Community Care articles from September 2007

Community Care archives from September 2007

Diary.
September 6, 2007... Diary of an agency social worker in a children and familes assessment team. for sept 6 Sunday The Sunday Telegraph is running a campaign accusing social services of persecuting parents and wrongly getting their children adopted to...

internet drives violence.(Opinion Columns)
September 6, 2007... The likes of YouTube have facilitated the recording of violent attacks by teenagers to put on the web as entertainment Gangs of youths fixed on causing "ultra-violence" are nothing new. Most people may recall at least one encounter with...

Features.(Mencap)
September 6, 2007... Time for some added value Jo Williams and Andrew Holman debate the achievements of Valuing People policies and the kinds of changes that should be introduced in this year's policy "Refresh" Dame Jo Williams, DBE, Mencap...

Opinion Columns.(Brief article)
September 6, 2007... ditch the assumptions We will miss the Disability Rights Commission when it makes way for the all-singing all-dancing Commission for Equality and Human Rights next month. The DRC had a knack of homing in on key issues and coming up with...

Your Patch.(Voice, a voluntary organization for child welfare)(Organization overview)
September 6, 2007... This week's network hub: Voice, a campaigning charity for looked-after children Networking: helping practitioners and service users connect with like-minded people V Working and campaigning for children in care oice is one of...

the rush is on for braziers.(Editorial Comment)(public sector professionals' pay)
September 6, 2007... "I'm ready with my donkey jacket, brazier and placards," says one reader in our online debate on the current local government pay offer. He's not alone among social workers, or indeed other public sector professionals. Discontent is...

Words of advice...(Interview/Profile)(Interview)
September 6, 2007... Cathy Glass is about to publish Hidden, her second book based on her experience of fostering troubled children. She tells Janet Snell how children's services could be improved What made you go into fostering? I saw an advertisement in...

User participation in developing services.(Proven Practice)
September 6, 2007... Each week the Social Care Institute for Excellence analyses research findings behind specific social work practices he past 10 years have seen more recognition and acceptance of the right of service users to participate in developing social...

Research Realities.(Report)(Survey)
September 6, 2007... Coping with divorce and separation The RESEARCH Title: Your Shout Too! A survey of the views of children and young people involved in court proceedings when their parents divorce or separate Authors: Judith E Timms, Sue Bailey and...

The jury's out.(Features)
September 6, 2007... Specialist courts have sprung up across the country to deal with domestic Youth courts When were they set up? Under the Criminal Court Act 1991 the juvenile court became the youth court. This is a specialised form of magistrates'...

Features.
September 6, 2007... Anabel 6.9 general feature: specialist courts Youth courts When were they set up? Under the Criminal Court Act 1991 the former juvenile court was transformed into the youth court. A youth court is a specialised form of...

Opinion Columns.
September 6, 2007... A home is sometimes the last thing a homeless person needs. When you see someone sleeping rough or moving from one inadequate type of accommodation to another you might imagine that simply giving them a roof over their head is the answer. ...

Your Patch.(Voice, a voluntary organization for child welfare)(Organization overview)
September 6, 2007... Voice is one of the UK's leading voluntary organisations working and campaigning for children and young people in care. It also supports other professionals in the child care field by providing specialist advice and training services. ...

The ups and downs of being looked after.(Your Patch)
September 6, 2007... A look at young people's experiences of being in care and the importance of involving them in the placement process Practitioner's view: John Kemmis Last week, a group of young people researching and writing for the Alliance for...

Letters.(Letter to the editor)
September 6, 2007... Diary A lighter take on the working week. Diary of an agency social worker in a children and familes assessment team Sunday The Sunday Telegraph is running a campaign accusing social services of persecuting parents and wrongly getting their...

Champions can leap hurdles.(Features)
September 6, 2007... Paul Swift analyses the obstacles to higher uptake of direct payments from professionals' and users' points of view and suggests ways of surmounting them good practice leven years after the introduction of direct payments - and despite...

Reviews.(The Essential Drug Service Commissioner)(Book review)
September 6, 2007... TRAINING MATERIALS Lifeball Special: An interactive approach to developing social skills for adults with learning disabilities aaaaa Information Plus, [pounds sterling]39.95 (www.information-plus.co.uk) This colourful...

