Community Care articles from February 2002

Community Care archives from February 2002

refuges of information.
February 7, 2002... Julie Taylor-Browne, an independent researcher, looks at the role of consultation in improving services for women who are abused by their partners Consultation, participation and involvement of service users are ideas that have been...

time for freedom of information.(counsil and case notes)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2002... viewpoint Community development worker Mary Clear says it is time for a rethink on how councils provide access to case notes I am a qualified social worker and a care leaver. Recently almost 1,000 pages of photocopied case notes arrived in...

Smaller, but better formed?
February 7, 2002... As more looked-after children find themselves in residential homes in the private sector as opposed to local authority care, social services inspector Paul Clark looks at whetherprivate homes are offering better value While the number of...

not lost hope'.(wrongful death)
February 7, 2002... Terry Philpot interviews Francis and Berthe Climbi? about how they hope the inquiry into their daughter's death will help heal family rifts and provide some answers to how the authorities failed Victoria Francis and Berthe Climbi?'s return...

winning option helps parents.(child protection services)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2002... Maxine Vernon reports on how the winner of the Community Care Awards 2001 child protection category helps parents who misuse substances stay with their families "To tell you the truth, I cried," says Option 2 therapist Mark Hamer about his...

benefit point scoring.(Brief Article)
February 7, 2002... welfare rights Gary Vaux on a new method of assessing eligibility for disability living allowance and attendance allowance The government seems to be getting a bit twitchy over disability living allowance and attendance allowance. The...

epidemic on the move.(AIDS in India)
February 7, 2002... India has the second highest number of HIVcases in the world. So why is so little being done to raise awareness among south Asians in the UK, asks Anabel Unity Sale Surrinder was 29 when her husband died of an Aids-related illness last...

mental health; Prisons inspector criticises Dartmoor.(Brief Article)
February 7, 2002... Dartmoor jail has been criticised for being "imprisoned in its own past" by the new chief inspector of prisons Anne Owers, in her first inspection report. Prisoners were referred to as "rubbish" and one in four claimed to have been...

older people; Report slams staff at residential home.(Brief Article)
February 7, 2002... Inspectors in Wales have produced a report highlighting serious concerns about the running of a residential home for older people in Cardiff. The report, carried out by the Joint Inspection Unit of the Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan...

the wrong signals.(teenage pregnancy)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2002... In tackling teenage pregnancies useful lessons are to be learned from the UK's Asian communities, where rates are negligible compared with the indigenous population, says Yasmin Alibhai-Brown Amanda Redman, an actress who often appears in...

child protection by brian morgan; Teenage girl discharges her own care order after claim of rape.(Brief Article)
February 7, 2002... A council in East Anglia has refused to comment on claims that a teenage girl who escaped from care has succeeded in discharging her own care order, saying an injunction prohibits Community Care from naming the council involved. A national...

long-term care; Rising nursing home costs 'swallow up' residents' free nursing care.
February 7, 2002... Nursing homes have been accused of not passing on nursing care payments to their residents, but home owners say they are the ones losing money. Katie Leason reports The word "free" usually has positive connotations. Free speech, free...

Too much; too young.(teenage pregnancy)
February 7, 2002... The UK has the highest rate of teenage pregnancies in western Europe, something that the government seems determined to change. But has it struck the right balance between providing for teenage mothers and taking action that might lead to a...

young people; Study points to holes in the net.(Brief Article)
February 7, 2002... Disaffected teenagers from ethnic minorities and those in local authority care are the two categories most likely to fall through the net of care, education and employment services, according to research from Joseph Rowntree Foundation. A...

long-term care by Reg McKay; Scottish care homes issue ultimatum to councils over higher charges.(Brief Article)
February 7, 2002... Scottish local authorities have until 11 February to agree to additional charges for residential care. If they fail they face a complete refusal by the care homes sector to take new council-funded referrals. The ultimatum from private home...

Scotland; Better safeguards for children needed.(Brief Article)
February 7, 2002... An inquiry into one of Scotland's biggest sex abuse scandals has concluded that the protection of children in the care of local authorities needs a major shake-up. The inquiry was commissioned by Fife Council following the conviction of a...

