Community Care articles from May 2006

Community Care archives from May 2006

Social exclusion Children's Fund a 'lost opportunity'.(Brief article)
May 4, 2006... A [pounds sterling]960m initiative to improve services for children and families at risk of social exclusion has failed to put long-term strategies in place, according to a government-backed evaluation. The Children's Fund, which runs until...

Families Separated parents 'need more support'.(Brief article)
May 4, 2006... A coalition of women's, fathers' and children's groups have come together to call for a significant increase in support for separated parents managed by a reformed Child Support Agency. More than 40 organisations and individuals, including...

education Lib Dems back down over schools' duty.(Brief article)
May 4, 2006... An amendment to the Education and Inspections Bill that would have required maintained schools to co-operate with other services to promote and safeguard the welfare of children has been withdrawn. The Liberal Democrats' amendment would...

Asylum seekers Seven-day welfare plan turned down.(Brief article)
May 4, 2006... The government has rejected a recommendation to assess the welfare of asylum-seeking children in detention after seven days. The Independent Certification Monitor's (ICM) annual report, published last week, recommended that the welfare of...

Stop, look and listen.(social care)(Brief article)
May 4, 2006... One of the key messages from a new report on child protection in Wales could surely be applied across the whole of social care in the UK. The multi-agency team who produced the Safeguarding Vulnerable Children Review conclude: "There is a need...

Door's always open.(services to the homeless)
May 4, 2006... Kathy Jones tells Graham Hopkins how the homelessness service in Telford and Wrekin had to change its emphasis soon after she joined as manager to embrace the prevention agenda With homelessness increasing nationally in recent years local...

No retreat on bid to end delays within a year.(Cafcass)(Brief article)
May 4, 2006... Cafcass will press ahead with controversial plans to eliminate backlogs through early intervention and more efficient practice. Despite warnings from staff representatives that the Every Day Matters programme will lead to a worse service,...

Sorry, not my department.
May 4, 2006... A chronic medical condition caused mental health problems for a middle-aged man but his multiple needs did not fit into any service categories. Social worker Tom Mahoney (left) tells Graham Hopkins how he tried to tailor a...

adult care New laws may cut abuse prosecutions.(Brief article)
May 4, 2006... Proposed legislation to protect vulnerable adults in Scotland could cut the number of prosecutions for abuse, the Scottish parliament's health committee has been warned. Committee convener Roseanna Cunningham said measures in the Adult...

carers Thousands excluded from flexi-working.(Brief article)
May 4, 2006... Thousands of unpaid carers could be excluded from a new legal right to flexible working under proposals being considered by the government, campaigners have warned. The right is included in the Work and Families Bill, now going through...

Children's services Review raps lack of coherence in Wales.(Brief article)
May 4, 2006... Welsh officials need to "slow down the rapid rate of change" in children's services and more accurately cost and fund reforms, according to a major review. Inconsistency in policy and inadequate planning and delivery have created a...

Children's centres Staff told to beware of Sure Start errors.(Brief article)
May 4, 2006... Front-line staff delivering the government's children's centres agenda have been warned against repeating the mistakes made in some Sure Start programmes. Public health minister Caroline Flint said it was crucial that children's centres...

Courts service Douglas warning on effects of job losses.(Anthony Douglas )(Brief article)
May 4, 2006... Job cuts in the courts service must not result in court closures, the chief executive of the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service has warned. Anthony Douglas said it was too early to judge the impact on family justice of...

Drug treatment Campaigners worry that review could undermine treatment progress.(National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse)
May 4, 2006... Regional offices of the National Treatment Agency look set to be transferred to revamped strategic health authorities. But Gordon Carson finds that the structural changes may have a detrimental effect on future success S ignificant...

Exclusive by mithran samuel Cafcass chief steps in to resolve London region's financial crisis.(Anthony Douglas )
May 4, 2006... Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service chief executive Anthony Douglas has taken personal charge of a programme to turn around significant financial and performance problems in its London region. Until next March, he will...

Exclusive by derren hayes Scottish health boards threatened over patients marooned in Carstairs.(Scotland's Mental Welfare Commission)
May 4, 2006... Scotland's Mental Welfare Commission could take health boards to the country's Mental Health Tribunal for failing to move some patients from Carstairs high-security hospital to more suitable facilities. From this week, measures in the...

finance Wiltshire boss quits over cuts in services.(Ray Jones)(Brief article)
May 4, 2006... Wiltshire Council's director of adult and community services, Ray Jones, has stepped down from the post, saying swingeing cuts have been forced on the council by cash-strapped health authorities. Jones and the council agreed by mutual...

