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
Discounts to Community Care services for UNISON members
How UNISON members can get discounts to Community Care services.
23 February 2012
Ministers defend College of Social Work's tie-up with Unison
Government ministers have defended the College of Social Work’s tie-up with Unison following criticism from the education select committee earlier this month.
29 November 2011
Staff at housing provider to ballot on strike action
Unison is to ballot care staff at housing provider Family Mosaic on whether to strike over proposals to slash pay and increase working hours.
24 November 2011
Housing association cuts branded appalling by union
Social care staff at the housing association Family Mosaic are facing pay cuts and longer working hours in move branded "appalling" by Unison.
15 November 2011
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 bureaucracy is derailing personalisation
As our survey finds social workers are facing ever more red tape, Jeremy Dunning asks why bureaucracy is derailing personalisation and what can be done to rescue the policy
05 August 2011
Hard-to-reach groups still face personal budgets barriers
Several client groups, including older people and those with mental health problems, continue to face barriers in gaining personal budgets, say social care professionals.
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
Unison: Why social care professionals need time for CPD
Community Care and Unison's campaign calls for 10% of working time to be available for continuing professional development. Gordon Carson investigates how this can be achieved
08 December 2010
The rise of non-qualified social care staff under personalisation
Are concerns over use of non-social work staff to assess potential service users the complaint of a profession under threat or genuine worries? Mithran Samuel reports
25 May 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
Users and carers fight restrictions on use of personal budgets
Cash-strapped councils are accused of stifling people's creativity by imposing restrictions on recipients of personal budgets. But some service users have cast off the shackles, writes Vern Pitt
01 June 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