CHILDREN; UK child care costs highest in Europe.(Brief Article)
February 7, 2002... Child care bills have reached record heights, according to child care charity the Daycare Trust. The charity's latest annual survey published last week shows the typical cost of a nursery place for a child under two is now ?120 per week,...

child protection; Religious orders to pay compensation.(Brief Article)
February 7, 2002... Religious orders in the Irish Republic are to contribute 128 million Euros (?78m) to a state-backed compensation fund for children who suffered abuse in residential care during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Agreement on the amount, announced...

residential care by jonathan pearce; Government urges less stringent approach to care home standards.(Brief Article)
February 7, 2002... The National Care Standards Commission should initially take a "pragmatic but timed approach" to ensuring older people's care homes comply with national minimum standards due to come into force in April, according to government guidance issued...

older people by jonathan pearce; Underfunding is leading to 'back-ups, bottlenecks' and rationing.(Brief Article)
February 7, 2002... Older people's services are being rationed because of chronic underfunding, which puts lives at risk and jeopardises plans to reform the NHS, according to a major report from 21 older people's organisations published last week. The Social...

asylum seekers; Campaigners warn over identity cards.(Brief Article)
February 7, 2002... Campaigners for asylum seekers have questioned whether the government's new identity cards, launched last week, will cause applicants more problems than they solve. The Application Registration Card will include the bearer's photo,...

young people; Girl died after failed supervision.(Brief Article)
February 7, 2002... Local government ombudsman Patricia Thomas has criticised Manchester City Council for failing to have a "properly thought out strategy", following the death of a schoolgirl from a drug overdose on open ground in Manchester. The council...

home care; Fewer providers likely in future.(Brief Article)
February 7, 2002... Home care businesses will face increasing pressure to consolidate over the next few months, according to a report published by health and social care analysts Laing & Buisson. Because of the new regulatory regime being introduced by the...

Supporting People; Providers will be paid by councils.(UK social policy)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2002... Councils are to receive a grant to pay providers of support as part of the government's Supporting People programme. It is one of the proposals set out in a consultation paper on charges released this week. Under the proposals, service...

readers' views; Nursing care policies are unworkable.(Brief Article)
February 7, 2002... Some 85 per cent of visitors to www.community-care.co.uk believe the government's free nursing care policies are unworkable. This follows the House of Commons health select committee's description of the policies as an "shambles". This...

older people ; Council criticised for use of B&Bs.(accommodations for aged needing care in Scotland)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2002... A Scottish council has been condemned for arranging respite care for older people in bed and breakfast accommodation rather than independent residential or nursing homes. Argyll and Bute Council has one of the highest ratios of independent...

self-defeating policy.(funding for social services)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2002... In a new report, a coalition of older people's organisations including Age Concern and Help the Aged blames underfunding for the bottlenecks in the care system. Such is the shortage of services, the National Service Framework for Older People...

Haringey's real lessons.(child protection work)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2002... Haringey's North Tottenham office at the time it dealt with Victoria Climbi?'s case is not typical of local authority child protection work. Unless you work there, the revelations about Haringey's past and seeming inability to co-operate with...

workforce; Care trust staff may lose pension rights.(Brief Article)
February 7, 2002... Local authority staff transferred to a care trust could lose their right to remain in the local government pension scheme, Community Care has learned. All local government workers transferred to a care trust - officially an NHS body - are...

offenders by Clare Jerrom; Prison reoffending schemes are not consistent enough, report suggests.(Brief Article)
February 7, 2002... Programmes aimed at reducing reoffending are too inconsistent, according to a report from the National Audit Office last week. Sir John Bourn, head of the NAO, welcomed the expansion in the prison service's provision of programmes...

training; New degree course for Wales in 2004.(Brief Article)
February 7, 2002... Anew social work degree course is to be launched in Wales in 2004, the minister for health and social services at the Welsh assembly announced last week. Speaking at the British Association of Social Workers conference in Cardiff, Jane...

victoria climbi? inquiry by sally gillen; Further chaos as Haringey again submits late evidence to inquiry.(Brief Article)
February 7, 2002... Victoria Climbi?'s parents have accused Haringey Council of "deliberately withholding documents and hindering the inquiry", following its late submission of another two batches of papers. The final batch of documents, relating to...

