Community Care articles from November 2004

Community Care archives from November 2004

locked, barred and ludicrous.(care homes-firefighting)
November 4, 2004... A fatal fire in a care home in Scotland has prompted local fire departments to inspect all of the nation's care homes for older and vulnerable adults. This would be a positive step, if only the fire departments were not making recommendations...

PROFILE: sue ormiston.(social workers)(Interview)
November 4, 2004... Roisin Woolnough asks Sue Ormiston how she became a social care broker and what the job involves ue Ormiston and her colleague are the first social care brokers in York and North Yorkshire. Appointed by training body Topss for the North...

where's the care?(young adults-antisocial behavior)
November 4, 2004... When the Scottish executive proposed to introduce electronic tagging and antisocial behaviour orders for young people who had offended or were acting disruptively, many professionals expressed deep concern. In light of the ensuing controversy,...

AXEof.(premature babies-care )
November 4, 2004... compassion It's a harrowing decision whether a prematurely born baby that is in pain, severely disabled and expected to live no more than months should be allowed to die. Colleen Shannon reports on an ethical dilemma - and the unspoken...

shape up ; and listen.(social care of adults)
November 4, 2004... Service users were initially left out of the government's consultation for its vision of adult social care. But an organisation representing them has already submitted its own vision for user-centred services, say Peter Beresford and Fran...

providing for thatcher's Adults.(Brief Article)(Author Abstract)
November 4, 2004... abstract This article considers the impact of greater home ownership on the ability of older people to directly commission services to meet their needs. Managing the financial impact of this will require the state to redraw its...

rationing is reality.(health care for disabled persons)
November 4, 2004... Should the struggle for life faced by ailing babies always take precedence over less glamorous areas, such as preventive or older people's services? Anna Coote puts the case for fairly rationed health care It is difficult to imagine being...

workplace by sally gillen; General Social Care Council set to accredit new mental health role.
November 4, 2004... Talks are under way between the Department of Health and the General Social Care Council about the accreditation of the new role of approved mental health practitioner. Head of mental health legislation at the Department of Health Adrian...

Young adults in prison: shunted around and cut off from family.
November 4, 2004... Research commissioned by Community Care confirms that the plight of young adults in the prison system remains dire, with frequent moves causing huge difficulties for inmates. Clare Jerrom reports New research by Community Care has revealed...

MPs and campaigners savage 'ludicrous' debate on Children Bill.(Member of Parliament-child law)
November 4, 2004... In its haste to push the Children Bill through parliament, the government has dispensed with essential debate and detail. Amy Taylor reports With the Children Bill set to affect the life of every child and young person, MPs and campaigners...

If you ask me...(advocacy project worker for the British Institute of Learning Disabilities)(Interview)
November 4, 2004... Matthew Smith has learning difficulties and is an advocacy project worker for the British Institute of Learning Disabilities Who has had the biggest influence on you? My grandma. Which health or social care professional has been...

youth justice by maria ahmed; Private sector wins justice board's vote to hold young offenders.(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Local authority secure homes "would not be able to handle" young offenders as effectively as privatised young offender institutions, Youth Justice Board chair Rod Morgan said last week. He told a conference to mark the close of Community...

my practice.(occupational therapists services to patients)
November 4, 2004... James Lampert on the common goals facing occupational therapists working in the community and in hospitals Enabling people to live in the community and prevent admission on to a hospital ward poses all sorts of challenges for health and...

Don't give up, grow up.(people management with good positive thinking)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Allow organisational baggage to drag your career down and you'll become part of the problem, says Addie Stevenson You might know what is right and what is wrong with your job and be able to identify the shortcomings in the organisation that...

Employees feast on planning programme; One council's workforce planning initiative includes staff lunching with the director of social services.(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Nottingham Council's social services department has launched an initiative called Lunch with the Director. Once every three months, a random selection of front-line staff and managers get to have lunch and an discussion with the director of...

