Community Care articles from April 2005

Community Care archives from April 2005

Families; Staff reluctant to ; use parenting orders.(British Association of Social Workers Scotland)(Brief Article)
April 14, 2005... The British Association of Social Workers Scotland has called for parenting orders to be scrapped. The orders were introduced in Scotland last week and are to be piloted for three years. They are compulsory measures that are aimed to improve...

Disability; Discrimination and capacity acts passed.(Disability Discrimination Act)(Brief Article)
April 14, 2005... Disability charities have welcomed the new Disability Discrimination Act but are disappointed at its lack of provision for those with a history of depression. A House of Lords amendment for increasing protection for those who have experienced...

How the parties line up and what campaigners want from them.
April 14, 2005... Labour Establish 3,500 Sure Start children's centres by 2010. Introduce fixed penalty notices for disorder for children under 16. Introduce new powers to require parents to pay compensation for damage committed by children under 10. Reform...

Asylum seekers; 'Laws are breaking Geneva Convention'.(Brief Article)
April 14, 2005... The government is violating the Geneva Convention by deporting asylum seekers whose claims have failed to dangerous countries, states to a report published this week. The study, by the Institute of Race Relations, says the government has...

Child protection; Mother cleared of killing her babies.(Donna Anthony )(Brief Article)
April 14, 2005... A mother jailed for life more than six years ago for murdering her two young children was cleared by the Court of Appeal this week. The judges ruled that the conviction of Donna Anthony was unsafe, after hearing that much of the case against...

Children; Judge 'astonished' at [pounds sterling]1m legal bill.(Brief Article)
April 14, 2005... A High Court judge has expressed "astonishment" over the [pounds sterling]1m legal bill run up in a protracted case relating to a council's treatment of two disabled children. Two separate sets of proceedings involving proposals to remove two...

Families; Plan to tag parents dismissed by MPs.(Brief Article)
April 14, 2005... Government plans to tag parents who breach contact orders have been rejected by the parliamentary committee scrutinising the draft Children (Contact) and Adoption Bill as "humiliating". The measure would be a disproportionate response to a...

readers' views; Nearly half back Labour.(Labour party of UK)(Brief Article)
April 14, 2005... Forty-five per cent of visitors to Community Care's website believed that Labour should win the election in light of its social care policies over the past eight years. This week's question asks: Are you concerned that the single status...

Job file: programme manager.(Humphries, Jane)(Brief Article)
April 14, 2005... Job title: Programme manager. Who's doing it? Jane Humphries. Where? Cumbria Children's Fund. Job description: To ensure the Children's Fund in Cumbria is a catalyst for change, contributing ideas and developing partnerships with others working...

Call to catch them young ; to correct gender imbalance.(gender imbalance in social care workers)
April 14, 2005... There are few men in social care - hardly surprising as schools seem to do their best to discourage boys. But the profession wants change, writes Derren Hayes Nine in 10 social care workers are female - and this gender imbalance is...

If you ask me...(Brief Article)(Interview)
April 14, 2005... Anthony Mitchell has dual sensory impairment with mobility and mental health problems Which health or social care professional has been most use to you? Staff at the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) and my befriender...

In the light of the coming general election, how would you rate this government's performance on social policy?(Brief Article)
April 14, 2005... Len Smith Gypsy activist My work, which is voluntary, directly interacts with this government's social policies, as well as trying to influence them. I am encouraged by the broad thrust, particularly on social inclusion. Contrasted with the...

Labour's performance on vulnerable children fails to satisfy professionals.(Labour Party UK)(Brief Article)
April 14, 2005... More than half of social care professionals feel the government's policies on young offenders, children in poverty and young asylum seekers have failed, an exclusive poll for Community Care has found. The survey of just over 1,000 professionals...

ON ; THE ; MOVE.(appointments and resignations)(Brief Article)
April 14, 2005... Barnardo's chief executive ROGER SINGLETON is to retire in December. He joined the children's charity in 1974 as deputy director of child care and became chief executive in 1984. The first director of adult social services at Islington...