University challenges.(mental health of college students)
February 7, 2002... this life Helen Waddell describes how student life contributed to her developing a mental illness Despite the popular image of students as a bunch of lazy, freeloading layabouts who spend three to four years in an alcoholic haze and miss...

criminal justice; Chief inspector of prisons proposes raising age limit on support services.(Brief Article)
February 7, 2002... Anne Owers has called for an extension of services for young offenders until they are aged 25. Would this improve their resettlement chances, asks Anabel Unity Sale When is a 25-year-old not considered an adult? When they are in prison....

field work.
February 7, 2002... Working Progress is a new fortnightly series on examples of good practice in joint working that have been improved or turned around either by user involvement, consultation, trying something new, or responding to suggestions or complaints. This...

mental health; New guide to assist social inclusion.(Brief Article)
February 7, 2002... Mental health services are "struggling" to tackle their clients' social inclusion needs, a new report claims. The Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health has published an in-depth analysis on how agencies can help people with mental health problems...

independent role is still needed.(protecting young people remanded to prison)(Brief Article)(Column)
February 14, 2002... viewpoint Frances Crook argues that only an independent view can truly protect young people remanded in prison The scheme to rescue children from prison set up by the Howard League and developed nationally by the Children's Society is being...

sheltered but; forgotten.(children's services in shelters for battered women)
February 14, 2002... Children's services within refuges for women forced from their homes by domestic violence are being neglected by statutory authorities in terms of funding and regulations. Natalie Valios finds out why BBC Children in Need provides more...

self-harm; and culture.(specific problems of services for south Asian women who self-harm or attempt suicide)
February 14, 2002... Researcher Khatidja Chantler on research about the specific problems of services for south Asian women who self-harm or attempt suicide This research study on service responses to attempted suicide and self-harm by south Asian women...

search and deploy mission.(Community Care Awards 2001)
February 14, 2002... Maxine Vernon reports on how the winner of the Community Care Awards 2001 children and families category is helping Asian children find adoptive or foster parents from their own community Within adoption agencies it is widely accepted that...

renewal strategy; Delay in funds leads to spending worries.(Brief Article)
February 14, 2002... Voluntary and community groups fear that they will lose some community empowerment fund money because a 10-month delay in the release of the first year's fund means they have been left with just two months to spend it. The fund is intended...

youth crimes and punishment.(juveniles on remand are incarcerated in prisons )
February 14, 2002... During the past 10 years, governments have committed themselves to ending the practice whereby juveniles on remand are incarcerated in prisons and every one has failed. Rachel Downey questions why this practice continues, while on page 33,...

at home with the family.(Home Secretary David Blunkett and family policy)
February 14, 2002... Home secretary David Blunkett has elevated family policy on the government's agenda by taking on the role of families minister himself. Here, in a wide-ranging discussion with Frances Rickford, he voices particular concern over the damage to...

standards; Wirral taken off special measures.(Brief Article)
February 14, 2002... Wirral Council has been taken off special measures thanks to "significant improvements" in social services highlighted in a new joint review. The social services department was placed on special measures in 1999 due to a lack of strategic...

policy prescriptions.(mental health services)
February 14, 2002... Policy analyst Maria Duggan describes how mental health users and practitioners can create new policy and practice within the confines of care trusts and medical models of health The government's recent outlining of the future of its health...

cheque's in; the post.(neighbourhood renewal drive)
February 14, 2002... The government has been applauded for supporting local community decision-making in its neighbourhood renewal drive, but engaging small local groups and channelling their funds have not gone smoothly, reports Ruth Winchester If...

asylum seekers by elizabeth davidson; Denial of milk tokens exposes babies to HIV risk, claim campaigners.(Brief Article)
February 14, 2002... Babies of asylum seekers are contracting HIV because a "callous" government policy denies them milk tokens, leaving HIV-infected mothers no choice but to breastfeed their babies, the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) has claimed. Mothers...

funding; Monmouthshire calls for larger slice.(Brief Article)
February 14, 2002... A Welsh local authority has warned that not even a council tax rise of 13 per cent will enable the needs of its vulnerable clients to be met. Monmouthshire's select committee for social and housing services says that although increasing...

appointments; New chairperson for care council.(General Social Care Council)(Brief Article)
February 14, 2002... The General Social Care Council has named former Association of Metropolitan Authorities secretary Rodney Brooke as its new chairman. He will start on 1 March when interim chairperson Baroness Jill Pitkeathley, who has led the organisation...

youth justice; Education services fail young offenders.(Brief Article)
February 14, 2002... Young offenders' education services are not meeting the needs of young people in custody, according to the chief inspector of prisons. Anne Owers said that around 70 per cent of children and young adults coming into young offenders...

homelessness by lauren revans; Shortage of housing puts London on top of B&B league for homelessness.(Brief Article)
February 14, 2002... An average of 5,570 homeless households were housed in bed and breakfast accommodation in London at any one time last year, according to figures published last week. The audit commission performance indicators 2000-1, published alongside...