View of youth crime 'shaped by media'.(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... More than 40 per cent of the public believe that half of all crimes are committed by young people, according to a new report. The survey, published by the Policy Press, reveals a pessimistic view of youth crime heavily influenced by the...

older people; Improved services win tsar's blessing.(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Older people's tsar Ian Philp has given a positive assessment of health and social care services for older people and called for more client-focused services in the future. Publishing his annual report this week, Philp praised the...

public order; New bid to combat antisocial behaviour.(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... New measures were unveiled by the government last week to tackle antisocial behaviour. Fifty new "action areas" have been designated across the country, and civil courts will be given new powers to direct individuals issued with antisocial...

policy by derren hayes; Ladyman tipped to publish adult services green paper by end of year.(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Social care policymakers are now confident that the green paper on adult social care will be published before Christmas, quelling fears that it would be delayed until after the next general election. Community Care understands that the...

Neighbour's golden hello earns frosty response from Edinburgh.(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Edinburgh Council has warned Midlothian Council not to poach its staff after the neighbouring authority said it would pay recruits a "golden hello", writes David Craik. Midlothian is offering social workers a [pounds sterling]2,400...

standards by sally gillen; Child protection list is not only for paedophiles, tribunal chair stresses.
November 4, 2004... The law does not prevent social workers being placed alongside sex offenders on the Protection of Children Act 1999 list, a care standards tribunal chair emphasised last week. John Reddish, who chaired an appeal by former Haringey social...

'Leagues-ahead' council to hold open day.(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... After recruiting 100 social workers in five years from ethnic minorities, a beacon-status local authority is holding an open day to show other councils how to do it, writes David Craik. Rose Doran, excellence co-ordinator at the London...

a dramatic change.(learning disabled persons)
November 4, 2004... Ileft school when I was 17 and started attending a large day centre for people with learning difficulties in County Durham. I was picked up by a special bus and, although it was only eight miles away, the journey took an hour and a half. All my...

standards by derren hayes; Ladyman promises less bureaucracy as incentive for quality care homes.(control of bureaucracy)
November 4, 2004... The Department of Health is to review inspection and standards for care homes and has promised that future legislation will aim to reduce bureaucracy for the better providers. Making the announcement at last week's National Care Homes...

adult services; Pay benchmarks for workforce urged.(Institute for Public Policy Research-social care)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... A leading think-tank has called for a Wanless-type review of spending on adult social care to address workforce development as demand rises but resources decline. The report, from the Institute for Public Policy Research, rules out Agenda...

discrimination; Housing allocation is 'ethnically biased'.(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... The chair of the Commission for Racial Equality has accused councils of "straightforward discrimination" in housing allocations for people from ethnic minority communities. Trevor Phillips made the comment last week, after a study by...

asylum seekers; Appeal fails to stop refugee bed centre.(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... The Court of Appeal has rejected a council's legal challenge and given the go ahead for a 750-bed accommodation centre for asylum seekers to be built near Bicester in Oxfordshire. Cherwell Council had appealed against a High Court judgment...

local government; Insurers face bill for accident victims.(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Insurance companies may be liable for "top-up" care for serious accident victims after two test cases in the appeal court. In one case an insurer sought to reduce damages for brain-injured Philip Crookdake from [pounds sterling]3m to...

legislation; Forced marriages 'a form of violence'.(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Home secretary David Blunkett has branded forced marriages a "form of domestic violence that is simply an abuse of human rights". His remarks came as the government was preparing to introduce laws to make such marriages a criminal offence....

foster carers; Hunter to contest minimum allowance.(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Plans for a national minimum allowance for foster carers are to be challenged by the Association of Directors of Social Services. President Tony Hunter said the proposal, expected to be passed as an amendment to the Children Bill in the...

adoption; Plan to advertise children on website.(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Baaf Adoption and Fostering may advertise children on a website. The move is intended to increase the number of matches between children and permanent parents. Currently one in four children up for adoption do not receive a single enquiry....

exclusive by clare jerrom; Frequent prison switches take toll on rehabilitation of young adults.
November 4, 2004... The education and mental health of young adult offenders are being affected by frequent moves between prisons, exclusive research for Community Care has found. The Prison Reform Trust study, commissioned for our Back on Track campaign,...

readers' views; Defendant's record should be known.(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... More than 70 per cent of visitors to Community Care's website thought juries should have more access to information about a defendant's previous convictions in cases of child abuse and theft. This week's question asks: Has the youth justice...

give them a future.(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... The central thrust of our campaign to help young offenders has been to help get their lives Back on Track. Crucial to this goal are a dramatic reduction in the number of children and young people held in custody and better standards of...

