Community Care articles from March 2003

Community Care archives from March 2003

Project shows benefits of multi-skilling.(Project in north Derbyshire to improve recruitment and retention of older people's care workers through redefining their role and skills)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... A project in north Derbyshire is improving recruitment and retention of older people's care workers through redefining their role and skills. The NHS changing workforce programme piloted a one-year project where domiciliary staff assisted...

lost in care - again.(Most children in residential care in Wales do not have a specialist complaints officer they can confide in)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... The news that only a third of Welsh councils have implemented one of the key recommendations of the Waterhouse report can only shock anyone familiar with the north Wales child abuse scandal. Sir Ronald Waterhouse himself is appalled to learn...

Take into accounta.(Contracting and secure commissioning are discussed)
March 6, 2003... We need to sharpen them up by all accounts. But what are commissioning and contracting? John Belcher, Claire Smart and Martin Willis show how to make secure commissioning possible Market management. Pump priming. Mapping needs. As in most...

victims on the margins.(Gay and lesbian domestic violence)
March 6, 2003... You do not have to be a woman or heterosexual to be a victim of domestic violence. Yet the fact that lesbians and gay men may be abused within an intimate relationship is often overlooked by service providers and policy-makers. Stuart...

research into practice.(Older people in London are declining in numbers and dependent on extended family networks)
March 6, 2003... Data on older people in London reveal a group declining in numbers and dependent on extended family networks, reports Jill Manthorpe The first London Older People's Assembly - a conference organised for older people by older people - was...

a credit to us all.(Profiles of those who may be receiving tax credits)
March 6, 2003... You might have seen the television and press advertisements for the new tax credits. So which of the following people will get extra money from April? Loretta is a senior manager in social services, earning pound sterling55,000 a year. She...

no hiding place.(Political agenda includes look at domestic violence)
March 6, 2003... The issue of domestic violence has risen up the political agenda. Anabel Unity Sale looks at the extent of the problem and how agencies can improve support to their clients while, on page 32, Sarah Wellard reports on violence in same-sex...

criminal checks by Katie Leason; Records bureau set for overhaul but home care staff remain unchecked.
March 6, 2003... The government has pledged to make "radical" changes to the running of the beleaguered Criminal Records Bureau, but is still to set a date to start checking home care workers. The changes - including a new system for electronic applications...

liberty a priceless gem.(Comments from a hospitalized schizophrenic)
March 6, 2003... I was just well enough in hospital to appreciate fully what was going on and it was not fun. Many others inside were either dumb or strangely articulate: this for a year and a half. I longed for the sanity of society. Or so I thought. As...

inspections; Welsh government looks again at plans.(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... The Welsh government is being forced to reconsider how it will inspect social services departments in Wales when the current programme of joint reviews comes to an end later this year. Ministers have proposed that their own social services...

McTernan.(Implications of war on terrorism for social services)
March 6, 2003... on Politics Sometimes the most chilling things that you hear are the most calmly spoken. Recently, I heard Dame Pauline Neville-Jones, former chairperson of Whitehall's joint intelligence committee, on Radio 4's Sunday morning Broadcasting...

Degree will be run by 52 universities.(Social work degree)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Fiona Waddington, project manager at the Practice Learning Task Force, has announced that 52 universities will be offering the new social work degree when it begins in September. Waddington said that some universities had been "very...

workforce; Surveys to gather evidence on low pay.(Relates to local government pay and conditions)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Public sector union Unison is to conduct a series of surveys in a bid to collate evidence about pay and conditions at councils to submit to the Local Government Pay Commission. The commission was set up as part of a settlement between local...

workplace; 'Seamless services are unattainable'.(Relates to health and social care professionals)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Health and social care professionals should stop aiming for a perfect "seamless service", a London conference heard last week. David Panter, chief executive of Brighton and Hove Council, told delegates at Community Care's conference on the...

care homes by Nicola Barry; Care home owners set to refuse referrals as they reject 'final offer'.(Care home owners in Scotland reject offer on fees from Scottish executive and Convention of Scottish Local Authorities)
March 6, 2003... Care home owners in Scotland have rejected an offer on fees from the Scottish executive and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities by six votes to one. The postal vote will now be followed up with a final vote at an emergency general...

voluntary sector; Shotgun wedding of funding boards leads charities to seek guarantees.(plans to merge New Opportunities Fund, Community Fund)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Plans to merge the two lottery funding distributors have been confirmed, leaving charities fearing more government control over their activities. Lauren Revans reports Tessa Jowell's announcement last week that she intends to push ahead...