Disabilities; Welsh councils get disability sports.(Brief Article)
February 14, 2002... The Sports Council for Wales has established a scheme to appoint a disability sports development officer in each of the 22 local authorities. The officers will arrange sporting events for people with mobility or learning difficulties,...

Workplace; pay negotiations remain deadlocked.(Brief Article)
February 14, 2002... Local government unions have rejected a pay rise of 2.5 per cent for local authority staff, in the first round of this year's pay talks. Describing last week's offer as "derisory", public service union Unison - representing 1.3 million...

Children; Glasgow fails to allocate workers.(Brief Article)
February 14, 2002... Glasgow Council has been unable to allocate social workers to more than 300 children under its legal supervision as it faces an unprecedented 21 per cent vacancy rate in its children and families teams. The children are under formal community...

Local government; council audits will involve local people.(Brief Article)
February 14, 2002... Nine local councils and health organisations in England and Wales are testing a new style of audit that will involve local people, according to public services watchdog the Audit Commission. The commission is keen to develop a greater...

Mental health; figures point to lone parent problem.(Brief Article)
February 14, 2002... Children of lone parents and children in stepfamilies are more likely to have mental health problems, according to the latest Social Trends, published by the Office for National Statistics this month. Drawing on a 1999 survey carried out by...

Workplace; staff in north take more sick leave.(Brief Article)
February 14, 2002... Local government staff in the north of England are more likely to be off work ill than those in the south, according to a new report by the Employers' Organisation for Local Government. The survey found that councils in the North East,...

Child protection; Isle of Man police critical of services.(Brief Article)
February 14, 2002... The lead police officer investigating the murder of two 16-year olds, who were in the care of the Isle of Man's Department of Health and Social Security, has criticised the island's social services. Chief inspector Gary Roberts said that...

Best VAlue; report says policy costs unreasonable.(Brief Article)
February 14, 2002... Best Value has resulted in extra bureaucracy and unproductive work to meet statutory requirements, according to new government research. A report from the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions examined the 41 largest...

Learning difficulties; refuse collection scheme under fire.(Brief Article)
February 14, 2002... A social services department has refuted claims that it will be exploiting people with learning difficulties by encouraging them to be volunteer refuse collectors. Oldham Council argues that its plan for people with learning difficulties...

Readers' views; chaotic system in Haringey is typical.(Brief Article)
February 14, 2002... Nearly two thirds of visitors to Community Care's website say the chaos in Haringey's child protection system is typical. Of those who responded to the survey, 63 per cent said the severe problems with filing highlighted during the Victoria...

Shape of things to come.(Brief Article)
February 14, 2002... T he government's decision to bring managers in from outside to run four failing NHS trusts may be a warning of things to come for social services departments. One small mercy is that they will be NHS managers, health secretary Alan Milburn...

Churches urged to give clergy more training to combat child abuse.(Brief Article)
February 14, 2002... A lack of child protection training for clergy could lead to a repeat of the Victoria Climbi? tragedy, the Churches Child Protection Advisory Service (CCPAS) warned this week. Only half the theological colleges that took part in a survey...

Family policy dilemma.(Brief Article)
February 14, 2002... David Blunkett has quickly discovered that the balance between preventive and crisis services is one of the most difficult questions facing both family policy and direct work with families on the ground. Local authorities found this out for...

Regulation; new management for "no-star" trusts.(Brief Article)
February 14, 2002... Four NHS trusts that failed to make significant improvements since receiving zero-star ratings last September will have their management franchised to other NHS organisations, the Department of Health announced earlier this week. The move...

Policy; Blunkett points to delivery problems.(Home Secretary David Blunkett)(Brief Article)(Interview)
February 14, 2002... Home secretary David Blunkett has criticised the government's favoured mechanism for local service delivery - the multi-agency partnership. In an interview for Community Care Blunkett describes the term partnership as "overworked". He also...

Social care staff to face hurdles in claims for stress-related injuries.(Brief Article)
February 14, 2002... Social care workers may find it more difficult to make claims for stress-related injury following a landmark decision by the Court of Appeal. In overturning damages claims from two teachers and a factory worker, totalling almost ?200,000,...