Backchat.
September 6, 2007... Virgo (Aug 24 - Sep 23) Enough is enough. The time has come to expose your colleague (you both know who we're talking about here) for what they really are: a slacker who feigns being busy but has a nil productivity level. Remember to cover...

Let me entertain you.(Features)
September 6, 2007... We may be a few years away before the sound of the Sex Pistols reverberates through older people's day centres, but Vera Lynn's sentimental laments are on their way out, reports Janet Snell "Funnily enough, I think about this a lot. I was...

Your Patch.
September 6, 2007... Last week, a group of young people researching and writing for the Alliance for Child-Centred Care's newsletter came up with top ten tips for social workers working with children in care. They are: 1. Visit regularly 2. Don't make...

Diary.(Letter to the editor)
September 6, 2007... I've been following the debate about restraint of young people in secure settings in recent weeks, and I find it highly depressing that there should even be such a debate. Thinking back to the Pindown inquiry (not that long ago) the idea...

News.(Brief article)
September 6, 2007... @ news on the web communitycare.co.uk JERSEY Community Care's exclusive story (news, p4, 30 August) on UK social worker Simon Bellwood's decision to blow the whistle on child care practice in Jersey was picked up in the...

Reviews.
September 6, 2007... What the papers say A weekly round-up of the national papers' take on social care Heart attack drug may ward off Alzheimer's Taking statins may help to prevent Alzheimer's disease, a study has directly suggested for the first time....

News.
September 6, 2007... Distress for terminally ill as support levels fall short Charity wants mandatory joint commissioning to improve services maria.ahmed@rbi.co.uk Too many terminally ill people face "distressing and uncomfortable" deaths because of...

Patients report failure to provide talking therapies.(News)
September 6, 2007... mental health caroline.lovell@rbi.co.uk A survey of mental health service users in England this week revealed that access to counselling and employment support were still major problems. The Healthcare Commission poll of 15,900...

News.(Brief article)
September 6, 2007... Howard League staff to probe Jersey allegations The Howard League for Penal Reform has been invited to Jersey to investigate youth custody after a UK social worker blew the whistle on "abusive" practices in Community Care. Simon...

News.
September 6, 2007... p7click 1. UK social worker blows the whistle on Jersey. 2. Local government pay offer still below inflation. 3. Jersey: Full response by the island's chief executive Bill Ogley. 4. Combating bullying in social work. 5....

News.
September 6, 2007... maria.ahmed@rbi.co.uk The use of painful restraint on children in custody must be reviewed urgently as part of an overhaul of the youth justice system, the serious case review into the death of Adam Rickwood has concluded. The...

Communication aids fall victim of government cuts.(News)
September 6, 2007... Scope fears crisis for people who need equipment to help them interact with others caroline.lovell@rbi.co.uk People with communication problems face a crisis in equipment provision due to government cuts and inadequate information on...

News.(Brief article)
September 6, 2007... peace together Two girls attend the launch of the first peace month in Lambeth, dedicated to promoting community cohesion and respect and tackling violence in the south London borough, held at Brixton's Windrush Square. The month-long...

Professionals denied access to e-learning.(News)(Brief article)
September 6, 2007... training Employer attitudes and lack of computers are holding back social care staff from e-learning, according to Social Care Institute for Excellence research. Scie found 75% of employers estimated less than 10% of their...

Backchat.(Brief article)
September 6, 2007... social skirmishes Rosie Warlock, a senior practitioner in children's social services, tells us what's on her mind in her weekly column * As Johnny Rotten once said: "Ever get the feeling you've been cheated" I've had it with my...

Opinion Columns.
September 6, 2007... don't play 'being disabled' Non-disabled people should listen to the wishes of disabled people, rather than trying to gain "experience" of disability I've only just caught up with the Community Care article on Bupa care home staff who...

Minority report.(Good Practice)(social services for ethnic minorities)
September 6, 2007... An initiative run by NCH Sure Start local programmes "may represent a major missed opportunity" for parents from ethnic minorities, according to a report last month. The study, part of a government evaluation of the national initiative,...

