Community Care articles from February 2008

Community Care archives from February 2008

News.
February 7, 2008... Agencies 'fail to prevent child abuse deaths' Up to 100 children are dying every year from abuse and neglect in England because social workers and health professionals are too busy arguing over who is responsible for them, according to a...

rights to independence.(Opinion Columns)
February 7, 2008... The success of moves towards a more personalised care system requires giving service users back their rights and freedoms Disabled people often find that to obtain support they are forced into a dependent relationship with public services....

The long road to freedom.(Opinion Columns)(Viewpoint essay)
February 7, 2008... Byline: Simon Stevens Putting People First's aim is to 'radically improve adult social care'. This will see the role of social workers facing revolution Over the past 15 years or so social care has been on a journey to...

Letters.(Brief article)
February 7, 2008... From the Social Work Blog by Mike McNabb Compulsory sex education takes onus off parents "Do parents tell their children about sex these days? Can they be bothered? Or are they simply too embarrassed? The fact that the UK's teenage...

Editorial Comment.(Commission for Social Care Inspection's assessment of social services in United Kingdom)(Editorial)(Brief article)
February 7, 2008... csci nails two-tier system Social care is currently operating a two-tier system, according to the Commission for Social Care Inspection. On the one hand, a dwindling number of people eligible for state funding are benefiting from improved...

News.(Lifting the Burdens Task Force reviews children's services administration)
February 7, 2008... mithran.samuel@rbi.co.uk Councils face excessive central monitoring, inspection and other burdens in children's services, a government-appointed task force of town hall officials claimed this week. In a report, the Lifting the Burdens...

'Learn from the best', says serious case review study.(News)(Brief article)
February 7, 2008... child protection comcare.news@rbi.co.uk Lessons should be learned from examples of good practice in child protection procedures and not just the worst cases of child abuse and neglect. That was the message from the lead author of...

Failed child asylum seekers face speedier deportation.(News)
February 7, 2008... Special authorities set up for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children need proper funding, say councils maria.ahmed@rbi.co.uk Unaccompanied asylum-seeking children are to be placed with specialist authorities and failed claimants will...

News.(Sharon Coleman has won the first round in a landmark legal case against Attridge Law)(Brief article)
February 7, 2008... carers Discrimination ruling gives hope to carers A mother who claims she was forced to quit her job to look after her disabled child has won the first round in a landmark legal case which could bring new rights to millions of UK...

News.(Brief article)
February 7, 2008... news in brief CONDUCT A social worker who had a personal relationship with a service user has been removed from the General Social Care Council's register. Alan Rhodes, who was employed by Leeds Council, was the allocated social...

News.(Brief article)
February 7, 2008... Jail was no place for Petra, says coroner A coroner is demanding better prison facilities for women with mental health problems. David Hinchliff said he would write to the Prison Service and Department of Health after concluding that...

Taking ownership.(Good Practice)
February 7, 2008... Sunderland Council has put young people at the heart of youth services. Corin Williams reports on a project for 16- to 19-year-old Asians am not sure if there are very many authorities that have involved young people quite as much as...

Booze and bedlam: a London night out past and present.(Working Lives)
February 7, 2008... Mark Drinkwater discovers there are plenty of contemporary parallels in Hogarth's depictions of 18th Century London. Silk, Squalor and Scandal: Hogarth in London aaaaa Cuming Museum, Elephant and Castle, London Until 16...

Mental health recovery.(Research Realities)(Report)
February 7, 2008... A series of personal accounts from Scotland helps to clarify understanding of the individual's journey after a mental health issue is identified. Alison Petch examines the findings THE RESEARCH Title: Recovering Mental Health in...

Features.(Sedgemoor went into administration)(Brief article)
February 7, 2008... the end for sedgemoor Children's providers were shocked when Sedgemoor went into administration at the end of last year. A major player - it ran 65 homes and 14 schools for children with behavioural and complex needs - it saw profits...

Backchat.(Diary entry)
February 7, 2008... Diary A lighter take on the week. A social worker in a looked-after children team writes Monday There appears to be a chill wind blowing through the 9am train from Kings Cross. I have the correct plug for my laptop this time, and had aimed...