Asylum seekers by Anabel Unity sale; campaigners attack asylum white paper for focus on 'removal'.(Brief Article)
February 14, 2002... Asylum seeker and refugee campaigners have criticised the government's immigration and asylum white paper for focusing on the removal of asylum seekers rather than assisting them. Secure Borders, Safe Haven: Integration with Diversity in...

Scots staff to monitor children in bid to arrest delinquent behaviour.(Brief Article)
February 14, 2002... Staff in nursery schools and care groups for under-fives in Scotland are to be asked to identify children at risk of developing delinquent behaviour. The plan is part of Scotland's Action Programme to Reduce Youth Crime 2002, published...

Happy memories, happy children?(pregancy from sperm of dead husband)(Brief Article)
February 14, 2002... Yvonne roberts comments on the tabloids' current infatuation with the story of Diane Blood The media's enchantment with Diane Blood manifested itself fulsomely again last week when she announced that she was pregnant for a second time...

A rich cultural blend.(racially mixed personal narrative)(Brief Article)
February 14, 2002... this life Twelve-year-old Cindy Crome describes how her life is enriched by having parents from different cultures Some children may find it difficult having parents from two different cultures. But I don't find it a problem. It's great to...

Social revolution.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 14, 2002... letter from saratov In the first article of a fortnightly series from overseas social workers, Valentina Yarskaya looks back over the first 10 years of social work education in Russia Last year social work as a profession and...

Prison is no cure.(Brief Article)
February 14, 2002... In her first Perspectives, Lisa Harker, of the Institute of Public Policy Research, argues that it is time to put the onus on a preventive approach to young offenders. After all, locking them up has not worked There are signs that we are...

Child protection; teacher sex allegations expose flaws in regulation of supply agencies.
February 14, 2002... Accusations that Amy Gehring had sex with pupils were rejected by a jury last week. But the case highlighted the lack of adequate vetting of supply staff. Natalie Valios reports It has been hard to miss the newspaper reports of the...

Living in fear of a client.
February 14, 2002... A young woman with mental health problems is sent to prison for burglary. Her baby, who has been put up for adoption, is brought to her once a month but a decision is taken to break off contact with her social worker. As a result the...

Solicitor points to unrealistic demands.(Brief Article)
February 21, 2002... Lisa Arthurworrey's legal representative warned the inquiry that the recruitment and retention problems blighting social services departments nationally will not improve unless people were more realistic about what a front-line social worker...

readers' views; Does inquiry show need for agency?(Brief Article)
February 21, 2002... This week's question asks: In light of the evidence from the Victoria Climbi? inquiry do you think a new child protection agency should be established? To vote in this week's survey visit www.community-care.co.uk Only a third of...

route to inclusion.(social services for refugees)(Brief Article)
February 21, 2002... To alleviate social exclusion, support services need to be developed to help draw refugees into work and the use of mainstream services. Careers specialist Gordon Collins describes the aims of such services Refugees are perhaps the most...

open to ; the Public.(Freedom of Information Act 2000)(Brief Article)
February 21, 2002... How far will the Freedom of Information Act open up local authorities and other bodies to public scrutiny? Human rights solicitor Bernadette Livesey reports How much did your organisation spend last year on agency staff? How much did the...

fact file.(Brief Article)
February 21, 2002... 1 Depression About 1 per cent of the population is diagnosed with manic depression, writes Natalie Valios. They experience extreme mood swings of highs and lows, although the frequency and severity of mood cycles varies from person to...

slow ; progress.(self-scrutiny for social services for the elderly)
February 21, 2002... Services for frail older people are patchy and disjointed according to a report by district auditors Fred Andrews, Paul Burdon and Kevin Huggins Cooper All agencies involved in the provision of older people's mental health and...

victoria climbi inquiry; Laming probe reveals scope of communications breakdown.(social services)
February 21, 2002... As phase one of the Victoria Climbi? Inquiry ended this week, a picture was emerging of professions that simply do not understand each other. Lauren Revans reports By the time the doors of the Victoria Climbi? Inquiry opened in September...

Family justice; Plea for more cash for court service.(Brief Article)
February 21, 2002... The Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service needs a "significant increase" in resources to ensure the efficient operation of the family justice system, according to an influential panel of family law experts. In a report...

ONce and for all.(Leicester service coordinates services for children with complex needs)(Brief Article)
February 21, 2002... A pilot project based in Leicester on service co-ordination for children with complex needs has proved a great success. Graham Hopkins reports Amisha Patel is just over two years old. She is in a baby carrier positioned at the feet of her...