Community Care articles from May 2003

Community Care archives from May 2003

Form-filling gets in the way of care.(the excessive bureaucracy of the Looked After Children's materials)
May 1, 2003... How much longer is a major area of children and families social work going to be bogged down in the excessive bureaucracy that is the Looked After Children's (LAC) materials? We need record-keeping and accountability, but is the emphasis...

Research into practice.(early family intervention for children with autistic spectrum disorder)
May 1, 2003... Early intervention into families with children who have autistic spectrum disorder can make a huge difference, explains Alec Webster Autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) is a modern enigma. The National Autistic Society estimates that as many...

NIGHT CARETAKER.(Lord Laming's inquiry report on children at risk)(emergency duty team workers)
May 1, 2003... The Victoria Climbie Report recommended ending the responsibility of out-of-hours teams for providing emergency protection for children. Lecturer and social worker Glen Williams says this is self-defeating Hindsight may be a wonderful...

Message received?(communicating with staff)
May 1, 2003... Good communication between staff is key to effective practice but how much thought is given to writing memos and e-mails and how often do managers talk to staff face-to-face about decisions? Here, John Burton, Sheena Doyle and Kathryn Stone...

can you credit it?
May 1, 2003... The government has set a target of getting three-quarters of all new incapacity benefit claimants back into work. As a result, a pilot project involving more rigorous testing of "fitness for work" will begin in November for new claimants in...

Could do better?
May 1, 2003... "Education, education, education" trumpeted the Labour Party when it came into government. But the annual round of exam results seems to suggest that looked-after children are still being failed by the education system. Latest figures from the...

book reviews.(Children of Disabled Parents)(Moving on from Community Care)(Book Review)
May 1, 2003... Christine Wilson on a fresh view of the effect of parental disability and Mervyn Eastman on older people in society BYLINE: Children of Disabled Parents Tony Newman, Russell House Publishing, ISBN 1 903855 20 9, pound sterling14.95 ...

UNiform; Approach.
May 1, 2003... The last national serviceman was demobbed 40 years ago on 13 May 1963. A Labour government in the late 1940s had introduced peacetime conscription to maintain the strength of the armed forces. From then until 1963, more than two million young...

Making up for lost times.(treating dementia)
May 1, 2003... Changes are at last on the way for people with dementia. Ruth Winchester finds hope for those who need to access treatment, but the bill for long-term care could be huge with consequent uncertainty for sufferers ...

Child protection; Social care sector wants green paper to establish inter-agency framework.
May 1, 2003... Social services and charities are hoping the imminent Green Paper on Children at Risk broadens responsibility for service provision beyond social care. Amy Taylor reports A s chief secretary to the Treasury Paul Boateng puts the finishing...

Blair should think of his contemporaries.
May 1, 2003... Yvonne roberts Life may well begin at 40. But decent employment prospects certainly seem to end at 50 Happy 50th birthday, Mr Blair. Almost every newspaper in the land has played its part in the deification of our Prime Minister. ...

I made my mum proud.
May 1, 2003... I have been in care most of the time since I was a baby - it's like a second home to me. I kept flitting in and out of care until recently, when my mum went to prison, and I have been in a home now for a while. I go and see my mum...

JUST LEAVE IT ALONE.
May 1, 2003... The government should stop meddling with services such as health or education or they'll never improve. A service is just a means to an end, and it is that end we should focus on, writes Anna Coote

shedding the cotton wool.(parents of people with learning difficulties tend to see their son or daughter as a permanent child)
May 1, 2003... The temptation to suffocate the development of people with learning difficulties can lead to abuse. Louisa Traherne (top) and Ann Humphreys tell Graham Hopkins how they tried to resolve the relationship problems of an overbearing mother and an...

lest we forget.(Whether the West has forgotten Bosnia is discussed)
May 8, 2003... Amra Sarac shakes her head sadly and whispers: "You shouldn't see these." Sitting in her office in Sarajevo's Kosevo Hospital, the largest in Bosnia, she opens a small box and produces two dozen "family snaps" of babies that young raped Muslim...

where are all the caring people?
May 8, 2003... After chairing 80 reviews for looked-after children, I walked away from all but a handful wondering if that was the best we could do for them. If the bottom line is that the care we provide for a child is only marginally better than that...

staff in the dock.(How social workers are affected by inquiries into deaths of children is discussed)
May 8, 2003... Inquiries into the deaths of children can put enormous pressure on social workers. Janet Foulds of the British Association of Social Workers examines how staff are affected by involvement in such cases Lord Laming's report into the death of...

