Community Care articles from November 2006

Community Care archives from November 2006

You only need ask.(adult protection plans)
November 2, 2006... If you want to get your adult protection plans right then involve us, says service user Adele Medhurst Adult protection is everybody's business, is it? Everybody's except ours then. I've been involved with Voice UK (a national charity for...

If you ask me...(Michael Anderson)(Interview)(Brief article)
November 2, 2006... Michael Anderson is 65 and deafblind. He uses services at Deafblind Scotland Who has influenced you the most? Jesus. My faith is central to my life. Which professional has helped you the most? Drena O'Malley, Deafblind Scotland's...

whistle whi le you work.(Public Concern at Work)
November 2, 2006... Staff are often the first to suspect or spot bad practice, so it is important that they are encouraged to speak, writes Graham Hopkins The Cornwall abuse scandal once again highlighted the weaknesses that still exist in protecting adults...

Blow hot and cold.
November 2, 2006... Sarah Baalham on a new care worker's dilemma about the dubious practice of a charismatic, popular and powerful manager Several years ago, Alan Shaw,* the manager of a small privately run residential home for adults with learning...

podcasts.(British Broadcasting Corp.)(Brief article)
November 2, 2006... The October "Ouch!" Podcast ----- October, BBC website www.bbc.co.uk/ouch Presented by the ever-versatile performers Mat Fraser and Liz Carr, stars of Thalidomide! A Musical and Bravetarts respectively, this lively podcast is the last in...

Book reviews.(An Introduction to Dyslexia for Parents and Professionals)(Identifying Emotional and Psychological Abuse: A Guide for Childcare Professionals)(Book review)
November 2, 2006... An Introduction to Dyslexia for Parents and Professionals ----- Alan M Hulquist, Jessica Kingsley Publishers ISBN 184310833X, [pounds sterling]12.99 Being a social worker for the past 23 years, a special educational needs school governor...

'It makes life more ordinary'.(In Control pilots)
November 2, 2006... A recent evaluation of the In Control pilots show they have improved the quality of life for people with learning difficulties at no extra cost to councils. Natalie Valios and Maria Ahmed report "Every time I go somewhere I think...

Love and Chocolate.(depression)
November 2, 2006... this life Without fantastic support my depression would have been a lot harder to deal with, writes Marion Janner Having a severe depression is mainly very tedious. No surprises with the difficult stuff that arrives along with the...

Registration should be a matter of choice.(personal care providers)
November 2, 2006... The chief executive of the General Social Care Council, Lynne Berry, is on record as stating: "The world is moving towards regulating people who work for direct payments users, to protect them from abuse." But is this a world favoured by those...

New school ties.(From Seven Kings. How it Feels To be a Teenager)
November 2, 2006... Although the government wants social care professionals to work more closely with education, a new book suggests there is still a long way to go. Janet Snell visits the east London high school featured in author Fran Abrams' account ...

Training reviews.(BILD Code of Practice for the Use of Physical Interventions: A Guide for Trainers and Commissioners of Training)(Brief article)(Book review)
November 2, 2006... BILD Code of Practice for the Use of Physical Interventions: A Guide for Trainers and Commissioners of Training ----- BILD, ISBN 1905218001, [pounds sterling]12 The British Institute of Learning Disabilities has produced a code of...

If you ask me...(Laura Lea of Capital, mental health service organization)(Interview)(Brief article)
November 9, 2006... Laura Lea is a member of Capital, a West Sussex mental health service user organisation, and is a carer Who has influenced you the most? A family friend was interested in hearing what I had to say. He asked me questions about why...

Green shoots.(foster care)
November 9, 2006... The looked-after children green paper talks about the "transition into adulthood" - but what are the practice implications of what used to be "leaving care"? Bob Broad explains, while overleaf, in a special Risk Factor, practitioners give...

Mental health Appleby casts doubt on rape allegations.(Louis Appleby)(Brief article)
November 9, 2006... Most of the 19 rape allegations made in psychiatric wards from 2003 to 2005 are subject to "significant doubt", the government has claimed. Mental health "tsar" Louis Appleby said after collecting information from local trusts he doubted...

