Community Care articles from April 2007

Community Care archives from April 2007

Should clients be worried by cursory criminal records checks on European care assistants and care workers?(Brief article)
April 5, 2007... richard west Inspired Services I'm very worried about supporters not being checked properly. Some other countries have very different attitudes to supporting people with learning disabilities and there is much more institutionalisation...

diary.(Diary)
April 5, 2007... This week's writer is a social work student and a part-time community worker Monday I cannot believe three months have passed so quickly and I am in the last few days of my placement. This placement agency is a one-stop advice shop for...

Nannying tendencies.(juvenile crime on rise)
April 5, 2007... The government's policy review has been much preoccupied with targeted interventions in response to some of the most pressing social problems. Intended to set out future strategic priorities, the document produced by the ministerial group on...

Open Forum.
April 5, 2007... Mental health patients need to be able to choose between treatment at home or in hospital, writes Mark Ellerby Where children are batted between arguing parents they escape into a fantasy realm of schizophrenia OPEN FORUM ...

Perspectives.
April 5, 2007... Perspectives Bob Holman WHATEVER HAPPENED TO SOCIAL CLASS? C. Tomalin, Thomas Hardy: the time-torn man, Penguin-Viking, 2006. W. Hutton, The State We're In, Jonathan Cape, 1995.

Thanks for the memory.(dementia recall)
April 5, 2007... Our past, and memories of it, defines us. A scheme in West Yorkshire is helping people with dementia recall their past and retain their identity. Graham Hopkins reports Our memories work faster than a computer. They are truly remarkable....

* practice.(Reviews)
April 5, 2007... radio review File on 4 aaaaa BBC Radio 4 20 March, 8pm The Commission for Social Care Inspection's recent review of English local authorities has revealed that one in six had not fulfilled their obligations as outlined...

'Worst night of my life'.(This Life)
April 5, 2007... this life Georgina Wakefield's son suffered a reaction to anti-psychotic drugs that saw the family share his agony This Life for 5.4.07. Georgina Wakefield is a carer for her son who has schizophrenia We cut our holiday short...

Double standards.(welfare rights of care workers)
April 5, 2007... welfare rights The benefits system has not been kind to adult placement providers, writes Gary Vaux The benefit system can seem very inflexible. What is worse is that it often seems to work against the very goals that the government claims...

News.
April 5, 2007... a'Last week's World Social Work Day was a celebration of the common values of practitioners across the globe. But it seems that it is not just values that are shared across borders. A recent survey by the Ontario Association of Social Workers...

Where next forsocial care?(Knowledge Zone)(General Social Care Council)
April 5, 2007... James Blewett, with two colleagues, was commissioned by the General Social Care Council to produce a review of social work literature to stimulate discussion about the profession's roles and tasks These are disorienting times for social...

A new deal for carers.(Features)(Ivan Lewis approves of consultation to update)
April 5, 2007... Care services minister Ivan Lewis has promised a consultation to update the 1999 strategy for carers. Mark Hunter considers the priority areas for action * policy Jill Pay: Social workers need a grerater awareness of support networks...

tell it like it was.(Features)
April 5, 2007... Young people traumatised by violence in their own Most of us will have heard fairy stories when we were young, where chirpy children escaped wicked witches and lived happily ever after. For the children treated by the Medical Foundation for...

frontlines.(Frontlines)
April 5, 2007... Byline: One of our team of practitioner columnists gives her take on how youth crime is handled Schools usually deal with students' crimes without recourse to the police. But is that helping anyone, asks Helen Bonnick According to the...

Social work, as we see it.(Features)
April 5, 2007... In our issue of 22 March sector leaders gave their views of social work in light of the General Social Care Council's consultation on the roles of social workers. Here, Lauren Revans asks practitioners to respond. Also, see page 12 and Knowlege...

The Simon Heng column A service user's view of social care.(Column)
April 5, 2007... My experiences of care in hospitals let's just say you need to be assertive and in good physical condition to survive The Healthcare Commission, England's health watchdog, conducts an annual staff survey the results of the 2006 consultation...

If you ask me.
April 5, 2007... Patricia Blythe is a 68 year old stroke victim who lives at Brighton's award winning New Larchwood Extracare Scheme which opened last July. Who has influenced you the most? My sons I have watched them grow up into inspirational...