The Simon Heng column A service user's view of social care.(Column)
April 14, 2005... Admin workers, such as those in finance, struggled to see how their roles had a direct impact on service users This week, I was invited to take part in an initiative put together by my local social services department. As part of the...

A central role alongside health.(Liberal Democrats for free social care)
April 14, 2005... election viewpoint Under the Lib Dems, social care would cease to be the poor relation of the NHS, pledges Paul Burstow Social care has long been the poor relation of the NHS. Ever since the publication of the Wanless report on healthcare...

Alone with her memories.(Panel Discussion)
April 14, 2005... An 87-year-old woman wants to stay in the home she lived in with her husband despite this no longer being a safe option panel responses joanna Gare Once Enid had dialled 999 for an ambulance, the crew would attend and assess Enid's...

Benefits; Somerset to axe advice team's grant.(Somerset welfare rights unit)(Brief Article)
April 14, 2005... T he future of a welfare rights team is in doubt after its funding was cut midway through a three-year agreement. Somerset welfare rights unit, which provides independent advice to low-income families, must find a new source of funding by...

Beware of dilution.(review of social work in last century in Scotland)(Brief Article)
April 14, 2005... "Too much paperwork, too little time spent with clients" is a common refrain among social workers and one that is at last being heard if recent developments are anything to go by. The interim findings of the 21st century review of social work...

Public order; Care staff rebelling against Asbos boom caught in a dilemma.(antisocial behaviour orders)
April 14, 2005... The increase in the issue of Asbos has left the social work profession wondering whether to toe the line or search for alternative solutions, writes Maria Ahmed Issuing antisocial behaviour orders has fast become an easy way for local...

Career clinic.(employee absenteeism)(Brief Article)
April 14, 2005... One of my colleagues is on long-term sick leave, supposedly with a bad back. I saw him playing tennis last week but he didn't see me. What do I do? I am tempted to tell our mutual boss, partly because I don't think it's fair he's pretending to...

Child protection; Vetting scheme may make clients wary.(Department for Education and Skills asks social workers to report vulnerable adults)(Brief Article)
April 14, 2005... Clients considered a risk to children or vulnerable adults could be reported to a new central vetting scheme by social workers. Under proposals put out to consultation by the Department for Education and Skills last week, social workers would...

Children's services by Simeon Brody; Sector seeks reassurance on plans for social worker support staff.
April 14, 2005... Government plans to remodel the children's workforce along the lines followed by the teaching profession must not undermine the role of social workers, staff representatives have warned. Proposals to give social workers more time to...

Children; Fostering charity takes on adoption.(The Adolescent and Children's Trust)(Brief Article)
April 14, 2005... Anational fostering charity has moved into the adoption field in an attempt to find permanent families for hard-to-place children. The Adolescent and Children's Trust (Tact) said that registering with the Commission for Social Care Inspection...

Children; Guidance outlines safeguarding roles.(police forces guided by Department of Education and Skills to comply with Children Act)(Brief Article)
April 14, 2005... Police forces will be required to have a senior manager who leads on children's issues to ensure they are safeguarded under statutory guidance proposed by the Department for Education and Skills. The draft guidance advises bodies, including the...

Continuing care by Mithran Samuel; MPs propose integrated system to ensure funding for long-term care.
April 14, 2005... The next government has been urged by MPs to create a fully integrated health and social care system to guarantee long-term care funding is fair. They say the problems in the NHS continuing care system stem from an "artificial" distinction...

Dial b for benefits.(contact call center for disability benefits)
April 14, 2005... welfare rights Jobcentre Plus clients are being asked to claim benefits over the telephone, writes Gary Vaux A change to how benefit claims are made looks as though it will have wide-ranging implications for social work clients with...

Diversity; Cultural barriers keep out claimants.(Department for Work and Pensions' telephone service deters people who do not speak English)(Brief Article)
April 14, 2005... People from ethnic minorities are being denied benefits because of culturally insensitive procedures and inadequate language services, according to the work and pensions select committee. However, in a report last week, it said there was no way...

