women who were in the WCJSs between April and December 2014. This included outcomes data for 406 women.

This is a paper produced as part of the PROP2 (Practitioner Research: Outcomes and Partnership) programme, a partnership between the Centre for Research on Families and Relationships (CRFR) at the University of Edinburgh and IRISS that was about health and social care in Scotland. This paper was written by Elaine Monteith from ENABLE Scotland who participated in the PROP2 programme. What this research paper explores: All women are asked to go to the doctor every few years to get a check for cancer but women who have a learning disability don’t go for these checks as often as other women. The paper explore what barriers there are for women attending for checks and also looks at what could be done to encourage women them to attend.

Explores how the Institute for Research and Innovation in Social Services (IRISS) promotes the delivery of cost effective social services in Scotland that will support the achievement of positive outcomes for people accessing support. It identifies a number of principles that underpin the work of IRISS and suggests how these facilitate innovative evidence-informed practice. The approach to evidence-informed practice comprises four pillars of activity. The first pillar focuses on improving awareness and access to evidence and is exemplified by the Learning Exchange, the IRISS Insights series, and audio and video recording. The second pillar refers to strengthening the evidence base and is discussed in the context of work on self-directed support. Improving skills and confidence to use evidence forms the third pillar and is represented by work on data visualisation and peer support for self-evaluation. The final pillar is embedding evidence in organisations, through co-production, creating spaces to test and challenge evidence, and through the development of evidence-based products. Supporting people to share knowledge, learn from each other and to collectively produce new knowledge and solutions is an innovative approach but also one which should be cost-effective. Pre-print. Published in Evidence and Policy, 2014 (10)4 as Embedding research into practice through innovation and creativity: a case study from social services

This is a paper produced as part of the PROP2 (Practitioner Research: Outcomes and Partnership) programme, a partnership between the Centre for Research on Families and Relationships (CRFR) at the University of Edinburgh and IRISS that was about health and social care in Scotland. This paper was written by Raymond Brennan from ENABLE Scotland who participated in the PROP2 programme. This research is an attempt to understand the difficulties people with learning disabilities face around friendships and relationships. Recent evidence produced in the ‘Keys to Life’ highlights the impact social isolation has on people with learning disabilities. This research is concerned with the experiences parents and children have when choosing their options of schooling, and if the ‘Circle of Friends’ approach would make the option of mainstream school less daunting.

Short breaks are among the most fundamental services for supporting families with disabled children. By providing breaks from caring and positive experiences for children and young people, they allow parent carers to focus on relationships with other children, or to have time to themselves or with their partner, leading to lower levels of psychological distress, higher levels of life satisfaction and better health. As a result, fewer parent carers reach ‘breaking point’ and fewer children require access to emergency provision or enter the looked after system. This report, commissioned by Every Disabled Child Matters, looks at the current provision of short breaks to families of disabled children in England.

This evaluation report is based on feedback from people living with dementia and carers who received an Individual Award from the Life Changes Trust. The Individual Awards Pilot Scheme was run in Argyll & Bute and Edinburgh in 2014-15 and aimed to provide a small amount of additional financial empowerment to a number of individuals whose lives have been affected by dementia, to help improve their well-being and quality of life. A secondary aim of the pilot scheme was to find out what people would spend the Award on when given relatively broad choice, and what benefit that might bring in the short and medium terms.

The Better Breaks funding programme is focused on improving the range and availability of short break opportunities for disabled children and young people, particularly those with multiple support needs, including short break opportunities that families can enjoy together, or which allow parents and siblings to have time away from their caring responsibilities. This is the summary report.