by Derren HayesTwo stories, two pages apart caught my eye in last Tuesday's issue of the Daily Telegraph.
Continue reading School dinners at heart of child obesity debate.
June 2008 Archives
by Derren HayesTwo stories, two pages apart caught my eye in last Tuesday's issue of the Daily Telegraph.
by Adam McCulloch
On Question Time last night (Thursday 26 June) a social worker in the audience attacked the government over local government pay, lambasting ministers' failure to tax the rich more. But I couldn't help thinking that this is the worst possible time for public sector unrest - global prices going sky high, Gordon Brown being subject to criticism and abuse whatever he says or does, and a reinvigorated Tory party on the march.
Continue reading Is a local government strike wise?.
by Daniel LombardThis summer is likely to be a stormy one for Britain's local government sector.
Beneath the ballooning cloud of rising fuel, food and utility costs, the scene is set for a long and torrid battle between cash-strapped workers and belt-tightening employers over pay.
Continue reading To strike or not to strike?.
by Anabel Unity Sale
Fat. The three-letter word that can kill you, now the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has got its way.
Continue reading Fat pills that can kill.
by Andrew Mickel
There's an advert for Community Care's glorious talkboards, Carespace, based on the oft-commented fact that there are no TV show about social workers. This week doesn't see any change in that, but it does see the bizarre event of a single being released about one instead.
Continue reading Will Glasvegas make social workers cool at last? .
by Mithran Samuel
It's pretty rare for us Community Care journos to praise rather than bury the government in our blogs, but I'm willing to break a habit in the case of the draft dementia strategy published last week.
Continue reading Dementia strategy means business.
By Keith SellickYesterday the Daily Telegraph led with "Double blow for middle class families" pointing to rising household bills and the Chancellor's call for pay restraint. It said that inflation for the middle classes was running at 6.7%.
The Daily Mirror ran on its front page with Monthly cost of living rockets by almost 12% pointing to the effects it was having on the working class.
Continue reading Inflation: does it depend on your class?.
by Anabel Unity Sale
Councils always get a bad rap in the papers. If it's not one thing it's another. This time Tunbridge Wells Council is in the frame for attempting to make sure it uses inclusive language by banning the word 'brainstorming' and replacing it with 'thought showers'.
It may sound daft to some but I can see where Tunbridge Wells is coming from as it wants to be respectful of those with mental health problems or epilepsy. However, I can't help but think they have made it worse.
Continue reading Council bans words.
by Anabel Unity SaleMy heart sank when I read that the number of girls aged under 16 having abortions in England and Wales increased by 10% last year. Not because I disagree with abortion, I don't. I am very much pro-choice and believe abortion should be available to all girls and women who are up to 24 weeks pregnant. Despite being the good Catholic grrl that I am, I fully support the slogan, 'keep your rosaries off our ovaries!'.
Continue reading Baby love.
By Derren Hayes
The news that scientists in the US have developed a pill that can soothe childhood aches and pains was greeted with predictable scepticism by doctors this side of the pond.
Continue reading Bitter pill.
by Adam McCullochFellow Community Care blogger Simon Stevens wonders - not entirely seriously - if we'll see the day when you could be arrested for eating a Big Mac or ordering fish and chips. I laughed out loud on reading this but then I noticed a Community Care poll from last month (12 May).
It asks whether allowing a child to become obese should be counted as child abuse. Incredibly, amazingly, astonishingly, 81% equated obesity with abuse.
Continue reading Child obesity is not child abuse!.
By Daniel Lombard
Social care is "no longer the Cinderella of public services", Ivan Lewis proudly declared in a House of Commons committee room this week.
Continue reading Personalisation: what's it all about?.
By Keith SellickUnison meets next week for its annual conference as its local government membership ballots for strike action over pay. The councils have offered 2.45%, which has been rejected by the union's national leadership as being in effect a pay cut. Other unions such as Unite are also balloting in local government and in the NHS. Meanwhile, the GMB supported the councils' offer after a consultative ballot, arguing that its members accepted only because they are too poor to take action.
Continue reading Public sector pay.
By Keith SellickI was in Somerset at the weekend, enjoying the sun and scenery.
I visited the local library and perused the local newspapers. Apart from stories about failing street lamps, Britain in bloom, and car scratching, the main issue was post office closures.
Continue reading Post office closures.
By Derren Hayes
Whether it is tanker drivers going on a national strike, motorcyclists holding a mass rally on the M6 or lorry drivers blocking the roads of central
Continue reading Fuelling the child poverty debate.
by Mithran Samuel
So child poverty has risen again. And pensioner poverty as well.
To put it in context, the figures on household incomes published today relate to 2006-7 since when the government has announced tax and benefit changes in successive Budgets and pre-budget reports that will take another 500,000 children out of poverty by 2010.
Continue reading Child poverty up. And pensioner poverty too.
by Anabel Unity Sale
Yes, it's that time of year again: Big Brother's back
on Channel 4. Before you groan at the thought of every television
screen, newspaper - and don't think it's just the red tops that go gaga
for the latest bunch of attention-seeking wannabes - and cheesy
magazine being filled with the housemates's face think about the
backgrounds of some of the contestants.
Continue reading Educating the Big Brother way.
by Simeon Brody
TV newsreader Dermot Murnaghan was the host for the inaugural Excellence Network 2008 awards.
TV newsreader Dermot Murnaghan was the host for the inaugural Excellence Network 2008 awards.
Continue reading Excellence Network social care awards 2008.
About the Social Work blog
The Social Work blog covers the challenges facing Britain’s 2m-strong social care workforce: everything from pay and working conditions to stress and the latest social work conduct cases. It is written by workforce editor Kirsty McGregor and senior journalist Vern Pitt. |
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| Email: | Kirsty McGregor |