Public order; Care staff rebelling against Asbos boom caught in a dilemma.(antisocial behaviour orders)
April 14, 2005... The increase in the issue of Asbos has left the social work profession wondering whether to toe the line or search for alternative solutions, writes Maria Ahmed Issuing antisocial behaviour orders has fast become an easy way for local...

Education; Schools to consult before status switch.(Education Act of United Kingdom)(Brief Article)
April 14, 2005... Schools must consult locally before changing to foundation status under the Education Act passed last week. Alison King, chair of the Local Government Association's children and young people board, said: "We are intensely relieved that the...

Spot the ; Scapegoat.(political parties on asylum seekers and young offenders)
April 14, 2005... it isn't too difficult - they both are. Labour and the Conservatives are flexing their muscles to show who has the toughest election policies, and someone has to bear the brunt. So why not pick on those with a limited voice, say asylum seekers...

Election; Lib Dems push joint working up agenda.(Liberal Democrats social care policy)(Brief Article)
April 14, 2005... The Liberal Democrats emerged as the party most vocally committed to social care at a pre-election debate at the King's Fund last week. Of the three major parties given a few minutes to outline their priorities for the Department of Health,...

Heart surgery.(emotional literacy and organisational management)
April 14, 2005... Emotional literacy programmes not only benefit individuals but can help entire organisations to function better. First they were used in schools, and now they are being applied in social care settings, as Sue King and Rob Hunter describe T...

Ethical stance could risk child happiness.(children needs or adult interests)
April 14, 2005... Yvonne roberts A proposed US approach to family law would endanger the notion of child-centredness Children should always come first. At the recent Working with Fathers conference in London, Glen Palm, professor in child and family...

Exclusive by Lauren Revans; Poll reveals high level of long-term sickness among social services staff.
April 14, 2005... An estimated 20,000 local authority social services staff were signed off work for a period of two months or more last year, an exclusive poll by Community Care of English councils has revealed. The figure, extrapolated from responses from 100...

Families; Chaos revealed at Child Support Agency.(Brief Article)
April 14, 2005... Staff at the Child Support Agency deliberately entered false information onto the IT system and stockpiled claims which meant they were not dealt with for years, a newly uncovered report has revealed. The study, commissioned by the Department...

Get well soon or else.(social workers absenteeism)
April 14, 2005... Our newspapers love to climb on to their high horse about something, and sick leave in the public sector is a particular favourite. From bedridden train drivers playing squash to sick social workers going shopping, it's an easy, emotive story...

health; Drugs industry determined to resist demand by MPs for tighter restrictions.
April 14, 2005... A report has called for a shake-up of the pharmaceuticals sector and the way some medicines are prescribed - but a battle lies ahead with the big players, reports Mithran Samuel Last week's parliamentary report on the influence of the...

Inspection; Children's homes ; take worries to MPs.(Independent Children's Home Association )(Brief Article)
April 14, 2005... The government is losing credibility with the children's home sector after three reorganisations of inspections in as many years, according to providers. The Independent Children's Home Association will ask MPs to examine the decision to...

My own place at last.(Bob Smith with dyslexia gets support as he wanted)
April 14, 2005... this life After a series of living arrangements that proved stressful, Bob Smith has found support that suits him I was born in 1981 and lived at home with my parents until I was 16 years old. I recall various things about my childhood,...

Older people; Pensioners' [pounds sterling]1.60 a week rise attacked.(Brief Article)
April 14, 2005... Millions of women whose state pension is based on their husband's national insurance contributions received a rise of less than [pounds sterling]1.60 this week. Under changes that came into force this week, single pensioners received an...

Project report.(Leicestershire social services recruits foster carers through short film)
April 14, 2005... Moving images A short film produced by Leicestershire social services has got cinema audiences thinking about foster carer recruitment. Graham Hopkins reports Frightened and alone, a young boy seems lost in dense woodland. And then...

On the up.(developing staff for managerial roles)
April 14, 2005... Trish Hafford-Letchfield looks at how one council developed a targeted programme to maximise the potential of managers from under-represented groups Predicting how staff skills can benefit an organisation is a challenge in ever-changing...

