Community Care articles from January 2007

Community Care archives from January 2007

News.(Jonathan Young helps people with Asperger's syndrome )(Brief article)
January 11, 2007... a sound investment Jonathan Young (centre) is one of the success stories of Transitions, a National Autistic Society programme to provide people with Asperger's syndrome with internships with employers. Young is now a business analyst for...

Job seekers' bank draft.(National Autistic Society's employment training servcie)
January 11, 2007... N early two weeks after most of Britain returned from its extended holiday break of consumption and excess, one group remains at home, eager for work, capable of doing it, but unlikely to get any.It's another year of disappointment for some...

continuing careNHS accused of zero funding awareness.(National Health Service)(Brief article)
January 11, 2007... An Alzheimer's Society volunteer who won a long battle for continuing care funding for his mother has claimed awareness of the system is poor in the NHS.Mike Pearce said his experience of attempting to claim full care funding for his mother,...

Asylum seekers by amy taylorAynsley-Green accuses Hillingdon of flouting law on care of minors.(Hillingdon Council, Al Aynsley-Green)
January 11, 2007... Children's commissioner Al Aynsley-Green this week accused a London council of unlawfully depriving unaccompanied asylum-seeking children of support in order to save money.He has written to Hillingdon Council claiming it is prematurely moving...

News.(National Council of Voluntary Child Care Organisations' debate on the effect of private competition in childcare services)(Brief article)
January 11, 2007... children' servicesCompetition is a 'dangerous notion'The government's introduction of a market in children's serivces is a "dangerous notion" for the voluntary and commmunity sector, charity leaders were told this week.Unison's national...

Exclusive by sally gillenIndependent report clears Haringey social workers in 'baby snatch' case.
January 11, 2007... Two Haringey Council social workers who allegedly "snatched" a baby from outside his former foster home have been cleared of breaching good practice guidelines.An independent report, commissioned by the north London council, found the...

News.(social services)(Brief article)
January 11, 2007... 1. Social worker allegedly failed to follow procedures for protecting vulnerable children.2. Williams, Marsh and Massie receive top gongs in new year honours.3. New social care recruitment campaign set for March.4. 'Historic victory' for Surrey...

Human rights'No commissioner, no Scots influence'.(Brief article)
January 11, 2007... Scottish campaign groups fear the country's interests will be sidelined in the new UK-wide equalities body by the delay in appointing a commissioner for equality in ScotlandNo Scottish commissioner was appointed in the first round of...

Supported housing scheme closes due to lack of funds.(Brief article)
January 11, 2007... One of Wales's few round-the-clock supported housing schemes for young offenders has been forced to close due to a funding shortage. The Heddfan unit in Llandudno, North Wales, run by Nacro, has shut and its four residents transferred to...

Diary.(social service professionals)
January 11, 2007... Monday Come to the office via a home visit to a client with diabetes who has refused to have his psychotropic injection for a whole month. Involve everyone who knows him, including his sister, aunt, community nurse, and the consultant. Only...

Disabilities call for advocacy right for children.(Children's Society)(Brief article)
January 11, 2007... More than eight out of 10 adults believe disabled children and young people placed away from home should have access to an independent advocate, shows research published today (Thursday) by the Children's Society.However, the charity said just...

News.(social work identity in United Kingdom)(Brief article)
January 11, 2007... To have your say on the most topical issues in social care visit the discussion forum on Community Care's website. Some recent commentsOn whether social workers are adequately represented by professional bodies:"BASW tries hard but it is a...

Staff conduct absence and alcohol lead to disciplinary.(General Social Care Council dismisses Gloria Eaton)(Brief article)
January 11, 2007... Asocial worker repeatedly failed to adhere to her employer's absence reporting procedures and smelled of alcohol at work, a General Social Care Council conduct committee was told this week.Gloria Eaton, who was dismissed by Wiltshire Council in...

If you ask me...(Simon Partridge)(Interview)(Brief article)
January 11, 2007... Simon Partridge lives in Kent and is supported by United Response's mental health servicesWho has influenced you the most?John Lennon with his album Mind Games.Which professional has helped you most?Steve Blake from United Response who has...

News.(pay scale at Office of Standards in Education being inspected by Commission for Social Care Inspection )(Brief article)
January 11, 2007... InspectorsMithranUnions are to push for an evaluation of all jobs in the newly enlarged Ofsted to examine significant differences in pay.Ofsted will take control of inspecting children's social care, the Children and Family Court Advisory and...

