Research skills must become an essential part of social work education, practice and continuing professional development, writes Sue White
Continue reading Research skills as part of social work practice.
July 2009 Archives
by Patrick VernonNew Horizons, the government's new ten-year mental health strategy, seems to have captured the imagination. Its optimistic title is a much-needed surprise in a field having to contend with stigma and a 'Cinderella' status.
Continue reading New Horizons mental health strategy needs BME input.
by Peter BeresfordThe minister for care services, Phil Hope, is absolutely clear that the green paper on the future of social care is concerned with all groups of social care service users - those of working age as well as those who are older. Doubt is already being cast on this. On 24 July the Guardian published a powerful letter from a wide array of social care leaders arguing that the green paper was forgetting the one and a half million people with learning difficulties. Comparable pleas are also being made about the importance of taking account of people with life limiting conditions, drug and alcohol problems, mental health service users and disabled people of working age.
by Ciarán DevaneWe are encouraged by the government's proposal to introduce a national care system with more personalised care and support services. However, it is vital this extends to cancer patients, and their carers, who are currently often excluded from any help and support in the community.
by Tony ButcherIt is clear that there are an increasing number of older people with learning disabilities in the population as standards of living and medical advances have improved over the years. Yet last weeks green paper on care funding has not addressed the needs of this most vulnerable group who have to be supported with sufficient resources to help them in their latter years.
by Jenny OwenAt last, the adult social care green paper has been published. And at last we have the first opportunity in a long while to debate openly and honestly ways in which we can achieve a properly funded social care system.
Continue reading Adult social care green paper: beware snap judgements.
By Professor Sheila Peace (pictured) and Dr Caroline Holland
The green paper sets up a national care service for England and is a brave attempt to capture what is a very complex matter.
Continue reading Devil in detail on implementation of adult green paper.
By Mark PlattI was one of the many voluntary and third-sector representatives invited by the secretary of state to attend the launch of the social care green paper at the Riverside Plaza Hotel in London on Tuesday. I was also one of the many who found communicating with the outside world, from two floors beneath the hotel, at the very least a challenging task. Perhaps it was deliberate choice to stage the event beyond the reach of modern mobile communications, but it gave me cause to reflect on the difficult challenges that will face the proposals contained in this reforming document.
Continue reading Adult green paper: Politicians must listen to users and carers.
By Julia UnwinWe broadly welcome the long-term vision for the adult social care system set out in the green paper, but it is important to recognise that immediate changes need to be made.
Continue reading Adult care needs immediate change not just long-term reform.
by Ruth CartwrightWe social workers will be looking at this in two ways - as possible members of the National Care Service and as people who may ourselves be in need of care and support one day.
Continue reading Adult care green paper: a social work perspective.
by Ian OwenAfter the long delay, the publication of the green paper comes as a major disappointment. The fact that no new funding is being offered means that the £6 billion care funding gap identified in the Wanless report is no closer to being bridged. Indeed, with our ageing population, the gap will only grow over time.
Continue reading Adult care green paper fails to address looming long-term funding gap.
by Neil BatemanThe adult care Green Paper states: "some elements of disability benefits, for example Attendance Allowance" might no longer be paid to people and instead integrated into a new social care budget and there are those in the social care world who support this, thinking that such benefits are to "pay for care"
It's a nice, simplistic argument, but like most such arguments, it's seriously flawed.
by Simon HengLast year, my 76-year-old mother was failing. She could barely walk; she was having difficulty in looking after herself physically, and was becoming confused. She certainly couldn't drive.
In April of this year, she had a triple heart bypass. For a few weeks, she was extremely ill, and we worried - she worried, most of all - that she would never be independent again. When she left hospital, she went to a rehabilitation unit for older people, a joint venture between the primary care trust and the local authority.
Continue reading Adult care green paper less than bold and visionary.
by Allan Bowman
The various social care funding options have this week been detailed by Andy Burnham and we now need a real public consultation before the Green Paper becomes a White Paper. However, even before 'Shaping the Future of Care Together' was published, we said publicly that, although funding is important, that is only half of the equation. The other half is the quality of care available and the type of support that people receive. That's because it could be dangerous to assume that once the funding supply is worked out, then all the services will be 'on tap' and easy to find.
Continue reading Adult care green paper: funding is only half of the story.
by Clare EvansThe success of personalisation depends on service users helping each other to escape dependency and move to independence
I have often been enthused by exciting articles on personalisation, but there is seldom mention of the models of long-term support that service users need in order to take advantage. Yet disabled people, keen to support their peers, have shown the effectiveness of centres for independent living in supporting less empowered service users to take control of their lives.
