Community Care articles from February 2007

Community Care archives from February 2007

Older people Charity urges action on financial abuse.(News)(Action on Elder Abuse )(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... The government has been criticised for failing to tighten systems to tackle the financial abuse of older people, in a report showing they are losing millions of pounds. Action on Elder Abuse estimated that almost 500 cases of theft,...

Children's services by Amy Taylor Unified directors body promises to boost councils' clout with Whitehall.(Association of Directors of Children's Services)
February 1, 2007... Children's services heads will have more influence with government with the creation of a new directors' body next week, an education leader has said. Chris Waterman, executive director of Confed, said the Association of Directors of...

News.
February 1, 2007... Social care staff are failing to follow government child protection guidance when working with children exposed to domestic violence or substance misuse, according to new research. The Department for Education and Skills commissioned...

Learning difficulties Leadership key to education outcomes.(News)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Teenagers with learning difficulties do as well in mainstream further education as in specialist colleges, so long as they have specialist teachers and intensive support, according to an Ofsted report. The study found that quality of...

00 Templates.(Letter to the editor)
February 1, 2007... Do you doff your cap to the government's 40 new Respect areas? Jaya Kathrecha Carer This is all part of the blaming and punishing approach to children and their parents. These people aren't always bad, just misguided. More...

News.
February 1, 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 Tributes paid as children's commissioner dies. 2 Respect areas to tackle antisocial...

News.
February 1, 2007... Dezcarstairspp10-11 The number of beds at Scotland's only maximum-security mental health hospital are to be cut by almost half by 2010, its chief executive has announced. Andreana Adamson told Community Care the reduction from 240 to...

Regulation Scots social care complaints rise.(News)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... There has been a big surge in complaints about care services in Scotland. Figures from regulator the Scottish Care Commission show it received 2,061 new complaints in 2005-6, an increase of 366 (22 per cent) on the previous year. But...

Personal care Scottish council to repay meal costs.(Edinburgh Council)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Edinburgh Council is to repay [pounds sterling]2m it charged 820 older people for help in preparing meals under the free personal care policy. Edinburgh is the first council to offer repayments since the Scottish parliament's health...

Diary.
February 1, 2007... diary This week's writer is a manager in children's services Monday I return to work after a week off on holiday. Switch on my computer to be greeted with page after page of e-mails. It is enough to make me yearn for the days when a...

News.
February 1, 2007... Discussion Forum page 8-9 On what is happening to social work "I believe change will happen soon. Bullying managers who sit and shout orders will be overthrown." On job evaluations affecting wages "Looking at other authorities...

News.
February 1, 2007... Helenagencypage8-9 Up to 40 per cent of children being considered for adoption cannot be placed in part because of councils' reluctance to use voluntary agencies, according to a draft government-commissioned report. The Department for...

youth justice by helen mccormackFears of a government 'yes man' being appointed to replace Morgan.(Rod Morgan of Youth Justice Board )
February 1, 2007... The resignation of Youth Justice Board chair Rod Morgan has sparked fears that the Home Office will replace him with a "government patsy". Campaigners voiced concerns in the wake of last week's announcement that Morgan was standing down...

If you ask me...(Claudia Mejia on medical health services)(Interview)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Claudia Mejia is 29 and a mother. She uses mental health services in London Who has influenced you the most? My mother - she told me I can achieve anything I want. Which professional has helped you most? My biochemistry...

00 Templates.(Sutton and Merton Primary Care Trust )(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... learning difficulties Concerns ignored at Sutton and Merton Managers at all levels of Sutton and Merton Primary Care Trust ignored concerns about the treatment of people with learning difficulties, even though serious abuse was...

News.
February 1, 2007... Should adult protection be placed on a statutory footing like child protection? * Discuss this further at www.communitycare.co.uk/discussionforum Debra Beavis, regional business development manager, Goldsborough Home Care "Yes....

News.
February 1, 2007... Heading lead heading lead heading lead heading lead heading lead The coming year is a significant one for social care's partnerships with the NHS, the sector's leading civil servant told Community Care LIVE Adults last week. Department...

