Community Care articles from June 2009

Community Care archives from June 2009

News.(challenges social workers face)
June 4, 2009... In the past few months Community Care has conducted thorough research into vacancy rates in social work, practice placements offered to students, and the quality and levels of supervision and information provided to practitioners. Today we...

News.(social work practice)(Brief article)(Statistical data)
June 4, 2009... Media stories - 97.7% - 41.3% Talking to service users - 26.7% - 20.5% - 7.3% Working with social workers - 3.2% [bar chart] - 74.6% - 72.6% Better pay and career structure - 60.6% - 33.2%

News.(social workers' opinions and practice)(Brief article)
June 4, 2009... What they said Some survey respondents give their views Practice "In the 25 years I've seen the profession's horizons sink and narrowYet I stay because I still believe in the possibilities of change." Social worker "I am...

News.(Christine Graham Scott's lifetime achievement award)(Brief article)
June 4, 2009... Former EastEnders actress Jill Halfpenny celebrates with care training co-ordinator Christine Graham Scott, who recently won a lifetime achievement award for her work. The former care worker and tutor, 57, from Whitley Bay, was presented with...

Taskforce under fire over call to separate work roles.(News)(Social Work Task Force)
June 4, 2009... comcare.news@rbi.co.uk The Social Care Association has strongly criticised Social Work Task Force chair Moira Gibb for suggesting that social work should be clearly distinguished from other social care roles. Speaking to Community...

News.(minimum age to become a social worker)
June 4, 2009... THE GREAT AGE DEBATE Community Care readers are divided over whether the minimum age to become a social worker should be 25, this week's biggest debate on Carespace, our online discussion forum shows. Contributors ranging from students...

News.(excessive caseloads)
June 4, 2009... Caseload mountain is most urgent work issue daniel.lombard@rbi.co.uk Tackling excessive caseloads should be the top priority in the drive to improve social work, an exclusive Community Care survey has found. Making social workers...

News.(General Social Care Council on professional boundaries)(Brief article)
June 4, 2009... comcare.news@rbi.co.uk The General Social Care Council is considering whether to produce guidance on the professional boundaries between social workers and service users following two major research projects. The GSCC is using its...

News.(Social Care Accolades)(Brief article)
June 4, 2009... Members of Caerphilly leavers care team, with social worker Steve Jenkins and support worker Dale Llewellyn, are in the running for one of the 2009 Social Care Accolades, organised by the Care Council for Wales and partners. Since it was set up...

News.(Cafcass)
June 4, 2009... comcare.news@rbi.co.uk Cafcass chief Anthony Douglas has hit out at a Wiltshire judge for "generalising massively" about the problems facing his organisation, after he was summoned to court to explain Cafcass's performance. Douglas...

News.(child protection)(Brief article)
June 4, 2009... Baby Peter's case and other child abuse incidents have sparked calls from a top medical journal for a national commission to deal with the "disastrous mess" in child protection in the UK and Ireland. An editorial comment in The Lancet said...

News.(Brief article)
June 4, 2009... BABY Pe_SClBAttorney general Baroness Scotland is to review the sentences handed down in the baby Peter case after receiving "several requests" from parties concerned they were too lenient. She will examine the case papers to see if it should...

News.(Aspect on social care staff and whistleblowing)(Column)
June 4, 2009... BOX with headshot of John Chowcat Union demands protection for social care whistleblowers comcare.news@rbi.co.uk Trade union Aspect has urged the Social Work Task Force to ensure that social care staff can blow the whistle on their...

News.(child and adolescent mental health services in Camhs, England)(Brief article)
June 4, 2009... Target met on under-16s in adult wards A key target for child and adolescent mental health services (Camhs) in England has been hit after figures showed no under-16s were held in adult psychiatric wards in the final quarter of 2008. ...

News.(dementia patients in care homes)(Brief article)
June 4, 2009... 'Shocking' report galvanises Scotland to act on dementia Study of people in care homes reveals widespread use of 'chemical cosh' comcare.news@rbi.co.uk The Scottish government is to produce the nation's first dementia strategy...

News.(Brief article)
June 4, 2009... news in brief PERSONALISATION The personalisation agenda risks undermining the provision of extra care housing services preferred by older people unless commissioners engage with specialist housing providers. That was the conclusion of...

Features.
June 4, 2009... 4junewordonweb CareSpace updated (use CareSpace logo) Blogs CareSpace Simeon says - check out the dancing social worker (Use Britain's Got Talent logo??) Campaign update (use campaign logo)

Opinion Columns.(family care services)(Column)
June 4, 2009... the night belongs to me Some disabled people have struggled to obtain 24 hour care. But others want to be left alone and unwind like anyone else By now regular readers will realise that because of my nerve damage, which keeps changing...