domestic violence; Contact plans too risky, say charities.(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Women's Aid has criticised the green paper on children's contact with separated parents for not including adequate safeguards for those affected by domestic violence. The charity said risk assessments needed to be carried out before...

children in need; Hodge omission met with surprise.(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Children's minister Margaret Hodge has come under fire for failing to mention a new system which provides information on children in need during the committee stage of the Children Bill. Conservative shadow minister for children Tim...

public order; 'Ned-busters' spook the street vandals.(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Edinburgh Council has declared war on "neds" (aka "yobs") with new squads to tackle antisocial behaviour. The three rapid response "ned-busting" teams will help other agencies, including police and housing associations, to deal with...

local government; Reigate loses Diego Garcia housing case.
November 4, 2004... The High Court has ruled that Reigate and Banstead Borough Council must continue to house more than 30 people from Diego Garcia, an Indian Ocean island. Mr Justice Moses said the group had "scrimped and saved" for years to afford the...

legislation; Loophole closes on child murderers.(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... The legal loophole which allows parents co-accused of their child's murder to escape punishment by remaining silent or blaming each other was closed last week as the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Bill completed its passage in the House...

cross against register.
November 4, 2004... The Protection of Children Act list, or Poca list as it is commonly known, has an identity problem. That much was clear last week at the appeal of former Haringey social worker Angella Mairs against her inclusion on the list. Chair of...

The Simon Heng Column A service user's view of social care.
November 4, 2004... One of the constant sources of sorrow (or anger) among many disabled people is the lack of positive depictions of ourselves in the media, either in current affairs or the creative arts. The few examples that do occur are nearly always...

in need of support.
November 4, 2004... Voluntary sector projects often rely on time-limited funding. Richard Curen tells Graham Hopkins what happens when the money runs out and how one charity is dealing with the redundancies Working in the voluntary sector can be liberating in...

the end of the campaign trail.
November 4, 2004... Janet Snell looks back at the achievements of this year's Community Care campaign while Natalie Valios canvasses opinions on what needs to happen now For all David Blunkett's tough talk, there is no getting away from the fact that...

mental incapacity; Legal aid boost for Scottish guardians.(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Scotland has granted free legal aid and advice for people applying for the welfare guardianship of an adult lacking mental capacity. The move comes as a study is published suggesting that Scotland's three-year-old mental incapacity...

criminal records; Delays in checks due to poor consultation.(Criminal Records Bureau)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Severe backlogs built up at the Criminal Records Bureau because employers were not consulted early enough about how they would use the service, MPs say. A report on the debacle by the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee says that...

lost ; in the; crowd.
November 4, 2004... Irish people in Britain face discrimination, racism and marginalisation. But the problems they face are rarely acknowledged as part of social care's race and ethnicity policies, argues Paul Michael Garrett Changes introduced by New Labour...

TAKE one.(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Sheila Healey Job title: Social worker. Location/team: Intermediate care, Knowsley council's community older person's team. Salary: [pounds sterling]26,000. How long in the job: Two and a half years. Main...

a danger to himself and others.
November 4, 2004... Gill Grinham (left) tells Graham Hopkins about a man with acquired brain injury whose preferred drink and drugs lifestyle will cause him serious damage, and whose lack of social inhibitions could lead him into even deeper trouble Ray...

a huge gamble with the lives of the poor.
November 4, 2004... A number of years ago, while working in current affairs television, I spent one week in Atlantic City and another in Las Vegas, investigating not gambling but the dodgier aspects of boxing. Both cities, as is well known, are open around the...

Board heeds campaign.(Brief Article)
November 11, 2004... We are delighted that the Youth Justice Board plans to reduce the numbers of children in custody by 10 per cent and to put more emphasis on community alternatives. It is exactly what our Back on Track campaign called for. But it is just...

right under their inflexible noses.(Jackie Bush Personal narratives)
November 11, 2004... Despite the desperate need for social workers, employers are still reluctant to offer genuinely flexible working arrangements. As a result, skilled practitioners like myself are prevented from rejoining the workforce unless we agree to work...

PROFILE: Rob Hutchinson.(Biography)
November 11, 2004... Rob Hutchinson tells Roisin Woolnough of his pioneering work with Portsmouth's children ob Hutchinson is very proud of the Portsmouth "eight". The interim strategic director for health, housing and social well-being at Portsmouth Council,...