Do practices make perfect sense?
November 9, 2006... The green paper on children and young people leaving care in England proposes to establish "social care practices" modelled on NHS-style GP practices. Graham Hopkins gathers opinions about the idea So did you come into social work to open...

Book reviews.(The Approved Social Worker's Guide to Mental Health Law)(Collaborative Social Work Practice)(Dyslexia and Alternative Therapies)(Book review)
November 9, 2006... The Approved Social Worker's Guide to Mental Health Law ----- Robert Brown, Learning Matters ISBN 1844450627, [pounds sterling]20 Finding a way through the legislation relating to mental health and the associated codes of practice and...

Child protection councils ignoring notify safeguard.(Brief article)
November 9, 2006... Too few councils are using a scheme to safeguard homeless children, increasing the risk of another preventable child death, a new report has warned. The Notify system was launched in response to the Laming report into the death of Victoria...

Exhibition.(All at Sea, Institute of Psychiatry)(Mark Drinkwater's photography exhibition)(Brief article)
November 9, 2006... All at Sea ----- Institute of Psychiatry, Until 1 December at Bethlem Royal Hospital, Beckenham, south London Mark Drinkwater's photography exhibition, which helped promote World Mental Health Day, raised the curtain on this year's theme...

A late delivery.(ethnic minorities in the mental health system)
November 9, 2006... A flagship scheme to improve the lot of ethnic minorities in the mental health system is struggling. Anabel Unity Sale investigates The grand aim of the Department of Health's initiative to improve the experiences of ethnic minorities in...

I've learned to be lazy.(time management)
November 9, 2006... this life Empty time used to engender huge guilt in Alex Williams but now she has learned to let herself "just be" An important aspect of life is letting yourself "just be", be comfortable with yourself and have free time. This is more...

What labour needs is an Iain Duncan Smith.
November 9, 2006... We seem to be talking a lot about the Conservatives lately as they set an agenda that the left and centre left are forced to respond to. Take Iain Duncan Smith, who entered the lion's den of the Labour Party conference to speak on Tory social...

Placements: a cost too far.(social work students)
November 9, 2006... The cost of travelling to practice placements can run into thousands of pounds, particularly for students in rural areas. But the General Social Care Council has capped expense payments. Louise Tickle reports If you're a social work...

Training materials.(Dementia Care Training Manual for Staff Working in Nursing and Residential Settings)(Brief article)(Book review)
November 9, 2006... Dementia Care Training Manual for Staff Working in Nursing and Residential Settings ----- Danny Walsh, Jessica Kingsley Publishers ISBN: 1843103184, [pounds sterling]27.99 This manual is linked to national occupational and vocational...

View from a user.
November 9, 2006... Care leaver Mark Houston gives his take on the practice implications of the green paper I believe it is a radical paper which clearly describes the ways in which children in care are disadvantaged. I doubt that any care leavers would...

Farewell to arms?(Leeds fight against use of weapons)
November 9, 2006... As gun and knife crime among young people appears to spiral, Mark Hunter visits a project in Leeds that is raising awareness of the impact of such weapons Another day, another shooting, another stabbing. As these pages went to press...

Workforce Regrading sparks dispute at Falkirk.(UNISON (London, England))(Brief article)
November 16, 2006... Social work staff in Falkirk look set to ballot over industrial action after the council announced it was to push ahead with its job regrading exercise. Staff are angry that the council has issued them with 90-day termination of contract...

Education Services have weak links with schools.(Brief article)
November 16, 2006... Many councils are missing opportunities for schools to work with other services to improve educational performance, according to research last week. An Audit Commission study, which covered 14 local authorities, found that many council...

Homelessness B&B for youth to 'all but go' by 2010.(bed and breakfast hotels)(Brief article)
November 16, 2006... Communities secretary Ruth Kelly has pledged to end the use of bed and breakfast hotels for homeless 16- and 17-year-olds in England by 2010, "unless it is an emergency". In the week that marks the 40th anniversary of landmark BBC TV...

