Community Care articles from January 2004

Community Care archives from January 2004

letters.(child adoption)(Letter to the Editor)
January 8, 2004... Adopters need to know Confident adopters make successful adopters. Confidence will only come if they know every available detail about the children they may be adopting, warts and all ("Too much information", 11 December). This...

Anything but fine.(government fines for social services agencies)(Brief Article)
January 8, 2004... The nightmare of older people left to languish in hospital when they had no need to be there could not have been allowed to continue. That was never in any doubt. But doubts certainly do remain about the government's solution of fines for those...

Manager in hand.
January 8, 2004... Managers need managing. And your manager is no different. So don't leave it to someone else when you can have an influence over your boss, write Des Kelly and Claire Smart TOP TIPS Complete the work delegated to you. Try to...

Only with freedom do children learn.(Column)
January 8, 2004... viewpoint We must fight against the fear of crime and feelings of protectiveness for the sake of our children, writes Bill Stone As a young boy growing up I spent days on end attempting to climb large trees at the bottom of my garden. My...

Book reviews.(The Magistrate's Tale)(Book Review)
January 8, 2004... Eric Sainsbury is entertained by tales from the courts and Glenys Thomas reads an unusual work on being a carer BYLINE: The Magistrate's Tale Trevor Grove, Bloomsbury Publishing, ISBN 0747561834, [pounds sterling]7.99 Any...

Research into practice.(impact of Human Rights Act)
January 8, 2004... Neil Thompson looks at research into the impact of the Human Rights Act 1998 and finds that its potential for change has yet to be realised The implementation of the Human Rights Act 1998 in October 2000 was heralded as a major turning...

it's about more than money.
January 8, 2004... Audit Commission head James Strachan tellsMark Ivory why the public sector can deliver higher standards than the private sector and how he strongly believes in a future for social services departments Money, a great deal of money, lies at...

Mental health; Catalogue of woe revealed in services.(Brief Article)
January 8, 2004... Mental health services remain inadequate in many areas because of staff shortages, under-investment and organisational change, the Commission for Health Improvement (CHI) has found. Research shows that many mental health trusts still face...

Child protection; Charity 'lacked the information' to act.(Brief Article)
January 8, 2004... Child protection charity the NSPCC has defended its failure to act on a tip-off from a member of the public about a child who died hours later by saying the information received was not specific enough. A spokesperson for the charity said...

Youth justice; Children's hearings still prone to delay.(Brief Article)
January 8, 2004... The children's hearings system in Scotland is still "slow and inconsistent", the minister for young people has said in response to a report from the Scottish executive. Although there have been improvements in the system, the annual report...

The battle for benefits.(fighting for disability living allowance)
January 8, 2004... this life Mel Rawding first sought disability living allowance for her young boy in 2000. The claim is now a fight "You have a perfectly normal healthy boy, you are overreacting." Yet another wasted appointment. My son Tayla, known as TJ,...

Child protection; Proposal for internet porn amnesty fuels debate on abusers' treatment.
January 8, 2004... Operation Ore has shown how difficult it is to gain convictions against users of child pornography. Now a debate is raging about the way forward. Sally Gillen reports A charity's proposal to introduce an amnesty from prosecution for people...

Safeguards; Scots act in wake of Huntley case.(Brief Article)
January 8, 2004... A blacklist of people unsuitable to work with children is to include retrospective checks on employees, the Scottish executive has revealed. The move comes following the conviction of Ian Huntley for the murders of Holly Wells and Jessica...

asylum seekers; Social workers need cultural training.(Brief Article)
January 8, 2004... Social workers in the North East are failing to provide culturally sensitive services to asylum seekers because of a lack of training. Lin Harwood, senior lecturer at Northumbria University, told Community Care that social services...

New year honours by David Callaghan; Behan made CBE as social care sector receives Reid's thank-you message.(UK New Year's Honours List)(Brief Article)
January 8, 2004... Health secretary John Reid last week thanked health and social care professionals for their "tremendous efforts" and congratulated those recognised in this year's New Year's Honours List. David Behan, immediate past president of the...

Delayed discharges by natasha salari; Pressure to avoid fines may force older people into unsuitable settings.(Brief Article)
January 8, 2004... Delayed discharge fines could force older people into accommodation that does not serve their needs, according to two public health academics. Public policy professor Allyson Pollock and research fellow David Rowland said last week that...

Performance by Derren Hayes and Katie Leason; Health trusts to be marked on the quality of child protection systems.
January 8, 2004... The NHS is taking steps to improve medical professionals' awareness of child protection issues. This year, for the first time, mental health trusts, acute trusts and primary care trusts will have to meet a new performance indicator on...