Diary.(Diary entry)
February 7, 2008... DIARY Monday It feels like a chill wind is blowing through the 9am train from Kings Cross to Newcastle. I have have the correct plug for my laptop this time, and wanted to catch up on some report writing, but my fingers don't quite...

Reviews.(services for adults with Asperger's syndrome )
February 7, 2008... Adults with Asperger's syndrome face a usband and wife David* and Christine* haven't had a night out together since their daughter Jenny* was born. New parents will be able to relate to this. But Jenny is now in her twenties and her parents...

How can I smooth the transition from children's to adults' social work?(Working Lives)
February 7, 2008... Q: I have recently changed from working with children to working in adult social work and have received a pleasing job offer. However, there is a huge amount to learn and this has greatly knocked my confidence. Any advice? A: Adult social...

Reviews.(Working with Children and Young People Who Sexually Abuse: Taking the Field Forward)(Book review)
February 7, 2008... Working with Children and Young People Who Sexually Abuse: taking the field forward aaaaa Edited by Martin Calder, Russell House Publishing ISBN 9781905541010 [pounds sterling]49-95 This is the fourth and possibly final volume...

Editorial Comment.(child protection procedures)(Editorial)(Brief article)
February 7, 2008... untying the notts case The most likely explanation for the initially "unlawful" removal of a newborn baby from his mother in Nottingham is either a miscommunication between social workers and hospital staff, a failure of professionals...

Reviews.
February 7, 2008... Student protest halts family's deportation A family of seven threatened with deportation has been reprieved after a campaign that began in a Devon classroom, spread around the world, and led to the government being bombarded with thousands...

Reviews.
February 7, 2008... A weekly round-up of the national papers' take on social care. For a daily update go to www.communitycare.co.uk and click on 'In Today's Papers'. Student protest halts family's deportation A family of seven threatened with deportation...

Handof big businesscasts a shadow.(Features)
February 7, 2008... Private equity firms are increasingly investing in children's social care but their profit-driven ethos comes into conflict with that of many professionals who say services are suffering, writes Sally Gillen Invest, expand, sell: the...

News.(unlawful removal of newborn baby in Nottingham)
February 7, 2008... comcare.news@rbi.co.uk The case of a newborn baby that was unlawfully removed from its teenage mother by Nottingham social workers is "unusual" and does not reflect widespread failings in the profession, social work leaders said this week....

News.(unlawful removal of baby in Nottingham)(Brief article)
February 7, 2008... As the story broke last week Community Care readers posted their views online. Here is a selection: Should the true facts surrounding this case ever emerge, I think it is a fair bet that we will read about them in the national media only if...

Support for families where a parent has alcohol problems.(Proven Practice)(Report)
February 7, 2008... Each week the Social Care Institute for Excellence analyses research findings behind specific social work practices the evidence base for social care practice alancing the rights and needs of both the children and adults in families...

Education Column.(Column)
February 7, 2008... Behind the hype, this 10-year plan can make a difference Dawn Forshaw is impressed by the government's long-term thinking that could improve education standards and the lives of young people he government recently announced its 10-year...

Make your.(Features)
February 7, 2008... Small organisations at the sharp end of social care have their hands full but shouldn't neglect any possibility of influencing policymakers. Alex Fox explains how they can do this You want to influence the policy-making process, but where...

There's a time to forget.(Opinion Columns)
February 7, 2008... Lifelong learning is necessary in the social care sector. But there are benefits also in unlearning what we were previously taught I'm feeling bereft after recently finishing a two-year course. Two days a week instead of proper work, I...

Enterprising spirits.(Features)
February 7, 2008... Graham Hopkins talks to the winner and runners-up of a new award tarting a business is a tough challenge for anybody. About 143,000 businesses closed in the UK in 2006 - that's roughly one every four minutes. But if you are disabled there...

Interview/Profile.(Interview)
February 7, 2008... What experience informs what you do now? Being number six of 10 children, I guess I was a skilled group worker when I arrived in social work. But once qualified, in the 1970s, I spent four and a half years in Papua New Guinea with VSO. It...

Opinion Columns.
February 7, 2008... Murder, "sus" laws, crime figures, Moore and myths "Murders fall for fifth year in a row" Where did you see that headline on this weeks' redtops, "qualities", or newsstands? I doubt you did. When the government released the homicide...

