February 2008 Archives

by Simon Heng

Despite reforms, disabled and older people are still struggling to receive the services they need. But few people appear to care

by Gordon Lishman

It is high time the personal expenses allowance paid to care home residents allowed for a better quality of life

by Helen Bonnick

No, it's not the kids this time. For there is another group of people who receive a bad press and no one speaks up for them

by Allan Norman

'Data Protection', said the Humberside Police, explaining their failure to pass on information about the known risk posed by Ian Huntley, and its implication in the deaths of Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells. 'Data Protection', said British Gas, explaining the deaths of two pensioners weeks after they were disconnected for an unpaid bill of £140, and explaining why they didn’t inform social workers. 'Data Protection', said the social worker, avoiding the online forum… possibly.

by Dr Michael Fitzpatrick

Health secretary Alan Johnson wants GPs to tackle the ‘sick-note culture’ and help the government to get some of the 2.7 million people on long-term incapacity benefit back to work. This is likely to lead to tensions between GPs and social workers, teachers and nurses and other public service workers – all professional groups with a relatively high level of sickness-related absenteeism.

by Anna C Young

Patient and public forums have helped improve NHS care. Let's hope local involvement networks continue the good work

by Dr Mike Freel

The High Court judgement has many implications for social care professionals, including a need to tighten up procedures

by Bob Holman

Many of those committed to reducing poverty make the time to lobby the rich but have little contact with those at the sharp end

by Allan Norman

Professional Social Work last month ran a story on “lack of ‘remorse’ in misconduct cases”, that triggered a whole series of reflections.

One of the two examples cited was a social care worker who had slept on duty and failed to carry out checks on service users. She had apparently not helped her case by failing to make any representations or put forward any mitigation on her behalf. Why does that indicate lack of remorse? Could not a remorseful social worker feel unable to face the committee, could not someone with both remorse and insight conclude that seeking to mitigate a fault might belittle it?

by Peter Beresford

I have increasingly come to feel that social care is a vital sounding board for the place and times in which it is set. We can tell a lot about the values, priorities and sense of mutual responsibility of a society from the formal arrangements it makes to support people to live independent and interdependent lives.

by Allan Norman

The Archbishop of Canterbury is, as his more generous critics have acknowledged, a thoughtful and intelligent man, whose views deserve mature reflection, and I would encourage anyone inclined to wade in with fists flying to actually listen to what he said about his speech last week first. But Rowan Williams, as the head of the only part of the Christian church with authority to pass measures that are part of English law, may not be best placed to argue dispassionately against undue accommodation between religion and secular law.

by William Mill

Finding that special person can be very trying for many. So, for them, Valentine's Day holds a particular significance

by Peter Corser

Social work may not get the best press but its image with the public will not improve if we are ashamed to admit who we are

by Peter Beresford

Personalisation is at the top of the political agenda and everyone in social care needs to start discussing its future shape

by Lisa Nandy, policy adviser, The Children's Society

There are huge changes planned for the 7,000 unaccompanied asylum seeking children and young people in the UK. But are they better for children?

Last year the Government consulted on plans to change the way these children are supported, and published their proposals, “Better Outcomes: The Way Forward” in January 2008.

by Allan Norman

Earlier this month, news came of the decision of the Advocate-General on the application made by Sharon Coleman to the European Court of Justice. Her grievance and her argument were essentially simple, as the best cases often are – discrimination against the carer of a person with disabilities is disability discrimination, even though the carer may not be a person with disabilities.

The Advocate-General agrees.

by Nigel Leaney

Lifelong learning is necessary in the social care sector. But there are benefits also in unlearning what we were previously taught

by Allan Norman

I have just paid £1.24 (second class postage plus a penalty) for the privilege of collecting a letter from the General Social Care Council, upon which it paid no postage. Now, since my three years of registration was due to expire a fortnight ago, and I had renewed in good time but subsequently heard nothing, the least I might hope for was a belated apology, and confirmation that all was well with my registration.

by Andrew Holman

The headlines in Friday’s papers about the 2 “Downs Syndrome bombers” missed the point. These women were not committing suicide and they were not bombers. They were as much victims of the act as those others killed around them and should at least be given that respect.