Asylum seekers; 'Health tourists' to face treatment bill.(Brief Article)
January 8, 2004... The government has confirmed controversial plans to crack down on "health tourists" and refuse NHS treatment to failed asylum seekers. Once an asylum seeker's application has been turned down and the appeals process exhausted, NHS...

Education; Cash for extended schools drying up.(Brief Article)
January 8, 2004... Extended schools may be unable to continue providing extra services if long-term guaranteed funding is not provided, according to a new report. The research by the Centre for Local Economic Strategies think-tank states that, despite...

legislation; Asylum bill survives amendment plea.(Brief Article)
January 8, 2004... The government's asylum bill received its second reading in the House of Commons last month, despite attempts to change it. Labour MP Hilton Dawson called on members to vote against the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants, etc)...

Young people; Social workers are 'too busy to help'.(Brief Article)
January 8, 2004... Only one in 10 young people rate social services as good, according to new research. The survey, part of a study of 2,000 young people's views about services they had contacted for help with emotional or physical problems carried out by...

children by Frances Rickford; Children's Fund programmes to be frozen next year as budgets are cut.
January 8, 2004... Children's Fund programmes have been warned by the government that their budgets will be cut in 2004-5, and told not to take on any new commitments for next year, Community Care's sister magazine 0-19 has learned. But extra money has been...

Fostering; Magazine is fertile ground for carers.(Brief Article)
January 8, 2004... Social workers at Blackburn with Darwen Council have adopted a novel approach to tackling the shortage of foster carers by advertising for families in Farmer's Weekly. Normally a favourite for advertisers of machinery and fertilizer, the...

Data protection; Action urged after pensioners tragedy.(Age Concern advocates for elder care)(Brief Article)
January 8, 2004... Age Concern is calling for changes in the law so that there is no repetition of the recent case where two pensioners died after having their gas supply cut off. The bodies of George and Gertrude Bates, both in their eighties, were found in...

People; Camden shocked by Held's resignation.(Jane Held resigns as director of social services)(Brief Article)
January 8, 2004... Jane Held, director of social services at Camden Council, has resigned unexpectedly. Camden councillor Flick Rea, responding to Held's departure, said: "It came as a bolt out of the blue. It was a shock and the lead social services officer...

Readers' views; Internet amnesty opposed by most.(Brief Article)
January 8, 2004... Six out of 10 visitors to Community Care's website believe an amnesty for internet paedophiles would not help to reduce child abuse. This week's question asks: Should the Data Protection Act 1998 be repealed and replaced? There were...

Adult placements; Carers pleased with bid to cut red tape.(Brief Article)
January 8, 2004... New proposals to bring an end to the burden of regulation on adult placement carers by switching the focus of inspection to adult placement schemes have been welcomed by the sector. The proposed changes involve setting up an entirely new...

Criminal justice; Prison, probation services shake-up.(National Offender Management Service)(Brief Article)
January 8, 2004... Prison and probation services will be brought together under a National Offender Management Service (Noms) to be established in June, home secretary David Blunkett announced this week. The creation of the body follows recommendations in an...

failure to protect.(death of two girls)(law)
January 8, 2004... Is it time to scrap the Data Protection Act 1998 and start again? The flaws and inadequacies in this piece of legislation have recently been thrown into sharp relief by the murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman in Soham in 2002 and the...

McTernan.(his final column)(politics)(Column)
January 8, 2004... In his final column, John McTernan looks at what might be Labour's legacy "Great political parties exist for great public purposes." These resonant words of Gordon Brown are an appropriate text for the turn of the year. Much political...

child protection; Caleb Ness report is flawed, claims union.(Brief Article)
January 8, 2004... The Edinburgh branch of trade union Unison is calling for a public debate on the report into the death of 11-week-old Caleb Ness, claiming it contains contradictions and reaches "dubious conclusions". Edinburgh Council is considering...

workforce; Councils aim for three-year deal.(Brief Article)
January 8, 2004... Local government employers in England and Wales have announced plans to seek a three-year pay deal with trade unions. The employers want to secure an agreement that does not put pressure on council tax levels. They hope to include new...

Child protection by David Callaghan and Natasha Salari; Police vetting and data sharing in Huntley case to be investigated.
January 8, 2004... An inquiry into the way in which information on Ian Huntley's background was kept and used by the police has been announced by the home secretary, David Blunkett. The inquiry will examine the effectiveness of intelligence and vetting...