Reviews.('Defying Disability: The Lives and Legacies of Nine Disabled Leaders')(Brief article)(Book review)
June 4, 2009... Defying Disability: The lives and legacies of nine disabled leadersaaaaa Mary Wilkinson Jessica Kingsley Publishers ISBN 9781843104155 Mary Wilkinson's book about the lives of nine disabled people outlines the significant...

Reviews.('Families of Adults with Autism')(Brief article)(Book review)
June 4, 2009... Families of Adults with Autism aaaaa Edited by Jane Johnson and Anne Van Rensselaer Jessica Kingsley Publishers ISBN 9781843108856 In this book, 36 different family members tell their stories about living with relatives...

Reviews.('The Integration of Mental Health Social Work and the NHS')(Brief article)(Book review)
June 4, 2009... The Integration of Mental Health Social Work and the NHS ayaayaayaayaaya Daisy Bogg Learning Matters ISBN 9781844451500 I am the kind of social worker who steers clear of the management world and gets on with my job at...

Features.(workable social care system)(Viewpoint essay)
June 4, 2009... There is now almost universal consensus that the current system of social care funding is unsustainable and in urgent need of reform. Some positive steps have been taken: a major new drive to transform social care; new strategies for dementia...

After many years of absence how can I best get back into social work?(Working Lives)
June 4, 2009... A: Welcome back. You have a strong foundation with your previous qualifications but it looks as though you have been away from social work for about 20 years. In that time, policy and practice contexts have changed considerably. You were...

Reviews.('Understanding Inequality, Poverty and Wealth')(Brief article)(Book review)
June 4, 2009... Understanding Inequality, Poverty and Wealth aaaaa Edited by Tess Ridge and Sharon Wright, The Policy Press ISBN Paperback 9781861349149; Hardback 9781861349156 e_SFlbThis book on inequality has unfortunately been...

Reviews.('Promoting the Emotional Well-Being and Mental Health of Unaccompanied Young People Seeking Asylum in the UK')(Brief article)(Book review)
June 4, 2009... Promoting the emotional well-being and mental health of unaccompanied young people seeking asylum in the UK ayaayaayaayaaya Elaine Chase, Abigail Knight and June Statham British Association for Adoption and Fostering ISBN...

Reviews.(http://socialinnovation.typepad.com/silk/)(Website overview)
June 4, 2009... Social Innovation Lab for Kent http://socialinnovation.typepad.com/silk/ The Social Innovation Lab is a council-run project aimed at drawing together different staff to creatively tackle problems. The biggest success of the Lab so far...

Reviews.('Kitezh: A Community Approach to Raising Children in Russia')(Brief article)(Book review)
June 4, 2009... Kitezh: A community approach to raising children in Russia ayaayaayaayaaya Dimitry Morozov, Eland ISBN 9781906011369 Kitezh is a therapeutic community designed to get children out of Russia's orphanages and instead into loving...

what and what not to say.(Opinion Columns)(personal development review)(Column)
June 4, 2009... A personal development review can be a chore, but at least in our profession managers are well versed in supervisory skills I have my PDR coming up. To those not in the know, a PDR is a Personal Development Review. I rather enjoy them. They...

Features.(Letter to the editor)
June 4, 2009... Case for Cafcass's core contribution Kate Lovell is wrong to say that Cafcass does not contribute to serious case reviews (Letters, 21 Maywww.communitycare.co.uk/111583). We gave no such inference in the original article, which was about...

What progrea[euro]Sa[euro]Sss on protection?(Features)(improvement of practice in child protection)
June 4, 2009... Schools, police and health services have made several improvements to child safeguarding following the baby Peter case. Anabel Unity Sale reports Although much of the media coverage of the baby Peter case has focused on the actions of...

News.(Community Care's Stand Up Now for Social Work campaign)(Brief article)
June 4, 2009... in search of a voice Debate has been growing in recent weeks about who should provide the voice of social work. There is a need for a clear, unified voice to represent the profession in the media. But there is also a need for individual...

News.(social care service guidance)(Brief article)
June 4, 2009... Sex and the social worker At this year's Community Care Live's Question Time session, compere Jeremy Vine noted that every year there is a question about social workers having sex with clients.And sadly, we often find ourselves reporting...

News.(Brief article)
June 4, 2009... 9/10 MYRIAD PRO BOLD 8 over 10 myriad pro not locked to grid 8 over 10 myriad pro not locked to grid 8 over 10 myriad pro not locked to grid v 8 over 10 myriad pro not locked to grid 8 over 10 myriad pro not locked to grid 8 over 10 myriad...