workforce; Bristol social worker sacking upheld.(Les Spanswick, deputy unit manager, Bush Resources Centre, Bristol, England)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Bristol social services department was right to sack a social worker who let a boy drive a car at a residential home, an employment tribunal has ruled. Les Spanswick, deputy unit manager at the Bush Resources Centre in Bristol, claimed...

standards; Government rules on intervention.(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... The government has no intention of intervening in poorly performing councils on a long-term basis, according to new guidelines. The protocol states that the government will only intervene on the basis of evidence from a selection of...

young people; Runaways at risk of sexual abuse.(National Missing Persons Helpline report, study by University of York researchers)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Almost one in nine young people who go missing are sexually assaulted while they are away, according to a new report by the National Missing Persons Helpline charity. The level of risk of sexual abuse was increased as a result of a third...

workforce; Court rejects appeal over minimum wage.(GMB vows to fight loophole)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Local government union the GMB has vowed to fight to close the loophole in the national minimum wage legislation after the Court of Appeal rejected a claim by a care worker that she was paid much less than the minimum wage. Julie Walton...

adoption; Six-month delay for new regulations.(U.K. Department of Health delays Adoption Support Services Regulations 2003)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... The Department of Health's decision to delay the introduction of new support arrangements for adopting parents has been welcomed by adoption groups. The six-month delay of the Adoption Support Services Regulations 2003 means the...

asylum seekers; MP bars refugees from his surgery.(John Spellar, Member of Parliament )
March 6, 2003... A government minister who last week publicly backed a report on social inclusion has come under fire for allegedly refusing to see asylum seekers in his constituency surgery. John Spellar, transport minister and Labour MP for Warley, in the...

social exclusion; Government 'using' community groups.(Demos report )(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Community-based organisations are being "co-opted" by the government, which could reduce their ability to tackle social exclusion, according to a report by an independent think-tank. The report, published by Demos, finds that some...

care homes; Large providers join push for higher fees.(English Care formed, led by Joe Campbell)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Corporate care providers, including Southern Cross, Westminster Health Care and Four Seasons, have joined smaller private home owners to campaign for fee increases. They have formed English Care with more than 50 local care home...

asylum seekers; Ruling 'frustrated' aim of new law.(Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... AHigh Court judge's ruling last month that denying asylum seekers automatic support was a breach of their human rights "plainly frustrated" the intention of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002, the Court of Appeal was told this...

funding; Climbdown over education diktat.(Education Act 2002, Croydon, Westminster Councils revised school budgets )(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Plans to force two London councils to spend budget increases on schools rather than care services have been abandoned. Two weeks ago, education secretary Charles Clarke used new powers under the Education Act 2002 to order Croydon and...

learning difficulties; Partnership boards 'left on sidelines'.(Mencap survey)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Many people with learning difficulties are still being denied the chance to influence decisions about the services provided for them, according to Mencap. A survey by the charity, released this week, shows that the partnership boards...

Children by Derren Hayes; Pressure on guardians to represent children in more private law cases.(Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service, Adoption and Children Act 2002 regulations)
March 6, 2003... The Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service is in discussions with the Lord Chancellor's Department over plans to increase its involvement in divorce and separation proceedings. The move reflects feelings among legal experts...

readers' views; Staff not satisfied with joint work.(social workers, nurses working together )(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Social workers and nurses are not working well together according to more than two-thirds of visitors to Community Care's website. However, a recent Community Care survey revealed social workers and nurses thought joint working was going...

care homes; Deal reached over residents' relocation.(Lancashire Council to close care homes, to do individual assessments before moving residents)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... A row over plans by Lancashire Council to close more than 30 care homes as part of a major shake-up of care for older people was resolved at the 11th hour in the High Court this week. The home closures were intended to ensure that all...

The stage ; is set.(stages describing progress of dementia)
March 6, 2003... The use of stages to describe the progress of dementia is often helpful when identifying the support needs of people with the condition, write social care academic Jill Manthorpe and health specialist Steve Iliffe "Of course" says Joan...

drugs misuse; Social cost of drugs in London is [pounds sterling]2.5bn.(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... Someone in London dies every 30 hours because of drug misuse, according to a new report. The study, from the Greater London Alcohol and Drug Alliance, says that Londoners are more likely to have used illegal drugs than people in other...

book reviews.(Book Review)
March 6, 2003... Gordon Smith looks at a study of person-centred approaches and Chris Hanvey on the concept of care Voices of the Voiceless Jan Hawkins, PCCS Books, ISBN 1 898059 41 1, pound sterling15 Rethinking Children's Care Edited by...