Child protection Southall faces new conduct allegations.(David Southall's professional misconduct)(Brief article)
November 16, 2006... Paediatrician Professor David Southall appeared in front of the General Medical Council this week over allegations he inappropriately accused a mother of murdering her son. Southall was banned from child protection work for three years in...

Mental health Care plan system to be streamlined.(United Kingdom. Department of Health)(Brief article)
November 16, 2006... Proposals to reduce the number of people in the mental health system subject to the care programme approach were outlined by the government this week. The Department of Health is consulting on plans to reduce the two levels of the CPA to...

Learning difficulties Providers wary of care costs toolkit.(Care Services Improvement Partnership)(Brief article)
November 16, 2006... A national costing tool for residential services for people with learning difficulties is being developed by the government to alleviate spending pressures. The Care Services Improvement Partnership (CSIP) has asked providers of learning...

Mental health Ex-governor urges prison care reform.(John Podmore)(Brief article)
November 16, 2006... A "radical new approach" is needed for the delivery of prison mental health care, according to a Home Office official and former Brixton Prison governor. In a lecture this week, John Podmore was due to say primary care trusts had to make...

Scotland Minister resigns due to ill health.(Peter Peacock)(Brief article)
November 16, 2006... The minister who piloted the 21st Century Review of Social Work in Scotland resigned this week on health grounds. As Community Care went to press, the Scottish executive was due to announce a replacement for Peter Peacock as education and...

If you ask me...(Diane Shortland, an myalgic encephalomyelitis patient)(Interview)
November 16, 2006... Diane Shortland has ME and receives home visit support and uses direct payments Who has influenced you the most? My life coach has given me the courage to be myself. What one thing would you change about care services in your area?...

Urban hubs are new powerhouses.(Midlands)(Brief article)
November 16, 2006... Welcome to Community Care's Midland's focus, the final instalment in our series of supplements looking at developments in social care across the nations and regions of the UK. The Midlands has for centuries been an industrial powerhouse....

Agenda ignored at will.(Lavendah Nyambura trafficked by Home Office)
November 16, 2006... News of the deportation of a seven-year-old girl trafficked into the UK is, on the face of it, alarming enough. But the fact that such action was taken without rigorously checking the validity of claims that her mother is living in Glasgow and...

Asylum seekers by Amy Taylor Seven-year-girl removed despite her mother's presence in the UK.(Lavendah Nyambura)
November 16, 2006... The Home Office has removed a seven-year-old from the country despite being repeatedly told someone claiming to be her mother was living in the UK. Lavendah Nyambura, aged seven, was sent back to Kenya last month after being looked after...

Care trusts by Mithran Samuel social care losing out in pioneering Northumberland tie-up with NHS.(National Health Service)
November 16, 2006... The first care trust set up to commission health and adult social services is failing to give social care enough priority, a damning report published last week found. The Commission for Social Care Inspection's report into older people's...

Children's guardians by Mithran Samuel plan to improve Cafcass practice supervision 'threatened by job cuts'.(Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service)(Brief article)
November 16, 2006... Improving practice and supervision will be at the heart of fundamental reforms to the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service published next month, its chief executive has said. Anthony Douglas told Community Care that...

Conduct guilty verdict for placement officer.(Emma Sowerby )(Brief article)
November 16, 2006... In the first social care conduct hearing in Wales, a Neath Port Talbot Council community placement officer was found to have breached the code of practice. After a two-day hearing in Swansea, a Care Council for Wales conduct committee...

Disabilities further education door shut in Wales.
November 16, 2006... Welsh children with special educational needs are missing out on further education because provision is lacking, an assembly inquiry has found. At one Cardiff school for severely disabled children two-thirds of students in the past three...

Exclusive warning over worse fostering support.(care services for asylum seeking children)(Brief article)
November 16, 2006... Forthcoming proposals on services for unaccompanied asylum seeking children may go "completely against" the looked-after children green paper, it was alleged this week. Lisa Nandy, policy adviser for young refugees at The Children's...