Headline 48-84pt.(Features)
September 6, 2007... Intro 18/20pt Myriad Pro Cond authors name in Bold Cond E leven years after the introduction of direct payments - and despite successive governments' attempts to promote them - few people eligible to use them do so. To get to the...

whistleblow with care.(Opinion Columns)
September 13, 2007... Byline: Ray Jones Blowing the whistle is brave and is often vital to uncovering abuse and poor practice. But it is not always so noble "I recall times when staff were in conflict frequently whistleblowing about each other" It's...

Diary.
September 13, 2007... Diary of a Palliative Care Social Worker for sept 13 Monday: Grateful to have survived another morning of sheer lunacy on the M25, I arrive at the hospital. I wonder if those maniac drivers would value life a bit more if they saw what I...

Opinion Columns.
September 13, 2007... schools of success The bad press attached to some young people masks the fact that schools and children give us so much to be proud of As students return to school for the new academic year, you would be forgiven for thinking that the...

Features.
September 13, 2007... ack in June, nine of us met up in Derby with our support workers and Community Care's practice editor Graham Hopkins. We were asked about the things we would like to tell people who read Community Care. We all came up with different ideas. ...

Involving children and young people in decision-making.(Proven Practice)
September 13, 2007... Each week the Social Care he past decade has seen an increasing recognition and acceptance of the right of children and young people to participate in developing social care. Social care organisations have begun to acknowledge that, when...

User-controlled studies.(Research Realities)(Report)
September 13, 2007... Involvement of service users in social care research should be the norm rather than an example of best practice, writes Melanie Henwood The Research Title: User Controlled Research: Its Meanings and Potential Authors: Michael...

Features.
September 13, 2007... 'Hear me out' Amy Forgacs describes how joining a campaigning group can give service users the self-confidence necessary for them to speak up for themselves work for Speaking Up, a charity that provides advocacy for people with...

Just the job.(Features)
September 13, 2007... Work for people with learning disabilities can be hard to find. But, writes Sam Gregory, When you meet people the one of the first things you usually ask is "what do you do?" If you are a person with a learning disability this is a...

Getting funky at the Flamingo club night.(Features)(Funky Flamingo club)(Brief article)
September 13, 2007... David Fry of United Response attends a fundraiser travelled from London to Cambridge for a special afternoon, an all-day fundraiser for Funky Flamingo. There was karaoke and live music, which I love because I am a big music fan. My mission...

Features.(United Response, a learning disabilities charity)
September 13, 2007... Running totals "I've always liked sport," he says. "My first job was as a cleaner for Fulham Football Club. I got to meet lots of famous faces. I saw the games and met the players. My friend Yosief lives in a house with support from United...

Features.
September 13, 2007... 'You need support in place before you become a parent' Michelle Mansfield had her son Callum on 2 August 2006. Here are her thoughts on being a parent with learning disabilities "I was shocked when I found out that I was pregnant. I was...

A special place.(Features)
September 13, 2007... Does attending special schools exclude young people from mainstream opportunities and social circles? We spoke to two young service users from Young People Speaking Up My experience at St Francis, a special school, by Lindsey Sallabanks...

'Many social workers help, but not all'.(Features)
September 13, 2007... Kerry Pike has concerns about how people with learning disabilities are supported hen you need support from people to live your life you need to know that you can trust them, that they are on your side and that they believe in you. ...

Features.
September 13, 2007... 13.9 adults section: special schools Are special schools the best place for young people with learning disabilities? There is a lot of debate around young people attending special schools and whether this excludes them from mainstream...

Features.(Brief article)
September 13, 2007... 'The choice was mine' Many people with learning disabilities have their own tenancies yet often they have little say over whom they live with. Here Stuart Andrews, with support from his United Response team manager, Stuart Clarke,...

A Better Life By Far.(Features)
September 13, 2007... Alf Pearson tells Jaime Gill how his life has improved immeasurably by independent living after years wasted in institutions where he was wrongly placed by his parents after an accident Alf has lived in a lot of places in his life. ...

At last, Alf is busy.(Features)(Alf Pearson)
September 13, 2007... Alf Pearson discusses the terrible times he endured In 1932 the world was in the grip of a crippling depression, the Olympic Games were held in Los Angeles, and Iraq gained independence from Britain. That same year, on 27 June, Alf Pearson...