children; Truancy court cases stuck in slow lane.(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... The first ever "fast-track" truancy prosecution hearings were held at Grays Magistrates Court in Thurrock, Essex, last week, and proved to be anything but rapid. Eight parents were accused of failing to ensure their children attended...

training by derren hayes; Worries over practice teacher grant cuts cast shadow over degree course.
March 6, 2003... Practice teachers fear that the new social work degree will be undermined if grants used to train social workers for teaching are not renewed. The National Organisation for Practice Teaching (NOPT) believes a Department of Health review...

child protection by alex dobson; Welsh councils fail to implement Waterhouse proposals in full.
March 6, 2003... There are still "worrying inadequacies" in Welsh social services departments' systems for safeguarding vulnerable children, children's commissioner Peter Clarke has found. Clarke's report reveals that three years after the Waterhouse...

why truancy is not good for anybody.
March 6, 2003... Yvonne roberts School provides training for life - something that some middle class parents tend to forget "Truancy can be good for you,"read a recent headline in The Guardian. Jenni Russell argued that truancy is excusable if it...

Behind the headlines.
March 6, 2003... Our regular panel comments on a topic in the news People are being unfairly forced to pay for long-term care, the health service ombudsman has decided. Ann Abraham's recommendation that they should be compensated could be costly to the...

second time success.(legislator Harriet Harman )
March 6, 2003... Harriet Harman's second spell in office has seen her push domestic violence up the agenda. And it shows, away from the Blair's Babes stereotypes, that women can make a difference, writes Melissa Benn One mid-morning, late last year, I...

voluntary sector; Recession blamed for charity's job cuts.(Royal National Institute for the Deaf)(Brief Article)
March 6, 2003... A significant number of people are set to lose their jobs at the deaf people's charity RNID as a result of the downturn in the economy, the charity's chief executive announced last week. John Low said that continued economic decline and an...

supporting people; Budget cuts deflate enthusiasm for new supported housing scheme.
March 6, 2003... The brave new world of Supporting People is looking somewhat less rosy as forced savings put some of the system's projects at risk. Mark Hunter reports When the grant allocation for the government's Supporting People programme was...

Game of patience.(preventing child prostitution)
March 6, 2003... A 15-year-old girl starts attending a drop-in centre for young people involved in prostitution. But she is not forthcoming about her circumstances. Barnardo's Tink Palmer (left) tells Graham Hopkins how a patient approach was...

merger or takeover?(proposed merger of the New Opportunities Fund and the Community Fund)
March 6, 2003... Battles lines have once again been drawn between the voluntary sector and the government. It is noticeable that New Labour has failed to calm suspicions in some parts of the voluntary sector that, in the government's view, they are a ready...

diary.
March 6, 2003... Monday Whoever would have thought it would come to this. Me, the bossy, committee woman, chairperson of this that and the other, reduced to hobbling about on two sticks, housebound. So what? There's nothing that can be done about it....

How to stay afloat.(Carers and Disabled Children Act 2000 )
March 6, 2003... An explicit aim of the Carers and Disabled Children Act 2000 is achieving "the outcomes the carer would want to see".1 But how realistic is this? In a recent survey by the Association of Directors of Social Services, most agencies suggested...

protection down the line.(debate over database of child medical records)
March 6, 2003... A database that would give professionals access to the records of children at risk might seem an obvious step to improve child protection. But there are concerns whether personal details of families should be made available to a range of...

change for the worse?(Valuing People, Care Standards Act)
March 6, 2003... Many care home owners are de-registering their properties to create independent tenancies for people with learning difficulties. But does this reflect a desire to implement Valuing People or an attempt to avoid the constraints of the Care...

Sharply rising insurance costs cast a long shadow over residential homes.
March 13, 2003... Hundreds more children's care homes could be threatened with closure as the cost of insurance premiums for employer liability continues to rise, the National Association of Independent Resources for Children conference was told. The...

how to hold court.
March 13, 2003... Courts can be frightening places with archaic rules and intimidating procedures. Social work academic Jonathan Dickens offers advice to social workers on how best to present their case For social workers, the experience of care proceedings...

a dignified exit?(discussion of assisted suicide cases)
March 13, 2003... Publicity given to recent assisted suicide cases has highlighted the ethical dilemmas for carers of severely disabled people. Sally Gillen examines whether the right to euthanasia should be enshrined in law - and, if so, the safeguards that...