Substance misuse; Drinkers urged to admit drug habit.(Lord Adebowale)
April 14, 2005... Alcohol services are so stretched that people with drink problems are being encouraged to admit taking drugs so they can gain access to treatment, it has been claimed. Delegates at the Drug and Alcohol Today conference last week said statistics...

Substance misuse; Drinkers urged to admit drug habit.(Brief Article)
April 14, 2005... Alcohol services are so stretched that people with drink problems are being encouraged to admit taking drugs so they can gain access to treatment, it has been claimed. Delegates at the Drug and Alcohol Today conference last week said statistics...

Support a bereaved; colleague.
April 14, 2005... Death can be a difficult and embarrassing subject to deal with at work, particularly if you do not know a bereaved colleague well. It is difficult enough to know what to say to a close friend, let alone a colleague whom you rarely see outside...

Training materials.(The Lost Child)(Not That "Different" Just Treated That Way)(Video Recording Review)
April 14, 2005... the lost child I hope this DVD is an indicator of just how far on-a-shoestring, role play-reliant social care training has come. The fact that this is a DVD for one blows the cobwebs off the technophobe perception of top-loading VCRs,...

Workforce; Social workers face salary reduction.(North East Lincolnshire Council cost cutting efforts result in pay cuts)(Brief Article)
April 14, 2005... Social workers are facing pay cuts of up to 15 per cent at North East Lincolnshire Council because the authority has attempted to cut costs while implementing equal pay regulations. Unison is considering industrial action and taking out a...

Workforce by ; 'Bureaucracy prevents Scots staff developing effective client work'.(Brief Article)
April 14, 2005... Scottish social workers are spending so much time on bureaucracy they are struggling to establish effective relationships with clients, according to a report into the future of the profession. Interim findings from the 21st Century Review of...

Young people; Centrepoint urges credit crackdown.(Brief Article)
April 14, 2005... Youth homelessness charity Centrepoint is calling for a crackdown on companies that target people living in hostels with mailshots for credit cards. Research by the charity shows more than eight out of 10 young homeless people are in debt....

Young people; Centrepoint urges credit crackdown.(youth homelessness charity)(Brief Article)
April 14, 2005... Youth homelessness charity Centrepoint is calling for a crackdown on companies that target people living in hostels with mailshots for credit cards. Research by the charity shows more than eight out of 10 young homeless people are in debt....

Young people; Plea to scrap penal custody for children.(Hilton Dawson)(Brief Article)
April 14, 2005... Retiring Labour MP Hilton Dawson and a group of charities are lobbying parliamentary candidates to demand an end to penal custody for children. Dawson said: "Prison cannot meet the needs of these very vulnerable young people. It is...

Books.(Anarchists in Social Work: Known to the Authorities)(Hammered: Young People and Alcohol)(How to Help A Clumsy Child)(Book Review)
April 14, 2005... ANARCHISTS IN SOCIAL WORK: KNOWN TO THE AUTHORITIES John Evans et al, Martin S Gilbert ISBN 0954915909, [pounds sterling]8 or pdf version [pounds sterling]3 Available from www.anarchistsinsocialwork.org.uk It seems to me that social...

Youth justice by Maria Ahmed; Children's services shake-up may leave young offenders at margins.(Brief Article)
April 21, 2005... Young offenders and children at risk of antisocial behaviour could be sidelined under the new children's services arrangements, it is feared. The annual conference of rehabilitation agency Nacro was told last week that youth justice was "not...

Children; Protocol brings closer relationship.(Association of Directors of Social Services and the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service)(Brief Article)
April 21, 2005... The Association of Directors of Social Services and the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service are set to enjoy a closer working relationship. Last week a protocol between the bodies was agreed aiming to safeguard the well-being...

Mental health; Black-led groups need more funding.(Brief Article)
April 21, 2005... The government's commitment to improving mental health among people from ethnic minorities is not being matched by adequate funding, according to new research. The African Caribbean Mental Health Commission report states that despite black...

