Community Care articles from March 2008

Community Care archives from March 2008

Opinion Columns.(training social workers)
March 6, 2008... Education has always been a priority of the Labour party since it came into power. This has been extended beyond traditional ideas of education to new areas including workforce development. For social care, this meant the creation of a...

breaking the asbo cycle.(Opinion Columns)(antisocial behavior order)
March 6, 2008... A set of family-centred initiatives in north west England is cutting antisocial behaviour. The government would do well to take heed It is only by identifying and addressing the needs of the family as a whole that antisocial behaviour can...

an unknown quantity.(Opinion Columns)(training social workers)
March 6, 2008... Neither service users nor social workers are aware of the funding available to train personal assistants to the level of paid carers Education has been a priority of the Labour party since it came into power. This has been extended beyond...

social workers seeing red.(Editorial Comment)
March 6, 2008... "Retaining and motivating social workers isn't just about pay" Social work remains the poor relation of the public sector. In a week when we realised that the salaries of GP partners had increased by 58% over the past three years,...

News.(Sure Start )(Brief article)
March 6, 2008... news in brief ASYLUM Unaccompanied children applying for asylum in the UK face unacceptable practices during the screening process, including being left hungry, thirsty and alone, the children's commissioner for England has found. Al...

News.(inquest on Gareth Price's death)
March 6, 2008... youth justice Gareth Price coroner tells agencies to correct errors maria.ahmed@rbi.co.uk The coroner in the inquest of 16-year-old Gareth Price has written to authorities highlighting their respective failures to prevent his...

News.(Tony Hunter to be in the London Marathon)(Brief article)
March 6, 2008... Marathon Man... Liverpool Council executive director of community services Tony Hunter will be competing in the London Marathon on Sunday 13 April in aid of the Cystic Fibrosis Trust. The former Association of Directors of Social Services...

News.(Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service signs up to Community Care Inform)(Brief article)
March 6, 2008... 6march08p11cafcass (with pic) Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service chief executive Anthony Douglas has agreed to sign his organisation up to Community Care Inform, the online reference tool for practitioners working with...

News.(social workers' training on family support for substance abusers)
March 6, 2008... Substance misuse Drug strategy 'fails to plug gap' in social work training Children affected by drugs misuse at the core of new 10-year plan * Rapid treatment access for parents with children at risk. * All assessments to take...

News.(Brief article)
March 6, 2008... news in brief HOMELESSNESS Councils must assess vulnerable homeless youg people for their eligibility for looked-after children's services, rather than housing support, a Law Lords ruling made clear last week. However, the Lords...

News.(on social work)(Brief article)
March 6, 2008... A selection of your comments on our survey from CareSpace, Community Care's new discussion forum. To contribute to the debate, go to www.communitycare.co.uk/care-space-pay private v Public sector "I've worked in the private sector for...

News.(social workers' second jobs)
March 6, 2008... Poll exposes plight of debt-ridden social workers More social workers taking second jobs as cost of living overcomes pay rises mithran.samuel@rbi.co.uk About 40% of social care professionals have taken a second job on...

BASW to vote on having closer ties with a union.(News)(British Association of Social Workers)(Brief article)
March 6, 2008... workforce mithran.samuel@rbi.co.uk The British Association of Social Workers is to ask members whether they want closer links with a trade union to give the professional body greater influence on pay and conditions. As a Community...

News.(Department of Health recruitment campaign)(Brief article)
March 6, 2008... We called just to say thanks The Department of Health launched its annual social care recruitment campaign this week, designed to attract recruits into social care and social work. Centred on the themes of the thanks and appreciation social...

News.
March 6, 2008... 6march08p7click 1. Exclusive: Jersey whistle blower fears he will be silenced 2. Jersey Police suggest third cellar at Haut de Garenne 3. Social worker suspended from GSCC register 4. Exclusive: UK social worker blows the...

Skills for Care predicts huge hike in workforce.(News)
March 6, 2008... Direct payments and personalised care will boost employment in sector, report says adult social care Rowe: Jobs will increase by 80% Johnson: Figures misleading Bott: PAs are lowest paid in sector...

Government admits it is missing poverty target.(News)(Brief article)
March 6, 2008... caroline.lovell@rbi.co.uk The government has admitted it is unlikely to meet its target to halve child poverty by 2010, ahead of next week's Budget. The revelation, in a productivity study by the Department for Work and Pensions last...