housing; Hackney tenants not informed of policy.(Brief Article)
March 13, 2003... Supported housing tenants in Hackney, east London, complained last week that they had not been informed about the government's new single-stream funding regime for supported housing in time for its introduction on 1 April. At a meeting...

it's tougher at the top.
March 13, 2003... Lord Laming had little time for the senior managers who came before him at the Victoria Climbie Inquiry. A succession of managers and chief executives who blamed their subordinates led Laming to conclude that the most important change "must be...

homelessness; 'Too few' targets to help the vulnerable.
March 13, 2003... The Homelessness Act 2002 does not set enough targets to ensure local authorities help vulnerable people, the head of a homelessness charity warned last week. Charles Fraser, head of homelessness charity St Mungo's, said he was "very...

asylum seekers; Court defers ruling on human rights.(Brief Article)
March 13, 2003... The Court of Appeal reserved judgement last week on the home secretary's bid to overturn a High Court ruling that new asylum laws breached asylum seekers' human rights (news, page 5, 6 February). The case centres around section 55 of the...

social exclusion; Child care threat to poverty targets.(Brief Article)
March 13, 2003... The government needs to invest more heavily in child care to reach its target for getting lone parents into work, warns a new report. The research, published by the Daycare Trust this week, argues that if government investment into child...

older people; Charity claims long assessment delays.(Brief Article)
March 13, 2003... Older people in Scotland are being forced to wait up to a year to be assessed for free personal care, according to new research by older people's charity Age Concern Scotland. A spokesperson for the charity said: "Waiting for an assessment...

New commission to unify inspections.(Brief Article)
March 13, 2003... The forthcoming Commission for Social Care Inspection will bring most sectors involved in delivering care services under the same inspection process for the first time, chief inspector of social services Denise Platt told the conference. ...

Councillor calls for care leavers' fund.
March 13, 2003... The youngest councillor in the country, a former resident of a children's care home, has called on private home providers to set up a fund to help older care leavers. Matthew Huggins, a Labour councillor at the London Borough of Barking...

mental health; Good housing is a lottery, says report.(Brief Article)
March 13, 2003... Londoners with severe mental health problems are missing out on housing because of a postcode lottery, according to new research. The report, released as part of the King's Fund mental health inquiry, finds that the amount of specialist...

partnerships; Drugs and crime teams 'must merge'.(Brief Article)
March 13, 2003... Drug action teams and crime and disorder reduction partnerships should merge, Home Office minister Bob Ainsworth told MPs last month. Ainsworth said that from 1 April the Police Reform Act 2002 would make it statutory for local authorities,...

truancy; Mother loses High Court challenge.(Brief Article)
March 13, 2003... A mother convicted of failing to ensure her son attended school lost a High Court test case last week to challenge truancy laws. Lawyers representing Alison Barnfather argued that the truancy provisions in the Education Act 1996 were...

social exclusion; Some will be more equal than others in proposed anti-discrimination body.
March 13, 2003... Plans for a single equality body to replace existing commissions and tackle age, religious and anti-gay discrimination have received a mixed response. Sally Gillen reports As the possibility of a single equality body grows ever more...

joint review; Blackpool staff 'inexperienced'.(Brief Article)
March 13, 2003... Child protection services are overstretched and understaffed at Blackpool Council, according to a joint review. The Audit Commission and Social Services Inspectorate found that Blackpool's child protection services were staffed by...

health; New medical centre for asylum seekers.(Brief Article)
March 13, 2003... Nearly 400 refugees and asylum seekers living in and around Birmingham have registered with the first health centre dedicated to their needs just two months after it opened its doors. The Asylum seeker and Refugee Centre for Health (Arch),...

children; Staff shortages cause court delays.(Brief Article)
March 13, 2003... Nearly 2,000 children involved in private and public law care proceedings have had their cases delayed because of an acute shortage of staff. Latest figures from the Children And Family Court Advisory and Support Service show that at the...

learning difficulties by Anabel unity sale; Court rules that mental incapacity is not a bar to equal medical treatment.
March 13, 2003... Learning difficulties charities have heralded as a landmark decision last week's ruling by the High Court that people with learning difficulties should receive the same medical treatment as everyone else. Judge Dame Elizabeth Butler-Sloss...

workforce; Late recruitment drive for assessors.(Brief Article)
March 13, 2003... The General Social Care Council, the body responsible for registering social care professionals in England, has launched a recruitment campaign for members of its registration panel - just three weeks before registration is due to begin. ...