Independent thought.(freelance)
May 4, 2006... A move into freelance consultancy sounds ideal for those who want more control over their work but there is much to consider before going it alone, writes Tony McIntyre You are sitting in a traffic jam on your way to a difficult meeting,...

Beyond frontiers.(social care)
May 4, 2006... Even though it is not strictly playing by the rules, we have a moral duty to use our expertise to help develop social care structures in other parts of the world, writes Philip Cotterill It often goes unnoticed, but at least 50 UK local...

joint working Local relationships key to integration.(Brief article)
May 4, 2006... The integration of health and social care should be driven by local relationships between professionals rather than national direction, a primary care leader has said. National Association of Primary Care chair Dr James Kingsland said...

Local government by Amy Taylor Unison ballot threat as Surrey culls 550 jobs while reinforcing front line.(Surrey city council)
May 4, 2006... Surrey Council is simultaneously making adult services managers redundant and recruiting 120 front-line social workers into the department under restructuring plans. The measures are opposed by public services union Unison, which says it...

Mental health Nurses to adopt more holistic approach to service users on both sides of the border.
May 4, 2006... The English and Scottish reviews of mental health nursing have been warmly welcomed. But the reviews diverge when it comes to implementation plans, writes Simeon Brody The English and Scottish reviews of mental health nursing look...

Mental health by simeon brody Government fails to meet concerns of anti-racist activists over 1983 act.
May 4, 2006... The government will only carry out a race impact assessment on its proposed amendments to the Mental Health Act 1983 and not the full act, despite a request from the Commission for Racial Equality to do both. The Department of Health...

Mental health Clinical staff face higher stalking risk.(Brief article)
May 4, 2006... Mental health workers run a greater risk of being stalked than the general population, a study has revealed. All clinical staff are at risk but psychiatrists may be more vulnerable, according to a review of international research on...

My practice.(child mental health)
May 4, 2006... We need to consider the relevance for all agencies of interagency training in child mental health, says Panos Vostanis Several national policies and workforce plans agree that child mental health is relevant to all agencies working with...

Older people Call to implement Rowntree blueprint.(Joseph Rowntree Foundation )(Brief article)
May 4, 2006... Reforms to older people's care proposed in a report last week should be implemented now, campaigners have said. Proposals in the Joseph Rowntree Foundation study (news, page 6, 27 April) would immediately help older people to live more...

Readers' views Service delivery 'hit by NHS cash crisis'.
May 4, 2006... Nearly 80 per cent of voters at Community Care's website last week said the financial crisis in the NHS was affecting delivery of social services. This week's question asks: Should home secretary Charles Clarke be forced to resign over the...

report review.(Families and the State: Two Way Support and Responsibilities: An Inquiry into the Relationship Between the State and the Family in the Upbringing of Children Commission on Families and the Wellbeing of Children)(Brief article)(Book review)
May 4, 2006... Families and the State; Two Way Support and Responsibilities: An Inquiry into the Relationship Between the State and the Family in the Upbringing of Children Commission on Families and the Wellbeing of Children, Policy Press ISBN 1861348010,...

Review the whole act.(mental health legislation)
May 4, 2006... You would have thought once bitten, twice shy, but the Department of Health seems to have fallen foul of the race equality lobby yet again as it strives to reform the mental health legislation. Having been forced into an ignominious climbdown...

Training materials.(Book review)
May 4, 2006... A Holistic Approach to Black and Minority Ethnic Mental Health Peter Ferns, Pavilion Publishing ISBN 1841961329, [pounds sterling]125 ----- This resource looks at ethnic minority mental health problems and examines the role of cultural...

Training Massive increase in vocational awards.(Brief article)
May 4, 2006... More people acquired NVQ and SVQ qualifications in social care and health in 2005 than in any year since 1999, new figures show. Nearly 130,000 people acquired certificates in 2005, compared with fewer than 100,000 in 2004, research by the...

Workforce Flagship reforms 'overloading staff'.(Brief article)
May 4, 2006... Two of the government's flagship children's services reforms are increasing practitioners' workloads and causing anxiety among workers, a new report claims. Two-thirds of practitioners said the common assessment framework (CAF) and the...

Workforce Scots professionals showing their age.(Brief article)
May 4, 2006... Scotland's local authority social care workforce is ageing. The proportion of social work staff older than 50 employed by the country's 32 local authorities rose from 35 per cent to 38 per cent last year, while the percentage of staff...