News.(unions seek uniform pay for staff within Office of Standards in Education)(Brief article)
January 11, 2007... InspectorsMithranUnions are to push for an evaluation of all jobs in the newly enlarged Ofsted to examine significant differences in pay.Ofsted will take control of inspecting children's social care, the Children and Family Court Advisory and...

Policy More service users pay cost of care.(Commission for Social Care Inspection )(Brief article)
January 11, 2007... More people are paying for their own care as councils restrict services to those with the greatest need, the Commission for Social Care Inspection warns this week.The CSCI's second annual report on the state of social care in England finds many...

News.(National Council of Voluntary Child Care Organisations' debate on the effect of private competition in childcare services)(Brief article)
January 11, 2007... children' servicesCompetition is a 'dangerous notion'The government's introduction of a market in children's services is a "dangerous notion" for the voluntary and community sector, charity leaders were told this week.Unison's national...

News.
January 11, 2007... CAPTION HEADMencap is calling for budding photographers wilearning difficulties and their friends and families to enter its fifth annual Snap! photo and story competition. Last year winners included Cath Rowley's picture (above) of Adam...

News.
January 11, 2007... say cheeseMencap is calling for budding photographers with learning difficulties and their friends and families to enter its fifth annual Snap! photo and story competition. Last year winners included Cath Rowley's picture (above) of Adam...

news in brief.(prostitution law in Scotland)(hospital stay to be reduced)(human rights law for independent care providers )(Brief article)
January 11, 2007... ?e_SFgSHEALTH The government has hit its key target for people with long-term conditions two years early. The Department of Health said there had been a 5.4 per cent reduction in emergency bed days from 2003-4 to 2005-6. This met the target to...

News.(children's services raises concern)(salsa dancing cures depression)(hospitalization for long time costs more for National Health Service)(Brief article)
January 11, 2007... ? children Council chiefs have raised concerns about the GP-style social care practices outlined in the children in care green paper. The Local Government Association said the idea was worth testing but questioned the wisdom of separating the...

News.
January 11, 2007... news in brief? standards Sector professional body the Social Care Association has absorbed the Care Regulators Association, which represents social care inspectors. ? asylum seekers Scotland's largest teaching union last week called for an end...

News.
January 11, 2007... ? Children's workforceDeveloping the integrated qualifications framework for children's services professionals and taking forward the workforce issues in the children in care green paper will be priorities for the Children's Workforce...

News.(a mother who put her unborn baby on the child protection register was wrongfully accused of child abuse)(Brief article)
January 11, 2007... news story tagNews heading standard A mother had her unborn son put on the child protection register and was wrongly branded a potential child abuser due to a "catalogue of errors" by social workers, an inquiry by Norfolk's local safeguarding...

News.(a mother who put her unborn baby on the child protection register was wrongfully accused of child abuse)(Brief article)
January 11, 2007... child protectionMother wrongly branded a threatA mother had her unborn son put on the child protection register and was wrongly branded a potential child abuser due to a "catalogue of errors" by social workers, an inquiry by Norfolk's local...

Youth justice Oakhill inspection finds poor practice.(Oakhill Secure Training Centre)(Brief article)
January 11, 2007... There is inconsistency in all areas of practice at Oakhill Secure Training Centre, a report from the Commission for Social Care Inspection has found.It said poor practice at the centre, run by private company Group 4 Securicor, was becoming...

News.(unions seek uniform pay for staff within Office of Standards in Education)(Brief article)
January 11, 2007... workforceUnions seek Ofsted job reevaluationUnions are to push for an evaluation of all jobs in the newly enlarged Ofsted to examine significant differences in pay.Ofsted will take control of inspecting children? social care, the Children and...

News.(unions seek uniform pay for staff within Office of Standards in Education)(Brief article)
January 11, 2007... workforceCall for pay probe at enlarged OfstedUnions are to push for an evaluation of all jobs in the newly enlarged Ofsted to examine significant differences in pay.Ofsted will take control of inspecting children's social care, the Children...

OPEN FORUM.(Office of Standards in Education on extended schools)
January 11, 2007... Extended schools need not be an extension of school as such. Children should be given the chance to participate in activities as part of a quality service that places the school at the heart of every community.However, if the government has any...

News.(electroconvulsive therapy)
January 11, 2007... news story tag by WriterHeading lead heading lead heading lead heading lead heading leadOther amendments set for debateIntroduction of right to treatmentElectroconvulsive therapy safeguardsUse of age-appropriate settings for under-18sThe...

