Community Care articles from January 2006

Community Care archives from January 2006

Residential care Scots homes will not face fee hike.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2006... The Scottish executive has cut fees paid by care homes to register with the country's care regulator, despite initially planning to increase fees. The move follows fears that any rise in fees would have forced care homes to...

Asylum seekers Privatisation of removal opposed.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2006... Campaigners are trying to amend proposed laws that would allow staff from private firms, rather than immigration officers, to carry out dawn raids on asylum-seeking families earmarked for removal. Lisa Nandy, a policy adviser at The...

Workplace Workforce council sets out standards.(Children's Workforce Development Council )(Brief article)
January 12, 2006... Common standards for new practitioners working with children and young people were launched by the Children's Workforce Development Council last week. The draft Common Induction Standards for Children's Services aims to help staff develop...

mental health Fears over new services in Wales.
January 12, 2006... A [pounds sterling]5m Welsh assembly government fund set up to develop new mental health services will be used instead to plug holes in existing services, campaigners fear. Some local health boards and councils, such as Bridgend, want to...

E-book review.(The Divorce Survival Toolkit)(Brief article)(Book review)
January 12, 2006... The Divorce Survival Toolkit ----- Available free at www.advicenow.org.uk I can't speak highly enough of this 20-page toolkit, writes Ed Mitchell. It's easy to read (without losing anything in terms of legal accuracy), is written in an...

Bargaining power.(Association of Greater Manchester Authorities establishes a contracting and commissioning management group )
January 12, 2006... With budgets stretched by out-of-authority placements, a consortium of councils in the North West has set up a regional commissioning unit. Rosemary Cowgill tells Graham Hopkins how It seems over recent years that if a social services...

Therapy brings self-control.(using psychotherapy techniques in treating mentally ill persons)
January 12, 2006... Although there are many different types of psychotherapy, the one thing they all have in common is that they are "talking treatments" based on a therapist and client talking to each other and sometimes doing things together. Psychodynamic...

Winterton seeks funding answers.(Rosie Winterton asks for investigations of Rethink's mental health funding )(Brief article)
January 12, 2006... Health minister Rosie Winterton has written to strategic health authorities in England to find out the extent of the financial pressures faced by mental health services. The move follows a call for a national investigation into mental...

A reminder of soham.(Hewett School's physical education teacher registered as sex offender)(Brief article)
January 12, 2006... So what does a person have to do to be barred from working with children? Apparently visiting child pornography sites and being placed on the sex offenders register is not enough for either education secretary Ruth Kelly or the Hewett School in...

Charities Maternity Alliance projects to be saved.(Brief article)
January 12, 2006... One of the projects threatened by the closure of charity The Maternity Alliance has been saved and more could be taken over by other groups, it emerged this week. Born in the UK, which looks at the maternity experiences of...

Child protection by Helen McCormack Plans to tackle trafficking fail to heed expert advice, claim charities.
January 12, 2006... Children's charities say a Home Office paper on how to tackle human trafficking gives a false impression that child trafficking is not a serious problem in the UK. The three-month consultation, issued this month, focuses on addressing...

child protection Plea for new rules on sex offenders.(Brief Article)
January 12, 2006... The government has been urged to overhaul the child protection system after education secretary Ruth Kelly approved the appointment of a man placed on the sex offender register as a PE teacher. The NSPCC said the decision to bar someone...

child protection Minister backs new paediatrician skills.(Maria Eagle)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2006... New child protection training for paediatricians should make them more confident about being expert witnesses, the junior children's minister said this week. Speaking to Community Care, Maria Eagle said that such initiatives would in the...

Children's services Ofsted chief backs universal reviews.(United Kingdom's Office of Standards in Education's Maurice Smith speaks at a conference)(Brief article)
January 12, 2006... Joint area reviews of children's services are as much about universal provision as about supporting the most vulnerable, the new chief inspector of schools has said in his first major speech. Maurice Smith told a conference last week that...

Criminal justice Reforms 'too fast, too far', say experts.(launch of book 'Reshaping Probation and Prisons')(Brief article)
January 12, 2006... The government's reforms to prisons and probation services could cause "chaos", claim experts in a book launched this week. Plans to integrate the services and introduce "contestability" between private, voluntary and public organisations...

Education Trust schools could fall foul of councils.(school administration)(Brief article)
January 12, 2006... Councils will be able to take action if they feel the creation of trust schools in their area will not be in the interest of local provision, the education secretary has said. Ruth Kelly told the North of England Education Conference last...

