Articles by Date : October 01 2006 - October 31 2006

Inquiry into staff roles in England to mirror Scottish and Welsh reviews
A major review of social work roles and tasks will be carried out in England by the General Social Care Council. more
(26 October 2006 00:59)

Options for Excellence sets out goals
The government’s Options for Excellence review was launched last week, and contains both short-term goals and long-term aspirations. more
(26 October 2006 00:52)

Social care told to prepare for winter pressures
Council social care directors and health partners have been told to have plans in place for winter pressures by early November. more
(25 October 2006 15:38)

Disability champions needed in workplace, says union
Charity Scope and trade union Amicus today called for every employer to have a trade union representative dedicated to disability, in a lobby of.... more
(25 October 2006 15:32)

Lords vote to keep personal, social and health education out of the curriculum
Members of the House of Lords have rejected attempts to raise the status of personal, social and health education (PSHE) in schools. more
(25 October 2006 15:27)

Suicides at all-time low
The suicide rate has reached an all-time low, government figures published today reveal. . more
(25 October 2006 15:09)

Older people lobby parliament to increase state pension
An estimated 1000 pensioners are lobbying parliament today in protest against the government’s failure to increase the value of the basic state.... more
(25 October 2006 14:41)

Editorial Comment: In pursuit of excellence
Social care is facing a unique opportunity to raise both its status and funding. more
(26 October 2006 00:25)

Editorial comment: Time for independence
England’s first children’s commissioner has a confession: he is not truly independent. more
(26 October 2006 00:22)

Morgan warns of system ‘meltdown’
The head of the Youth Justice Board warned of “meltdown” in the youth custody system this week as the number of children in the secure estate reached.... more
(26 October 2006 00:19)

Murder bid charge after stabbing
A man has been charged with attempted murder after a Durham Council social worker was left critically ill in a stabbing incident last Friday. more
(26 October 2006 00:15)

Narey: ‘Fund councils to prevent custody’
Councils should be financiallyencouraged to fund schemes to keep children out of custody such as remand fostering, the Barnardo’s chief executive.... more
(26 October 2006 00:07)

Ministers reinforce children’s agenda and hint at schools funding rethink
The government affirmed the importance of Every Child Matters at the National Children and Adult Services Conference in Brighton last week and the.... more
(26 October 2006 00:03)

Working groups on Care Matters set up
Lord Laming has been chosen as the chair of the government’s new working group on reform of placements for children in care, it announced at the.... more
(26 October 2006 00:52)

Evidence on preventive social care needed if more money to be found
The Department of Health is making a strong case to the Treasury for extra funding for social care, but councils must provide better evidence to back.... more
(26 October 2006 00:48)

Hewitt to pressure Hutton over reform
Health secretary Patricia Hewitt has vowed to press work and pensions colleague John Hutton on concerns the government’s welfare reform plans have.... more
(26 October 2006 00:55)

Home Office reveals police forces failing to protect vulnerable
Click on the above headline for more social care related news from today's papers. more
(25 October 2006 09:25)

Older people in residential care in Finland experience a much looser, less regulated environment than in the UK
Mark Lloyd’s comparison of older people’s care in Finland with that in the UK begs the question of whether we have sacrificed quality of life to.... more
(26 October 2006 00:01)

Northern Ireland: super health and social services trusts set to replace existing structures. What do professionals think?
Once regarded as a model for the UK to follow, the system of integrated health and social services in Northern Ireland is to be completely rebuilt..... more
(26 October 2006 00:48)

New offer - Essential 5 Mental Health Titles
To order please call 0208 652 4861/4699 or send an email, with information about the books you would like to order, to books@communitycare.co.uk. more
(17 October 2006 12:09)

NHS criticised over mental health patient's death under restraint
Click on the above headline for more social care related news from today's papers. more
(24 October 2006 09:08)

Emotional literacy crucial to success
Practitioners working with children and young people must encourage them to be more aware of their emotions in order to improve their chances of.... more
(23 October 2006 17:44)

Funding for adult social care unsustainable, says Patricia Hewitt
The present means-tested funding system for adult social care is unsustainable in the long-term, health secretary Patricia Hewitt has said. more
(23 October 2006 10:26)

Care workers to re-register with GSCC after six years
Care workers will be registered for a six-year initial period, according to Lynne Berry, chief executive of the General Social Care Council. more
(19 October 2006 07:27)

Personality disorders defined
Personality disorders are defined as “deeply ingrained and enduring behaviour patterns, manifesting as inflexible responses to a broad range of.... more
(23 October 2006 12:36)

