• Hundreds of thousands of people who care for friends or family members are missing out on financial support, says the charity Carers UK, reported by the BBC.

• The number of 16- to 24-year-olds claiming unemployment benefit for more than 12 months has increased fourfold since before the recession, according to the Independent.

• Employment support programmes for disabled people are to be put under scrutiny in a government-commissioned review headed by disability campaigner Liz Sayce, reports Community Care.

• Samantha Cameron may become a patron of the Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity, says the Telegraph.

On my radar ...

• I love this festive app from Shelter, house bling. If you've ever wondered what your house would look like smothered in Christmas lights, but didn't want to break the national grid, simply add your postcode to bring up your house on Google Street View and then illuminate to your heart's content - and round off with a donation to Shelter.

• This great blogpost from Urban Forum chief executive Toby Blume, which looks at the involvement of the banking industry in the Big Society Bank:

"But the price for that investment is that the government 'lay off them' in the future, promise not to introduce any more taxes on the banks and not to interfere with their size, business model or structure.
If that's true, the government are pre-empting the conclusions of the Independent Banking Commission which is currently investigating the banks' structure and business models. And, perhaps more significantly, they appear to be making decisions that are far more significant economically than spending £25,000 to a training consultant. We're talking billions of pounds here."

• This post on the Fighting Monsters blog, which concludes, after trawling through the Building Big Society document:

"I really don't mean to be overly cynical. I just can't help it. But this isn't all about cosy togetherness, it is about an erosion of the expectations of what the state will and should provide. That is ideological. 'Big Society' did not start with Cameron or the Conservative Party. It is not a 'new idea'. There has been decades of committed community involvement going on – after all, the trade union movement itself grew from an ideological viewpoint of creating a voice and community action for people who had a commonality of interests.
There needs to be a recognition of the different ways that reliance on the voluntary sector will look in inner city deprived areas as opposed to wealthy Home Counties commuterland towns and isolated rural communities."

• The Guardian Charity Awards, which were presented in London yesterday. We've news of the five winning organisations, along with a series of moving videos about their work.

• This site, False Economy, which is collecting testimony from around the country to show "why cuts are the wrong cure". The blog is launching with a party, featuring comic Josie Long and music from Captain Ska.

• This blogpost from Ross McCulloch, which rounds up the good, the bad and the ugly features of new social network for social good Jumo.

• Christmas parties. Helen May has advice for surviving the do when you have to keep track of the carbs on the Diabetes UK blog:

"I have to track every bit of food I eat. I have to continue counting carbs and measuring insulin and finding an opportune moment to inject. And at the same time I have to consider the affects of the wine I'm drinking and the carbs in the sobering orange juice and all the dodgy dancing is exercise to consider.
It's not enough to stop me joining in and having fun. Some of the people I join around the buffet table don't know I have diabetes so I assume I am not holding back."

Guardian and Observer Christmas Charity Appeal 2010

Charities working with disadvantaged young people in the UK will be the beneficiaries of this year's Guardian and Observer charity appeal.

Read profiles of our 10 chosen charities, see our pick of their photographs and make a donation in the Christmas Charity Appeal area of our site.

Events

"Big Society" and its role in local government 7 December, London. This is an essential seminar for managers and leaders looking for a practical definition of big society and how it will work within local government. As well as a keynote speech from the government's adviser on big society, Lord Wei, delegates will also hear first hand accounts of how other local government managers are implementing big society in their councils and the best practice they have developed.

Transforming Social Care through IT Finding your way in a changing service environment. 8 December, London.

This conference brings together best practice examples, policy leaders and industry experts to discuss the challenges facing social care providers and IT support teams. Our line-up of expert speakers includes Terry Dafter, service director adult social care, Stockport metropolitan borough council; Jennifer Bernard, consulting director, SCIE; Nick Johnson, chief executive, Social Care Association; and Sian Walker, service director, Adult Care Operations, Wiltshire council.

HR Summit, 18 January, London

Creating the workforce you need to meet the challenges ahead

2 for 1 delegate place offer if you book before the 17 December

Public Services Summit New models, new relationships, a new era. 10 & 11 February 2011, St Albans.

Join leading thinkers, practitioners and policy makers for discussion and debate about the future of our public services

15% early bird available.