Overseas opportunities.(General Social Care Council, social workers)(Brief Article)
November 11, 2004... Lynne Berry, chief executive of the General Social Care Council, highlights career issues of social workers who trained overseas Some 10,000 social workers from more than 85 different countries have come to work in England in the past few...

Next steps.(social worker career options)(Brief Article)
November 11, 2004... Thinking of moving on? Then read on Tom is a 23-year-old substance misuse worker with two years' experience. What is your job? I work as part of a youth inclusion and support team. What are your responsibilities? I...

a hug changed my life.(Highland Users Group)
November 11, 2004... As an adopted person I have experienced great difficulties in coping with life and, earlier this year, was diagnosed as suffering from complex post-traumatic stress disorder. On really bad days I cannot even cope with going out to the shops. A...

If you ask me...(Nicky Brown, Social service volunteers)(Interview)
November 11, 2004... Nicky Brown is a parent volunteer for Contact a Family. Her son has autistic spectrum disorder and dyspraxia Which health or social care professional has been of most use to you? Occupational therapy team. If you ran care services...

students; Interim payments to cover late bursaries.(General Social Care Council)(Brief Article)
November 11, 2004... The General Social Care Council is to issue provisional payments to social work students following complaints about delays of bursaries. Students from Southampton University this week claimed they were still waiting for payment for up to...

mental health by sally gillen; Leading psychiatrist warns that bill will lead to professionals quitting.
November 11, 2004... Mental health professionals will be driven out of the field because they will be forced to section more people under proposals in the draft Mental Health Bill, a former president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists has warned. Mike...

Teachers do not think schools should accept offenders back from custody.(Brief Article)
November 11, 2004... Fewer than half of head teachers and only a quarter of classroom teachers believe mainstream schools are a suitable option for young offenders returning from custody, new research has revealed. The study by Nottingham Trent University finds...

Call for shake-up in care homes culture.(Scottish Care Commission)(Brief Article)
November 11, 2004... A "seismic shift" in thinking is needed to improve the quality of life for care home residents. Jacquie Roberts, chief executive of regulatory body the Scottish Care Commission, said care homes needed investment and to be seen as providing...

child protection; Will new law against child killers convict women victims of violence?
November 11, 2004... New legislation closes a loophole that has allowed couples to escape child murder convictions. But is there a danger that women victims of domestic violence will be unjustly penalised? Craig Kenny reports Three years ago the trial of a...

Antisocial definitions cause concern.(antisocial behaviour legislation)(Brief Article)
November 11, 2004... It is not yet clear whether antisocial behaviour legislation will become friend or foe to disabled people, Capability Scotland said. Michelle Hegarty, director of communication at the disability organisation, voiced concern that the current...

New ministerset to tackle bed-blocking.(Rhona Brankin)(Brief Article)
November 11, 2004... Scotland's new deputy minister for health and community care Rhona Brankin has singled out reducing the delayed discharge of older people from hospital as one of her key priorities. Making the keynote speech at Community Care LIVE Scotland,...

Review must consider wider team.(Scottish executive, social workers qualifications)(Brief Article)
November 11, 2004... The Scottish executive's 21st century working group on social work is focusing too much attention on qualified social workers, it was claimed. Delegates pointed out that much of the work was carried out in multi-agency teams or in joint...

Commissioner warns that money for Mental Health Act has 'disappeared'.(Scottish executive)(Brief Article)
November 11, 2004... Some of the money given to Scottish local authorities to implement the country's new Mental Health Act has "disappeared into the ether", a social work commissioner at the Mental Welfare Commission revealed last week. Juliet Cheetham urged...

Age Concern wants more abuse training.(Brief Article)
November 11, 2004... All health and social care staff in Scotland should receive compulsory training in the abuse of vulnerable adults. Ann Ferguson, project leader on elder abuse for Age Concern Scotland, said she was "shocked" by the number of social care...

'Creeping' squeeze on hearing system cuts time workers spend with families.(Brief Article)
November 11, 2004... Running the children's hearing system in Scotland on the cheap is undermining preventive work with young people and their families, delegates were told. Ruth Stark, professional officer at the British Association of Social Workers...