Familiar demons.(prime minister's war on antisocial behaviour, new punishment regulations)
January 12, 2006... Respect is something of an overworked word at the moment but that hasn't stopped the government using it as a title for the action plan that forms its latest salvo in the "war" on antisocial behaviour. The new package of measures claims to...

Family courts Guardians back revised pay offer.(UNISON and Napo negotiates pay deal with Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service)(Brief article)
January 12, 2006... Staff at the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service have voted in favour of a pay deal negotiated by unions before Christmas. Members of Unison and Napo voted to accept the offer of a 2.5 per cent rise, [pounds sterling]150...

Finance Scope in bid to slash [pounds sterling]10m deficit.(Brief article)
January 12, 2006... The charity Scope is to embark on an urgent cost-cutting programme in a bid to stave off financial ruin. Front-line services and 50 of its 300 shops are expected to close. A confidential internal briefing, seen by Community Care, reveals...

Mental health Welsh NHS trusts 'failing patients'.(National Health Service's health policy, enhancing mental health services)(Brief article)
January 12, 2006... Mental health charities in Wales fear some NHS bodies will struggle to meet new targets to improve the treatment of mental health patients in hospital and the community. Service and financial framework targets for 2006-7, recently...

Mental health by simeon brody Council seeks stronger safeguards after killing at Surrey care home.
January 12, 2006... The death of a care home resident at the hands of a fellow patient has led to calls for adult protection to be given the same statutory weight as that afforded to children. A serious case review into the adult protection issues raised by...

Mental health by Simeon Brody Community treatments are failing to relieve pressure on in-patient wards.
January 12, 2006... Psychiatric in-patient services are being neglected in favour of community treatments, with some in a state of permanent crisis, according to a report by a mental health watchdog. The biennial report by the Mental Health Act Commission...

My practice.
January 12, 2006... A specialised team for eating disorders has helped Mark Sloman develop the skills he needs to work with a woman with anorexia The daily casework of a community mental health team social worker is vast and varied. The need to be able to...

Older people Most independent living is in London.(London councils' policy)(Brief article)
January 12, 2006... London councils are leading the way in helping older people to live independently at home, new government figures show. All local authorities in inner London and 90 per cent of those in outer London are already meeting a Department of...

Older people Residents prefer dogs to people.(nursing home residents)(Brief article)
January 12, 2006... A study into loneliness among nursing home residents has proven that dogs really are a man's best friend. Researchers at the Saint Louis University School of Medicine in the US examined the behaviour of 37 nursing home residents who said...

Policy Directors to debate proposals for split.(Association of Directors of Social Services to team up with Confederation of Children's Service Managers and Association of Directors of Education and Children's Services)(Brief article)
January 12, 2006... The president of the Association of Directors of Social Services says the body's members have welcomed plans to split it. Julie Jones said the proposal would be discussed in detail at the ADSS executive group's annual policy event this...

Policy Tories seek action on direct payments.(Conservative Party proposes policy to tackle direct payments of personalised care services)(Brief article)
January 12, 2006... The Conservative Party is calling on the government to tackle the low take-up rate of direct payments. The area is to be explored by a new group that will shape the party's policies for the public sector. Shadow health minister Andrew...

Public order by Helen McCormack 'Respect' proposals to fine victed families will 'exacerbate poverty'.
January 12, 2006... The government has been criticised for proposing to fine or cut the benefits of families evicted because of antisocial behaviour, under measures unveiled in its Respect plan published this week. Families who have been evicted would be...

Training materials.(In the Know: Implementing Good Practice)(Brief article)(Book review)
January 12, 2006... In the Know: Implementing good practice. Information and tools for anyone supporting people with a learning disability and dementia ----- Diana Kerr and Heather Wilkinson, Pavilion ISBN 1841961663, [pounds sterling]19.95 This ring-bound...

website review.(www.enableenterprises.com)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2006... www.enableenterprises.com/74/ ----- 74 Ways To Upset A Disabled Person was originally published as a humorous booklet. It was an attempt to highlight the most noticeable forms of discrimination and exclusion experienced by physically...

Workplace by simeon brody Mental health staff put low morale down to workload and role changes.(government's plans to give approved status to social workers and mental health professionals)
January 12, 2006... T he government's plans to introduce approved mental health professionals have been criticised after a poll found high levels of stress and emotional exhaustion among mental health social workers. Excessive job demands and unhappiness about...

