June 2009 Archives

 by Allan Norman

by Nigel Leaney

Men have always resisted treatment for mental health problems and a survey reveals the recession is making matters worse.

 by Allan Norman

Tuesday seems to have been the day for the courts to decide the public interest in naming people outweighs that in protecting their anonymity. Just down the corridor from where Lynda Barnes was being heard, judgement was being given in the case of The Author of A Blog v Times Newspapers Ltd [2009] EWHC 1358 (QB) (16 June 2009).

In a nutshell, blogging is a public and not a private activity, so there is no right to anonymity.

 by Allan Norman

by Allan Norman

The handicapped are a heavy drain on Britain's finances. Take spastics and those with similar handicap. Approximately 2,000 of them alone are born every year and a lifetime of residential care for one could cost £250,000. So this year's spastic babies could eventually cost the country many millions of pounds. And when you consider that the spastics are only one group of handicapped, you can see how the cost of caring soon adds up!

writes Simon Heng

National and local politics are in a state of flux but the need for strong leadership among public servants is stronger than ever

"We need you, team leaders to stand up to the senior managers" These days, it seems like the country is in constant crisis: the recession is biting deeper - every family I know with members in manufacturing has had at least one person made redundant - many of our MPs seem to have been caught with their fingers in the till. Several ministers have resigned and the government has just had a historically low vote in the local and EU elections.

writes Steve Rogowski

Social workers can challenge the values of greed that lie behind the Commons expenses scandal and the credit crunch

What do the global recession caused by the credit crunch and the banking system and the political crisis over MPs' expenses have in common? For many the answer is that they are symptoms of neo-liberalism or global capitalism, something that most countries in the world now seem to accept.

writes Simon Stevens

Some disabled people have struggled to obtain 24-hour care.

But others want to be left alone and unwind like anyone else

By now regular readers will realise that because of my nerve damage, which keeps changing its name, I require the need of 24 hour care. I know most people would think I am very lucky I can be waited on hand and foot but this is very simply not the case.

writes Richard Humphries

The economic crisis should not be used as an excuse to do little to change our antiquated adult social care funding system

There is now almost universal consensus that the current system of social care funding is unsustainable and in urgent need of reform. Some positive steps have been taken: a major new drive to transform social care; new strategies for dementia and for carers; and a commitment to consult on options for reform of care and support.

writes Peter Corser

A personal development review can be a chore, but at least in our profession managers are well versed in supervisory skills.

I have my PDR coming up. To those not in the know, a PDR is a Personal Development Review. I rather enjoy them. They give me a nostalgia rush for my Catholic schooldays roots.