News.
February 1, 2007... News heading standard Carers "ought to be recognised" as the main provider of social care for older people," Daphne Statham, honorary professor of social work at Warwick University, told delegates. A carer herself, Statham said more...

News.
February 1, 2007... soundbites * "I am ashamed to say that one of my staff said 'self assessmentwho does that then?'." Bev Maybury, head of modernisation, adults and community services at Oldham Council. * "Why do councils continue to commission...

News.
February 1, 2007... LIVEamydentpp12-13 A campaign for better support for kinship carers will be launched shortly by the Family Welfare Association, the conference heard. Chief executive Helen Dent said allowing extended family members to care for children...

News.
February 1, 2007... News heading standard Councils must ensure direct payment or individual budget users can choose high-quality services but not restrict their choice of care, a leading director told the conference. Jeff Jerome, co-chair of the...

News.
February 1, 2007... News heading standard The government's Mental Health Bill could end up mired in a "prolonged wrangle" between the two houses of parliament, the official in charge of the bill's implementation told the conference. Mental Health Bill...

Take the initiative.(Knowledge Zone)(Ashley Homes)
February 1, 2007... Ashley Homes' success story serves as a prime example of how the private and voluntary sectors can get it right if they work together constructively, writes Mark Lloyd In 2006 the Greenwich Neighbourhood Resource Centres (NRCs) for older...

News.
February 1, 2007... The question of whether independent care providers should be governed by human rights law looks set to be settled by the highest court in the land. This week, the Appeal Court gave four care home residents from Birmingham and Havering,...

News.
February 1, 2007... * older people Instructions on packaging and medicines are difficult for older people to read due to design aspects, including choices of type, research published in the journal Gerontechnology by King's College London has found. The...

News.
February 1, 2007... * benefits Lone parents could face reductions to their benefits under changes to the welfare system being considered. Work and pensions secretary John Hutton indicated this week ministers would look at toughening up policy, which requires lone...

News.
February 1, 2007... * special needs A landmark ruling in Scotland could mean more councils will refuse to fund places for children with special needs at independent schools of parents' choice. The Court of Session in Edinburgh ruled councils no longer had to take...

00 Templates.(racism)
February 1, 2007... hope for social care in Big Brother furore Two big stories of abuse and intimidation have made headlines at the start of 2007. Both were linked with institutional living, but the fall-out from the two is very different. First is Celebrity...

News.
February 1, 2007... Speak upEaling resident Mandeep Virdi tackles the west London borough's cabinet member for adult services and housing, Ian Green, on key local issues at an event designed to allow young people to voice their concerns. Around 120 young people...

News.
February 1, 2007... All togetherPublic sector staff voice their opposition to government plans to outsource services in probation and the NHS at a rally of unions outside the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, central London, last week. Addressing the protest...

Signs of hope.(Practice special)
February 1, 2007... PRACTICE COMMENT Grant Wetherall looks for ways to prevent abuse taking root and flourishing in the future The Orchard Hill abuse scandal, as did previous inquiries into Ely Hospital (1969) and Longcare (1998) and last year's Cornwall...

My practice.(Column)
February 1, 2007... Practice comment Staff at Orchard Hill did not treat residents as human beings with rights, says Joanna Perry a negative culture I have been to Orchard Hill. It was a depressing place which felt stuck in the past, detached from the...

Project Report.(abuse in care services for people)
February 1, 2007... For the second time in six months details emerged of abuse in care services for people project report: orchard hill special outside looking in What is striking about the reports into abuse in services for people with learning...

The meaning of life.(Practice special)
February 1, 2007... The Orchard Hill inquiry exposed a lack of person-centred planning. One national charity's approach, however, has transformed the lives of people with learning difficulties, discovers Graham Hopkins project report: orchard hill special ...

no time to shut up shop.(Editorial Comment)
February 1, 2007... The reluctance of some agencies working with children to say what they really think about the row over gay adoption and the Catholic Church bears testimony to the sensitive nature of the issue. Of course religious sensitivities must be...