Young people Defiance on sexual activity guidance.(Brief article)
May 4, 2006... Child protection policymakers in London are refusing to change reporting requirements for professionals working with sexually active young people. Under the London Child Protection Committee's interim protocol, social services and the...

Book reviews.(Book review)
May 4, 2006... Social Work in Europe: Education for Change Edited by Karen Lyons and Sue Lawrence, Venture Press ISBN 1861780729, [pounds sterling]15.95 ----- Developments in Europe since the 1980s have provided fresh opportunities for social work...

Children in care Extra school moves disrupt education.(survey)(Brief article)
May 11, 2006... Almost half of looked-after children have had to make one additional change of school since coming into care, according to a report. One in five looked-after children in the UK had experienced two or more changes of school, in addition to...

Housing Wales underspends on home upgrading.(Brief article)
May 11, 2006... Half of Wales's local authorities are spending less than they have been allocated to adapt and upgrade vulnerable people's homes, according to Welsh assembly government forecasts. The country's 22 local authorities were expected to spend a...

Vulnerable people by gordon carson Government blocks measures to vet those employed by direct payments.
May 11, 2006... The government has resisted attempts to provide more protection for direct payment users under the proposed vetting and barring scheme for people working with vulnerable adults. An amendment to the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Bill would...

Child protection Scots plan moots parental drug tests.(Brief article)
May 11, 2006... The Scottish executive could introduce random drug tests for drug-misusing parents through proposed contracts they would have to agree with service providers, according to an action plan published this week. The Hidden Harm - Next Steps...

Mental health by Simeon Brody Plan to combat race bias is failing to deliver change, claim campaigners.(Delivering Race Equality)(Brief article)
May 11, 2006... The government's programme to tackle race inequality in the mental health system has had limited impact on the ground and has become a barrier to real change, campaigners have warned. The government said last week that one of the reasons it...

Readers' views Clarke's sacking seen as right move.
May 11, 2006... The majority of visitors to Community Care's website this week backed Tony Blair's decision to sack home secretary Charles Clarke. Two-thirds felt Clarke should be forced to resign over the number of foreign prisoners released without being...

Children Shift signalled over prison detention.(Brief article)
May 11, 2006... The government is considering ending the UK's reservation against a section of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child that opposes the detention of children in prison with adults. Immigration minister Tony McNulty revealed...

Voluntary sector Charities to receive promised funding.(Brief article)
May 11, 2006... Social care charities were told this week that they would receive section 64 funding, as promised by the government. The Department of Health said it would pay the remainder of funding for charities in years two and three of their section...

Star quality.(employment opportunities in London)
May 11, 2006... James Reilly, director of community services at Hammersmith & Fulham Council, chair of the Greater London Association of Directors of Social Services and London resident for the past 21 years, explains about the great living and working...

The living ain't easy!(affordable housing for workers in london)
May 11, 2006... One of the biggest hurdles for social care staff wanting to move to London and the South East for work is finding affordable housing. High house prices put many people off but, as Sarah Bartlett reports, there are schemes that help people...

If you ask me...(Guide Dogs for the Blind Inc.'s Mike Tucker views for guide dogs)(Interview)
May 11, 2006... Mike Tucker works for Guide Dogs for the Blind and is one of the team planning its 75th anniversary celebrations Which professional has helped you most? Everyone at Guide Dogs. The support they've given me has opened up so many...

Death with dignity.(Alison Saunders)
May 11, 2006... A terminally ill single mother wants to die at home surrounded by her children. Can her medical and emotional needs be met? CASE study The names of the service user and her family have been changed SITUATION: Alison Saunders,...

Model Village.(Cumbria)
May 11, 2006... With a dispersed and ageing population, Cumbria has embraced technology to build a virtual care village. Graham Hopkins reports Home to the Lake District National Park, William Wordsworth and Beatrix Potter, Cumbria is the second largest...

Doctor in the house?(examining medical practitioners)
May 11, 2006... welfare rights Are medicals for disability benefit claimants organised for the benefit of the doctors, asks Gary Vaux As a social care employee what would you think if you were paid per visit, instead of a monthly salary? Be honest:...

The ties that bind.(adoption)
May 11, 2006... Neglect of the therapeutic needs of adopted children is one of the factors that leads to placement breakdowns, experience has taught Renee Potgieter Adoption breakdowns are sadly all too common. Most children who are adopted have...