A south african placement.(Knowledge Zone)(online education for social workers)(Brief article)
April 5, 2007... A practice placement in South Africa, where caseloads can reach beyond 500, proved intensely rewarding for Thulisile Thokoza, while Steve O'Loughlin describes how the placement was set up training and learning The author has provided...

Running out of options.(social care for old people)(Editorial)(Brief article)
April 5, 2007... The final report from the Lyons Inquiry calls for the government to lead a "clear national debate about how we want to manage social care for older people". It argues that councils have much of the responsibility for managing funding pressures...

Letters.
April 5, 2007... communitycare welcomes letters from readers. Please write or e-mail to the addresses below. Shorter letters are more likely to be selected for publication letters Time for prison action Baroness Corston's...

News.
April 5, 2007... substance misuse 'Vulnerable children need greater focus' More research is needed on preventing substance misuse among the most disadvantaged children, government advisers have said. There is a lack of evidence about effective...

Mental health by simeon brody Campaigners prompt Hewitt to consider more treatment choice.(News)(Patricia Hewitt's opinion about cognitive behavioural therapy)
April 5, 2007... Health secretary Patricia Hewitt is to re-examine the government's emphasis on cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). The promise came after delegates at a mental health conference told her they wanted more choice of treatments. Speaking...

News.
April 5, 2007... * older people Policies for older people in Wales should concentrate more on combating isolation, loneliness and mental health problems, assembly government advisers have said. A report last week by an advisory group on the country's 10-year...

News.
April 5, 2007... aL'Last week's World Social Work Day was a celebration of the common values of practitioners across the globe. But it seems that it is not just values that are shared across borders. A recent survey by the Ontario Association of Social Workers...

News.
April 5, 2007... Last week's World Social Work Day was a celebration of the common values of practitioners across the globe. But it seems that it is not just values that are shared across borders. A recent survey by the Ontario Association of Social Workers in...

News Analysis.
April 5, 2007... Last week, a Commission for Social Care Inspection report showed some councils were increasingly using single-place children's homes to meet demand arising from the growing number of children with behavioural problems and other complex needs...

Duggan's perfect timing.(Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health's Sean Duggan)(Interview)
April 5, 2007... Sean Duggan's move to the Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health has happened at a crucial time in the field of offenders' mental health, writes Mithran Samuel "Primary care trusts still need to prioritise prison healthcare" Moving from a...

Asylum seekers MPs and Lords slam 'inhumane' policies.(News)(Brief article)
April 5, 2007... The UK's asylum system involves the "deliberate use" of inhumane treatment against asylum seekers, MPs and Lords said last week. The joint committee on human rights said ministers were practising a "deliberate policy" of making asylum...

Funding by simeon brody London boroughs make cash bid to avoid care cuts and rises in charges.(News)
April 5, 2007... London's social care users face higher service thresholds and more charges unless councils gain more funding in the comprehensive spending review. That was the message from a report commissioned by London Councils, the representative body...

News.
April 5, 2007... news in brief * unitary councils The government will consult on 16 options for creating unitary councils in areas which currently have two-tier local government. The bids include 10 from county councils looking to take over functions...

Mental health School-led services promised soon.(Brief article)
April 5, 2007... Children with social and emotional difficulties will be able to access more mental health support either in or through schools in the near future, the government announced last week. The plans were contained in a report from the...

Youth justice by simeon brody Young offenders to receive same services as care leavers on release.
April 5, 2007... Campaigners have welcomed proposals to give people leaving a young offender institution "the same level of assistance, resettlement and support services" as care leavers. The Howard League for Penal Reform said the plan, contained in a...

Care homes Hint at legislation to close rights gap.(News)(Brief article)
April 5, 2007... Overmatter links: Full link to joint committee report: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/jt200607/jtselect/jtrights/77/7702.htm Human Rights Act 1998: http://www.opsi.gov.uk/ACTS/acts1998/19980042.htm The government has...

News.
April 5, 2007... news in brief * disabilities The Disability Rights Commission has named over 60 public bodies which it claimed had not fulfilled their duty to publish a disability equality scheme as of the end of March, despite a deadline of last...

