Society daily: 19.02.10

Top Society stories Free home care council diverting money from other vulnerable groups Tories boycott talks on care for elderly David Cameron promises to tackle advertisers who sexualise children DNA database missing profiles of thousands of prisoners MMR vaccine doctor Andrew Wakefield quits autism centre All today's Society stories Other news According to a survey by the Independent , 20,000 jobs in local government will be axed, as councils plan deep cuts. Competition leads to better managed hospitals and better outcomes for patients, new research published in the Financial Times claims. 21st century communication This week saw one part of Whitehall attempt to move its communications more firmly into the 21st century. The Office of the Third Sector, the Cabinet Office department concerned with all things voluntary and not for profit, has launched a monthly newsletter (you can subscribe here ). It's raison d'être is to log all the major events and announcements affecting those involved in and interested in the third sector. On the plus side, the newsletter does group together a lot of useful information. So we learn that on 12 February, the third sector minister, Angela Smith, announced a new drive to stop bogus charity collectors. Apparently, the Association of Charity Shops estimates that £2.5m-£3m is lost to charities through theft and people mistakenly giving unwanted clothing to commercial companies in the belief that they are giving to charity. The newsletter also provides links to details of Smith's recent visit to Middlesborough and Stockton to speak at the Tees Valley social enterprise conference, as well as details of the winning bids to run the latest strand of the government's £3m volunteer management programme (Attend, Project North East, Skills Third Sector and Voluntary Action Sheffield), which focuses on professional development. But the newsletter fails in one vital respect: it is entirely backward looking. It does not flag up forthcoming conferences, speeches or even deadlines for consultation and neither does it provide links to what sector trade associations such as Acevo and NCVO or individual charities and voluntary organisations are up to. So the newsletter will be little more than an aide memoire, which is a pity. Society Guardian events Family Futures conference 2010: what's next for services supporting children, young people and families? London, Wednesday 24 February. Speakers include: Dawn Primarolo, Claire Tickell, Tim Loughton, Sue Berelowitz. Managing New Realities 2010: integrated places - health, housing and social care for the community. London, Tuesday 2 and Wednesday 3 March. Speakers include: Lord Warner, Sir Bob Kerslake, David Halpern, Polly Toynbee. Society Links Sign up to Society daily email briefing Society on Twitter SocietyGuardian.co.uk Public - The Guardian's website for senior public sector executives Get ahead: the Guardian's public and voluntary sector careers page Hundreds of public and voluntary sector jobs Email the SocietyGuardian editor: [email protected]