Excluded.(Features)(female asylum seekers)
June 4, 2009... Asylum seekers often complain that social services are not receptive to their cause. Rowenna Davis reports on obstacles faced by social workers and on organisations that help I never met Janifer Maseko. The 20-year-old mother of two was...

Interview/Profile.(National Safeguarding Delivery Unit chief adviser Roger Singleton)(Interview)
June 4, 2009... What's different this time? In the wake of the Baby P case, it's a question that will be asked of the National Safeguarding Delivery Unit. Roger Singleton, who will oversee the body, offers some answers to Sally Gillen Whenever...

Features.(Roger Singleton of National Safeguarding Delivery Unit)
June 4, 2009... Whenever the government wants to show its commitment to addressing an issue that has the public up in arms, it moves swiftly to set up a unit. Social exclusion, antisocial behaviour and teenage pregnancy, to name a few, have all had units set...

A story of mental illness - told in pictures.(Reviews)(Bobby Baker's Diary Drawings: Mental Illness and Me, 1997-2008)
June 4, 2009... Bobby Baker uses her artistic skills to map a cathartic journey. Mark Drinkwater reports Bobby Baker's Diary Drawings: Mental Illness and Me, 1997-2008 Wellcome Collection Euston, London, Until 2 August In the late 1990s Bobby...

News.(disabled youth's access to apprenticeships)(Brief article)
June 11, 2009... Disabled young people may be excluded from apprenticeships because of entry requirements specified in current legislation, peers warned last week. In a House of Lords debate on the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Bill, peers...

News.
June 11, 2009... Every week we will suggest actions that you can take immediately to Stand Up Now for Social Work. This week: 1 Make a pledge to do something to Stand Up Now for Social Work. Email your first name, town and pledge to...

News.(Stand Up Now for Social Work campaign)(Brief article)
June 11, 2009... Community Care is calling for social workers to make a pledge to help improve public perceptions of the profession. Readers' pledges collected so far include writing to MPs and projecting a more positive image of social work to colleagues...

News.(Edinburgh Council files complaint against newspaper publishers)
June 11, 2009... media Edinburgh lodges formal complaint against Daily Mail Edinburgh Council complains to press watchdog over hostile and one-sided adoption coverage Petition tops 6,000 mark * More than 6,000 people have signed Community...

News.(social care for older people)(Brief article)
June 11, 2009... Extract from the monitor by Emma Maier (with thumbnail pic of Emma) RARE COVERAGE OF ADULT CARE Social care for older people was a top priority for voters in last week's elections in Nottinghamshire, according to a story in a local...

News.(social support services access, volunteerism, charities' services)(Brief article)
June 11, 2009... PARENTING Almost 90% have made cutbacks in spending because of the recession while four in ten believe that finacial strains have impacted on their children's quality of life, according to a survey by Parentline Plus. The charity launched...

News.(Derek Wanless' report regarding elder social care funding)(Brief article)
June 11, 2009... The King's Fund is to carry out a review of its 2006 report by Derek Wanless into the funding of older people's social care. The review, due out this autumn, will form part of the fund's analysis of the Department of Health's forthcoming...

News.(managing social care reform following government reshuffle)
June 11, 2009... government reshuffle Social care chiefs worried by impact of reshuffle Call for period of stability to ensure success of reform programme in social work maria.ahmed@rbi.co.uk Social work leaders have called for stability to...

News.(specialization in social work training)(Brief article)
June 11, 2009... maria.ahmed@rbi.co.uk Children's and adults' services directors are split over whether social work degree students should be able to specialise in either client group before the end of their course. In his report to government after...

News.(child abuse case, employment of older people, carer training)(Brief article)
June 11, 2009... CHILD PROTECTION A West Yorkshire couple were jailed last week for cruelty and abuse towards their baby daughter that left her severely disabled, while she was on Calderdale Council's child protection register. Rizwan Patel, 27, was jailed...

News.(General Social Care Council extends Maria Ward and Gillie Christou's suspensions)(Brief article)
June 11, 2009... GSCC extends suspensions of Baby P social workers General Social Care Council conduct panels have extended the suspensions of two social workers involved in the baby Peter case, who have already been sacked by Haringey Council. Maria...

News.(improvement of children's services)(Brief article)
June 11, 2009... Outside experts sent into three more councils daniel.lombard@rbi.co.uk Ministers have increased intervention in children's services at Wokingham, Reading and West Sussex Councils following external reviews. Wokinghamwill become...