Behind the headlines.
January 8, 2004... Our regular panel comments on a topic in the news It looks as though 2004 is set to be an eventful year for social care. On the legislative front we can expect a new children's bill and also new legislation on mental health and, probably,...

longest waiting list in the nhs.(National Health Service's closure of hospitals)
January 8, 2004... The closure of long-stay hospitals for people with learning difficulties is supposed to be a priority for the NHS but many will not meet the deadline, much to the annoyance of the government. Janet Snell and Natalie Valios report on the issues...

This year I will.(New Years resolutions of social workers)
January 8, 2004... Community Care asked social care professionals whether they would be making any new year's resolutions to make life easier at work. Katie Leason reviews the top 10 the mood on the ground Comments from social care professionals were...

Residential care; Trust fends off care home price charge.(Office of Fair Trading)(Brief Article)
January 8, 2004... The North and West Belfast Health and Social Services Trust has not broken the law in the level of payments it makes to a private care home company, the Office of Fair Trading has found. BetterCare, which runs private care homes across the...

Adoption; Essex loses appeal over compensation.(Brief Article)
January 8, 2004... The Appeal Court last month rejected Essex Council's case against a landmark ruling in adoption practice. In 2002, in the first case of its kind, the High Court had ordered Essex Council to pay compensation to a couple for failing to...

With friends like these.(abuse of learning disabled woman)
January 8, 2004... A woman with learning difficulties was being neglected and emotionally and financially abused while living with a family friend. Despite all this, the woman claimed that she was fine. Graham Hopkins speaks to Alison Daly (left) whose...

Time for a budget lesson.
January 8, 2004... Council social services managers have to compete with other departments for cash. They can only do this successfully if they have their figures right, finance expert Paul Cook reminds us We are now in the middle of council budgeting for...

The alphabenefits.(welfare rights)
January 8, 2004... welfare rights Gary Vaux offers an alternative A-Z of benefits. A more regular and full version is at our website A is for asylum seekers, who are still mainly outside the benefit system, despite what the national press might say. B is...

the door opens on a lack of opportunity.(life of offender after the release from prison)
January 8, 2004... "The most terrible moment in the life of an offender is not that in which the prison door closes upon him, but that in which it opens to permit his return to the world," said the criminologist Frederic Howard Wines in 1919. He is quoted in...

making headway.(Exmouth Youth Offending Partnership wins Community Care Award)(program for juvenile offenders with brain injuries)
January 8, 2004... In the latest in our series on Community Care Awards winners, Sarah Bartlett looks at the project that won the young offenders category, the Exmouth Youth Offending Partnership Restorative justice is slowly making its mark in the UK. It...

Diary.(week's experiences)
January 8, 2004... This week's writer was a first-time volunteer at the Crisis open christmas main shelter in south London Wednesday It's 3pm on Christmas Eve as I arrive at a huge warehouse off the Old Kent Road for the afternoon shift. I join other...

pointless policy.(mental health services)(Editorial)
January 8, 2004... perspectives Historically, "welfare" policy has played a reprehensible role in forcibly resettling people with learning difficulties and mental health service users in segregated institutions and settings. The consequences are still with us....

They have to be special.(residential special schools)
January 8, 2004... What do parents of disabled children want of residential special schools? Researcher Jenny Morris finds out Jenny Morris is an independent researcher References 1 D Abbott et al, The Best Place to Be? Policy, Practice and the...

Not only in America.(Eating Disorders Association)
January 8, 2004... How do the US social care and health systems help people with eating disorders? Any pointers might serve us well here in the UK, where more than one million people are believed to have eating disorders. Consultant Gerry Graham reports ...

Mobility allowance.(travel service)
January 15, 2004... Our series on Community Care Awards projects continues with a look at the learning difficulties category winner, Hounslow's Travel Buddy Service. Sarah Bartlett reports Hounslow's Travel Buddy Service, winner of a Community Care award, is...

society needs to value care work.(social workers are worth more)
January 15, 2004... Social workers should be paid more. So should their managers and their senior practitioners. And so should occupational therapists and their managers too. It is an outrage that the people who do the most difficult and demanding jobs imaginable...

found and lost.(member of National Organisation for the Counselling of Adoptees and Parents)
January 15, 2004... People abandoned as babies have questions about their life histories that are almost impossible to answer. Terry Philpot reports on how foundlings can be supported and speaks to one who is doing her bit to fill in the gaps for her counterparts...

research into practice.(family and business life of entrepreneurs)
January 15, 2004... Bernard Moss describes the findings of a recent report on the work-life balance in family businesses run by people from ethnic minorities The impact of long working hours on family life is now a matter of pressing public concern. Yet there...

book reviews.(Inclusive Research with People with Learning Disabilities)(The Essential Public Manager)(Book Review)
January 15, 2004... Anthony Douglas looks at public sector management while Val Williams evaluates a work on inclusive research The Essential Public Manager Christopher Pollitt, Open University Press ISBN 0335212328, [pounds sterling]18.99 ...