Youth justice Drop in number of under-18s detained.(young people in custody)(Brief article)
January 12, 2006... The number of young people in custody in England and Wales fell in November 2005 for the second month in a row but was still higher than a year earlier, the latest official figures show. There were 2,395 under-18s held in prison...

just call it abuse.(control of child abuse)
January 19, 2006... There has been a big rise in cases of neglect in the UK. But the definition is so vague that it may hinder child protection, argues Kieran O'Hagan In child care literature, writers, researchers and social services departments...

workforce Security chiefs ask for social care skills.(Brief Article)
January 19, 2006... Social care workers: your country needs you. The listening skills that social care staff need to do their jobs are now in demand from MI5. The service used the pages of Community Care earlier this month to advertise for vetting...

disabilities Pilots cut numbers claiming benefit.(Brief Article)
January 19, 2006... The Pathways to Work scheme is helping people to come off incapacity benefit, new research claims. A Department for Work and Pensions study has found that 8 per cent more people came off the benefit in areas piloting the scheme, compared...

child protection Scots charities fear loss of client trust.(Brief Article)
January 19, 2006... Child protection work delivered by voluntary organisations in Scotland could be severely undermined if they are forced to share sensitive client information with inspectors, a charity has warned. The Joint Inspection of Children's Services...

refugees Few councils take up UN scheme.(United Nations)(Brief Article)
January 19, 2006... Two groups of refugees arrived in the north of England this week as part of an international resettlement scheme that is proving unpopular with councils. The 33 people, 30 in Bolton and three in Bury, bring the total number of refugees...

supporting people Turnaround team heads for Liverpool.(Liverpool Industries Inc.)(Brief Article)
January 19, 2006... Troubleshooters are to be sent by the government to turn around Liverpool's failing Supporting People programme. The city's council received a second zero-star report from the Audit Commission in December for its delivery of the programme....

MENTAL capacity by SIMEON BRODY Apology for Bournewood pair for slur over their care of autistic man.
January 19, 2006... The couple caring for a severely autistic man at the centre of the landmark Bournewood incapacity case were subject to a whispering campaign by clinicians, an investigation has ruled. NHS investigators upheld a complaint that staff in the...

Youth justice Anger over numbers of jailed children.(Brief article)
January 19, 2006... The UK's record on locking up children has been slammed by the Howard League for Penal Reform after it looked at prison populations across Europe. The England and Wales justice system is second only to the Ukraine in the number of children...

Domestic violence Guide urges health staff to act on fears.
January 19, 2006... Midwives, health visitors and GPs have been encouraged to take a more active role in tackling domestic violence, under new government guidelines. The Department of Health handbook suggests front-line staff should be aware of signs that...

Immigration concerns over staff training on minors.(Home Office)(Brief Article)
January 19, 2006... The Home Office is struggling to meet a long-standing target to train immigration staff at UK ports on how to interview unaccompanied minors entering the country. The department aims to have trained 10 per cent of all immigration officials...

prostitution Home Office puts onus on outreach.(Brief Article)
January 19, 2006... Specialist support must be offered wherever there are women trapped in prostitution, according to new government proposals. The Home Office's prostitution strategy, published this week, argues that outreach work is "indispensable" in...

legal No compensation over abuse claims.(Brief Article)
January 19, 2006... A mother who had her baby taken away for four months after she and her partner were wrongly accused of abuse has failed in a test case bid for compensation. The mother and the boy, now aged eight, sued Bury Council for negligence and...

Readers' views Nearly all want automatic ban.
January 19, 2006... More than 90 per cent of respondents to Community Care's online poll thought people on the sex offenders register should automatically be banned from working with children. This week's question asks: Should the government pay...

her mother t hrew her out.(case study of mother daughter relationships)
January 19, 2006... A teenage girl begins to self-harm after being disowned by her mother, who has her own problems. Our panel advises CASE study Names of service users and family members have been changed SITUATION: Clare Lawson is a 14 year-old...

when age is no barrier.
January 19, 2006... Want to find out what older people really want from services? Just ask them. But other older people should do the asking. Graham Hopkins reports on a model of consultation in south London Following a government inspection that recommended...

Complex claiming.
January 19, 2006... welfare rights Carer's allowance is going unclaimed by older carers because of needless complexity, writes Gary Vaux Carer's allowance is the only social security benefit that is targeted specifically at carers. Older carers have the same...

a lifeline from surrey?(Brief Article)
January 19, 2006... So Surrey Council is merging its adults' and children's departments to create a more family-centred service. Heard it all before? Well it was of course Lord Seebohm's rationale nearly 40 years ago for the creation of social services...