News.(weight management course at Shanti Court)(Brief article)(Photograph)
March 6, 2008... weight and see Zafri Yousaf, Bushra Ahmad and Bushra Rehman (pictured from left) are among residents at the Shanti Court sheltered housing scheme in Wandsworth, south London, enjoying a healthier lifestyle after taking part in a weight...

Island's safeguarding chief 'shocked' by revelations How the events unfolded after discovery of human remains.(News)(Jersey's June Thoburn on Haut de la Garenne investigation)
March 6, 2008... June Thoburn says serious case panel and inquiry may be launched so lessons can be learned maria.ahmed@rbi.co.uk The UK social work expert who was appointed chair of Jersey's child protection committee last year has told Community Care...

Abuse of children in care was rife.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
March 6, 2008... Evidence-based journalism, please! Your article ("Independents prove more cost effective than councils", 14 February) shows that independent providers spend less on adult services than do councils. In contrast to the title of the...

Attachment disorder.(Working Lives)(Disease/Disorder overview)
March 6, 2008... The first of a monthly series of articles offering guidance on important issues in children's social work practice. This month we look at attachment disorder among looked-after children What is attachment disorder? Some children and...

Can I get my first social work job at 57?(Working Lives)
March 6, 2008... Q: I am a social work undergraduate and qualify in June 2009. I will be 57 then and my only practical experience is as a volunteer before the degree course and two 100-day social work placements during it. Can I get a job as a social worker at...

Songs in the key of life.(Good Practice)
March 6, 2008... Life Routes uses music-making as one way to encourage children from less well off areas to develop their life skills. Anne Gulland gauges the programme's success noisy jamming session with a group of Asian musicians and dancers might...

My practice.
March 6, 2008... 'There should be a place for social work in every school' Student Heather Phillips explains why social work values can play a vital role in the more "authoritarian" setting of secondary schools ultidisciplinary working between...

Stay on top of the form.(Features)(General Social Care Council )
March 6, 2008... For the thousands of social workers whose registration with the GSCC lapses next month, time is running out to submit the paperwork, writes Sally Gillen Have you or haven't you? Initiation into the ways of registration is proving a...

Children with disabled parents.(Proven Practice)
March 6, 2008... Each week the Social Care Institute for Excellence analyses research findings behind specific social work practices ost of the research concerning the children of disabled parents is small-scale and qualitative. It also relates mainly to...

Dementia and the screen test.(Features)(Critical essay)
March 6, 2008... The depiction of Alzheimer's disease in the cinema - or even on radio - can be a catalyst to increasing understanding of the condition, writes Anita Campbell review: the savages ho is the prime minister of Britain? It was a seemingly...

Backchat.(Personal account)
March 6, 2008... Monday I'm working on a project, identifying ways of "finding more innovative ways of providing care". In other words, cutting care packages. I meet the rest of the team, which is made up of practitioners from across the authority. We all have...

Opinion Columns.(on sick leaves)(Personal account)
March 6, 2008... Nigel Leaney manages a mental health residential service take a sickie, you deserve it Good managers realise they don't employ robots, so they should also realise that human beings are prone to bouts of absence I recently took a...

Features.(Sunderland council services)
March 6, 2008... Despite the lowest council tax rate in the North East, and an ageing population, Sunderland is bucking the trend and offering services to people with "low" needs. Mark Hunter reports Rarely can the government have acted so swiftly on a...

From rags to soil riches.(Working Lives)
March 6, 2008... Far from being a dedicated follower of fashion, John Cossham is a dedicated follower of recycling Clothing isn't a subject which is immediately associated with sustainability, but our choices have an appreciable impact. The issues...

Features.(attachment disorder)(Disease/Disorder overview)
March 6, 2008... A guide toattachment disorder What is Attachment Disorder? Some children and young people in care in children's homes, in foster families or in adoptive families have difficulties in managing close relationships. The closeness of...

'You need the confidence to think outside the box'.(Interview/Profile)(Lesley Barker)(Interview)
March 6, 2008... St Helens Council's direct payments team manager Lesley Barker When did you join the direct payments team? The team was restructured in August 2006 and three new team members took up post between then and November 2006 - which is when I...

Skeleton service.(Features)(assisting child asylum seekers)
March 6, 2008... The government is pressing ahead with controversial changes to the way young, unaccompanied asylum seekers are dealt with. Amy Taylor reports on fears that lack of funding guidance and preparation will affect service delivery Proposed...