Sex offenders; North Lanarkshire systems under fire.(James Campbell's release shows negligence of North Lanarkshire Council)(Brief Article)
April 21, 2005... A systemic breakdown between North Lanarkshire Council and other agencies allowed a convicted sex offender to sexually abuse a two-year-old girl two months after his release from jail. The damning verdict of the Social Work Inspection Agency on...

A modest proposal.(elder services)(Brief Article)
April 21, 2005... In a country where consumer debt is now running at about [pounds sterling]4,000 a person, it is easy to forget just how much hardship and austerity many older people have lived through. Unfortunately the "don't worry about me, dear"...

Directors bemoan lack of Whitehall clout.(Association of Directors of Social Services)(Brief Article)
April 21, 2005... The Association of Directors of Social Services has criticised social care's lack of influence in government, warning it will hinder the development of integrated adult and children's services. The ADSS unanimously backed a resolution attacking...

Executive boosts public sector joint-working drive with [pounds sterling]4.5m.(Colin Mair)(Brief Article)
April 21, 2005... A scheme to support public sector joint working, promote best practice and improve the skills of council staff has been launched. Backed by [pounds sterling]4.5m of Scottish executive money over three years and funds from the Convention of...

If you ask me...(Erica Morton)(Brief Article)(Interview)
April 21, 2005... Erica Morton has learning difficulties and receives support from New Support Options (NSO) Who has had the biggest influence on you? My mother. She was in a wheelchair, which made me aware of how difficult it was for people with physical...

Degree of scepticism greets Ladyman's proposed course.(Stephen Ladyman)
April 21, 2005... Professionals are less than impressed by the prospect of a new social care qualification but could it widen the career's appeal? Derren Hayes reports Community care minister Stephen Ladyman caught everyone by surprise earlier this year...

Falling prophets.(National Falls Awareness Day)
April 21, 2005... National Falls Awareness Day will take place in July. Help the Aged's Pamela Holmes tells Graham Hopkins about surprising research findings and how she is planning for the big day Every five hours in the UK an older person dies as a result...

Review claim that social workers duck out of risk-taking blasted as 'overly negative'.(Brief Article)
April 21, 2005... Claims that social workers back down from risk-taking drew an angry response at the conference. Cosla health and social care spokesperson Eric Jackson attacked remarks made by the chair of the 21st Century Review of social work for presenting...

A clean break with the past.(social worker partners with problematic mother)
April 21, 2005... A chaotic lifestyle led a mother to have her three children taken into care. Why then consider allowing her new baby to stay with her? Social worker Gill Fox (left) felt a partnership with the mother and her parents might work,...

Staff worried that self-assessment plans might lead to poorer services.(Brief Article)
April 21, 2005... Older people could receive poorer services under government plans for users to assess their own needs, a director of social services has warned. Cornwall director Carol Tozer said her staff had raised concerns that plans in the adult green...

Top managers face axe in minister's plan to transfer money to front line.(Brief Article)
April 21, 2005... Social work departments in Scotland could be run by directors in neighbouring councils. In a shake-up proposed by executive finance and public service reform minister Tom McCabe, top managers could face the axe and the money saved re-invested...

WHY I LOVE MY JOB.(William J Gallagher)(Brief Article)
April 21, 2005... William J Gallagher is service manager at Randall Close day centre, in Battersea, London, run by disability charity Leonard Cheshire There is such a happy atmosphere here at Randall Close. The building is bright and cheerful, the people...

Web reviews.(www.madforarts.org)(www.intellectual disability.info)
April 21, 2005... www.madforarts.org Art has achieved greater prominence in mental health services in recent years. So it is no surprise to see websites providing a space for people with mental health problems to share their views on art springing up, writes...

What the politicians have promised and what campaigners want.
April 21, 2005... Labour Personalised budgets in social care where people can decide what they need and how it should be provided. Investment in, and improvement of, mental health services including behavioural therapies as well as drug treatments....

Beat the bullies.(stop being bullied)
April 21, 2005... If you are bullied at work, you are not alone, writes Josephine Hocking. One in four people suffer workplace bullying, a Manchester University survey in 2000 found. Bullying is the fifth biggest cause of stress at work (after workloads, change,...

