Mask-off outbursts by Maga insiders and most strikingly, the destruction and reconstruction of the presidential seat, with a huge new $300m ballroom, means Trump isn’t planning to leave the White House when his term ends, writes LINDA PENTZ GUNTER
Overhaul of Scotland’s Children’s Hearings System should set alarm bells ringing
The abolition of lay panels to decide on child hearings and the ‘lawyer-isation’ of the service will not serve vulnerable youngsters' interests, warns RICHARD LEONARD
SCOTLAND’S Children’s Hearings System has stood the test of time. Devised following the Kilbrandon report in the 1960s as an alternative to sending young people to court, they have worked for over 50 years to safeguard successive generations.
One of the distinctive features of the system is the use of a lay panel to make decisions on a child’s best interests.
Every so often there have been attempts to remove this element. They have always been stoutly and successfully resisted.
Similar stories
The devastating impact of austerity has left Scotland’s education system on its knees, argues ANDREA BRADLEY, urging politicians to show courage by increasing wealth taxation to fund our schools properly
It’s easy to lose your sense of optimism amid bleak political times. NEIL FINDLAY has some suggestions for what we need to see in 2025
The super-rich falsely claim inheritance tax changes will devastate small farmers, while millionaire landowners continue enjoying numerous tax advantages — why is the SNP supporting this nonsense, asks RICHARD LEONARD
Vulnerable kids are being placed in caravans and AirBnBs by a social care system that puts ‘profit above protection,’ Children’s Commissioner warns