News.
April 5, 2007... open for business Health secretary Patricia Hewitt joins the first president of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services, Anne Williams, at an event to launch the body last week. A survey released to coincide with the launch found...

News.
April 5, 2007... 100,000 people visit www.communitycare.co.uk every month for the latest social care news and views. The top stories you read last week: 1 Alzheimer's Society gains judicial review of Nice ruling. 2 CSCI threatens NHS trust over...

Child protection Safety of contact orders challenged.(adotptive parents to held responsible)(Brief article)
April 5, 2007... Children's safety is being compromised by parental contact arrangements, a Community Care conference heard last week. "Contact - not safety - is now paramount," said Marianne Hester, professor of gender, violence and international policy at...

News.
April 5, 2007... p10-11Ombud 138 words Overmatter links: Action on Elder Abuse: www.elderabuse.org.uk Ombudmsman report on continuing care compensation: http://www.ombudsman.org.uk/improving_services/special_reports/hsc/care07/index.html ...

News.
April 5, 2007... A thriving gardenThrive, a national charity promoting gardening for disabled people, recently received [pounds sterling]6,000 from online shopping channel QVC for its project to renovate the Old English Garden at Battersea Park, south London....

Workforce What social work should be like in the future - your response.
April 5, 2007... Many of you entered our iPod competition on the General Social Care Council's consultation on the roles and tasks of social work in England. Empowering users Many respondents saw empowering users as a key function of social work at...

News.
April 5, 2007... Winning entry of iPod competition Liz Willetts, head of education and training, Social Care Association Social work at its best looks like the kind of care and support people say they need in order to be themselves, connected to...

News.
April 5, 2007... Human rights campaigner Rachel Hurst (right) is "freed" from a cage in Soho Square, London, to symbolise the signing of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities last week. Hurst, director of Disability Awareness...

Children Doubts over child poverty targets.(Brief article)
April 5, 2007... The government risks missing its target to halve child poverty by 2010-11 by failing to commit [pounds sterling]4bn in benefits and other measures in this year's comprehensive spending review, experts warn. The Institute for Fiscal Studies...

Children's trusts Joint commissioning problems for trusts.(child care workers)(Brief article)
April 5, 2007... Children's trust pathfinders have faced problems involving schools and GPs in the joint commissioning of services, a government-sponsored evaluation of the 35 areas has found. The three-year study by the University of East Anglia said more...

Children School-led mental health care pledged.(News)(Brief article)
April 5, 2007... Overmatter links: Report from: http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/9D2/78/cyp_supportingfamilies290307.pdf Children with social and emotional difficulties will be able to gain more mental health support either in or through schools in...

News.
April 5, 2007... pp8-9webq Your responses: Should the UK do more to celebrate World Social Work Day? (Yes: 85 per cent No: 15 per cent) This week: Would you be happy to pay more council tax if it resulted in better social care services?

Home Office rejig a 'missed opportunity'.(administration of juvenile justice)(Brief article)
April 5, 2007... Overmatter links: Machinery of Government: Security and Counter-Terrorism, and the Criminal Justice System from http://www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/reports/government_changes/index.asp Penal reform groups have said the government missed...

The Big Question.
April 12, 2007... Jaya Kathrecha Carer Being person-centred. It's important to look at the circumstances of carers and users: the difficulties and barriers that prevent them being part of their communities, in terms of culture, age and understanding,...

populist manoeuvring.(Home Office's law on paedophiles)(Editorial)(Brief article)
April 12, 2007... The Home Office's latest supposed clampdown on paedophiles is as wrong-headed as it is unexpected. It took the big children's charities, which have lobbied hard against it, completely by surprise and it is hard to see why the government...

If you ask me...(00 Templates)
April 12, 2007... Jethro Dykes uses services at Westminster Mind in London and is a writer If You Ask Me for 12.4.07. ends words: 265 Who has influenced you the most? My family - I've learned a lot from them. When I was younger I followed...

A measure of promise?(Knowledge Zone)(social service administration)
April 12, 2007... The Department of Health wants a radical shake-up of commissioning health and social care services. Barbara Allen and The Department of Health commissioning framework for health and well-being was published last month and delivers on some...

cultural revolution.(UK Department of Health framework for health and well-being)
April 12, 2007... The Department of Health want a radical shake-up of commissioning health and social care services. Barbara Allen and Elizabeth Wade look at the obstacles to be overcome The much anticipated Department of Health commissioning framework for...