the rights of spring.(Letter to the Editor)
May 8, 2003... letter from norway People with learning difficulties who work in Norway have few of the benefits that the rest of the workforce enjoys, says Gunn Strand Hutchinson. A point that they make on the streets every 1 May For more than 100...

leader of the napac.(National Association for People Abused in Childhood)
May 8, 2003... The National Association for People Abused in Childhood has its own information line which is helping to ring the changes. Graham Hopkins finds out how it has given a voice to those who would have been silent BACKGROUND Scheme: Napac...

declaration of independence.(What independence means to older people is discussed)
May 8, 2003... New research examines what independence really means to older people. Social policy academic and researcher Caroline Glendinning discusses the results What do older people mean by "independence"? What helps promote independence, and how...

ploughing a lonely furrow.
May 8, 2003... Finding help for mental health problems outside the main towns can be very difficult. But more outreach workers would help, reports Katie Leason Asking for help for a mental health problem can be a daunting prospect for any individual. But...

young people; Health needs still go unheeded.(Brief Article)
May 8, 2003... The health of young people who have survived traumatic childhoods is suffering because professionals are failing to listen to their needs, according to a report published this week. Young people want health and social care professionals to...

weapons of mass Reconstruction.(The rebuilding of Iraq's social fabric is discussed)
May 8, 2003... The key to rebuilding the social fabric of Iraq after years of turmoil will be harnessing the expertise and enthusiasm of the Iraqi people, reports Mark Hunter. Meanwhile, on page 35, Kevin Weaver looks at the problems Bosnia faces after...

All-american families.(Kinship care is on the increase)
May 8, 2003... Kinship care, in which looked-after children are cared for by members of their extended family rather than the state or foster carers, is on the increase in the US. An excellent place then for a UK children's social worker on a kinship care...

workplace by Katie Leason; Home Office under fire over key Criminal Records Bureau decisions.
May 8, 2003... The beleaguered Criminal Records Bureau came under scrutiny by MPs last week during a debate in the House of Commons. Paul Burstow, the Liberal Democrat spokesperson for older people, listed the faults of the agency, starting with its delay...

youth justice; Courts 'should push parenting orders'.(Brief Article)
May 8, 2003... Magistrates should take the lead in increasing the use of parenting orders, Lord Warner urged at a conference in London last week. The chairperson of the Youth Justice Board said courts should not be put off using parenting orders by...

Young offenders; Prisons meet with inspectors' favour.(Parc Prison is discussed)(Brief Article)
May 8, 2003... Parc Prison, which holds young offenders and remanded juveniles, is a safe prison poised to move forward and extend its role in south Wales, according to a new Prisons Inspectorate report. But chief inspector Anne Owers warned that, while...

kinship care pioneer.(Ian Brown is profiled)(Biography)
May 8, 2003... Ian Brown, who developed the idea of fostering by relatives, would have been 100 this year. Despite scepticism, he won over the critics for a time, and now his ideas are back in vogue, says Bob Holman In recent years, social workers have...

equality; London life harsh on Bangladeshi women.(Brief Article)
May 8, 2003... Bangladeshi women in London experience high levels of poverty, exclusion and discrimination, and one in three cares for a chronically ill partner, states new research. The study, funded by the Nuffield Foundation and carried out in the...

disability; 'Protect people with progressive diseases'.(Brief Article)
May 8, 2003... New legislation is urgently required to prevent discrimination against people with conditions such as cancer and HIV, the Disability Rights Commission said this week. In its first major review of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, the...

foster care; Councils face desertion by carers as independent agencies offer more.
May 8, 2003... Some local authorities are struggling to compete with the independent sector for foster carers. Derren Hayes finds out what might help councils to retain their carers In North Tyneside foster carers are voting with their feet. In the...

mental health; Shock therapy rules 'not tough enough'.(Brief Article)
May 8, 2003... Mental health charity Mind has warned that guidance released this week by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence on the use of shock therapy is not robust enough. Chief executive Richard Brook said the guidance from the NHS...

