Society daily 11.05.2010

All today's Society news and comment Ritalin prescriptions for kids on rise, say new NHS figures Ambulance service apologises for 'Is Hitler cool?' survey Abdulrahman El-Sayed: Why we shouldn't penalise the obese Open thread: What charity should Gordon Brown work for? All today's SocietyGuardian stories Other news A US academic and expert on ageing says smoking, drinking and poor diet may make little difference to your chances of living to 100, according to the Daily Telegraph. In a court case described by lawyers as a "landmark decision", a grandmother has won the legal right to be paid as a foster carer for looking after her granddaughter , reports the BBC. The grandmother, currently paid £63 a week by Kent county council, will now receive the same amount – £143 – as a foster carer. The NHS and the new politics Paul Corrigan was health policy adviser to Tony Blair, as well as health secretaries Alan Milburn and John Reid. So his reflections on the financial, political and policy challenges awaiting a new health secretary are worth studying (they appear to assume a Tory-led government) . This is what he says about the politics: "Most people expect another election to take place within a year or so. This means that the new secretary of state is fighting the next election from day one. Their boss, the PM, will expect that the political impact of each decision on that election will be thought about carefully ... The new PM will not want a lot of headlines about problems in the next year, especially if they can be traced to new policy. David Cameron promised a moratorium on closures of A&E and maternity units. In specific seats he has promised the reopening of closed units and wards. So all of this will have to be implemented irrespective of cost as political interventions. Do not expect the new secretary of state for health to continue the policy of their two predecessors and pledge to implement all independent reconfiguration panel proposals. This is a pre-election year and they will overrule everything except in safe Labour areas." Here we go again? The BBC website reports that a "large scale" child abuse inquiry has been launched in the Highlands of Scotland . It quotes a Northern Joint Police Board agenda paper for a meeting to be held today: "A large scale child abuse enquiry is currently being carried out in the Muir of Ord area involving multiple victims and multiple suspects. This is likely to continue for some weeks yet and is destined to be one of the largest inquiries of its type in recent years." The BBC does not mention the other large scale child abuse investigations in northern Scotland in recent memory: in Orkney in the early 1990s, and the Western Isles in 2003 . The media, meanwhile, is already limbering up. The Daily Record has interviewed the Church of Scotland minister in Muir of Ord (population 1,812) : The Rev Iain Ramsden, whose church is about two miles from the village but has many Muir of Ord residents in its congregation, said: "This is an absolute shock to me. Muir of Ord is a typically friendly and welcoming Highland community. It is a lovely village." Preview of tomorrow's SocietyGuardian supplement Move over easyCouncil and 'John Lewis'-style council – the latest model for running town halls in financial meltdown is the National Trust with its thousands of volunteers, discovers Peter Hetherington. Did the Victorians get it right about mental health asylums, asks a BBC4 documentary. David Brindle on the impact of Labour's landslide at the local elections. An interview with Errol Christie, former boxing champion who is trying to turn youngsters away from violence. Colin Talbot, professor of public policy and management at Manchester Business School on the challenges coalition government will present to senior civil servants. SocietyGuardian events National Commissioning conference 10. Beyond efficiencies, doing things differently. 15-16 June, Lowry Hotel, Manchester. Speakers include: Solace chief executive David Clark , former Department of Health lead on social care personalisation John Bolton, new King's Fund chief executive Chris Ham , and Social Care Institute for Excellence chief executive Julie Jones . The Public Procurement show . The UK's leading event for public sector procurement. 15-16 June, ExceL, London. SocietyGuardian Social Enterprise Summit We are starting to plan this year's Society Guardian Social Enterprise Summit. Last year's summit was a great success – you can read about it here . Once again we are looking to showcase inspiration, innovation and practical ideas on how social enterprises can deliver public services. Whether you are from the public sector or from a social business, we want you to tell us who you'd like to see and what you would like to see discussed. Email to [email protected] . You can Follow Guardian Social Enterprise on Twitter . SocietyGuardian blogs Joe Public Sarah Boseley's global health blog Society Daily blog Society Daily blog editor: Patrick Butler Email the editor: [email protected] Follow Patrick Butler on Twitter Sign up to Society Daily email briefing SocietyGuardian links SocietyGuardian.co.uk Follow SocietyGuardian on Twitter Public – the Guardian's website for senior public sector executives The Guardian's public and voluntary sector careers page Hundreds of public and voluntary sector jobs SocietyGuardian editor: Alison Benjamin Email the SocietyGuardian editor: [email protected]