00 Templates.
April 12, 2007... OPEN FORUM Open forum intro open forum intro open forum intro open forum intro open forum, writes Open forum author in standfi Mental health services are under increasing pressure to predict and prevent violent incidents being...

00 Templates.
April 12, 2007... Peter Beresford Perspectives for April 12 The old sixties song 'Please don't let me be misunderstood' could have been written with social work in mind. Perennially underfunded. Reviled by the tabloid media. The ongoing message from...

Interviewbook review.(Who Cares? How State Funding and Political Activism Change Charity)(Book review)
April 12, 2007... Nick Seddon claims to have been pleasantly surprised by the media reception for his book, Who Cares? How State Funding and Political Activism Change Charity. The heads of the big charities rushed to defend themselves in print the Daily Mail...

This Life.
April 12, 2007... this life Talking therapy has helped Alex Williams, who has a borderline personality disorder, immensely life after therapy Where would I be today if I hadn't had access to talking treatments within the mental health sector? I would...

Knowledge Zone.
April 12, 2007... dfs gdf gdf d training and learning The author has provided questions about this article to guide discussion in teams. These can be viewed at www.communitycare.co.uk/prtl and individuals' learning from the discussion can be registered...

Diary.
April 12, 2007... This week's writer is a support worker for a mental health charity diary Monday At the drop-in centre I spend time with different clients and catch up on the latest news. Some of the regular faces are missing, so I make a note to...

Features.
April 12, 2007... Can GPs' surgeries provide a one-stop shop for health and social care needs? Claire Seneviratna looks at some of the pitfalls and benefits to expanding GPs' remit. And, on page 32, Barbara Allen and Elizabeth Wade look at government plans for...

the downside to growth.(Editorial Comment)(voluntary sector )
April 12, 2007... In recent years, councils have significantly contracted out more social care to the private and voluntary sectors. It is now estimated that there are 35,000 charities delivering health and social care in England with a combined income of...

Diary.
April 12, 2007... * opinion communitycare welcomes letters from readers. Please write or e-mail to the addresses below. Shorter letters are more likely to be selected for publication letters Beware of the pseuds How...

OPEN FORUM.(Open Forum)
April 12, 2007... Huge gaps in mental health training must be addressed if service user violence is to be reduced, writes Steve Jones Mental health services are under increasing pressure to predict and prevent violent incidents being perpetrated by mental...

News.
April 12, 2007... on boardLyn Cuff (right), a resident at Cefn Glas extra care housing scheme in Blackwood, south east Wales, picks up a piece on the award-winning development's giant chess board, alongside care manager Sue Sutter, while Lyn's husband Don...

Older people inspectors seek views on restraint.(Commission for Social Care Inspection )(Brief article)
April 12, 2007... The Commission for Social Care Inspection is seeking professionals' experiences of the use and observation of restraint in care homes and home care services, including views on whether residential settings should ban the practice. The...

Young offenders Move to address education shortfalls.(News)(United Kingdom Department for Education and Skills )(Brief article)
April 12, 2007... Reforms to education for 10- to 17-year-olds in the youth justice system in England are being considered by the government. The Department for Education and Skills last week launched a consultation for practitioners on young offenders'...

Spending review by mithran samuel Department of Health aims for real terms increase for adult social care.(News)
April 12, 2007... The Department of Health is gunning for a real-terms increase in adult social care funding in this year's comprehensive spending review. The admission, contained in the department's business plan for 2007-8, is its most specific statement...

Discussion forum.(News)
April 12, 2007... Join the debate at www.communitycare.co.uk/discussionforum. Here are some of the recent highlights On criticisms of cognitive behavioural therapy at a recent Mind conference: "In east Kent we have been campaigning since 2003 for CBT...

News.
April 12, 2007... news in brief * e_STnSolder people A Help the Aged survey has found widespread support for tougher regulations against ageism. It found 92 per cent of people believe workers should have the right to carry on working for as long as they...