Continue reading Service users help each other to produce personalised support.
by Anna BirdThe take up of personalised services has been slow for mental health users to date. But there are signs this is set to improve
Personalisation has its roots in the disabled people's movement, and, for many people with physical disabilities, the personalisation agenda has allowed the balance of power to shift towards greater individual choice, control and empowerment. However, there are distinct barriers in moving towards greater personalisation in mental health. Most people with mental health problems still have little control over their care, and meaningful choice and independence are still a long way off.
Continue reading How to make personalisation become real in mental health?.
by Jennifer HarveyBeen asked to go ballroom dancing recently? Or engage in wartime reminiscences? A tad insulting if you are in your fifties...
Growing older is not so bad when you consider the alternatives; but as a fairly fit, active, working fifty-something I feel a bit patronised by the types of activities aimed at the over-50s.
Why do we need nifty-fifties at the gym when we'd have no trouble keeping up with the McDonald's generation of young adults? And ballroom dancing for the over-fifties - by my calculation, someone who's 50 would have grown up with punk not quickstep, but then Strictly Come Dancing and its spin-offs have a lot to answer for.
Continue reading Old, well before my time!.
by Stephen BurkeCreating a national care service is key to the country's future. It's also a sign of the ambition behind the care green paper published today (Tuesday 14 July 2009) by the Government.
Continue reading Adult care green paper could signal next frontier of welfare state.
by Peter BeresfordThe social care green paper's ambitious title: Shaping The Future Of Care Together sums up the dilemma that has long faced it and which probably explains its greatly delayed arrival. How can it square the ambition of policymakers' desire to effect a transformation of social care that extends its form and funding at a time when the political will, from all parties, to reprioritising social care is lacking, partly because of financial woes?
Continue reading We mustn't let the adult care green paper become a damp squib.
by RIchard WestEarlier this week I went to a Valuing People meeting of the 3 forums. These are the National Forum of people with learning difficulties, the Nation Valuing Families Forum and NAGLDE, the National Advisory Group on Learning Disability and Ethnicity. The meeting was to see how we could all work together to 'deliver Valuing People Now'. The 2 directors, Anne Williams and Scott Watkin started the day off by talking about Valuing People and the need for good leaders.
Continue reading Valuing People: Three forums come together.
by Jon Skone
Readers who have followed the events of the "Baby Peter" case will almost certainly be aware that Haringey Council has now dismissed four managers, including the director of children's services, and a social worker. I wonder, however, how many readers know what has happened to the other professionals involved in the events leading up to his death. I would hazard a guess not many.
Readers who have followed the events of the "Baby Peter" case will almost certainly be aware that Haringey Council has now dismissed four managers, including the director of children's services, and a social worker. I wonder, however, how many readers know what has happened to the other professionals involved in the events leading up to his death. I would hazard a guess not many.
by John Waters
Having just retired as an assistant director of children's social services in Wales, I was heartened to have the Take a Break article backing social workers pointed out to me. It was great to see a balanced view of the work that colleagues and I have tried to do over many years.
Having just retired as an assistant director of children's social services in Wales, I was heartened to have the Take a Break article backing social workers pointed out to me. It was great to see a balanced view of the work that colleagues and I have tried to do over many years.
Continue reading Thank God for Social Workers - a response.
by Gill Hibberd
Ask yourself the question - why would anyone want to be a children's social worker? If I were to be totally honest, I'm not sure that I would encourage any of my family or close friends to start a career in social work at the moment.
Ask yourself the question - why would anyone want to be a children's social worker? If I were to be totally honest, I'm not sure that I would encourage any of my family or close friends to start a career in social work at the moment.
Continue reading Why would anyone want to be a children's social worker?.
by Richard WestOn Wednesday (24th June) I went to a launch of the Valuing People Now Employment plan. Anne Williams and Scott Watkins, the national learning disability co-directors, talked about the plan.
It was an interesting talk about what it means for people with learning disabilities getting jobs. It made me think what does this all mean for BME people with a learning disability?
Continue reading Valuing Employment Now - real jobs for people with learning disabilities.
by Richard WestI went to the launch of the Voices Into Action today, a report by the Care Quality Commission about how they will involve people and work with us to improve services.
Continue reading Involving Service Users: Care Quality Commission makes a good start.
by Andrew HolmanLast week the long awaited employment strategy for people with learning disabilities was launched - I think!
Continue reading Valuing People Now: where is it?.