Service user wishlist goes back to basics.
January 11, 2007... The past 12 months have seen topsy turvy times for social care. First, the Wanless Report highlighted the need for massive new investment to meet demand. Then at the end of the year, chancellor Gordon Brown, in his pre-budget report, suggested...

News.
January 11, 2007... Parallel livesChildren's minister Beverley Hughes recently visited Parallel health centre for young people in Bolton, one of four sites in a nationwide pilot designed to make health services more accessible to teenagers. She is pictured with...

News.
January 11, 2007... Centre of attentionShala Wahab and children (from left) Hadea, Wasil and Marwa enjoy the opening of Limetrees children's centre in Northolt, Ealing, west London. The event was marked by a puppet show and a performance from a children's...

News.
January 11, 2007... Pic6-7Jonathan Young (centre) is one of the success stories of Transitions, a National Autistic Society programme to provide people with Asperger's syndrome with internships with employers. Young is now a business analyst for Goldman Sachs,...

Management head.(foster care)
January 11, 2007... PRACTICE SPECIAL: SCANDAL11 January 2007CHILD DEATHSOn 28 June 1944, Dennis O'Neill, who had been in the care of Newport Borough Council for nearly six years, was placed into foster care at the 70-acre Bank Farm in Minsterly, Shropshire. His...

Heading style.(death of Dennis O'Neill investigated)
January 11, 2007... On 28 June 1944, Dennis O'Neill, who had been in the care of Newport Borough Council for nearly six years, was placed into foster care at the 70-acre Bank Farm in Minsterly, Shropshire. His younger brother Terence joined him at "the very bare,...

Older people Charity's wish-list for spending review.
January 11, 2007... Independent care advisers in every community and proper funding of care home places must be introduced in the 2007 spending review, according to a report this week.The policy paper by older people's charity Counsel and Care cited a growing...

Mental health crisis teams are under staffed.(Brief article)
January 11, 2007... Almost one in 10 mental health crisis teams are operating at less than two-thirds of the recommended staffing level, the government has revealed.Department of Health guidance last week said 9 per cent of crisis resolution home treatment (CRHT)...

Performance CSCI marked down by one of its own.(Commission for Social Care Inspection)(Brief article)
January 11, 2007... An inspector from the Commission for Social Care Inspection has given his own organisation a poor rating in a letter to Community Care (see page 22). The inspector said CSCI was "obsessed by performance indicators" and discouraged random...

News.
January 11, 2007... Web questionpp8-9Two-thirds of visitors to Community Care's website felt it was worthwhile joining BASW in our recent poll.This week's question asks:- In light of Ruth Kelly's decision over the education of her son, do children with learning...

The state we're in.(social services)
January 11, 2007... People tell us they want services that offer them privacy, choice and dignity, and we have seen a year-on-year improvement in these standards." So says an upbeat Paul Snell, chief inspector of the Commission for Social Care Inspection,...

Hillingdon's hard line.(Hillingdon Council on asylums)(Brief article)
January 11, 2007... In October, the government clearly set out its desire to change the practice of children leaving care at 16, arguing in its Care Matters green paper that most should remain with their carers until at least 18, if not beyond. It is shocking,...

Features.(role of art in health and social care)
January 11, 2007... hale and artyThe Mental Health Foundation's publication of the findings of four arts therapies pilot projects in Scotland provides a chance to reassess the role of the arts in health and social care.1A vague perception that the arts are in some...

Features.(Maureen Oswin Memorial Award to Ealing Council)
January 11, 2007... raised horizonsThe young people and staff from Ealing Council may have been shocked when they were announced as the winners of the Maureen Oswin Memorial Award at Community Care's 2006 awards ceremony, but those who have seen their work first...

Frontlines.(childcare services, social support)
January 11, 2007... Coming back to work for a rest" has seemed a common complaint of colleagues for the past couple of weeks, after a holiday which is traditionally anything but restful. But it doesn't seem long before we're running ourselves ragged again and...

News.(Commission for Social Care Inspection's investigation finds Oakill Secure Training Centre is poorly maintained)(Brief article)
January 11, 2007... youth justiceOakhill inspection finds poor practice There is inconsistency in all areas of practice at Oakill Secure Training Centre, a report from Commission for Social Care Inspection has found.It said poor practice at the centre, run by...

News.(patient participation and mental health law)
January 11, 2007... mental health by simeon brodyPeers force government to consider adding protective principles to billThe government has agreed to consider putting overarching principles strengthening the rights of patients on the face of its controversial...