Workforce Will staff anger over pay offer explode into strike action?(News)(Social workers)
April 12, 2007... Trade unions and council bosses met last week for more negotiations over this year's pay settlement. Pay row goes nuclear? Social workers compare their "derisory" pay offer with the [pounds sterling]70bn the government is spending on...

Maguire's calming influence.(News Interview)(Nick Maguire)(cognitive behavioural therapy )
April 12, 2007... Psychologist Nick Maguire tells Simeon Brody how cognitive behavioural therapy can change the lives of some homeless people Cognitive behavioural therapy is the flavour of the month in the mental health field. But use of the talking...

child protection law would 'make sex offenders hide'.(children's charity Barnardo's' view on law on paedophiles)(Brief article)
April 12, 2007... Overmatter links: Dan Norris website: http://www.dannorris.org.uk/Child%20protection/childprot.htm Megan's Law - special report http://www.communitycare.co.uk/Articles/2006/06/22/54677/megans-law-special-report.html Vigilance...

Learning difficulties by simeon brody Row erupts over claim service users have little control of national forum.(News)
April 12, 2007... A campaign group has claimed that a national forum set up to give people with learning difficulties a say in government policy is not user-led. National user-led learning difficulties group People First (Self Advocacy) held a protest in...

News.
April 12, 2007... keep the faithA fostering service set up to help provide same-faith placements for Muslim children won an award for community development at the Muslim News Awards for Excellence, which celebrates the achievements of Muslims in the UK....

News.
April 12, 2007... p6-7webq Your responses: Would you be prepared to pay more council tax if it resulted in better social care services? (Yes: 63 per cent No: 37 per cent) This week: Do you agree with introducing a version of Megan's Law in trials...

News.
April 12, 2007... news in brief * HIV People living with HIV are being failed by "chaotic and fragmented" services, charity funders have said. In a report the Aids Funders Forum accused commissioners of neglecting HIV services and blamed "complacency" among...

Workforce by mithran samuelDirectors call for strong leadership to hasten move to electronic records.(News)
April 12, 2007... Overmatter links ADASS www.adass.org.uk Special report on integrated children's system not being implemented by January 2007:...

News.
April 12, 2007... news in brief * palliative care The government has announced that 191 projects within 146 hospices will share [pounds sterling]40m from the Department of Health to improve end-of-life care. The money will help enhance therapeutic...

Features.
April 12, 2007... Last month, children's minister Parmjit Dhanda announced [pounds sterling]13m to help social care employers buy laptops and other mobile communication devices to help free children's social workers up to spend more time in direct contact with...

LEARNING DIFFICULTIESCommunity Care in life chances survey.(News)
April 12, 2007... Community Care is launching a survey of people with learning difficulties to find out how they feel about their life chances. More than 1,000 questionnaires have been sent out asking people about a range of issues such as where they live,...

Learning difficulties Funding shift puts health checks at risk.(News)(Brief article)
April 12, 2007... Wales's policy of providing annual health checks for people with learning difficulties is in jeporardy, it was alleged last week, after a redistribution of funding by the country's Labour administration. The British Medical Association...

News.
April 12, 2007... children's services Ofsted warns over unequal outcomes Most councils are helping to improve outcomes for children but access to mental health services and delays in investigating child protection concerns remain a weakness for some,...

Substance misuse Specialist parent court to be piloted.(News)(for parents with drug and alcohol problems)(Brief article)
April 12, 2007... Overmatter links: Press release on plan: http://www.camden.gov.uk/ccm/content/press/2007/april/camden-helps-parents-overcome-their-addictions.en www.communitycare.co.uk/substancemisuse www.communitycare.co.uk/childprotection ...

News.
April 12, 2007... pp8-9Click 1. Contact arrangements endanger children, Community Care hears. 2. Independent mental capacity advocates start work. 3. MPs to probe adults with learning difficulties' human rights. 4. London Councils warns of...

Standards User focus could be target of inspectors.(News)(Brief article)
April 12, 2007... Overmatter links http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/portal/site/Internet/menuitem.eace3f09a603f6d9c3172a8a08c08a0c/?vgnextoid=5bfa8c9acea71110VgnVCM1000003507640aRCRD Ofsted could be required to show it is taking account of a high number of...