Room to breathe.(respiratory problems of children)
January 15, 2004... Children with respiratory problems should not be condemned to lives on machines in hospital wards, says Chris Hanvey of Barnardo's. Instead the home care option should be explored Naomi* was only four when her life was transformed. A fall...

putting a price on health.
January 15, 2004... The government is committed to patient choice. But the best is not usually the cheapest. Academic Brian Corby discusses the perils of the search for cost-effectiveness in providing therapy for a group...

something to complain about.
January 15, 2004... Are children's complaints officers the key to responding to the concerns of looked-after children? Academic Caroline Ball and researcher Jo Connolly look at evidence suggesting that children still find the procedure inaccessible As chief...

ready for ; a screen test.(social work )
January 15, 2004... Edinburgh is arguably one of the most beautiful cities in the northern hemisphere and is renowned for its International Arts Festival. Tourists may visit its magnificent castle or go on a Scotch whisky tour, but they don't see its other side;...

out of ; the shadows.(domestic violence)
January 15, 2004... Two women are killed by their current or former partner every week in England and Wales. One in four women and one in six men experience domestic violence during their lifetime. These figures are horrifying, but sadly, well documented and have...

A bold feminist act.(United Kingdom. Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Bill)(Column)
January 15, 2004... The new bill on domestic violence reflects a shift in public opinion that now sees abuse in the family as a matter of public concern. But it has taken a feminist minister to introduce it, writes Melissa Benn The new Domestic Violence,...

children; Child care first for housing association.(Brief Article)
January 15, 2004... A housing association has become the first to launch its own child care company to provide affordable nursery facilities in England. The Places for People Group has set up Places for Children, which is planning to invest more than [pounds...

regeneration; Ward quits London development post.(Brief Article)
January 15, 2004... The chief executive of the London Development Agency, Michael Ward, is standing down after three and a half years in the post. But he will continue to work there as a consultant on regional economic policy, undertaking a programme of work...

asylum seekers by clare jerrom; Claimants sleeping in bins and bus shelters as effects of section 55 bite.
January 15, 2004... Asylum seekers are sleeping in rubbish bins, telephone boxes and bus shelters as a result of legislation introduced last January. Early findings from the first detailed survey on the impact of section 55 of the Nationality, Immigration and...

families; Byers leads call for maternity pay rise.(Brief Article)
January 15, 2004... Maternity pay should be increased so that all mothers can choose whether to work or stay at home, former cabinet minister Stephen Byers said last week. He called for maternity pay to be increased to a minimum [pounds sterling]150 a week....

GUNN.(politicians' approaches do not necessarily change the lifestyle of the country)(Column)
January 15, 2004... A government minister in full hectoring mode is rarely a pretty sight. Melanie Johnson, the public health minister, may have more about her than most of those who have donned the mantle of the nation's "nanny" but I confess to feeling a...

child protection; Drive to highlight dangers of internet.(Brief Article)
January 15, 2004... A public awareness campaign to protect children using the internet was launched last week by the Home Office. The campaign, which includes radio and cinema advertising as well as guidelines for parents, aims to encourage children to think...

legislation; MPs hear bill to give carers more rights.(Brief Article)
January 15, 2004... A new bill for carers focusing on health, employment and life-long learning was unveiled last week. The Carers (Equal Opportunities) Bill, brought by Aberavon MP Hywel Francis, was presented to parliament last week and will have its second...

substance abuse; NHS input urged for jail alcohol strategy.(Brief Article)
January 15, 2004... The Prison Reform Trust has urged the Prison Service to work with the NHS on an alcohol strategy to reduce re-offending rates. Just over 40,000 of the 60,000 sentenced prisoners are hazardous alcohol users. Severe alcohol dependency affects...

equality; Fathers' rights chief goes to commission.(Brief Article)
January 15, 2004... A leading fathers' rights campaigner has been appointed to the Equal Opportunities Commission, the government announced last week. Duncan Fisher, the director and co-founder of Fathers Direct, is to become a commissioner at the EOC. ...