legislation; Ban on begging to go into white paper.(Brief Article)
March 13, 2003... The government is expected to publish its white paper on antisocial behaviour this week, with a strong pledge to tackle street beggars and prevent children from behaving antisocially. Winning Back Our Communities is expected to contain...

legal; Judge slams social worker on adoption.(Brief Article)
March 13, 2003... An independent social worker who compiled reports to help the adoption of a US baby by an English couple may have criminal proceedings brought against her after a judge described her work as "deeply flawed and inadequate". In the High...

readers' views; Bureau has failed the speed test.
March 13, 2003... Most visitors to Community Care's website say the Criminal Records Bureau has failed to speed up the process for issuing checks. This week's question asks: Are people from ethnic minorities discriminated against in mental health services...

No right to write off.(discussion of hospital's denial of life-saving treatment for learning disabled patient)(Brief Article)
March 13, 2003... A hospital's recommendation that life-saving treatment should be denied to a patient because he has learning difficulties is symptomatic of the way that disabled people are still too often viewed in our society. Dame Elizabeth Butler-Sloss...

return tickets required.(discussion of problems associated with mental illness)(Brief Article)
March 13, 2003... A diagnosis of mental illness can feel like a one-way ticket out of "normal" life. Getting a job, finding a home - endemic prejudice is a powerful excluding force that confronts people wherever they turn. Mental health services themselves...

mental health by Katie Leason; Bid to combat discrimination inservices for ethnic minorities.
March 13, 2003... All staff working in mental health services should receive compulsory training in "cultural awareness" in a bid to eradicate the institutional racism and discrimination that ethnic minorities encounter. The recommendation comes as part of...

child protection; Referrals in Scotland at highest ever level.(Brief Article)
March 13, 2003... The number of young people in Scotland referred to the Scottish hearing system has risen to the highest level since records began. Almost 40,000 youngsters were referred to the system in 2001-2, according to the annual report from the...

disabilities; Discrimination still common in schools.(Brief Article)
March 13, 2003... One in three disabled children are still being treated unfairly in the education system despite recent laws to prevent discrimination, according to new research. The survey of disabled children's parents, launched last week by charity...

social exclusion; Unit bids to improve access to paid work.(Brief Article)
March 13, 2003... Home Office minister Barbara Roche launched two projects to tackle the social exclusion of vulnerable groups last week. In the first, the social exclusion unit will aim to improve delivery of welfare to work and enterprise policies in the...

Homelessness by Lauren Revans; New act aims to end homelessness north of the border within 10 years.
March 13, 2003... The Scottish parliament passed the Homelessness (Scotland) Bill this week, which committed the assembly to ending homelessness in Scotland within 10 years. The new legislation will see everyone who is assessed as being unintentionally...

children by derren hayes; Foster carers argue for morefreedom to switch agencies.
March 13, 2003... A group of foster carers are calling on the Fostering Network to ballot its members on whether to withdraw from an agreement that restricts their working practices. The foster carers claim the agreement, which most councils and independent...

delayed discharge by katie leason; Lords challenge bed-blocking bill in bid to strengthen patients' rights.
March 13, 2003... Peers in the House of Lords this week voted in favour of two amendments to the Community Care (Delayed Discharges) Bill that, if upheld, would reduce the possibility of patients being discharged inappropriately or prematurely. They voted...

child protection; More targets for police, please.
March 13, 2003... A senior policeman this week urged the government to introduce performance indicator targets for police child protection work to raise its priority. Paul Kernaghan, chief constable of Hampshire Constabulary, told a 1000-strong audience of...

catholic trends for care homes.
March 13, 2003... The Catholic Church's involvement in education, child care and hospices could fill chapters in any history of social policy but its extensive provision of residential and nursing care for older people hardly merits a footnote. And as far as...

diary.(social worker writes of experience as member of a local authority children and families team)
March 13, 2003... This week's diary is by a senior social worker in a local authority children and families team Monday It is my first day at university to undertake a one-year course towards the child care award. I read through the course programme, which...

social work can learn from police.
March 13, 2003... viewpoint Child abuse investigations should be carried out by confident staff trained in detective techniques, writes Hilary Searing The question I asked myself when I first heard about Victoria Climbie was how could social workers in duty...

evidently sensible.(discussion of evidence-based social work in Sweden)
March 13, 2003... letter from sweden A unique project with government backing has been helping to disseminate the results of evidence-based research to social workers, report Jan-Hkan Hansson and Haluk Soydan Evidence-based social work has risen high up...