Families bids sought for parenting pilots.(Brief article)
November 16, 2006... Councils and primary care trusts are being asked to bid jointly for intensive parenting support scheme pilots. The scheme, to provide support for children in families with multiple problems from birth to two, was proposed in the social...

Health drive to improve stroke information.(Stroke Association )(Brief article)
November 16, 2006... The Stroke Association launched a campaign this week to improve information on services for people leaving hospital after a stroke, amid evidence of significant gaps. A study published by the charity found discharged patients were given...

Independent care by maria ahmed Government U-turn on human rights vow to clients of private providers.
November 16, 2006... The government has "seriously diluted" its commitment to ensuring that clients of independent care agencies are protected under the Human Rights Act 1998 it was claimed this week. A parliamentary report points the finger at constitutional...

Mental health by Simeon Brody landmark survey finds 'appalling' levels of discrimination in care.(Survey)
November 16, 2006... Mental health services are providing an "appalling" level of care to black and mixed race in-patients, a government watchdog has found. In the first survey of its kind, the Mental Health Act Commission looked at 425 service users and found...

Older people Inspectors to focus on dignity in care.(Brief article)
November 16, 2006... Inspectors are to give higher priority to respect and dignity when they assess services for older people. And front-line staff have been urged by care minister Ivan Lewis to "whistleblow" if organisations fail to abide by the Department of...

Standards inspection reforms may be delayed.(Healthcare Commission and the Commission for Social Care Inspection plans to merger)(British Association of Social Workers)(Brief article)
November 16, 2006... Asocial work leader has called on the government to revisit plans to create a new health and social care inspectorate, after it emerged they are likely to be delayed by a year. British Association of Social Workers chair Ray Jones made the...

Substance misuse drug treatment funding slashed.(government funding for prisons slashed)(Brief article)
November 16, 2006... Funding for a new drug treatment scheme in prisons will be more than halved this year because of NHS deficits. NHS drug treatment body the National Treatment Agency confirmed this week the pledge to invest [pounds sterling]28m in the...

Vision's flawed focus.(Alan Milburn introduces health care trusts)(Brief article)
November 16, 2006... Like him or loathe him, Alan Milburn MP was the only visionary to have been health secretary in recent times. And, when it came to better integrating delivery of health and social care, ambitious new care trusts were his solution. They would...

Vulnerable adults scots MPs demand overhaul of bill.(Brief article)
November 16, 2006... MPs have called for substantial amendments to Scottish legislation to protect vulnerable adults. In a report, the Scottish parliament's health committee warned that the Adult Support and Protection Bill could "become a mechanism to police...

'Guerrilla' in their midst.(disabled persons as social activists)(Column)
November 16, 2006... After years of depression stemming from her disability, Mary is now more assertive. But this has brought new problems CASE study The names of the service user and her personal assistant have been changed SITUATION:...

Signs of progress.(information for deaf people is becoming cheap )
November 16, 2006... In-house videos made by Kirklees Council to provide information for deaf people are cheap, well-made and well received, as Graham Hopkins discovers Providing information to the deaf community in British Sign Language is making a...

Music.(Billy Bragg, vol. 2)(Sound recording review)
November 16, 2006... Billy Bragg Volume II ----- Cooking Vinyl BRAGGBOX002, [pounds sterling]40 The first Billy Bragg album I bought had a sticker on it stating, "Capitalism is killing music - pay no more than [pounds sterling]4.99"; so it was 1988 and...

Jobcentre minus.(Jobcentre Plus for job hunters)
November 16, 2006... welfare rights Jobcentre Plus has driven some claimants to distraction and despair, writes Gary Vaux A few weeks ago I asked readers to send me their own experiences of the service that was being offered by Jobcentre Plus network. Below are...

Book reviews.(Exploring Experiences of Advocacy by People with Learning Disabilities: Testimonies of Resistance)(Brief article)(Book review)
November 16, 2006... Exploring Experiences of Advocacy by People with Learning Disabilities: Testimonies of Resistance ----- Edited By Duncan Mitchell et al, Jessica Kingsley Publishers ISBN 1843103591, [pounds sterling]17.99 Heartbreaking, touching and at...