Adult protection Staff suspended at Kent care home.(Brief article)
May 11, 2006... Two staff at a Kent care home have been suspended and others have had their duties changed while police investigate abuse allegations. Healthcare Commission inspectors raised a blanket adult protection alert on all 27 residents at the Frank...

Benefits MPs sound warning over welfare rejig.(medical protection societies)(Brief article)
May 11, 2006... Cuts in the Department for Work and Pensions' budget this year should not disrupt incapacity benefit reforms, MPs said this week. The House of Commons work and pensions committee said the reforms could save money in the long term and must...

Capital retains pulling power.(employment opportunities)(Brief article)
May 11, 2006... For hundreds of years, people have been drawn to London and the South East to find work and make money. It is fair to say that of all the British regions it has been able to offer the widest economic opportunities to people from the UK and...

Carers Flexible working plan 'ignores realities of caring'.(United Kingdom. Department of Trade and Industry)
May 11, 2006... The Work and Families Bill will give carers the right to request flexible working. But campaigners are concerned that the government's definition of a carer is restrictive, writes Gordon Carson BT's commitment to flexible working has been...

Child protection Cafcass planning to screen every case.(Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service)(Brief article)
May 11, 2006... The Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service plans to screen every case it takes up for safeguarding concerns by April 2007, under a policy published for consultation last week. Under the proposed framework for safeguarding...

Children in care Policy may lack green paper status.(Brief article)
May 11, 2006... The mooted green paper on looked-after children may turn out to be only a strategy document, campaigners believe. The document, which has been expected for months, is likely to look mainly at the education of looked-after children. Jim...

Children Care case decision-making in the spotlight as trends point to regional inconsistencies.(United Kingdom. Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service)
May 11, 2006... What lies behind the recent sharp rise in applications for care orders in some parts of England? Mithran Samuel and Simeon Brody report The Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service faces severe financial difficulties in...

Children Scottish probe into true cost of services.(Association of Directors of Social Work)(Brief article)
May 11, 2006... The Association of Directors of Social Work has commissioned a leading public finance specialist to research the true cost of providing children's services in Scotland. Arthur Midwinter, an independent adviser to the Scottish parliament's...

Children Index to conceal some user details.(United Kingdom. Department of Health's regulations)(Brief article)
May 11, 2006... Mental health, sexual health and substance misuse practitioners will not automatically be identified on the proposed children's information-sharing index in England. After concerns were raised about risks to patient confidentiality, junior...

Continuing care Eligibility deadlock stymies framework.(Local Government Association)(Brief article)
May 11, 2006... Key issues remain to be settled over the eligibility threshold for continuing care in the government's national framework, the Local Government Association has said. A report to a meeting of its community well-being board yesterday...

Culture comforts.(different cultures of social services )
May 11, 2006... Social services in London need to cater for many cultures and religions. Derren Hayes spoke to Ian Wilson, director of social services at Tower Hamlets Council, about how providing culturally sensitive services means making service users feel...

Down by the riverside.(new residents for social care)
May 11, 2006... How will Kent cope with the population growth alongside the Thames as thousands of new homes are completed? Simon Creasey reports Last year, the government unveiled plans to radically transform a 40-mile stretch of land along the Thames...

Education Code pledges help for poorer parents.(Brief article)
May 11, 2006... Low-income families should be given assurances that they can afford to send their children to certain schools, according to the draft admissions code. The code, which has been circulated to MPs on the committee scrutinising the Education...

Now for the hard work.(Every Child Matters reforms)
May 11, 2006... A preoccupation with restructuring and inconsistent policies are obscuring signs of progress with the Every Child Matters agenda, writes Bob Hudson The huge changes triggered by the Every Child Matters reforms are well under way. At the...

Family courts Complex care cases hit bid to cut delays.(Brief article)
May 11, 2006... The increasing number and complexity of care cases, alongside courts service cuts, could scupper efforts to slash delays in the family courts, MPs were told. The president of the High Court family division, Sir Mark Potter, told the...

One of our team of practitioner columnists gives her take on developing non-judgemental attitudes Professionals need to consult and come to judgements slowly if they are to make sound decisions, reminds Helen Bonnick.
May 11, 2006... Ayoung girl has been absent without a known reason for the past three days. When the mother finally responds to telephone calls from the school, it transpires that she has been truanting. The mother's response seems cold and dismissive: "I sent...

Government by mithran samuel Directors warn against policy delays as Lewis takes over social care reins.
May 11, 2006... Social care leaders have warned against delays to crucial policies after Liam Byrne's departure from the Department of Health in last week's government reshuffle. Byrne's promotion to minister of state at the Home Office, after just one...