Fatal failings.(child abuse scandals)
January 11, 2007... Abuse scandals - children On 28 June 1944, Dennis O'Neill, who had been in the care of Newport Borough Council for nearly six years, was placed into foster care at the 70-acre Bank Farm in Minsterly, Shropshire. His younger brother Terence...

What was it all for?(abuse of learning disability children at child care homes)
January 11, 2007... abuse Scandals - learning difficultiesLast year's abuse scandal uncovered in services run by the Cornwall Partnership NHS Trust was disturbing and shocking. However, it wasn't the first time that institutional abuse of people with learning...

Children by simeon brodyResearch fails to explain variations in spending on children's services.
January 11, 2007... A major research study has found no explanation for most of the cost variation in children's social services across England.The Department for Education and Skills-funded research found that factors such as a child's level of need explained...

The Simon Heng column A service user's view of social care.(Column)
January 11, 2007... Ashley is a nine-year-old American girl, who responds to her environment in much the same way as a three-month-old baby. Her parents love her very much so much that they want to avoid the difficulties that will come with her being a severely...

Don't scare them away.(how to make friends)
January 11, 2007... A nurse in a private clinic once told me I caused my own loneliness. At the time, I thought this was unfair. It was down to other people to speak to me and I had more than enough to deal with in completing a recovery programme for my anorexia....

Features.(new year resolutions and career planning)
January 11, 2007... January is a prime time for people to get the work blues. And anyone who was already feeling bored, stressed or frustrated by their job tends to feel doubly so when the Christmas festivities are over and it's back to earth with a bang....

Young people'Contestability can revitalise services'.(Brief article)
January 11, 2007... Councils should introduce measures to enhance competition between youth activity providers, the government said this week.Statutory guidance, published for consultation, stated that increased contestability would "utilise the strengths" of the...

News.(children, human trafficking)
January 18, 2007... child protection by amy taylor Most trafficked children go missing from social services, report suggests M ore than half of children known or suspected of being trafficked into the UK in three English regions have gone missing from...

Workforce Profession's chance to build confidence.(News)(Brief article)
January 18, 2007... A project to define social workers' roles, tasks and value will give them the confidence other public service professionals already enjoy, the General Social Care Council's chief executive said this week. Lynne Berry said the image of...

asylum seekersCouncil denies claim by commissioner.(Cathy Bambrough)(Brief article)
January 18, 2007... A London council has denied the children's commissioner for England's allegations that it is unlawfully depriving unaccompanied asylum-seeking children of support in order to save money. Cathy Bambrough, acting deputy director, children and...

immigrationOwers says holding centres falling short.(says Anne Owers)(Brief article)
January 18, 2007... Systemic problems remain at four immigration short-term holding centres, the chief inspector of prisons warned this week. Anne Owers said that, although the conditions at Colnbrook, near Heathrow Airport, Reliance House and John Lennon...

News Interview.(Neelam Bhardwaja of Cardiff Council)(Interview)
January 18, 2007... 'A Mini or a Rolls Royce service?' Cardiff Council's Neelam Bhardwaja faces some tough choices as she sets about tackling the authority's adults' services overspend. She talks to Derren Hayes "Some of my friends said it was the...

Is it acceptable to have a two-tier leaving care system, one for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and one for the rest?(The Big Question)(Brief article)
January 18, 2007... Jaya Kathrecha Carer If you create a two-tier leaving care system, you create a two-tier population - those integrated into society and those who aren't. That is why any locally applied policy of removing unaccompanied asylum-seeking...

State of social care Carers forced to fill gaps but receive little in return from councils.
January 18, 2007... After a damning report which revealed the increasing burden on friends and family members who support people with care needs, Amy Taylor, Mary Garboden and Simeon Brody look at the reasons behind the crisis and whether it is retrievable ...

News.(social care news in Community Care)(Brief article)
January 18, 2007... www.communitycare.co.uk click-o-meter 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 Salsa dancing improves mental health. 2...

Reviews.
January 18, 2007... COMING SOON CONFERENCE/FESTIVAL 8 June, Derby Arts'n'Care: Best practice in using the arts in social and health care: Workshops with theatre, poetry, music and dance performances by service users and young people in care ...

Reviews.
January 18, 2007... coming soon... CONFERENCES/FESTIVAL * 25 January, London Community Care LIVE, Adult Care Services Business Design Centre 08707873815 Free * 1 February, Manchester Community Care LIVE, Children and Families...

Workforce Council targets sick leave to cut deficit.(Cardiff social services )(Brief article)
January 18, 2007... Cardiff social services are looking to tackle the high levels of residential care staff absence in an effort to reduce a projected overspend in adults' services. Social services director Neelam Bhardwaja said the council, which anticipates...