Abuse of vulnerable adults: what do we know about interventions?(Research Realities)
March 6, 2008... Jill Manthorpe explores research that pulls together literature about intervening to help adults who are at risk of abuse and harm The research Title: A review of literature on effective interventions that prevent and respond to harm...

Dementia and the screen test.(Features)(Critical essay)
March 6, 2008... The depiction of Alzheimer's disease in the cinema - or even on radio - can be a catalyst to increasing understanding of the condition, writes Anita Campbell review: the savages Who is the prime minister of Britain? It was a seemingly...

Features.(social work hours)(Brief article)
March 6, 2008... how many hours have you done? 0-20 hours: 15% 21-40 hours: 3% 41-60 hours: 8% 61-80 hours: 5% 81-90 hours: 69% The findings are based on a self-selecting survey of 224 social workers due to re-register in April,...

means must inform ends.(Opinion Columns)
March 13, 2008... Voluntary organisations need moral certainty but flexibility in involving as many people as possible in achieving their ends On 4 February 1922 a peaceful march reached Chauri Chaura. The people were calling for self-rule in India and were...

Power itself causes abuse.(Opinion Columns)
March 13, 2008... A famous experiment into prison psychology uncovered an unpalatable truth: staff at all institutions inevitably oppress In 1971, Philip Zombardo, conducted what came to be known as the Stanford Prison Experiment: he turned the basement of...

Clean social care language of bugs.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
March 13, 2008... Leaked findings on Hoskin misreported Your story ("Cornwall services struggle to improve", 28 February) would be more "exclusive" if, first, it accurately reported the findings of the serious case review regarding the murder of Steven...

Editorial Comment.(removal of a newborn from mother)(Editorial)(Brief article)
March 13, 2008... There's no conspiracy The Nottingham baby case has dragged social work through the mud. In January, a newborn baby was removed from his 18-year-old mother without her consent or a care order. It prompted speculation that social workers...

Letters.(Letter to the editor)
March 13, 2008... 13Marchwordonweb Blogs Web extra Discussion forum On social workers' pay: Lewes: "Surely the maths are simple, pay regular full time social workers a descent wage that reflects the role they play in society and you will...

News Analysis.(Putting People First and social care)
March 13, 2008... 13march08p10-11incontrol Maria Pix sent to Stevie - headshots of Sue Bott, Caroline Glendinning and Paul Davies Main pic also sent to Stevie - caption to come from Maria Adult social care is at a turning point. From April,...

Arthurworrey tells tribunal of death threats and insults.(News)(Lisa Arthurworrey)
March 13, 2008... workforce sally.gillen@rbi.co.uk The social worker at the centre of the Victoria Climbie case has told a Care Standards Tribunal hearing she would be able to manage hostile clients if she was given the opportunity to work as a social...

News.
March 13, 2008... Jersey: children not currently at risk Culture of "ignorance", not of silence, persisted on island, claims minister maria.ahmed@rbi.co.uk The UK social work expert leading a child protection review in Jersey has said there is "no...

News.(Nuno Valente's TalkDon't Walk campaign)(Brief article)
March 13, 2008... on the ball Everton defender Nuno Valente and schoolboy Oliver Hankinson helped launch a schools campaign for runaways in the North West. All schools in Cheshire will receive a TalkDon't Walk teaching pack for children aged seven to 14. The...

Watchdog calls for repeal of restraint rule change.(News)(Parliament's committee on human rights)(Brief article)
March 13, 2008... caroline.lovell@rbi.co.uk Parliament's human rights watchdog has urged the government to repeal its controversial decision last summer to allow secure training centre staff to use restraint to maintain "good order and discipline". In...

News.(placement in children's services)(Brief article)
March 13, 2008... A Ministry of Justice study has countered claims that social workers are unnecessarily taking children into care. Researchers found no evidence in court files that guardians or the courts thought councils had brought applications for care...

Judge savages Nottingham Council in baby K judgement.(News)(Justice Munby)
March 13, 2008... Management and training criticised as Munby says failings 'far from unique' mithran.samuel@rbi.co.uk A leading family judge has criticised the quality of children's social services at Nottingham Council in the light of its treatment...

Hillingdon hits back over children's commissioner claims.(News)(Julian Wooster on Al Aynsley-Green's review of services for child asylum-seekers)(Brief article)
March 13, 2008... asylum seekers caroline.lovell@rbi.co.uk Hillingdon Council's head of children's services has rejected claims by the children's commissioner for England that unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) are not being "adequately...