News.
February 1, 2007... Preventable deaths in custody could be subject to stronger accountability under new proposals to extend the power of coroners. The draft Coroners Bill will require public or private organisations to respond to coroners' reports and say what...

Adoption Register sees big rise in placements.(News)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... The national adoption register found placements for 40 per cent more children in the year to November 2006 compared with the previous year. Figures released this week by the British Association for Adoption and Fostering reveal that 157...

Supported housing 'Housing projects saved our lives'.(News)
February 1, 2007... Residents of two government-funded supported housing schemes have reported high levels of satisfaction, with some claiming the projects had saved their lives, according to a major study. An evaluation of the Safer Communities Housing Fund,...

Disabilities by Simeon Brody Cat's cradle of red tape' dogs move to adult services for young people.(News)
February 1, 2007... "Urgent action" is needed to tackle the "considerable difficulties" facing disabled young people and their families in the transition from children's to adult services, according to inspectors. A Commission for Social Care Inspection...

A life less ordinary.(AIDS disease)
February 1, 2007... this life Manel Guell was diagnosed as HIV positive when only 23 and has adjusted his life plans accordingly Many of us grow up making plans for our future. We spend our childhoods imagining and dreaming of exciting times ahead. For some,...

News.
February 1, 2007... Webqp7 Virtually all the visitors to Community Care's website last week supported Lord Lester's private member's bill to prevent forced marriage with 98% of voters backing his call. This week's question asks:- "Following John Hutton's...

Mix and match.(Commission for Social Care Inspection)
February 1, 2007... How far is the drive towards personalised care being reflected in the commissioning of social care services, asks Anabel Unity Sale "Involving people in commissioning is absolutely right and we should listen to what people tell us they want...

Looked-after children Adoption sector concern over likely loss of Catholic agencies.(News Analysis)
February 1, 2007... The prime minister has set out his view of the Catholic position on the Equality Act but social care bodies have been more reluctant to speak out. Helen McCormack and Derren Hayes report level playing field? "Misconception" over cost...

Letters.
February 1, 2007... The Healthcare Commission's investigation in Sutton and Merton (Community Care 18th January) identified the dreadful failure of services to many people with learning disabilities. Your editorial asks why these problems were not highlighted...

Features.
February 1, 2007... the facilitators Changing Place enables those with severe disabilities to use the public facilities most of us take for granted. Mary Garboden meets the manager of the Nottingham project that won Community Care's 2006 carers' award ...

Frontlines.
February 1, 2007... Raising the school leaving age will do nothing for the under-16s who are already failing at school, writes Helen Bonnick The government announcement that a green paper will propose raising the school leaving age has already caused a flurry...

Knowledge Zone.
February 1, 2007... 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 on a free,...

The Simon Heng column A service user's view of social care.(Column)
February 1, 2007... An acquaintance of mine died recently. He had been born with a severe form of spina bifida, and had hydrocephalus - an enlarged head - under-developed legs and many associated health problems. His appearance was far from the accepted standards...

Safety in numbers.(Features)
February 1, 2007... It was a busy first 10 months for Europe's first family justice centre where 32 agencies work together under one roof to help victims of domestic violence. Josephine Hocking looks at what makes it unique It is difficult to imagine a place...

church must drop threat.(00 Templates)
February 1, 2007... The reluctance of some agencies working with children to say what they really think about the row over gay adoption and the Catholic Church bears testimony to the sensitive nature of the issue. Of course religious sensitivities must be...

Letters.
February 1, 2007... Our right to live life It is no coincidence that the latest investigation into alleged abuse of people with learning difficulties is centred around services provided by a long-stay hospital (news, page 6, 18 January). Valuing People...

'We've been too quiet'.(Together, mental health charity)
February 1, 2007... Liz Felton tells Simeon Brody why her new role at Together must include making the mental health charity better known A s new head of mental health charity Together Liz Felton knows her organisation has lost out when it comes to grabbing a...