Health 'Integration better than partnerships'.(Brief article)
May 11, 2006... The health and social care white paper should have called for the integration of services for older people across the two sectors, a conference heard last week. Integrating agencies worked better than partnerships, Chris Town, chief...

Homelessness Limit on B&Bs for teenagers mooted.(bed and breakfast)(Brief article)
May 11, 2006... Councils could be told to stop placing homeless 16 and 17-year-olds in bed and breakfast accommodation for long periods. It is believed that an updated homelessness code of guidance, expected this summer from the government, might limit the...

Independent living 'Don't hand control of funds to councils'.(Brief article)
May 11, 2006... Councils should not be given control over independent living funds, a disability charity warned last week as a government review started into how allocations are made. There is now one national assessment process for the funds but Richard...

Is london calling you?(Brief article)
May 11, 2006... For hundreds of years, people from all corners of Britain have been attracted to London with the hope of making their fortune. OK, that's unlikely to happen if you work in social care, but there are still plenty of opportunities to further your...

Norse know-how.
May 11, 2006... In the last of our articles on winners of the Isabel Schwarz Fellowship Award, Marian McHugh tells Natalie Valios about her visit to two Danish centres for traumatised refugees When research revealed that Denmark was the best place for...

Learning difficulties by Gordon Carson Children removed from parents who fail to qualify for support, says study.
May 11, 2006... Many parents with learning difficulties are assessed as "too able" to qualify for the services they need and end up having their children removed because they do not receive support, a new report claims. Eligibility criteria in services...

Local government Give councils more freedom, says aide.(Brief article)
May 11, 2006... Councils should face fewer targets and have greater freedom to set their own priorities and shape their communities, the government's chief adviser on local government reform has said. Sir Michael Lyons, who is leading a...

Which way to turn?(United Kingdom. Department of Health's policy)
May 11, 2006... After failing with two draft mental health bills, the government is pressing ahead with amendments to the 1983 act. But Katie Leason finds that campaigners who opposed the bills are now unsure of the way forward When the government...

Mental health Police floundering under caseload.(Brief article)
May 11, 2006... Multi-agency working on mental health issues has become a "marginal activity" for London's police officers because they are under pressure to deal with such a huge amount of cases, the Metropolitan Police's top officer has claimed. Met...

Older people Executive urged to invest in telecare.(Brief article)
May 11, 2006... Scottish officials must invest far more money in technology to enable people to live in their own homes longer, according to experts in older people's services. The Scottish executive should introduce a [pounds sterling]4m telecare grant...

No harm in faith?(London Child Protection Committee)
May 11, 2006... Several high profile cases in recent years have revealed child protection failings in London and galvanised agencies into working more closely together. Sally Gillen finds out how this new approach is helping to spread good practice among the...

Parents without power.(child protection)
May 11, 2006... As increasing numbers of people with learning difficulties are able to live independent lives, it is only natural that more of them want to become parents. So the new report from the Norah Fry Research Centre, suggesting that far too many are...

Councils best placed to revitalise the NHS.(United Kingdom. National Health Service)
May 11, 2006... What a relief to know that this is the "best year ever" for the NHS. While this might be arguable in performance terms, it seems scant consolation to some of the 7,000 NHS workers who have so far lost their jobs, which led to the health...

Supporting people by simeon brody Inspectors urge cultural shift away from buildings-based operations.(Commission for Social Care Inspection)
May 11, 2006... A cultural shift away from buildings-based support towards promoting independence is needed across the Supporting People programme, say inspectors. The Commission for Social Care Inspection found limited capacity in the programme for...

In a liverpool limbo.(asylum application)
May 11, 2006... this life Shivakuru Selvathurai and his family have been waiting for an asylum decision for four long years It is hard to explain the day-to-day strain of waiting for a decision on an asylum application. Especially when you see on the news...

Three into one can go.(United Kingdom. National Health Service)
May 11, 2006... To cut administration costs and release more resources to the front line three Sussex councils have brought together different mental health services. Simon Creasey reports On 1 April, five new health care trusts came into being, the...

Training materials.(Small Places Close to Home: Projects led by Refugee and Asylum-seeking Communities)(Stepping Off the Map: A Project About Personality Disorders)(Book review)
May 11, 2006... Small Places Close to Home: Projects led by Refugee and Asylum-seeking Communities ----- Community Links ISBN 0954404777, [pounds sterling]15 ([pounds sterling]5 to voluntary organisations) e-mail richard.mckeever@ community-links.org ...