News.(Kelly Holmes and the South Canning Town Detached Youth Project's sports program)(Brief article)
March 13, 2008... asdf asd fasd Dame Kelly Holmes - pictured with young people from the South Canning Town Detached Youth Project - launched a new sports and activity project in Canning Town, east London inside a refurbished shipping container, last month. The...

Campaigners celebrate as government amends bill.(News)(Children and Young Persons bill)
March 13, 2008... Adonis improves placements and short breaks provision in Children and Young Persons Bill children caroline.lovell@rbi.co.uk Children's charities have won two important battles to secure support for looked-after children and...

News.
March 13, 2008... 13march08p9click 1. Forty percent of you have taken second job to pay bills. 2. Jersey Abuse Case: New findings could be more human remains. 3. Law lords: Council should have assessed teen under Children Act. 4. Exclusive:...

News.(Association of Directors of Adult Social Services on its eligibility criteria for elder and disabled services)
March 13, 2008... adult care services Directors back eligibility criteria overhaul The Association of Directors of Adult Social Services has backed an overhaul of the fair access to care services eligibility criteria. Vice-president John Dixon said...

News.(Brief article)
March 13, 2008... news in brief LEARNING DISABILITIES A national magazine, OurSay, which is run by and for people with learning disabilities, was launched this week. OurSay's editor, Joe Mellone, said: "We plan to use OurSay to show that people with...

If only Brown wouldwave a magic wand...(Features)(Gordon Brown)
March 13, 2008... As Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling reveal their latest spending plans, the Institute for Public Policy Research considers what a more favourable budget for social care might mean for England. And overleaf, Nina Jacobs looks at the reality of...

Companionship, trust and security.(Good Practice)(Companions home for young people)
March 13, 2008... A residential home and school provides answers by tackling the underlying reasons for young people's drug and alcohol misuse. Corin Williams reports what companions means think Companions is a huge success because the staff are calm...

lifestyle review hkjhkjhjkhjkhjkhkhk.(Working Lives)(International Disability Film Festival)
March 13, 2008... Mark Drinkwater is lkjlkjljlkjlkjkljkljlk London's 8th International Disability Film Festival aaaaa British Film Institute South Bank, London 14-19 February 2008 Mainstream cinema releases usually pay scant attention...

Research Realities.(Child Protection, Domestic Violence and Parental Substance Misuse: Family Experiences and Effective Practice)(Book review)
March 13, 2008... Headline here styled using 2. Feature Heading Standfirst here styled using 2. Standfirst feature. Standfirst author styled using character style Body copy no indent here styled using 1. Body copy no indent. Body copy indent here...

Signs of Spring in the Potteries.(Features)(Stoke Council's management of its children's services)
March 13, 2008... Stoke Council has blazed a trail by handing its failing children's services over to a private and voluntary partnership. So, are the shoots of recovery coming through yet, asks Lauren Revans In March 2007, the government and Stoke-on-Trent...

Editorial Comment.(on self-directed support in social services)(Editorial)(Brief article)
March 13, 2008... leap of faith required Every council in England is now under starter's orders in the race to give service users their own personal budgets. The government's stopwatch is ticking and the expectation is that by 2011 every locality will have...

News.(on social work)(Brief article)
March 13, 2008... Here are some of the comments you made on this and related stories on CareSpace, Community Care's new discussion forum. To contribute to the debate, go to www.communitycare.co.uk/care-space-famcourts "With only 26.7 cases recording details...

Backchat.(Personal account)
March 13, 2008... Monday We get a referral from Emergency Duty- a teenager named Sally had an argument with her mother, who wants Sally accommodated. They have been advised to come to see us as this occurs regularly I decide to wait till they do. Later I go...

Backchat.(Personal account)
March 13, 2008... the writer is a social worker in a Council assessment and child protection team. Monday We receive a referral from emergency duty team - a teenager named Sally had an argument with her mother, who wants Sally accommodated. The pair...

film festival A showcase for work of disabled people.(Working Lives)(International Disability Film Festival)
March 13, 2008... Mark Drinkwater reviews the most inclusive arts event he has ever attended London's 8th International Disability Film Festival aaaaa British Film Institute South Bank, London 14-19 February Mainstream cinema usually...

Study debunks claims that children are wrongly removed.(News)(Brief article)
March 13, 2008... A Ministry of Justice study has countered claims that social workers are unnecessarily taking children into care. Researchers found no evidence in court files that guardians or the courts thought councils had brought applications for care...