Blackpool highlights.(Features)(Brief article)
September 13, 2007... Having a holiday can be a challenge for people with learning disabilities. Jayne Beckett, 43, regularly visits Blackpool hen I come to the Bond Hotel they make me feel proud to have a disability. They understand me and it's lovely to be...

from the vaults news from the Community Care archives.(Backchat)
September 13, 2007... Twenty years ago i Sexism was rife in social work training education in September 1987, according to the newly formed pressure group Women and Social Work Education. The group claimed the new social care certificate would discriminate...

Features.(Brief article)
September 13, 2007... DON'T USE THIS!! Asmara 13.9 children's section: being in foster care Children in foster care have every day problems, as well as having to adapt to a new home and family. This can be difficult if you are the youngest in the house. For...

Features.
September 13, 2007... Community Care's decision to publish a service user issue is a cheering sign of the times. User involvement and service users are now an essential part of the social care and health process. Not only do service users have no intention of going...

Q: I qualified as a social worker in 2000 and became a senior care officer in a large local authority. In 2004 I was assaulted at work and received a back injury, and ended up leaving work on health grounds. I am now looking to return to work as a social worker but am concerned about my length of absence and previous job title.(Working Lives)
September 13, 2007... A: I wouldn't worry at all about your previous job title. Descriptions of fundamentally similar jobs in different authorities vary enormously, and in any case few of them give any indication of what the job is all about. For this reason,...

Features.(Brief article)
September 13, 2007... Hayley Prew kicks off a special children's section written and edited by care leavers and young people in care hat good can be gained from reading these personal accounts? Perhaps it will enable you to view the world as your young clients...

The problem with social workers.(Features)
September 13, 2007... Three young people in foster care describe their difficult relationships Michael, 18 " I'm wishing my social worker does at least one thing I ask him to" he door bell rings. It's 11.30am. It should've rung half an hour ago. My...

'Listen to us,don't judge us'.(Features)
September 13, 2007... A child who has suffered abuse or neglect can struggle to form mature relationships in later life. Hayley Prew reports on the importance of supporting the emotional development of children in care emotional development n order for a...

Features.(being independent from foster care)
September 13, 2007... 'Dirty and empty: my first flat' The transition from care to independence is a time of upheaval - and often little support - writes care leaver Fatmata Fatmata, 17: When you are in care, you expect your foster carer to prepare...

What makes agood foster carer?(Features)
September 13, 2007... Fernando, Michael and Asmara give their verdicts on being fostered Fernando, 11 I have had only three placements. The first foster carer was a woman. She was a nice person, despite her nagging me, but it was for my own good. I...

Features.(United Response)
September 13, 2007... Running totals David Fry, 26, of North Cheam, London, works full-time as a communications and fundraising assistant and receptionist for learning disabilities charity United Response. He has a learning disability and epilepsy. Here, he...

Features.
September 13, 2007... Hayley Prew 13.9 children's: Importance of Emotional Development A child who has suffered abuse or neglect can struggle to find suitable role models and have problems forming mature relationships in later life. Hayley Prew reports on the...

A home? Excuse me while I choke.(Features)(Viewpoint essay)
September 13, 2007... Care leaver What is a home? In my understanding, it is a place where one lives, sleeps, eats and is comfortable. I think of comfort and warmth as being synonymous with my expectations of what a home should be. Images of fireplaces and...

hubris is never far away.(Opinion Columns)(exaggerated self pride)
September 13, 2007... Despite disability and personal crises, life doesn't seem so bad - but then you find your views compared with the Taliban's I think I'm going through my own version of a mid-life crisis. A few years ago, I signed up to Friends Reunited, and...

Editorial Comment.
September 13, 2007... carers gain needed boost Earlier this year, Community Care readers told us that a better deal for carers was one of the most pressing concerns in social care worthy of extra funding, a higher profile, and political attention. Last week's...

Jersey shows limits of legislation.(Diary)(Letter to the editor)
September 13, 2007... 'My daughter needed prison' I have just read the article about Jade Saunders ("The jury's out", 6 September, p14) who says youth courts are too soft on young offenders. My eldest daughter is now 23 but between the ages of 14 and 18...