Book reviews.(The Feeling's Unmutual: Growing up with Asperger Syndrome (Undiagnosed))(Book review)
November 16, 2006... The Feeling's Unmutual: Growing up with Asperger Syndrome (Undiagnosed) ----- Will Hadcroft, Jessica Kingsley Publishers ISBN 1843102641, [pounds sterling]13.95 This book sat on a shelf for weeks before being opened - the title seemed...

An exploited love.(mental health carer compensation)
November 16, 2006... this life Georgina Wakefield saves the government money so why should the benefits system be such a battle? Recently, I was involved in training a group of mental health nurses. As I am a mental health carer (of my 32-year-old son,...

Workforce change is a question of trust.
November 16, 2006... The jury is still out on whether service users will ever get the social care workforce they deserve. Currently, it is one of the biggest, most disparate and least valued workforces in the UK. Much attention has focused on problems of...

Star quality.(Midlands)(Brief article)
November 16, 2006... Sallyanne Johnson, chair of ADSS East Midlands branch and adult services director at Nottingham Council, writes: I got to know the region properly two years ago when I moved here from the North East. It has some surprising contrasts in...

Training materials.(How to be a Great Care Assistant)(Brief article)(Book review)
November 16, 2006... How to be a Great Care Assistant ----- Edited by Dr Richard Hawkins and Adrian Ashurst, Caring Times/Hawker Publications ISBN 1874790795, [pounds sterling]14.95 At first sight the title could appear patronising and the subject matter...

Churches need 'eternal vigilance'.
November 23, 2006... Bob Pull advises churches on keeping children safe from abuse. He tells Amy Taylor about his work addressing the problem among different denominations and networking with social services There are more than 200 registered sex offenders...

policy by Derren Hayes Welsh strategy doomed without extra resources say council leaders.(ociation of Directors of Social Services Cymru and Welsh Local Government Association)
November 23, 2006... Assembly government plans to shift the balance of social care in Wales from acute to preventive services will not work without a significant increase in resources, council leaders have warned. The Association of Directors of Social Services...

fostering Scots will not limit numbers per carer.(Brief article)
November 23, 2006... Scottish ministers look set to turn down calls from fostering experts to place a cap on the maximum number of children placed with individual carers. Despite calls for the executive to follow England and Wales' lead by limiting the number...

Child protection Scots care referrals show steep rise.(Brief article)
November 23, 2006... The number of children in Scotland referred to children's reporters on care and protection grounds has almost trebled since 1997, and rose by 9 per cent last year. Douglas Bullock, chair of the Scottish Children's Report Administration,...

Children case for registering young sex offenders.(Barnardo)(Brief article)
November 23, 2006... There is a case for putting more children in Scotland who display sexually harmful behaviour on the sex offenders' register, charity Barnardo's Scotland has said. In evidence to a parliamentary inquiry into child sex offenders, it said...

Compulsion has not increased in Scotland.(community treatment)(Brief article)
November 23, 2006... Compulsory community treatment has received "widespread acceptance" in Scotland but only because its use has been strictly controlled, according to a report. The King's Fund study into the first six months of community-based compulsory...

Youth justice Magistrates against sentencing proposal.(Magistrates' Association)(Criminal Justice Bill)(Brief article)
November 23, 2006... Home Office plans to create a generic community sentence for young offenders could increase imprisonment, magistrates have warned. The Magistrates' Association said the proposals in the Criminal Justice Bill, announced in last week's...

Compulsory treatment fears remain despite claims of 'scaremongering'.(Brief article)
November 23, 2006... The mental health tsar has accused critics of the Mental Health Bill of "scaremongering" over proposals for compulsory treatment in the community. Speaking at the bill's launch last week, Louis Appleby said opponents of supervised...

Government rejects tribunal review call.(Department for Constitutional Affairs)(Brief article)
November 23, 2006... The Department for Constitutional Affairs has rejected calls from an inquiry to review its procedures for releasing restricted patients. The inquiry into the treatment of John Barrett, who killed a man in 2004 after escaping from...