Adult protection Weak adult safeguards and data va cuum must be addressed.
January 19, 2006... A killing at a Surrey care home has prompted calls for adult protection to carry the same statutory weight as that afforded to children. Simeon Brody explores the issues Ronald Roberts killed his 56-year-old partner, Angela Titley, with...

asylum seekers Money offered for voluntary return.(Brief Article)
January 19, 2006... Thousands of failed asylum seekers are to be offered [pounds sterling]2,000 cash as an incentive to return voluntarily to their countries of origin. Immigration minister Tony McNulty, announcing the pilot scheme last week, said he...

child protection Boost for Met's faith community scheme.(Brief Article)
January 19, 2006... A key project to tackle child abuse in London's faith communities is set for a major expansion. The community partnership officer scheme, which was piloted in Hackney and Newham, east London, by the Metropolitan police last year as part of...

child protection by amy taylor Kelly to elaborate on sex offender measures as schools row continues.(Ruth Kelly)
January 19, 2006... The education secretary is due to give a statement to the House of Commons this week revealing how many sex offenders have been allowed to work in England's schools. Ruth Kelly, who has come under increasing pressure, is also expected to...

confidentiality Children voice data-sharing doubts.(Brief Article)
January 19, 2006... Social workers should only be told personal information about a child or young person if it is essential for their job, say children asked for their views on the government's information-sharing proposals. Professionals should only pass on...

disabilities Rail staff fail to help Massie board train.(Bert Massie)(Brief Article)
January 19, 2006... A rail operator has launched an inquiry after the chair of the Disability Rights Commission was left stranded at a station last week. Bert Massie, who is a wheelchair user, had booked a place and assistance with getting on a train from...

disabilities Welsh assembly wobble on free care.(Brief Article)
January 19, 2006... Campaigners fear the Welsh assembly government could drop a pre-election pledge to introduce free home care for disabled people in Wales by 2007. Voluntary groups and opposition politicians have raised concerns about the assembly health...

emptying the streets.(rules against prostitutions)
January 19, 2006... In the mid 1990s, when the Children's Society launched its Game's Up campaign against prostitution, the idea that the so-called sex industry was a form of child abuse was ridiculed by some sections of the popular press. There was a refusal to...

family courts by sally gillen Anger as government decides not to enforce Adoption Act representation.(United Kingdom. Adoption and Children Act 2002)
January 19, 2006... The government has been accused of reneging on promises after deciding that children in private law cases will not automatically have access to separate representation from their parents. Section 122 of the Adoption and Children Act 2002,...

mental health Charities 'could double provision'.(Brief Article)
January 19, 2006... The amount of state-funded mental health treatment provided by the voluntary sector could double over the next three years, under plans drawn up by a coalition of providers. The Mental Health Providers Forum aims to increase voluntary...

breathing space.(spirituality solves mental health problems)
January 19, 2006... Despite its religious connotation, spirituality is more closely connected with people's essential humanity, says Peter Gilbert, who looks at how it can be applied to mental health casework Spirituality is a tricky concept to understand....

policy by Derren Hayes More interagency working but no social services split in plan for Wales.
January 19, 2006... The Welsh assembly government's 10-year social care policy paper will advocate stronger ties between social work and other agencies but will stop short of recommending a split of children's and adults' social services. Social justice and...

policy Respect lapse by 'tsar' Louise Casey.(Brief Article)
January 19, 2006... The head of the government's antisocial behaviour taskforce was accused of lacking respect this week when she was 15 minutes late in logging on to a live internet chat. Respect tsar Louise Casey admitted it was a "fair cop" after one...

primary care MPs dismiss trust plans as 'mockery'.(member of parliament)(Brief Article)
January 19, 2006... Plans to reform primary care trusts could harm relationships between health and local government, make the NHS more remote and threaten public health services, MPs have said. The health select committee's damning report says the government...

'It's outcomes that really matter - not structures'.
January 19, 2006... Against the grain, Surrey Council is to move adult social care in with children's services. Chief executive Richard Shaw speaks to Amy Taylor about why the council has taken this route While many local authorities are busy getting to grips...

Substance misuse links with child services are weak.(co-ordination )(Brief Article)
January 19, 2006... A lack of co-ordination between substance misuse and mainstream children's services is hampering attempts to meet the needs of young people with substance misuse problems, new research claims. Substance misuse agencies find it particularly...

supporting people Late reviews will not incur fines.(Brief Article)
January 19, 2006... The government has denied that it plans to fine councils that fail to complete their Supporting People service reviews by the 31 March deadline, and says it has instead adopted a "constructive" approach. It had been rumoured that councils...

on the cliff face.(social services given to adults and children)
January 19, 2006... The health and social care white paper for adults - due to be published this month - pledges to transform the way adults' social services are provided. In this special focus we look at how the transition between children's and adults'...

vulnerable people Medecins du Monde serves east London.(Medecins du Monde UK)(Brief Article)
January 19, 2006... An international relief agency has set up a health service for vulnerable people in east London. The Project London service in Tower Hamlets, run by Medecins du Monde UK, is initially providing health care to vulnerable migrants, but will...