Book reviews.(Preventing Breakdown: A Manual for those Working With Families and for Individuals Within Them)(Stephen Harris in Trouble: A Dyspraxia Drama in Several Clumsy Acts)(The Moral State We're In)(Book Review)
April 21, 2005... STEPHEN HARRIS IN TROUBLE: A DYSPRAXIA DRAMA IN SEVERAL CLUMSY ACTS Tim Nichol, Jessica Kingsley Publishers ISBN 1843101343, [pounds sterling]8.95 Written from a child's perspective, this very funny story about the daily hassles faced by a...

Charities put in a bind.(voluntary sector to be involved in public services)
April 21, 2005... This government has made no secret of its desire to involve the voluntary and private sectors more centrally in the delivery of public services. According to one estimate, voluntary and private bodies could be delivering [pounds...

Child protection by Simeon Brody; Failure to close legal loophole allows child abuse couple to get off lightly.
April 21, 2005... The government has been criticised for failing to close a legal loophole that allowed a couple to escape with light sentences after a catalogue of abuse against a toddler. Paramedics found the toddler "limp and floppy" with burns to her face...

Child protection; Ban on Clark case expert 'sufficient'.(Brief Article)
April 21, 2005... Eminent paediatrician David Southall should not be struck off the medical register for accusing the husband of Sally Clark of killing their children, a High Court judge ruled last week. Mr Justice Collins said that a ban outlawing Southall's...

Playmakers.(outdoor play is important in Every Child Matters programme)
April 21, 2005... Outdoor play helps children develop social skills and is good for their health and emotional literacy. It is also what children have said they want. But, writes Tessa Jowell, to offer more opportunities will involve enlightened local planning...

coming soon...
April 21, 2005... TRAINING COURSE 13 May, London Designing Accessible Housing Disabled Living Foundation sharon.harbutt@dlf.org.uk [pounds sterling]140 plus VAT CONFERENCE 14 May, Exeter Run that by me again Devon & Cornwall Multiple Sclerosis Society...

Time for a long-term view.(UK Department of Health long term care policy)
April 21, 2005... The Department of Health has shifted its policy on long-term conditions, and, as ever, the key to the new strategy's success lies in its implementation. Here, Bob Hudson highlights the dilemmas and challenges that will be faced Treatment...

Independence fighter.(Nick Danagher new head of National Council for Independent Living)
April 21, 2005... Nick Danagher, as the new head of the National Council for Independent Living, is set to play a key role in the next government's plans for disabled people. Anabel Unity Sale met him and discovers that he is hoping for a revolution If Nick...

Disabilities; Young woman says no to nursing home.(Becky Wheeler )(Brief Article)
April 21, 2005... A 29-year-old Lincolnshire woman who has chronic arthritis launched a protest last week after being told she had to live with older residents in a nursing home. Becky Wheeler is currently living with people three times her age in Eastholme...

Disabilities; People with MS get inflexible service.(multiple sclerosis)(Brief Article)
April 21, 2005... Care workers for people with Multiple Sclerosis often turn up late or not at all and getting a good one or bad one is pot luck, according to research out last week. The survey, conducted by Opinion Leader Research for the Multiple Sclerosis...

Disabilities; Scope rebuts press reports of closures.(Brief Article)
April 21, 2005... Disability charity Scope has denied media reports that it plans to close 50 of its residential homes as part of a switch from service provision to campaigning. The charity, which faces a [pounds sterling]5m deficit, said it intended to close...

What chance of a free for all?(personal care in Scotland and UK)
April 21, 2005... Personal care has been free in Scotland for nearly three years but will the policy be adopted south of the border? Crispin Andrews asks what the major political parties are offering older people in England and Wales Since July 2002...

Long-term care tied in red tape.(Conservatives manifesto on long term care)
April 21, 2005... election viewpoint For the Conservatives too much regulation prevents staff doing their jobs, says Theresa May The current system of social care is failing under Tony Blair's government. Support is fragmented and patchy and assessment of...