Post-morgan agenda.(Rod Morgan of Youth Justice Board)(Editorial)
February 1, 2007... Rod Morgan decided to jump before he was pushed. Ministers had already informed the chair of the Youth Justice Board that to continue he would have to re-apply for the role when it expired later this year. Liberated from future...

Open Forum.(people with learning difficulties)
February 1, 2007... Ruth Kelly did the right thing by her child, but what about instructing services to help the rest of us to do the same, writes Angela Basoah Councils have an obligation to ground services in the experience of users and carers and...

Behan gives 12 months for partnerships to gel.(David Behan)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Social care's top civil servant warned that the next 12 months would be crucial for the sector's partnerships with the NHS. Department of Health director general for social care David Behan echoed concerns that partnerships had been...

Call for recognition of carers as providers.(News)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Carers "ought to be recognised" as the main provider of social care for older people," Daphne Statham, honorary professor of social work at Warwick University, told delegates. A carer herself, Statham said more older people were looked...

Bill faces prospect of political 'ping-pong'.(News)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... The Mental Health Bill could be mired in a "prolonged wrangle" involving MPs and peers, the official in charge of its implementation told the conference. David Lye said peers could force amendments on to the bill in the House of Lords,...

News.
February 1, 2007... Councils must ensure direct payment or individual budget users can choose high-quality services but not restrict their choice of care, a leading director told the conference. Jeff Jerome, co-chair of the Association of Directors of Social...

soundbites.(News)
February 1, 2007... * "I am ashamed to say that one of my staff said 'self assessmentwho does that then?'." Bev Maybury, head of modernisation, adults and community services at Oldham Council. * "Why do councils continue to commission services from...

Open Forum.('Celebrity Big Brother')
February 8, 2007... The furore over Big Brother has shone a spotlight on how workplaces should tackle racism, writes Blair McPherson How would your workplace deal with the behaviour recently witnessed on Celebrity Big Brother? Would the organisation recognise...

Diary.(community worker)
February 8, 2007... This week's writer is a social work student and a part-time community worker Monday As I'm in the third year of a four-year degree course I have a 65-day direct supervised placement organised. For the next few months I'll be at university...

The Big Question.(Letter to the editor)
February 8, 2007... Big Question 8/2 Mark 1 Karen Shook Disability equality adviser This sounds like a "one-size-fits-all" question. I would put in place enough resources so that disabled children and their families could have real...

News.(drugs misuse)(disabled people)(older people )(Brief article)
February 8, 2007... news in brief * Drugs misuse The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs is expected to call for better care for the children of substance misusing parents in a report due out tomorrow (Friday). * disabilities The government has issued...

News in brief.(social and health needs)(older and disabled people)(Unison)(Brief article)
February 8, 2007... * PRIMARY CARE GPs must manage more of people's social and health needs, the government's chief adviser on primary care said in a report this week. Dr David Colin-ThomA[c], national clinical director for primary care, also called for many...

00 Templates.(National Health Service)
February 8, 2007... Show me the money Jon Glasby In the run up to the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review, some are seeing this as the last chance saloon for social care. With long-term social and demographic changes and allegations of cost shunting from the...

00 Templates.(demographic changes and social care expenditures)
February 8, 2007... time to unleash our creativity Some are seeing the run up to the 2007 comprehensive spending review as the last chance saloon for social care. With long-term social and demographic changes and allegations of cost shunting from the NHS,...

Practice Panel.(medical practitioners)
February 8, 2007... practice panel Derbyshire physical disabilities team user view Sadly, Alfie is experiencing the life of so many younger adults who acquire a severe disability, writes Simon Heng. As he points out himself, he has no life, only an...

Drawing on feelings.(Project Report)
February 8, 2007... Used as an alternative to verbal expression, art therapy is helping adopted children come to terms with their lives and who they are, writes Graham Hopkins When asked to explain a piece of music he had just played, the German composer...

