How social workers can prepare for Ofsted's child protection inspections
Big changes are afoot for child protection inspections in England. From 1 May Ofsted will conduct unannounced inspections of local authority child protection arrangements and focus more on examining the work of frontline social workers.
So how should social workers prepare for the new inspection regime?
17 April 2012
Benefits for social workers of College/UNISON membership
The College of Social Work's alliance with UNISON has been the subject of some contention over the past year. Social workers who sign up to the College when it becomes operational in January will automatically become members of the union.
24 October 2011
Social work assistants expected to work beyond their skills
Social work support staff are increasingly asked to undertake tasks that are beyond their skills and knowledge. Gordon Carson reports on the need to define roles and tasks in social work
17 October 2011
The implications of privatisation and profit in social care
The collapse of Southern Cross has crystallised some of the long-standing concerns about financial structures in the private care sector.
15 September 2011
How UNISON helped turn round Surrey's children's services
Three years ago, Surrey Council's children's services department was in chaos. But with UNISON's support, management have been able to improve morale and performance.
07 September 2011
Councils slammed for curbing use of personal budgets
Councils have been slammed for denying clients choice and control after Community Care's personalisation survey found restrictions being placed on the use of personal budgets for items including holidays and computer equipment.
05 August 2011
How UNISON has helped councils improve work conditions
The final report of the Social Work Taskforce, published in December 2009, included a recommendation that all local authorities carry out a "health check" of the working conditions and caseloads of their social workers. Gordon Carson monitors progress
23 August 2011
Social care workforce regulation in the UK explained
The divergence in social care policies introduced and proposed by the four home nations is matched by a similarly inconsistent approach to workforce regulation, writes Gordon Carson
16 March 2011
Mutuals in social care may harm workforce, warns UNISON
The government has expressed its desire for public sector workers to take control of and own the services they deliver. But UNISON is not convinced that mutuals will truly empower frontline workers.
27 July 2011
'Don't blame IT systems for bureaucracy in personalisation'
IT company Face's managing director, Dr Paul Clifford responds to the accusation that personalisation assessment process has led to more bureaucracy
22 July 2011
How pension reform will affect Unison social care members
What do the pension reforms mean for council social workers? While Unison and other unions are locked in negotiations with the government a pensions expert suggests a compromise formula. By Gordon Carson
20 June 2011
Social workers losing faith in personalisation
Social care professionals' support for personalisation has plummeted, Community Care's latest personalisation survey, commissioned by Unison has revealed. Unison's Helga Pile (pictured) said: "People still believe in personalisation, but it's increasingly difficult to make it happen."
25 May 2011
The rights of personal assistants in social care
By 2025, more than 700,000 people in England could be employed as personal assistants to social care service users, up from 168,000 in 2010. The shift towards personalisation means many more service users are receiving direct payments from local authorities, giving them the power to arrange and pay for their own care. But with this freedom also comes responsibilities, particularly towards PAs they directly employ, who may be unaware of the range of benefits to which they are entitled.
18 May 2011
A duty of care to service users in times of high workloads
Funding cuts and increased workload can make it difficult for social care professionals to maintain their duty of care to service users. Gordon Carson investigates the practical steps staff can take to be guardians of safe, effective services
26 April 2011
How to use the law to fight social care spending cuts
With more than 150,000 local authority jobs under threat, and councils proposing to cut services due to funding pressures, social care staff and service users are increasingly concerned about their prospects. But there may be ways in which they can use the law to challenge and overturn councils' decisions.
16 February 2011
Most social workers expect to work beyond retirement age
Two-thirds of social care professionals expect to work past the current retirement age of 65 amid growing expectations that pension contributions will increase, Community Care can reveal. Unison's Helga Pile (pictured) said the survey results showed why the union had prioritised the fight to retain current pension provision.
10 January 2011
Social care staff face pay freeze and poorer conditions
Sixty per cent of social care professionals work more than 40 hours a week, a joint Community Care and Unison survey has revealed. Helga Pile, Unison's national officer for social care, said the survey findings reflected poor working conditions which were having a "devastating impact on morale".
07 December 2010
UNISON and Community Care launch website to support social care professionals
UNISON and Community Care have launched a new website today to support social care professionals.
The Workplace Zone brings together Community Care and UNISON content to better support UNISON's 350,000 social care members; 40,000 of which are social workers.
18 November 2010