Adoption by Lauren Revans and Simeon Brody failure to meet national placement targets blamed on effect of new law.
November 23, 2006... A lack of capacity in the court system and the introduction of new legislation have been blamed for the failure to meet a key national adoption target. The government's overarching adoption target, included in the Priorities and Planning...

Antisocial behaviour staff to gain new intervention skills.(Department for Education and Skills)(Brief article)
November 23, 2006... Practitioners working in deprived areas will receive training on dealing with antisocial families, the government announced this week. The Department for Education and Skills will spend up to [pounds sterling]1m training an anticipated...

Bournewood carers' safeguard criticism.(Brief article)
November 23, 2006... The carers of an autistic man wrongfully detained in a psychiatric hospital in a landmark case have condemned plans in the Mental Health Bill to provide safeguards for people in his position. The carers of HL, who was detained in Bournewood...

If you ask me...(Norcare's patient)(Interview)(Brief article)
November 23, 2006... Stephen Carter uses services at north east supported housing organisation Norcare Who has influenced you the most? Dave Nelson, the volunteer co-ordinator at Norcare. Which professional has most helped you? Margaret Hems, a key...

In light of the government's campaign, what is the best way to achieve dignity in care for older people?(Len Smith)(Brief article)
November 23, 2006... Len Smith Gypsy activist My culture gives older people a very high level of respect. We value them for their experience and wisdom, and never laugh at or bemoan their physical shortcomings or "accidents". We always look up to...

OPEN FORUM.(United Kingdom. Children Act 1989)(advocacy services)
November 23, 2006... Hopefully, the government's final proposals for children in care will clarify some crucial matters, writes John Kemmis The proposals on advocacy in the looked-after children green paper Care Matters are rather a puzzle. It is good that...

The Simon Heng column A service user's view of social care.(Department of Work and Pensions)(Column)
November 23, 2006... Even if you do manage to speak to a human, there's no guarantee that they will understand clearly enough to be helpful The House of Commons' public accounts committee reports that the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) has closed down...

Adult protection by Mithran Samuel professionals divided over ruling on legality of work ban in abuse cases.(British Association of Social Workers)(United Kingdom. Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006)(United Kingdom. Care Standards Act 2000)
November 23, 2006... Practitioners and adult protection groups are split over a High Court ruling that temporary work bans on people accused of abuse without a hearing were at odds with human rights law. While the British Association of Social Workers backed...

Casey fails to hear the voices of dissent.(Louise Casey's antisocial behavior regulations)
November 23, 2006... Yvonne Roberts is a writer and broadcaster "Where's the sense in some councils closing down youth clubs and services only to redirect funds into combating antisocial behaviour?" The obsession with antisocial behaviour orders displayed...

Children Services put under official microscope.(Beverley Hughes' social policy)(Brief article)
November 23, 2006... The government is carrying out a series of inquiries into how well its children's services policies are being implemented. Children's minister Beverley Hughes told MPs that officials from the Department for Education and Skills were...

Diary.(researcher)(Diary entry)
November 23, 2006... This week's writer is a researcher Monday Arrive at work frozen and search for a heater. I pause in grudging admiration of my ancient computer which, after only one false start, lets me log on to my e-mail and dispose of the mysterious...

Disabled children Short breaks for carers bill unveiled.(United Kingdom. Disabled Children Short Breaks Bill, United Kingdom. Childcare Act 2006)(Brief article)
November 23, 2006... Charities have published a bill that would force councils and primary care trusts to provide short breaks for disabled children and their family carers. The Disabled Children Short Breaks Bill would also amend the Childcare Act 2006 to...

Frontlines.(quality of life in the UK's towns)(Column)
November 23, 2006... One of our team of practitioner columnists gives her take on quality of life in the UK's towns Lists of best and worst UK towns ignore the feelings of the people who call them home, writes Jennifer Harvey Every so often now...

Homelessness government pledge on supported lodgings wins councils' backing.
November 23, 2006... Although some councils have had success with supported lodgings, confusing tax relief rules and inadequate support may be deterring prospective providers. Maria Ahmed reports The government has pledged to end the use of bed and breakfast...