News.(improvement of children's services in Doncaster)
June 11, 2009... Doncaster launches plan to create 'outstanding' services Related articles Mayor of Doncaster to stand down after damning DCSF verdict Expert guide to Doncaster children's services Council bids to reduce children's services...

News.(awards scheme for social services, employment of care leaders, substance abuse treatment funding)
June 11, 2009... SCOTLAND East Glasgow Community Health and Care Partnership was the overall winner in Scotland's annual awards scheme for social services, the Care Accolades. The NHS body's pathways to progression project, which supports unemployed people...

News.(Nathan Prescott's assault and battery case)(Brief article)
June 11, 2009... A 19-year-old man has been jailed for nine years for stabbing a family support worker who helped to remove several children from a Liverpool family. Nathan Prescott attacked William Cleator, 48, telling him it was a "warning" from the...

News.(care services contracts)(Brief article)
June 11, 2009... The Association of Directors of Adult Social Services has come out against the use of online reverse auctions to determine contracts for care services. In a letter to The Times newspaper, Adass president Jenny Owen said the use of such...

News.(lack of appropriate support for autistic adults)(Brief article)
June 11, 2009... autism Lack of autism data mars provision of local services comcare.news@rbi.co.uk Adults with autism in England are being denied appropriate support because councils and NHS bodies lack information on them, a National Audit...

News.(greater workforce planning to manage supply of social workers)
June 11, 2009... workforce 'Powers needed to plan supply of staff' National social care agencies should have greater workforce planning powers to correct the mismatch between the supply of and demand for social workers across England, the Children's...

News.(social care improvement for HIV patients, social support access, employment of learning disabled persons)(Brief article)
June 11, 2009... HIV/AIDS A coalition of HIV organisations has published a framework for improving social care, support and information for people diagnosed with the virus in England. The framework, which has 17 objectives, is designed to bring non-medical...

News.(NHS North East Essex suspends learning disability staff)(Brief article)
June 11, 2009... NHS North East Essex has suspended several staff from its learning disabilities team after other employees raised concerns. The primary care trust, which provides learning disability services, refused last week to disclose how many had been...

Opinion Columns.(important role social workers play in their communities)
June 11, 2009... go Back to the community The present Social Work Taskforce for England review that is taking place could benefit from considering the important role social workers can play in the communities and neighbourhoods they serve. One of the...

News.(task force to review social work practice)
June 11, 2009... Welsh assembly sets up task force to review profession Review of social work in Wales in 2005 has led to 'pockets of improvement' maria.ahmed@rbi.co.uk The Welsh assembly government is setting up a task group to look at ways of...

Opinion Columns.(important role social workers can play in their communities)
June 11, 2009... Have we lost sight of community? The present Social Work Taskforce for England review that is taking place could benefit from considering the important role social workers can play in the communities and neighbourhoods they serve. One...

Speak now or be silenced forever.(News)(Letter to the editor)
June 11, 2009... f we really want to understand what the press is all about in this society, then with my apologies to the German pacifist and concentration camp survivor Martin NiemA[paragraph]ller: "When the newspapers came for the social workers, I...

Letters.
June 11, 2009... 11junwordonweb The Big Max Debate (Use pic of Clifford) Does PR guru Max Clifford have something useful to tell the social work profession about how to improve its media image or is he just stating the obvious? Peter Beresford and...

Working Lives.(Trish Hafford-Letchfield)
June 11, 2009... the best and worst decision I ever made Turn to academia has re-energised me Trish Hafford-Letchfield is a senior lecturer at the Centre for Excellence in Mental Health and Social Work at Middlesex University The best One of...

Working Lives.(Heather Byrne)
June 11, 2009... Heather Byrne is an intermediate care service team manager for Brighton & Hove Council [Sorry there is photo, she is away for a month] The best In my long career as a social worker the best decision I ever made was as a newly...

Evaluating and supporting the basic skills of care workers.(Proven Practice)(Social Care Institute for Excellence and Skills for Care)
June 11, 2009... The Social Care Institute for Excellence analyses the use of an online training resource to boost staff's literacy, numeracy and communication skills t least 20% of care workers lack the numeracy and literacy skills required by their jobs,...

Struggling under the weight of cases.(Features)
June 11, 2009... Many social workers have to cope with permanent case overload. Amy Taylor reports on the barriers to tackling this long-standing problem Picture thisscenario: It is Monday morning and youcome in to find two files have been put on your desk...

What is it you do again?'.(Features)(Social Work Task Force's intent to come up with a new definition of social work practice)
June 11, 2009... The Social Work Task Force has signalled its intent to come up with a new definition of social work to counter public misconceptions. Anabel Unity Sale reports What with the negative coverage that social work attracts, it is hardly...

