Articles by Date : April 01 2006 - April 30 2006

Looked-after children improving in exams but still trail behind average
The educational achievement of looked-after children in England has improved for the second year running but still lags far behind the national.... more
(27 April 2006 11:20)

Thriving schools to escape sanctions
A top aide in the Department for Education and Skills has ruled out sanctions against successful schools that ignore the Every Child Matters agenda. more
(27 April 2006 11:12)

Many claimants lost in the welfare maze
Complexity in the welfare system is contributing to low take-up of benefits such as the pension credit and housing allowance, public spending.... more
(27 April 2006 11:10)

Bill aims to protect support package
Disabled people would be able to move home in England and Wales without jeopardising their support package under an independent living bill to be.... more
(27 April 2006 11:07)

Service users should have role in nurse recruitment, review argues
Mental health nurses should adopt a recovery approach to care, providing more psychological therapies and helping tackle patients’ social exclusion,.... more
(27 April 2006 11:03)

MPs query Clarke on funding new orders
The home secretary last week failed to confirm if the government will provide extra support for the introduction of an order to control high-risk.... more
(27 April 2006 11:00)

Target missed on full cost recovery
Charities are failing to obtain full costs from statutory health and social care funders, a survey claims. more
(27 April 2006 10:56)

‘Tax credit system must be reformed’
Child poverty campaigners have called for reforms to the tax credit system after MPs said the recovery of overpayments was “causing hardship to many.... more
(27 April 2006 10:54)

Scots reject respite breaks proposal
The Scottish executive has rejected a major report’s recommendation to give unpaid carers a statutory entitlement to short respite breaks from.... more
(27 April 2006 10:52)

Eighty years old but nothing like the Queen
David Donnison is one of the great figures of British social policy. Last month, the urban studies department of Glasgow University, where he is.... more
(27 April 2006 10:44)

Frontlines - Diet and Mental Health
Time was when I could go to my local shops and buy a pound of Cox’s apples, five pounds of Jersey potatoes and a Webb’s Wonder lettuce. more
(27 April 2006 10:40)

Open Forum
People who are dying are being refused free care because of cnfusion over criteria says Annie Warburton-Stephens more
(27 April 2006 10:36)

The Simon Heng Column
Volkswagen Beetle drivers always used to wave at each other when passing. It meant something like: “In this anonymous world, we share something, even.... more
(27 April 2006 10:30)

The Big Questions
The government is pledging zero tolerance on elder abuse. Will this be effective? more
(27 April 2006 10:28)

If you ask me...Ena Barker
Ena Barker uses the Marsden Resource Centre for people with physical disabilities in Lancashire. more
(27 April 2006 10:22)

Asserting my rights
A social worker showed what could be done after outreach professionals had written off Stuart Wooding more
(27 April 2006 10:19)

An empty promise?
Some social workers do not feel that registration delivered the changes in professional status predicted by its proponents. Sally Gillen reports more
(27 April 2006 09:47)

A private malfunction?
Plans to overhaul the probation service and allow competitive tendering have sparked alarm among professionals, concerned that the perception of.... more
(27 April 2006 10:09)

The Log-in crowd
Katie Leason reports on the internet sites that bring together young people and adults and provide a sense of community for those who would otherwise.... more
(27 April 2006 00:00)

'Proud to be a professional'
Lynda Bowen is a locality manager within adult services at Hull Council. She has been a social worker for 24 years and registered with the GSCC for.... more
(26 April 2006 00:00)

Battered by words
New child protection guidance has been criticised for failing to recognise the importance of the role played by social workers. more
(26 April 2006 00:00)

Guidance 'ignores' role of social work
New child protection guidance has been criticised for failing to recognise the importance of the role played by social workers. more
(26 April 2006 00:00)

Scotland's inspectors running risk of prosecution after bureaucrats' gaffe
Children's services inspectors in Scotland could be prosecuted for failing to carry the correct paperwork because executive officials bungled the.... more
(26 April 2006 00:00)

Demand for funds to boost activities
Social activities for people with dementia in extra care housing must be increased with the help of government funding, a report this week says. more
(26 April 2006 00:00)