Watchdog's safety fears over detained patients.(News)(Brief article)
February 7, 2008... maria.ahmed@rbi.co.uk Hospital services for people detained under the Mental Health Act are failing to meet patients' basic rights to safety and dignity, the Mental Health Act Commission has said. In its biennial report published last...

Services gap imperils care-for-all plan.(News)
February 7, 2008... Rising demand and lack of cash may undermine moves to provide care for all older people, local authorities say. Caroline Lovell reports older people Councils should support all older people to meet their personal social care needs,...

News.
February 7, 2008... Inspector criticises rush to build jails The government's "scramble to build new prisons" threatens to move the UK towards a system of "large-scale penal containment", which would mean worse as well as more jails, the chief inspector of...

News.
February 7, 2008... Mother faces new fight to keep baby A teenage mother reunited with her newborn baby by a judge yesterday will today face a social services application to take the boy away again. Read more on this story in The Independent today ...

News.
February 7, 2008... Park rangers will help make playgrounds safe David Cameron will today propose a raft of measures to help reclaim public spaces, including playgrounds, from fear of gangs and the absence of adult authority figures. The measures come in...

News.(training of social workers, sports for disabled children, support for palliative care)
February 7, 2008... news in brief WORKFORCE Personal assistants, carers and staff at small providers must get more training and regulation if the government's vision of individualised care is to succeed, MPs and peers were told last week. The all-party...

Penal policy is 'attempt to stave off disaster' - Owers.(News)(Anne Owers )
February 7, 2008... Chief inspector demands review of youth custody system and attacks 'super-prisons' plan The chief inspector of prisons has called for a major rethink on penal policy and a review of youth custody to address the "crisis" in the system. ...

News.(social work training, learning disabled children, palliative care)
February 7, 2008... WORKFORCE Personal assistants, carers and staff at small providers must get more training and regulation if the government's vision of individualised care is to succeed, MPs and peers were told last week. The all-party parliamentary group...

News.(Brief article)
February 7, 2008... spokes-people Young offenders have been repairing unclaimed stolen bicycles which will be given to a care home for adults with mental heath needs in Camden, London. The scheme was devised by Camden Council's Youth Offending Service along with...

Backchat.(Brief article)
February 7, 2008... social skirmishes Rosie Warlock, a senior practitioner in children's social services, tells us what's on her mind in her weekly column * One of my colleagues was listening to Radio Four (after work, you understand) and heard about...

News.
February 7, 2008... Mother faces new fight to keep baby A teenage mother reunited with her newborn baby by a judge yesterday will today face a social services application to take the boy away again. Read more on this story in The Independent today ...

News.(Brief article)
February 14, 2008... HEALTHY START Cherie Blair, pictured with four-year-old Hodya Ben David, was the guest of honour at the recent opening of a new health centre for children of orthodox Jewish families up to the age of five, in north London. Wellbeing at Bearsted...

Opinion Columns.
February 14, 2008... Romance is so elusive Finding that special person can be very trying for many. So, for them, Valentine's Day holds a particular significance How do I find a girlfriend? It's not easy. I know the answers to my question. I've been told...

start the debate now!(Opinion Columns)
February 14, 2008... Byline: Peter Beresford Personalisation is at the top of the political agenda and everyone in social care needs to start discussing its future shape the big picture Social care often seems to be burdened by a sense of inferiority....

News.(Brief article)
February 14, 2008... north stars Islington Council recently received a fact-finding delegation of social care staff from Reykjavik in Iceland to see some of the three-star services in the north London borough. Jorunn Frimannsdottir of Reykjavik Welfare Council...

News.(Brief article)(List)
February 14, 2008... 14feb07p7click 1. Nottingham baby must remain in care 2. Social worker faces GSCC on conduct charges 3. Nottingham baby case hijacked by anti social work movement 4. Professionals losing child protection battle 5. Social...

Bellwood to take unfair dismissal claim to tribunal.(News)(Simon Bellwood)
February 14, 2008... Independent report on Jersey's children's services to be published next month maria.ahmed@rbi.co.uk The UK social worker who was sacked after he blew the whistle on "abusive" child care practice in Jersey is taking his case to an...