McTernan.(Political analyst John McTernan)
May 8, 2003... Foundations hospitals are just the beginning of Blair's recasting of the welfare state Having led the country into an initially unpopular war and won both a military victory and a rapid reverse in public opinion, the Prime Minister last...

disabilities; Data to be shared across services.(Brief Article)
May 8, 2003... Families of disabled children with special educational needs will no longer have to repeat their details to a range of professionals working in different areas, under new government guidelines. The three sets of linked guidelines, published...

child protection; Stepmother on trial for girl's murder.(Brief Article)
May 8, 2003... The trial began this week of a woman accused of murdering her four-year-old step stepdaughter who was brought to the UK from Jamaica by her father for a "better life". Christine Green is accused of physically abusing Annastacia Williams...

Carers; 'Forum must look at private agencies'.(Brief Article)
May 8, 2003... The director of social services at North Tyneside Council has called on the government's new National Partnership in Placement Forum to investigate the increasing role the independent sector plays in providing foster care. John Phillipson...

education; Rise in special needs cash scrutinised.(Brief Article)
May 8, 2003... One-third of local education authorities that have increased funding for special educational needs by over 30 per cent this year are being questioned by the government about their role in the current education cash crisis. Newly published...

children; New standards to rule out smacking.(Brief Article)
May 8, 2003... Childminders must not smack children in their care or smoke in front of them under amended government standards to take effect from September. The change to the standards aims to bring childminders in line with other child care providers...

readers' views; TV stereotypes switch off readers.(Brief Article)
May 8, 2003... Eighty-six per cent of visitors to Community Care's website believe the portrayal of social workers in the media, such as BBC TV's Eastenders, affects people's attitudes towards social work intervention.

local elections by Clare Jerrom, Steven Black and Alex Dobson; Loss of six Labour seats in Scotland could see social care climb agenda.
May 8, 2003... The Scottish executive could face renewed pressure to improve its social care provision following last week's elections. Although Labour remains the biggest party in the Scottish parliament with 50 seats, the loss of six seats means that a...

Policy by Sally Gillen; Foundation hospitals pose a threat to partnership working, say MPs.
May 8, 2003... Stronger safeguards are needed to protect partnership working between the NHS, primary care trusts and councils to prevent foundation hospitals failing groups such as those with mental health problems, a parliamentary committee has warned. ...

no place for a market.(Foster care problems are discussed)(Brief Article)
May 8, 2003... The support that foster carers receive in the private sector - both financially and through training and social work help - is not a luxury. It is what people need for the job, and to be spared the anxiety - with which social care professionals...

housing; Poor health linked to bad housing.(Brief Article)
May 8, 2003... The British Medical Association has called on the government to create a healthy housing task force this week after a report found that poor housing was adversely affecting the most vulnerable groups in society. The long-term health...

education; 'Children should pay for parents' actions'.(Brief Article)
May 8, 2003... Children could be excluded from school because of their parents' misbehaviour under proposals put forward by a head teachers' union last week. Speaking at the annual conference of the National Association of Head Teachers, general...

children's services; Guardians' warning over inexperience.(Brief Article)
May 8, 2003... A group of self-employed children's guardians has told MPs that the quality and standard of employed children's guardians has fallen since the establishment of the Children's and Family Courts Advisory and Support Service. While giving...

Behind the headlines.(The U.K. government may look at boarding school places for children in care)
May 8, 2003... Our regular panel comments on a topic in the news Having appeared to go lukewarm on the idea, the government has put boarding school places for children in care back on the agenda. Education secretary Charles Clarke is understood to have...

disabilities; Disabled workers reject pay offer.(Remploy's pay offer is rejected by GMB)(Brief Article)
May 8, 2003... General union GMB has dismissed as "a disgrace" a pay offer from Remploy, the organisation that employs thousands of disabled workers across the UK. A statement from the union said members at Remploy factories across the UK had voted six...

residential care; Ten steps to end Welsh homes crisis.(Brief Article)
May 8, 2003... Wales needs to take 10 steps to revive the fortunes of its ailing independent care sector, home owners have urged. Care Forum Wales, which represents care home owners, launched a manifesto for change last week to try to halt the sector's...

joint working; Protocols will help keep confidentiality.(Brief Article)
May 8, 2003... The government allayed fears last week that regulations designed to encourage joint working between the NHS and councils would lead to problems around confidentiality. During a House of Lords debate, Baroness Greengross raised concerns...

book reviews.("Shaping Childcare Practice in Scotland: Key papers on Adoption and Fostering" and "Yough Justice: Critical Readings" are reviewed)(Book Review)
May 8, 2003... Lynne Wilson looks at lessons from child care in Scotland and David Porteous examines essays on youth justice Shaping Childcare Practice in Scotland: Key papers on Adoption and Fostering. Edited by Malcolm Hill, BAAF Adoption and...