Mandatory checks plan 'denies choice'
Campaigners fear that direct payment users' independence may be compromised by bill changes, writes Simeon Brody more
(26 April 2006 00:00)

Fragile marriage
With multi-agency working on the rise, Kirstie Redford looks at how to build relationships to keep all parties happy more
(26 April 2006 00:00)

Get out of that rut
The current restructuring of social services and realignment with other statutory sectors is seeing fresh opportunities opening up for staff who want.... more
(26 April 2006 00:00)

Health and social care disagree over boundaries in the North East
There are fears in the North East that valuable partnerships will be lost in the wake of strategic health authority proposals, writes Mithran Samuel more
(26 April 2006 00:00)

'Some families need us 24/7'
A pioneering scheme in Scotland that helps families tackle poor behaviour is winning plaudits. Derren Hayes speaks to John Wallace about the work of.... more
(26 April 2006 00:00)

Job lot
Despite a prediction of more redundancies in the public sector this year and tightening budgets, Derren Hayes finds that employers still need to.... more
(26 April 2006 00:00)

Be earnings wise
A new guide attempts to clear up confusion over service user remuneration, writes Gary Vaux more
(26 April 2006 00:00)

Anything but the VOO
Sun columnist slams Violent Offender Orders more
(25 April 2006 08:45)

Ray Jones steps down from Wiltshire's adult services
Wiltshire’s director of adult and community services Ray Jones has stepped down from the post after huge savings were forced on the council by the.... more
(27 April 2006 00:00)

Unpaid carers could be excluded from right to flexible working
Thousands of unpaid carers could be excluded from a new legal right to flexible working under proposals being considered by the government,.... more
(28 April 2006 00:00)

Care home fees rise by 50 per cent in five years
Some elderly people face a rise of up to 25 per cent in care home fees this month, says new research which warns that the cost of living in a home.... more
(28 April 2006 10:07)

Question from Community Care - New Policy in Residence
Click the headline to view the full article more
(27 April 2006 00:00)

Question from Community Care - Principles into Practice
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(27 April 2006 00:00)

THURSDAY 27 APRIL 2006
MPs say welfare state is baffling more
(27 April 2006 09:50)

Lessons must be learnt from Sure Start failures
Frontline workers and managers involved in delivering the government’s children’s centres agenda must not repeat the mistakes made by local Sure.... more
(27 April 2006 09:35)

new policy in residence
In 2000, Bradford Council decided to reverse its policy of placing children outside the area and began to build residential care homes and invest in.... more
(26 April 2006 00:00)

Older people's and mental health services face cuts
NHS cuts are falling on older people’s and mental health services across the country as trusts battle to clear overall deficits of £900 million, it.... more
(26 April 2006 00:00)

Principles into practice
The principle of using research to inform practice is widely accepted but how can managers and agencies ensure that this principle is put into policy.... more
(27 April 2006 00:00)

WEDNESDAY 26 APRIL 2006
Sick note culture in probation service more
(26 April 2006 10:02)

Charity demands more help for parents of teenagers
Parents of teenagers need to be supported not criticised, according to advice charity Parentline Plus. more
(25 April 2006 12:45)

New agency launched to tackle child sex abuse
The government has stepped up its war on child sex abuse with the launch of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre. more
(25 April 2006 11:49)

More thought needed on national allowance for foster carers
Fostering organisations and local authorities are warning that more research needs to be carried out before the government implements a national.... more
(25 April 2006 10:53)

MPs urged to ensure greater support for SEN pupils
A pressure group of over 240 organisations and individuals is pushing for amendments to the Education and Inspections Bill in a bid to cut the high.... more
(25 April 2006 12:48)

People with learning difficulties advised on staying safe
Advice for people with learning difficulties on protecting themselves from crime is published today in a new Home Office booklet. more
(24 April 2006 00:00)

Special report on new domestic violence draft guidelines
New draft guidelines proposing that domestic violence perpetrators could be given courses of rehabilitation rather than custodial sentences if they.... more
(21 April 2006 00:00)

Andrew Holman's latest Blog
It's odd somehow how some things seem to go in cycles; everyone’s getting married, children all over the place or a run of deaths. more
(25 April 2006 00:00)