Registration sparks fly across Scotland.(Brief Article)
November 11, 2004... What qualifications should be acceptable and who should pay the annual fee have caused the most debate on the registration process in Scotland, according to the Scottish Social Services Council. Conduct, good character and competence were...

Charity urges child protection helpline.(Children 1st)(Brief Article)
November 11, 2004... A leading Scottish children's charity is demanding a child protection helpline for Scotland. Margaret McKay, chief executive of Children 1st, said it would give people a place to explore concerns without formally reporting them. "Often...

Support groups must evolve to meet direct payment needs.(Brief Article)
November 11, 2004... Fears that support groups for Scotland's direct payments clients will find it difficult to represent all service-user interests were raised at the conference. Many of these groups were set up to represent only disabled people. Strathclyde...

Partnerships for correction services.(Brief Article)
November 11, 2004... Plans for a single agency for correction services in Scotland are likely to be dropped in favour of a partnership-based approach, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities has revealed. Cosla chief executive Rory Mair said that the...

Public order; Councils relieved of housing obligations.(Brief Article)
November 11, 2004... The government has insisted that most people evicted as a result of antisocial behaviour would be considered to have made themselves intentionally homeless. This would relieve councils of the burden of finding them accommodation. The...

Teams want more help with housing.(Brief Article)
November 11, 2004... Local housing authorities should be made statutory partners with youth offending teams to ensure more effective resettlement, Yot managers said last week. The proposal, which is due to go to parliament for a decision next year, could...

Mental health; GPcommissioning rejig sparks alarm.(general practitioner)(Brief Article)
November 11, 2004... Plans to devolve commissioning from primary care trusts to GP practices may badly affect mental health services, says a charity. Research by the Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health raises concerns over the introduction of practice-based...

Drug misuse; Support for users fails to match need.(Brief Article)
November 11, 2004... Drug services are failing to provide integrated support for drug misusers, a report by the Audit Commission has found. A focus on treating clinical addiction has led to the neglect of a wider range of support, including housing provision....

voluntary sector by sally gillen; Groups fear government is seizing control of National Lottery money.
November 11, 2004... Voluntary organisations fear for their future because the government is using National Lottery cash instead of taxes to fund mainstream services. Ten years after the lottery was launched there are concerns in the sector that its original...

Standards; Learning difficulties services lack choice.(Brief Article)
November 11, 2004... People with learning difficulties still do not have enough choice and support to help them live independently, an inspection report published this week reveals. The Commission for Social Care and Inspection looked at learning difficulties...

child protection; Man faces court on smacking charge.(Brief Article)
November 11, 2004... A man has been arrested and charged with actual bodily harm for smacking a child, police have confirmed. The incident, involving a child of about four, was alleged to have happened outside a DIY store in Sutton, Greater London. The...

Unemployed people fill Angus vacancies.(Angus Council )(Brief Article)
November 11, 2004... Angus Council aims to fill all its 20 home care vacancies by next April after launching a project to train 36 unemployed people. The first of three eight-week courses, each with 12 trainees, was launched last month. They were developed with...

Sunderland and Bromley to use child protection volunteers.(Community Service Volunteers )
November 11, 2004... Social services departments are being urged to expand their army of volunteers to help safeguard children. The Community Service Volunteers said the support would free up social workers and could prevent child deaths in extreme...

Funding concern over pooled budgets.(Youth Justice Board )(Brief Article)
November 11, 2004... Urgent child protection work could "suck up resources" from youth offending teams under the new children's trusts' pooled budgets, the Youth Justice Board warned delegates last week. The comments came after children's minister Margaret...

Can they be kept together?(children of drug addict parents)(Panel Discussion)
November 11, 2004... Two sisters with parents who are addicted to drugs have reacted to their neglect very differently, leaving a tough dilemma panel responses steve oliver We need to consider the following: should the birth mother be given a further...

Bush's spiritual side won't help the poor.
November 11, 2004... Politics ought to be about class, power and income. It ought to address itself, among other concerns, to issues that arise from the fair and just redistribution of resources; to create a society in which every individual has the opportunity to...

Keep them special.(education of children with special needs)
November 11, 2004... The government is again sounding its mantra on inclusiveness. This time it is targeting children with special needs by forcing them into mainstream schools when many just need a leg-up, says Alison Taylor The logical outcome of complete...