Reviews.(Fathers Matter: Research Findings on Fathers and their Involvement with Social Care Services)(Boxed Off: Developing a Personal Response to Children in Foster Care)(Book review)
February 8, 2007... Fathers Matter: Research Findings on Fathers and their Involvement with Social Care Services aaaaa Family Rights Group ISBN 1871515416, [pounds sterling]14.99 Fathers - and the positive contribution they could make to the...

in-house delusions.(Editorial Comment)
February 8, 2007... Mark 8/2 Second leader I

Food additive.(Welfare Rights)
February 8, 2007... welfare rights A new benefit gives disadvantaged families a chance to stock up on fruit and veg, writes Gary Vaux Goodbye milk tokens, hello food vouchers. The Healthy Start scheme, launched in November, is aimed at low-income and...

Welfare Rights.
February 8, 2007... welfare rights welfare rights intro asdfasd fasd fsdsdf asdf , writes Author Name. G HEALTHY START Goodbye milk tokens, hello food vouchers. The Healthy Start scheme, launched across the UK in November, is aimed at families from...

Closing the gap.(Partners for Inclusion)
February 8, 2007... Sheffield's Partners for Inclusion has created a bridge between disabled people and service providers. It's success led to its scooping Community Care's disability category at December's awards. Mary Garboden reports * disability With...

pie in the sky ? not at all.(Knowledge Zone)(government spending for the welfare of disabled children)
February 8, 2007... Ministerial support for improving services for disabled children and their families means that rather than leading to cuts, the comprehensive spending review offers a golden chance to inject new money, writes Steve Broach There is nothing...

The pressure's on.(Knowledge Zone)(disability services for the elderly)
February 8, 2007... The Wanless report has shown why the comprehensive spending review must allow more money for older people's services, writes Julien Forder. The alternative is the prospect of unmet need and low-quality provision Commitments to health and...

If you ask me...(This Life)(Interview)(Brief article)
February 8, 2007... Stevie White-McQuillan Who has influenced you the most? My partner. He lives for the moment and sees the humour in bad situations. Which professional has helped you most? Colleen, a mental health nurse. She reached out with...

savings go only so far.(government spending for social care)(Editorial)
February 8, 2007... When it comes to social care, local authorities are becoming more efficient and productive. Community Care's exclusive research reveals some positive findings with most service directors convinced they will deliver 3 per cent annual...

Letters.(Letter to the editor)
February 8, 2007... Shut these homes now Change can't come too soon for campus and hospital residents. Although you share examples of why there needs to be a faster pace of change in the way people with learning difficulties are supported (news analysis,...

News.(Royal Air Force)(Brief article)
February 8, 2007... A former RAF base at Coltishall, near Norwich, is set to be transformed into a new immigration removal centre the Home Office announced this week. In March 2006 the Home Office announced plans to build a 420 bed immigration centre at Gatwick,...

Front-line homing instincts.(Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care)(Interview)
February 8, 2007... Jacquie Roberts heads up Scotland's independent care regulatory body. Here, she tells Derren Hayes why she is so personally committed to driving up standards Jacquie Roberts, chief executive of the Scottish Commission for the Regulation of...

One of our team of practitioner columnists gives her take on care homes and moral dilemmas.(Frontlines)
February 8, 2007... While organising respite care for a loved one, Jennifer Harvey found there was such a thing as too much choice What an emotional minefield it is finding respite care for a loved one. Not to mention the financial pitfalls. After a long...

The Simon Heng column A service user's view of social care.(Column)
February 8, 2007... It had to happen eventually. I've had a stable team of caring, reliable personal assistants for nearly a year, since I discovered that the last one to leave had been using my ATM card to fund her - undisclosed - drug habit. It's taken nearly...

who wants a piece?(Features)(government spending on community health care)
February 8, 2007... Six pages on what the comprehensive spending review means for social care services as the March deadline for submissions looms large * Exact timing unknown - July had been pencilled in, already a year late, and now it could be as late as...

Exclusive by Helen McCormackAdoption agencies claim they are being 'marginalised' by councils.(News)
February 8, 2007... Voluntary adoption agencies claim they are "in crisis" and being "marginalised" by children's services departments, who are increasingly placing children in-house or with other councils, according to a leaked report. A final draft of a...