children at risk by Amy Taylor; System to identify potential young offenders will not work, says charity.
May 8, 2003... A leading children's charity has raised doubts about a central plank of the government's strategy for dealing with children at risk. Questioning the government's plans to develop identification, referral and tracking systems, the...

practice panel Leeds older people's team.
May 8, 2003... beware signs of decline Our multi-disciplinary panel discuss the options for an older couple, one of whom is bedridden after suffering two strokes panel responses Sue Orchard A GP referral to our intermediate...

workforce by Clare Jerrom; Employers want more pay for social workers 'if resources are available'.
May 8, 2003... Social workers' pay should be the first to be boosted in local government, according to the employers' submission to the Local Government Pay Commission last week. While public sector unions prioritised low pay and equal pay as key issues...

please treat me equally.
May 8, 2003... My name is Joanne and I am almost 17. I live at home with my family but once a week and some weekends I go to a children's respite care home. It gives my mum a break and I enjoy going out with the staff. I go to a special needs school. Last...

research into practice.(Young people's sense of social awareness is examined)
May 8, 2003... Bernard Moss looks at a study which points to young people having a strong sense of social awareness, contrary to the perceptions of many Sadly, it sometimes seems axiomatic that the young people with whom social workers often work have...

On shaky foundations.(Foundation hospitals are debated)
May 8, 2003... Much of the debate about foundation hospitals has centred on the likely creation of a two-tier health service in which the three-star NHS trusts chosen for the accolade take the lion's share of resources. The publication this week of the House...

children and adults in parallel worlds.
May 8, 2003... The scene is familiar to anyone working in social care. It's 11pm on a school night, and the eight year old is still up, gazing at murder and mayhem on the television while his younger brother is slumped asleep, fully dressed, next to him on...

dope danger too great to ignore.
May 15, 2003... Every day young lives are being wrecked by cannabis while the desperate concerns of thousands of parents are going unnoticed. The use of cannabis has increased over the past 20 years, particularly among young people. It is now the most popular...

No clause for prejudice.(two social workers refuse to help gay couples adopt)(Brief Article)
May 15, 2003... Citing religious beliefs, two Sefton social workers refuse to work with same-sex couples who wish to adopt children. What should we make of it? Is it conscience or prejudice; something deserving recognition and respect, or something to be...

spot the difference.
May 15, 2003... Equality is the lifeblood of social care and social work. So why do we all look so anaemic? Christine Doorly and Vijay Patel provide a practical transfusion of diversity awareness advice "Oh no - here come the thought police." "We're...

book reviews.(Book Review)
May 15, 2003... David Porteous on relationship building between young people and workers and Dinah Morley on child carers In the author's words, this book is written to "stimulate and encourage those who on a daily basis are involved in looking after...

route to regeneration.(health care professionals)
May 15, 2003... Simon Ebbett looks at how health care professionals are working with social workers across a range of services for different client groups to help achieve the government's social regeneration aims In Peterborough, they've been doing some...

research into practice.(standards in health care services examined)
May 15, 2003... The subject of inequality is one that has been on the social work agenda for a long time now as part of the development of anti-discriminatory practice. However, it is only fairly recently that it has begun to attract a level of attention among...

crossover culture.(health and social workers cooperate to create new projects)(Brief Article)
May 15, 2003... Across the UK, health and social care professionals have been co-operating on innovative projects. We look at some examples where this joint approach has yielded spectacular results In 2000, The NHS Plan stated that: "Primary care trusts...

mental health; Compensaton threat to detention powers.(Brief Article)
May 15, 2003... The government could be leaving the NHS open to hundreds of compensation claims from people with mental illness if it decides to include proposals on compulsory detention when it resurrects the Mental Health Bill later this year. The bill,...

loose ; connections.(services for older people studied)
May 15, 2003... Health and social care experts Vanessa Davey and Melanie Henwood recently gauged the progress of integration between agencies providing services for older people The establishment of care trusts, the soon-to-be-piloted children's...

extend yourself.(expanding services at schools)
May 15, 2003... Moves are afoot to extend schools so that they can serve as a central resource for all members of local communities, and not just in term time. Natalie Valios visits one of the pathfinders There's nothing too remarkable about a school...