News.(Lincolnshire carers Learning Disabilities Group)(Brief article)
February 14, 2008... 14feb08p10carerscheque STEPPING UP Michael Ormian, chair of the Lincolnshire carers Learning Disabilities Group (third from left), receives a cheque for [pounds sterling]500, donated by local provider Home from Home Care, which runs four...

News.
February 14, 2008... workforce Unison warns councils over gender pay equality comcare.news@rbi.co.uk Unison has said that English councils will have "no excuses" for not meeting their equal pay obligations after the government announced authorities...

News.
February 14, 2008... voluntary sector Funding changes threaten smaller children's charities Survey reveals one in 10 charities may have to close with loss of vital services comcare.news@rbi.co.uk Small voluntary children's services organisations...

News.(Brief article)
February 14, 2008... disabilities Remploy insists strikes will not alter plans Government-funded company Remploy has vowed not to let a string of strikes halt its plans, to close 28 of its 83 factories, which employ 5,000 disabled staff. Two-day...

News.(Brief article)
February 14, 2008... news in brief SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN The Department for Children, Schools and Families is to produce policies on safeguarding disabled children and young people in custody. The promises, unveiled in a DCSF action plan published last...

News.(preventing juvenile offense)
February 14, 2008... caroline.lovell@rbi.co.uk A "Sure Start" service for children aged five to 12 at risk of offending should be put in place as part of a shift towards a preventive approach to youth offending. In a report this week, thinktank the...

News.
February 14, 2008... Border agency 'bribed' Liverpool Councils query funding for government asylum seeker dispersal plans maria.ahmed@rbi.co.uk The government has been accused of trying to "bribe" a council into taking more unaccompanied asylum-seeking...

News.
February 14, 2008... Asylum seekers face destitution and sexual exploitation Increasing numbers of asylum-seeking and refugee children in England are growing up in destitution, a Children's Society report this week warned. Children are living without food,...

News.(Brief article)(Photograph)
February 14, 2008... 14feb08p4men (pic) Jason Field shares a joke at a recent meeting of a men's group in Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, run by East Midlands supported housing provider LHA Support Services. The provider has recently secured funding to...

Peers query if funding for intensive fostering exists.(News)(Brief article)
February 14, 2008... youth justice maria.ahmed@rbi.co.uk Plans to place young offenders in council-run intensive foster care will fail unless the scheme is properly funded, peers have warned. The government scheme, which is being piloted in three...

Most care homes in top two ratings bands.(News)(Brief article)
February 14, 2008... Inspections Two-thirds of English care homes were rated as "excellent" or "good" and 7% "poor" by the Commission for Social Care Inspection last year under its new quality ratings scheme, it has been revealed. The English Community...

news in brief.(News)(Brief article)
February 14, 2008... CHILDREN Councils are on target to establish 2,500 children's centres in England by March. The centres combine family support, early years education and care, health and outreach provision. According to Together for Children, the body...

Clegg proposes 13-week limit on patient waiting time.(News)(Nick Clegg)
February 14, 2008... comcare.news@rbi.co.uk Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg has called for a "revolution" in mental health services to reduce excessive assessment and treatment waiting times. Figures obtained by the Liberal Democrats under the Freedom...

Now LGA joins clamour for funding reform.(News)(Local Government Association)(Brief article)
February 14, 2008... The Local Government Association has become the latest body to call for reform of the adult social care funding system ahead of the government green paper on the issue. The LGA is likely to propose a new funding method for adult care, and...

Independents prove more cost effective than councils.(News)
February 14, 2008... Adass says focus on rehab services accounts for rising cost of local authority care mithran.samuel@rbi.co.uk There is a large and growing gap between the costs of adult care services run by English councils and the cheaper provision in...

News.
February 14, 2008... 14feb08p9quotes "When I give speeches to schools, I always start by saying, 'The youth of today show no respect for their elders. They have no manners and they are idle and feckless.' One watches the faces becoming angry. One then says,...

Editorial Comment.(Brief article)
February 14, 2008... commissioners beware The contracting out of services is likely to continue apace with councils under pressure to make savings. At least there is growing evidence that it works, particularly in adult social care. This week an analysis...