older people; Government critical of drugs research.(Brief Article)
January 15, 2004... Whether an individual receives the drugs they need to help combat dementia still depends on where they live, according to research by drug company Pfizer. But the Department of Health said that the study was simplistic and questioned how...

mental health; Charity in warning on cannabis effects.(Brief Article)
January 15, 2004... Concerns have been growing over the possible link between cannabis and mental illness in light of the government's decision to reclassify the drug from class B to class C at the end of the month. Drugs charity Drugscope said the evidence...

training; Asylum seeker dispersal highlights need for greater cultural awareness.
January 15, 2004... Social workers in mainly white areas can find themselves trapped in a cultural bubble when asylum claimants arrive. But training to remedy this is scarce, reports Sally Gillen Last week, a senior social work lecturer said poor training...

Children; Projects prepare for job losses and closure as they await budget cuts.
January 15, 2004... Valued services supported by the Children's Fund are under threat as the government plans to cut their budgets. Derren Hayes reports on why managers fear the worst Children's Fund programme managers found out about government plans to cut...

Young offenders by Clare Jerrom; Home Office admits to far wider use of special cells in institutions.
January 15, 2004... Special cells for disruptive young offenders were used in 13 different juvenile establishments last year, despite earlier Home Office assurances that they were only used at Stoke Heath Young Offenders' Institution. The Howard League for...

youth justice by maggie wood and amy taylor; More cash to relieve hearing system and quell fears on public order bill.(Scottish Antisocial Behaviour Bill)(fast-track cases)
January 15, 2004... Anticipated pressures on the children's hearing system in Scotland as a result of proposals in the Scottish Antisocial Behaviour Bill have been partly resolved by the announcement of an extra [pounds sterling]35m for the youth justice system....

Child pornography; Internet fuels huge rise in child images.(Brief Article)
January 15, 2004... A massive increase in child pornography in the past 10 years is likely to be linked to the growing demand for images on the internet, according to a report by the NCH released this week. It shows that, in 1988, 35 people were cautioned or...

care providers; 'Bring transparency to partnerships' call.(local partners improve efficiency)(Brief Article)
January 15, 2004... Councils and independent care providers need to create "more transparent and collaborative" partnerships to bring stability to the residential, nursing and home care sector, the Association of Directors of Social Services has warned. ...

Child protection; Directors' worried over new boards.(Brief Article)
January 15, 2004... Concerns have been raised about the government's push to ensure all local safeguarding children boards are chaired by directors of the new children's trusts. A Community Care straw poll of directors of social services from around England...

Older people; Care Direct axed in favour of 'Third Age'.(Brief Article)
January 15, 2004... Care Direct, the social care, health, housing and benefits advice service for older people set up in 2001, is to be disbanded. Six pilot areas were chosen for the initiative in south west England providing a gateway for information via...

Prisons; Suicide risk goes unheeded by courts.(Brief Article)
January 15, 2004... Judges are ignoring the high risk of self-harm and suicide of offenders and sending them to prisons unable to care adequately for them. Giving evidence to the joint committee on human rights deaths in custody inquiry Deborah Coles,...

Children; Few councils have complaints officer.(Brief Article)
January 15, 2004... New research suggests that as few as one in four local authorities in England and Wales have appointed a children's complaints officer as recommended in an inquiry report. The appointment of an "appropriately qualified or experienced"...

Children; Independence of advocates queried.(Brief Article)
January 15, 2004... Children's rights groups have raised fears that proposed advocacy services for children in care would not be independent enough to protect their interests. In submissions to the recent consultation on the proposals, concerns were raised...

mental health; Fall in referrals triggers confusion.(Brief Article)
January 15, 2004... Government figures showing a fall in referrals to child and adolescent psychiatrists have perplexed those in the sector. The figures, revealed by community care minister Stephen Ladyman in response to a question in the House of Commons,...

readers' views; Voters divided on action on data act.(Brief Article)
January 15, 2004... Fifty-two per cent of the visitors to Community Care's website believe the Data Protection Act 1998 should be repealed and replaced. This week's question asks: "Will initial plans for local authorities to monitor and police private...

no one to complain to.(complaints officers are needed in children's homes)
January 15, 2004... Sir Ronald Waterhouse completed his inquiry into the abuse of children in north Wales children's homes in early 2000. He recommended every local authority should appoint "an appropriately qualified or experienced children's complaints officer"....

stop online predators.(awareness campaign is launched to protect the child)(Brief Article)
January 15, 2004... As many as one in five children who use chatrooms on the internet report that they have been approached by paedophiles online. So the new public awareness campaign launched this week by the Home Office task force on child protection on the...