child protection; Welsh child abuse inquiry resumes.(Brief Article)
May 15, 2003... An inquiry into child abuse allegations against a former drama teacher at a school in south Wales, resumed last week. The Clywch or Listening inquiry, chaired by children's commissioner for Wales Peter Clarke, was set up to look at how the...

workforce; Unions call for more pay, not tax credits.(Brief Article)
May 15, 2003... There should be a local government minimum wage of [pounds sterling]6.50 an hour to allow workers to earn a "living wage" without dependence on tax credits, trade unions urged last week. The money saved from tax credits should be channelled...

poverty by amy Taylor; Unemployment and overcrowding blight the lives of Muslim families.
May 15, 2003... Almost a fifth of children - including a third of Muslim children - live in households where no adult works, according to new figures from the 2001 census. Two in five Muslim children are also subjected to overcrowding, compared with an...

awards; Community Care scoops top prizes.
May 15, 2003... Community Care scooped the Magazine of the Year 2003 award at the industry's oscars at the Grosvenor House Hotel, in London, last week. Judges for the Periodical Publishers Association praised the magazine for its strong coverage of...

voluntary sector; Human resources capability lacking.(Brief Article)
May 15, 2003... Two-thirds of small to medium voluntary organisations do not have a dedicated human resources specialist, according to a report commissioned by the National Council for Voluntary Organisations. Joanna Wootton, HR manager at the NCVO, said:...

mental health by amy Taylor; Charity hits out at lack of provision for asylum seekers in new strategy.
May 15, 2003... Adisability charity has criticised the government's omission of refugees and asylum seekers from a report setting out its strategy for ethnic minority mental health. Speaking at a conference on best practice for professionals working in...

workforce; Ex-social worker appeals over stress.(Brief Article)
May 15, 2003... Aformer social worker who last year failed in a High Court bid to win compensation from the employer she claimed caused her stress-related breakdown, launched an appeal last week. Maureen Pratley, a care manager for older people who said...

learning difficulties; Carers feel autism services are poor.(Brief Article)
May 15, 2003... More than half of carers for people with autism and Asperger's syndrome have found getting support from social services difficult, and a further 40 per cent were dissatisfied with the support they received, states a new report. The...

standards; Commission aims to revamp guidelines.(Brief Article)
May 15, 2003... Changes need to be made to the national minimum care standards to cut paperwork, provide better protection for children and close loopholes that could threaten quality of care, according to the National Care Standards Commission. In a...

workplace; Lib Dems offer blueprint for records bureau, but will government listen?(Brief Article)
May 15, 2003... Increases in both disclosure costs and insurance premiums for registered bodies are the latest problems to dog the beleaguered criminal checks system, writes David Craik The Criminal Records Bureau is failing to protect the public. ...

asylum seekers by clare jerrom; Refugee groups welcome MPs report but worried over 'unrest' comments.
May 15, 2003... Refugee campaigners raised concerns this week about the opening remarks in a home affairs select committee's report on asylum removals, which said the dramatic rise in the number of people seeking refuge in the UK was "unsustainable" and, if...

asylum seekers; Processing system is 'catastrophic'.(Brief Article)
May 15, 2003... Immigration minister Beverley Hughes has admitted that the asylum system has been catastrophic in recent years and that the government's inability to deal with the backlog of asylum applications in the UK has been attracting asylum seekers to...

workforce; Private care staff have worse deal.(Brief Article)
May 15, 2003... Home care staff working for private contractors are paid up to [pounds sterling]2 per hour less than their council equivalents, according to research conducted in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The study, funded by public sector union...

voluntary sector; Groups given rescue package by Blunkett.(Brief Article)
May 15, 2003... The home secretary has again stepped in to save a number of voluntary organisations from closure, it was announced this week. For the second year running David Blunkett has provided [pounds sterling]500,000 for councils for voluntary...

children; MPs hear guardian service criticism.(Brief Article)
May 15, 2003... Experts in children's law have criticised as ineffective the [pounds sterling]9m project that was supposed to pave the way for the smooth establishment of the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service. Pat Munro, chairperson...

Local government; Top managers need to be 'more open'.(Brief Article)
May 15, 2003... Directors of social services and council chief executives must work towards creating a "culture of openness and effective communication" at all levels, according to a report released this week. It recommends they should have monthly...

youth justice; Secure training units receive [pounds sterling]1m penalty.(Brief Article)
May 15, 2003... Three privately run secure training centres have received financial penalties of more than [pounds sterling]1m as a result of contract failures, including the failure to deliver specified services to 12 to 16-year-old offenders. The Youth...