Brave new world.(Features)(assistive technology and telecare in independent living)
June 11, 2009... The futuristic technologies that older people might have read about in their youth are close to reality and might just help many of them liveindependently for longer. Bronagh Miskelly considers the promises of telecare andAndrew Mickelthe...

A sensor of urgency.(Features)(assistive technology and telecare in independent living)
June 11, 2009... With an ageing population, telecare is an idea whose time has arrived. But Andrew Mickel finds that the barriers to implementation are great and progress among councils varied Sixty-five per cent of the world's stairlifts are made or...

Lone battles.(Good Practice)(health care and social support for refugees)
June 11, 2009... The Children's Society has created a toolkit to help services meet the needs of young refugee carers, reports Louise Tickle adifa,* 17, is from Somalia. From the age of 10, she has been looking after her mother, who has epilepsy and...

African interns give an insight into what refugees can offer.(Opinion Columns)
June 11, 2009... Showing a group of young volunteers from Africa the grimmer parts of London gave Mark Drinkwater a new perspective on service planning sylum seekers and refugees receive a hostile press. It's something that social workers will identify...

Balancing safety and liberty.(The Risk Factor)(alcoholism treatment)
June 11, 2009... Weighing up the risks * Desire to give up alcohol Joan is physically able and says she does not want to drink alcohol again. * Regained skills She has regained some skills and routines in the safe environment of the hospital....

Opinion Columns.(neoliberalism in social work practice)(Essay)
June 11, 2009... quiet challenges ahead Social workers can challenge the values of greed that lie behindthe Commons expenses scandal and the credit crunch What do the global recession caused by the credit crunch and the banking system and the political...

News.(Brief article)
June 11, 2009... crisis won't halt reform It is tempting to write off social care's new ministerial overseers as stopgap appointments before Labour's inevitable trouncing at the general election, which will have to be held in a year's time if not rather...

News.(social care improvement and job vacancy)(Brief article)
June 11, 2009... conflicting solutions Doncaster Counci's improvement plan is based on eliminating unallocated cases, reducingstaff vacancies to 7%, and improving caseloads, supervision and training. The targets may be ambitious, but the underlying issues...

'I was astonished at lack of respect'.(Interview/Profile)(Melanie Palmer)
June 11, 2009... Melanie Palmer was a social worker in Canada before coming to the UK. Here she describes her enthusiasm for Cafcass court work in the UK Icame to work in the UK in June 2003 from Manitoba in Canada. A few English local authorities were...

The senses of love.(Reviews)(Blind Loves)(Movie review)
June 11, 2009... A Slovakian film portrays the joy and sorrow of blind people as they long for human companionship. Keith Sellick reviews Blind Loves (Slepe Lasky) A film directed by Juraj Lehotsky, 2007, 77 minutes. On release Love is blind is a...

Expenses scandal reveals crass hypocrisy of DWP ministers.(Welfare Rights)(Department for Work and Pensions)
June 11, 2009... Lord Tebbit is right to say that MPs have lost all moral authority when it comes to dealing with benefit fraud, writes Gary Vaux o keep up to date with what's happening in the social security world, I subscribe to an online news service....

Councils should consider the law before changing charges.(Legal Update)
June 18, 2009... Challenges to local authorities' pricing policies can succeed in court, particularly where decisions have been rushed into, writes Ed Mitchell local authority is not like a shop on the high street. It does not have complete freedom to...

News.(Brief article)
June 18, 2009... mithran.samuel@rbi.co.uk Londoners are confused about the current system of adult care funding and strongly support more state spending, according to a poll released on the eve of the green paper on the issue. A survey of more than...

'We're sharing values now'.(Features)(sharing the work of mental health personnels and social workers)
June 18, 2009... Having participants from diverse backgrounds on approved mental health professional courses is helping deliver professionals with wider perspectives, reports Mark Hunter Long ago at the beginning of the tortuous process that eventually...

My job interview includes a task.(Working Lives)
June 18, 2009... Q: I have just got an interview for a social work post with an older people's team and have been informed that there will be a 30-minute task, followed by a formal interview. All the interviews that I have attended in the past have been formal...

Let's not end it this way.(Working Lives)(sustainability)(Brief article)(Column)
June 18, 2009... We must learn to live within our planet's capacity, writes John Cossham I've been writing this column for just over two years and it is time to move on. So this is my last one. I've covered a multitude of subjects connected with...

GP Column.(Column)
June 18, 2009... he furore over the death of baby Peter in Haringey has led to doctors and social workers involved in child protection being urged to be more critical and invasive in their assessments. According to the Lancet our child protection system is "a...