Features.(forced marriage and honor-based violence)
March 13, 2008... Lifting the veil Next month a Community Care conference will consider responses to one of the most difficult social problems for some of the UK's ethnic minorities: forced marriage and honour-based violence. Anna Hardy reports ...

Backchat.(Community Care history )
March 13, 2008... Thirty years go iao A look through Community Care for March 1978 reveals stories that today would attract the attention of inspector opprobrium of the politically correct police. "Expulsion threat over blacked job" screams the headline...

Opinion Columns.(personal debt)
March 13, 2008... the great utility rip-off The use of direct debits by utility companies and the lack of proper channels of communication is adding to personal debt I've just been threatened with legal action by my former broadband provider. All for...

Is it better to work for the public or private sector?(Working Lives)
March 13, 2008... Q: I'm a third year student on my final placement and currently looking for jobs. Is it better to work for a local authority first, or join a private organisation? With salaries not being kept in line with inflation, and pensions not as they...

Management in Practice (old).
March 13, 2008... management in practice Change is like a virus - you have to catch it from others Creating new ways of working for social work teams means overhauling both the structure and the culture of working, writes Clare Chamberlain ost of...

Commissioning mental health advocacy for African and Caribbean men.(Proven Practice)
March 13, 2008... Each week the Social Care Institute for Excellence analyses research findings behind specific social work practices the evidence base for social care practice dvocacy is a process or intervention that ensures vulnerable people have a...

Interview/Profile.(Ruth Marks)(Interview)
March 13, 2008... Ready to make her mark The UK's first commissioner for older people, like the role's counterpart for children, is in Wales. Ruth Marks tells Natalie Valios about what the job is likely to entail Next month will see Ruth Marks step...

In Control: we are in uncharted territory.(News)(self-directed support in social care)
March 13, 2008... Individual budget and self-assessment pilots have produced promising results. But that doesn't mean a national roll-out will be easy. Maria Ahmed reports self-directed care Adult care social is at a turning point. From April, councils...

News.(Justice Munby on the unlawful removal of a newborn from his mother)
March 13, 2008... Mr Justice Munby yesterday said that the case, in which Nottingham Council unlawfully took a newborn baby from his 18-year-old mother without her consent or a court order, was "far from unique". Social workers were concerned to ensure the...

Backchat.
March 13, 2008... The late great Carl Sagan once published a baloney detector, which was a guide to spotting weak arguments in science and life generally. Two of the arguments he said to be beware of were the "statistics of small numbers (such as drawing...

Backchat.(Daily Mail article on social work)
March 13, 2008... What's the worst way to start a first column on the press in Community Care? Praise the Daily Mail? Yes that's it, so here goes. The recent judgement by Justice Munby in the Nottingham baby case presented yet another opportunity to put the...

Research Realities.(Child Protection, Domestic Violence and Parental Substance Misuse: Family Experiences and Effective Practice)(Book review)
March 13, 2008... Wider effects of violence and substance misuse in the family Research has shown the need to dispense with quick fixes and provide more opportunities for social workers to do the 'hard yards' with potentially vulnerable and dangerous...

Don't bin the pills just yet.(Features)(antidepressants)
March 13, 2008... Doubts about the efficacy of anti-depressants would lead Research published last month in online journal Public Library of Science Medicine startled the media and the mental health sector. The study, a meta-analysis of published and...

Features.(Pathways to Work program)
March 13, 2008... Private gain, public cost Private sector firms will soon be able to make profit from getting people off benefits. Gary Vaux asks whether it will be worth it he government's chief welfare to work adviser, David Freud, said...

engagement works.(Opinion Columns)
March 20, 2008... Probation work can turn around young people's lives if it is based on respect and perseverance, writes Mike Guilfoyle "If probation is to help to transform the lives of those who offend, it also needs to satisfy victims" When I first...

life at uni is far better.(Opinion Columns)(University of Glasgow)
March 20, 2008... Byline: Helen Waddell The past 15 years have seen improvements in university disability services that are now ensuring disabled students can succeed "The sensitive approach of the disability service reflects increased acceptance of...

Editorial Comment.(Editorial)
March 20, 2008... searching for a champion We are on the cusp of something big with Valuing People Now. The consultation on the impressive refresh of the 2001 original closes on 28 March, with every chance the ensuing policies will finally make choice and...

Letters.(Letter to the editor)
March 20, 2008... www.communitycare.co.uk/carespace CareSpace is an online community where social care professionals can share good practice information, ask for advice, network with colleagues from around the country or discuss the big issues of the day....