Letters.(Letter to the editor)
September 13, 2007... Jersey Senator Stuart Syvret should be congratulated for his quest to root out poor practice in Jersey's care system (Community Care, 30 August 2007). Twenty years ago, as a young graduate social worker, I worked at Heathfield, one of the...

Find the energy.(Working Lives)
September 13, 2007... It really is worth switching your utility suppliers, discovers Paul Lewis. But beware a new rule change It's confession time. For more than 10 years I have been advising people to save money by changing their gas and electricity supplier....

lifestyle review Peak performance.(Features)(Coming Down the Mountain)(Movie review)
September 13, 2007... David Fry is inspired by an actor with Down's syndrome Coming Down the Mountain aaaaa BBC1 Sunday 2 September, 9pm The film is about two teenage brothers, writes David Fry. It was written by Mark Haddon who wrote the book...

for better relationships.(News)(Brief article)
September 13, 2007... "Our service users repeatedly question their relationship with social workers" Service users wrote and edited this week's feature sections. Why? Because we hoped that they would provide some important messages. We weren't disappointed....

Harrow faces judicial review.(News)(Harrow Council)(Brief article)
September 13, 2007... adults' services Harrow Council will face a judicial review over its decision to restrict adult social care to people with "critical" needs only. A High Court hearing will take place next month, after national legal charity the Public...

Unions split on approach to local government pay offer.(News)
September 13, 2007... Unison poised for strike action while the GMB and Unite ballot members on whether to accept offer workplace mithran.samuel@rbi.co.uk The biggest local government union will ballot its members on taking strike action over...

Pilots aim to free social workers to help children.(News)
September 13, 2007... workforce mithran.samuel@rbi.co.uk A three-year project to spread good practice in recruiting and retaining children's social workers in England by increasing their contact time with service users was launched last week. The...

Expert chosen to tackle Jersey's 'failings'.(News)(June Thoburn)(Brief article)
September 13, 2007... A UK social work expert has been appointed as the new chair of Jersey's child protection committee in the wake of allegations about child protection failings on the island. June Thoburn, emeritus professor of social work at the University...

News.(Brief article)
September 13, 2007... i news in brief funding Sure Start, homelessness, HIV/Aids and teenage pregnancy provision are among services hit by a [pounds sterling]180m government funding shortfall for London, councils in the capital have said. Higher staff...

'Deficient' practice let foster carers' abuse go unchecked.(News)
September 13, 2007... Social workers feared being seen as anti-gay if they queried actions of Wakefield "trophy carers" maria.ahmed@rbi.co.uk Wakefield social workers failed to prevent the sexual abuse of children by two gay foster carers because they did...

News.(Brief article)
September 13, 2007... Hannah Marvelly was among a cast of 60 people in the Heart 'n' Soul group's performance at the recent Liberty festival for disabled artists in London's Trafalgar Square this month. Heart 'n' Soul, an arts organisation led by people with...

Task force calls for urgent action to stem hate crimes.(News)
September 13, 2007... Hate crime incidents go unreported and complaints not taken seriously, says report learning disabilities caroline.lovell@rbi.co.uk Government advisers have called on ministers to take urgent action on hate crime against people...

'You need support in place before you become a parent'.(Features)
September 13, 2007... Michelle Mansfield's son Callum was born on was shocked when I found out that I was pregnant. I was worried and scared but excited too. At first I had concerns about the amount of support I would need. I don't think I would have done as...

Working Lives.(Brief article)
September 13, 2007... on the move Philippa Russell has been appointed to lead the government's new standing commission on carers. Russell - a disability rights commissioner, adviser to the National Children's Bureau and member of National Learning Disability...

Ground control.(Features)
September 13, 2007... Personalised care could deliver a long-held ambition among service users by offering them an active role in organising their own support. But there are fears that it is just a cost-saving exercise. More than a decade ago, the user movement...

New commission seen as a signal of Brown's intent.(News)(Gordon Brown)(Brief article)
September 13, 2007... carers caroline.lovell@rbi.co.uk Campaigners have welcomed the government's decision to set up a standing commission on carers to tackle long-term problems facing the six million-strong group. Prime minister Gordon Brown announced...