young people Doubts grow over role of parenting orders in wake of Respect proposals.(United Kingdom. Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003, United Kingdom. Crime and Disorder Act 1998)
January 19, 2006... Councils in England and Wales have so far been unwilling to use parenting orders, so the government's plans to roll them out to more agencies have caused concern. Gordon Carson reports Parenting orders have principally been used as a tool...

youth justice by Helen McCormack Fight for inquiry into offender's death goes on despite court setback.(Joseph Scholes)
January 19, 2006... Charities have vowed to continue their campaign to force the Home Office to hold a public inquiry into the death of a 16-year-old boy in a young offender institution, despite suffering a major setback. A High Court judge this week backed...

Children's services assessment reforms.(Commission for Social Care Inspection and Ofsted)(Brief Article)
January 26, 2006... Changes to the annual performance assessment (APA) for children's services have been announced by the Commission for Social Care Inspection and Ofsted. The bodies said they would ensure procedures such as moderation were carried out...

workforce Overwork is main reason staff quit.(social workers )(Brief Article)
January 26, 2006... Heavy caseloads are the biggest barrier to organisations retaining social workers, according to a survey published this week. Two-thirds of the social workers questioned by consultancy Tribal Resourcing said overwork was the biggest reason...

education Study heightens school selection fear.(comprehensive schools' admission policies)(Brief Article)
January 26, 2006... Top-performing comprehensive schools that are responsible for their own admissions policies take a much lower proportion of disadvantaged children than live in their local area, new research claims. The type of trust schools proposed in the...

asylum seekers Detainees protest after centre suicide.(Brief article)
January 26, 2006... Detainees at an immigration removal centre have compiled a dossier on what they say are deplorable conditions after a 26-year-old man facing deportation to his native Eritrea committed suicide. Yohannes Bereket, 26, was found hanging in the...

children Caped crusaders to hang up costumes.(Brief article)
January 26, 2006... Although they raised the profile of fathers' rights to a hitherto unseen level, it seems Fathers 4 Justice's (F4J) superheroes weren't so indestructible after all. We won't see Batman, Spiderman et al scaling the walls of the nation's...

Unions to ballot over pension plans.(Unison and Napo)(Brief Article)
January 26, 2006... Local government unions are to ballot members over pension reforms that would leave existing council staff in a worse position than other public sector workers. The unions, including Unison and Napo, are threatening strikes over the...

policy by mithran samuel White paper to advocate diversion of NHS cash to preventive services.
January 26, 2006... The health and social care white paper, expected next week, will define how existing NHS resources can be poured into preventive services, care services minister Liam Byrne has confirmed. He told Community Care that the Department of Health...

mental health Bill 'plays to public fears', minister told.(Rosie Winterton)(Brief article)
January 26, 2006... Health minister Rosie Winterton was forced to defend the draft Mental Health Bill after being told at a meeting on discriminatory media coverage of mental health issues that the planned laws would only make matters worse. The government's...

Welfare by amy taylor Doctors set to gain from helping benefit claimants into employment.
January 26, 2006... GPs will be rewarded for helping people to come off incapacity benefit and into work, under the government's welfare reforms announced this week. The welfare reform green paper contains plans for GPs to be "incentivised" through their...

Performance Watchdog pinpoints Welsh service flaws.(Brief article)
January 26, 2006... Social services in Wales need to increase the pace of change, and co-operation between councils must improve, the country's chief inspector has warned in his annual report. Graham Williams said there was a "mixed picture" across Welsh...

Few benefits in shake-up.(unemployment insurance)(Brief article)
January 26, 2006... Cynicism is an unattractive trait, but it is hard to avoid it when faced with the government's proposals for overhauling incapacity benefit. Why cannot ministers just own up to the fact that they want to reduce the benefits bill and spare us...

backchat.
January 26, 2006... Earlier this month, the Home Office published shocking statistics showing that the number of young people taking their lives in prison doubled over the past year, despite an 18 per cent fall in self-inflicted deaths among the wider prison...

Local government Councils fail to win freedom through local area agreements.
January 26, 2006... Local area agreements were intended to increase flexibility for councils and partners in setting local priorities. But so far changes seem to have been marginal. Amy Taylor reports Local area agreements (LAAs) have been promoted by the...

closing remarks.(community centers)
January 26, 2006... The move to a purpose-built health and social care resource centre in South Wales may be an exciting prospect, but the closure of a residential care home and day centre needs to be managed first. Peter Llewellyn tells Graham Hopkins how...