Letters.(Letter to the editor)
February 14, 2008... 14Febwordonweb Blogs Discussion forum Should new social workers be given an induction year? KAZ: "I most definitely think so! I completed my final placement at a children's hospital and began working there two months later as...

Sheer devotion: MBEs for top foster carers.(Interview/Profile)(Barry and Susan Shearman as Members of the Order of the British Empire)
February 14, 2008... Barry and Susan Shearman were recognised in the New Year's Having been foster parents to 160 children, Susan and Barry Shearman have more christenings and weddings to attend than most people. Susan, 53, says that the couple keep in...

Meetings of hearts and minds.(Working Lives)
February 14, 2008... Social care professionals are increasingly finding love in-house. Amy Taylor asks whether this is down to circumstance or something deeper Social services departments are seldom seen as hotbeds of lust and passion. Yet, despite this,...

Consent to sexual relations by mentally incapacitated people.(Legal Update)
February 14, 2008... Victoria Butler-Cole (pictured) on why a local authority must allow a couple to have unsupervised contact despite their mental health issues What is the case about? The recent case of local authority X v MM and KM explains what the...

Features.
February 14, 2008... If you're working in adult social care in Hertfordshire, you'll more than likely be working out of your back bedroom, or on the kitchen table, or in the cubbyhole under the stairs. The council recently moved its adult social care operations...

Editorial Comment.(Editorial)(Brief article)
February 14, 2008... condemned to poverty Destitute children living in cramped, insanitary conditions, cold, hungry and deprived of the basic necessities of life, their mothers forced into prostitution to obtain the very means of survival. The living...

Prisons set-up deters family visits.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
February 14, 2008... Irresponsible media in Notts baby case The Nottingham baby case ("Baby 'G' case triggers media frenzy", 7 February) illustrates why the family courts should not be open to the press. When cases like this come into the public domain in...

Dignity in care.(Proven Practice)
February 14, 2008... Each week the Social Care Institute for Excellence analyses research findings behind specific social work practices lder people need timely information about what they are entitled to and what they can expect from services in order to...

Holidays, play and disabled children.(Research Realities)(Report)
February 14, 2008... Too few specialised play schemes and lack of access Disabled children and play The RESEARCH Title: On Holiday! Policy and provision for disabled children and their families Authors: Professor Pat Petrie, Abigail Knight, Maria...

Backchat.
February 14, 2008... Thirty years ago i Are you fed up of sneaking out of pubs into the cold and rain for a crafty fag? Sick of scientists telling you how much to drink? Thinking of voting Tory because of New Labour's moral crusade against enjoying yourself...

Out and proud of what I do.(Opinion Columns)
February 14, 2008... Social work may not get the best press but its image with the public will not improve if we are ashamed to admit who we are While on a course a few months ago, I had an experience that gave me pause for thought. I was chatting with some...

Reviews.
February 14, 2008... Graham 14.2 adults section: reviews COMING SOON CONFERENCES What the papers say A weekly round-up of the national papers' take on social care

More than just an error.(Features)
February 14, 2008... Difficulties proving negligence mean a successful claim against a council for a failure to care is unlikely to open the compensation floodgates. Graham Hopkins reports Mr Justice Eady's decision in December last year to award Jake Pierce...

Seamless support.(Good Practice)
February 14, 2008... A housing association in hospital visit for an older person often results in a stay which is far longer than necessary, causing problems for the health service, social services and, most importantly, patients and their families. But the...

The homeoffice.(Features)(Case study)
February 14, 2008... Home-working can be beneficial for employers and employees. But does it lead to professional isolation? Louise Tickle reports on two councils' experiences and hears the view from Unison case study If you're working in adult social care...

Headline 48-84pt.(Features)
February 14, 2008... Intro 18/20pt Myriad Pro Cond authors name in Bold Cond If you're working in adult social care in Hertfordshire, you'll more than likely be working out of your back bedroom, or on the kitchen table, or in the cubbyhole under the stairs. The...

Features.(Report)
February 14, 2008... At what point does careful consideration for the safety of someone in your care cross the line and become abuse? For people working in residential care with older people this can be an everyday issue. A report published by the Commission for...