Diary.(mental health worker)(Diary entry)
January 18, 2007... This week's writer is a senior social worker in a community mental health team Monday The week starts with a whinge about the enormous increase in bureaucracy. We need to evidence our activities, but is the 200 per cent-plus increase in...

Features.(joint health and social care white paper)
January 18, 2007... ... but what about the reality? The health and social care white paper Our Health, Our Care, Our Say, was published this time last year, setting out a vision of personalised, overlapping services and greater The aim is good How true is...

Frontlines.(gadgets)(Column)
January 18, 2007... One of our team of practitioner columnists gives her take on useful and useless technologies We seem to be gadget mad these days, and constantly updating to the latest technology. Personally, I don't want a mobile phone I can watch TV...

News.(learning disabilities, care services, long stay hospitals)(Brief article)
January 18, 2007... Learning Disabilities Audit: Services provided by the NHS and private institutions not registered by the Commission for Social Care Inspection will be audited. Questionnaires are being sent out for self-assessment. A Healthcare Commission...

Inquiry reveals another institutional abuse scandal involving NHS trust.(United Kingdom National Health Service)
January 18, 2007... Inspectors have identified "institutional abuse" of people with learning difficulties in a second NHS trust, six months after the damning report into abuse in Cornwall. The Healthcare Commission investigation into services for 186 people...

Simon Heng.(hospital review)
January 18, 2007... In a three-day hospital stay, I was investigated or treated for a total of three hours Recently, I spent some time in the unit that rehabilitated me eight years ago. So how has the hospital changed since then? Certainly, it is better...

If you ask me...(HIV-positives)(Interview)(Brief article)
January 18, 2007... Michael Harris* is HIV-positive, works in IT and uses services in Richmond, London Who has influenced you the most? Denise Flowers, specialist care manager at Richmond Council. She is very helpful. What one thing would you change...

Templates.(Judith Chapman, social workers, direct payment)(Interview)
January 18, 2007... TOP TIPS * Develop a plan for actively promoting direct payments with all stakeholders, including providers and prospective users as well as staff. * Be a resource for care co-ordinators and encourage them to think about direct...

News.(children's services)(Brief article)
January 18, 2007... children's services Treasury keen on preventive focus Children's services could face fresh incentives to focus on prevention and work with the most challenging families, the Treasury said last week. In an interim report from its...

Public order Fund care staff to curb disorder.(Brief article)
January 18, 2007... The social care workforce needs more funding to support families and prevent antisocial behaviour, parliament heard last week. Children's campaigner Lord Listowel told a House of Lords debate on antisocial behaviour that social workers were...

My practice.(social workers)
January 18, 2007... Is it a sign of weakness for a social worker to feel emotional pain when a client dies in tragic circumstances? No, says Mark Sloman This year is my 10th working with adults who have severe or enduring mental health problems. In that time I...

News.(Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service)(Brief article)
January 18, 2007... family courts Pay deal fails to quell Cafcass unrest Employment relations at the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service remain "at a delicate stage" despite management and unions striking a deal on pay last week. ...

Older people by mithran samuelResidents in bid to extend Human Rights Act to independent homes.
January 18, 2007... Four care home residents aged over 80 led the latest attempt last week to extend human rights law to private care providers. Judges at the Court of Appeal are now considering their verdicts in a case that could extend the Human Rights Act...

Disabilities Job help 'confused and misdirected'.(Brief article)
January 18, 2007... Government employment support for disabled people is confused and focuses too much on those with lesser needs, MPs said this week. In a report, the public accounts committee said the distinctions between the six programmes -Access to Work,...

News.
January 18, 2007... news in brief * children Just one in five doctors are aware of the government's proposed information-sharing index for children's professionals, a survey last week by pollsters You Gov found. The IS index will contain basic details of all...

news in brief.(disability, gay workforce, refugees)(Brief article)
January 18, 2007... * disability Disabled people should have quicker access to benefits under a pilot in Scotland launched this week, which enables GPs to send information electronically. The pilot, which covers Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Lothian and the Forth Valley,...

News.
January 18, 2007... news in brief * racial equality NHS trusts have been warned that the Commission for Racial Equality will take a tougher line against them in enforcing their duties to promote racial equality. A Healthcare Commission report last August...

News.
January 18, 2007... *e_STnSdisabilities Hundreds have signed up to a campaign by disability charity Scope against medical interventions to prevent disabled children growing. The campaign follows the case of Ashley X, a nine-year-old American girl, who received...