Loughton: High profile abuse cases have created risk averse culture
Scandals in children’s services have created a situation where staff use a lot of their time putting information into computers about children at the.... more
(19 October 2006 12:24)

Johnson admits that government has exerted too much power over councils in the past
The balance of power between central and local government has successfully been shifted towards giving more control to councils, Alan Johnson the.... more
(18 October 2006 00:00)

Ivan Lewis: status of social workers is rising
Social care’s status in the Department of Health is now being raised after many years of marginalisation, the care services minister told delegates.... more
(19 October 2006 00:00)

'Parish councils' may get power to run services
Click on the above headline for more social care related news from the weekend and Monday papers. more
(23 October 2006 09:26)

Johnson promises to consider freeing up school budgets
The education secretary has promised to look into the possibility of relaxing the rules around the spending of schools’ budgets. more
(19 October 2006 13:16)

DfES attempts to reassure over academies
Department for Education and Skills officials attempted to reassure delegates over the role of academies in relation to children in care at the.... more
(20 October 2006 16:00)

Lewis slams white-dominated social care leadership
Care services minister Ivan Lewis today launched a stinging attack on the lack of ethnic diversity in the highest echelons of social care. more
(21 October 2006 08:57)

England to have social work review
England is to have an inquiry into the role of social workers, modelled on similar reviews in Scotland and Wales. more
(21 October 2006 08:47)

Abuse allegations against foster carers: special report
A Fostering Network report this week highlighted major problems with the way social services investigate allegations of abuse against foster carers. more
(20 October 2006 15:57)

NHS failing to engage with Every Child Matters
The government recognises there are still concerns about NHS engagement with the Every Child Matters agenda, delegates at the National Children and.... more
(20 October 2006 15:24)

Give councils a financial incentive to fund schemes keeping children out of prison, says Martin Narey
Councils should be financially "incentivised" to fund schemes keeping children out of custody such as remand fostering, chief executive of Barnardo's.... more
(20 October 2006 15:21)

NHS spending
Sir Derek Wanless, whose report for the Treasury in 2002 sparked a huge increase in NHS spending, will investigate where the money went. more
(20 October 2006 10:02)

Lib Dems could back Wanless' partnership model for care
The Liberal Democrats’ long-standing commitment to free personal care does not preclude people paying for services, its health spokesperson said.... more
(19 October 2006 13:18)

Collaborative approach to Welsh pay could worsen recruitment crisis
Some Welsh councils fear they may struggle to attract new staff and retain existing ones if they move to a more collaborative approach to pay and.... more
(18 October 2006 00:00)

Effectiveness of individual budgets remains to be proven
There is as yet little evidence to support the roll out of individual budgets, a social care research expert said at the National Children and Adult.... more
(19 October 2006 12:30)

NCAS news: Children's green paper contains mixed messages
The looked-after children green paper contains some “potentially mixed messages” for local government, delegates at the National Children’s and Adult.... more
(18 October 2006 13:09)

Intimate and Personal Care with People with Learning Disabilities
This is a valuable book for senior practitioners and academics in an area of practice that is far too often overlooked, writes Matt Dore. more
(19 October 2006 11:21)

The New Culture of Therapeutic Activity with Older People
This book provides a perfect companion to Reminiscence and Recall: A Practical Guide to Reminiscence Work which I recently reviewed (7 September),.... more
(19 October 2006 11:19)

Practical Computer Skills for Social Work
Practical Computer Skills for Social Work Claire Gregor, Learning Matters ISBN 1844450600, £12 STAR RATING 5/5 The social work degree.... more
(19 October 2006 11:17)

Scheme for merging justice watchdogs dropped
The government has dropped plans to merge five watchdogs in the criminal justice system, including chief inspector of prisons, after the measure was.... more
(19 October 2006 09:45)

If you ask me...Alan Weeks
Alan Weeks lives in Rhyl and uses services at KeyRing Living Support Networks. He has learning difficulties more
(19 October 2006 10:01)

The Big Question - 19 October
Should young people have a veto on leaving care until they are 18 as the new green paper recommends? more
(19 October 2006 09:59)

The Simon Heng Column - 19 October
A service users view of social care more
(19 October 2006 09:57)

Opinion: Worth the struggle
After a battle trying to gain independent living fund cash, success has brought Anna C Young fulfilment more
(19 October 2006 09:55)

Open Forum - 19 October
As Coram Family loses another director, it is time to introduce a semblance of democracy into charities, writes Terry Philpot more
(19 October 2006 09:53)