April 2009 Archives

 by Emma Maier

One week, two stories about bomb threats at children's services buildings. What is so wrong in society that members of the public seek to harm those who are working relentlessly to protect some of the most vulnerable people in society?

By Emma Maier

Reshaping the adult care services workforce "so that it has the right people with the right skills undertaking the roles and tasks which people using services want". This is one of the key principles behind Working to Put People First, the government's adult social care workforce strategy.

By Emma Maier

This week David Behan, social care chief at the Department of Health, called on directors and social workers to stand up for themselves and stop "playing victims" in the face of public criticism. 
 
The wording may sound a bit harsh. But he was emphasising the importance of  positive media stories about social workers and adults' services. And I think there is a great deal of significance in that.

By Emma Maier

I spent yesterday at the ADASS Spring Seminar - I have to say that I was really encouraged by the support among directors for our Stand Up Now for Social Work campaign and its aim of getting positive images of social work into the media. I was pleasantly surprised by the number who thought it was important for social workers to be able to share their successes with the media.

By Emma Maier

I was delighted to receive a letter from Newcastle's director of children's services and director of adults' services recently in support of our Stand Up Now for Social Work campaign, which calls for more balance and accurate media coverage of social work, and support from employers and government to boost public perceptions of the profession.

by Bronagh Miskelly

Powered exoskeletons to help the elderly garden or climb stairs, robotic assistants and fridges that order the groceries. Not the usual fare for an Adass Spring Seminar, but in among discussion of personalisation, the forthcoming adult Green Paper (June in case you're wondering) and budgets we had a taste of futuristic imagery reminiscent of the Jetsons and other 1950s and 60s future-gazing.

 by Maria Ahmed

Today's Budget contains a proposal to create 50,000 traineeships in the care sector for under-25s who have been unemployed for 12 months. While there are no specific details as yet on whether this means social work or other areas like home care or youth work, this could provide a boost to the recruitment crisis across the sector, recently highlighted so starkly by Community Care.

 by Emma Maier

The findings from Community Care's latest exclusive research issue a significant challenge to adults' and children's services directors, government and the Social Work Taskforce.

The survey of 450 social workers paints a picture of the frontline approaching breaking point. It finds social workers lacking in supervision, support from employers, time for reflection or up-to-date reliable information to make decisions based on sound evidence. The result is that they can't guarantee the delivery of a top class service at all times.

  by Daniel Lombard

"Many people still do not recognise and accept that people with learning disabilities, like anyone else, want and need personal and sexual relationships... Yet the evidence is that people with learning disabilities have very few relationships and limited opportunities to form or sustain them. People are often lonely."

Valuing People Now, HM Government, January 2009

by Bronagh Miskelly

Social workers in the UK can often feel very alone - but their opposite numbers in other countries may well be facing the same problems. Certainly that was my experience when I met a number of social care experts from other countries.

by Andrew Mickel

The good that an older social worker can do hasn't gone unnoticed of late - just ask the LGA. But that's nothing compared to what a deceased social worker can do, according to an article in Sunday's St. Louis Post-Dispatch which documents the touching story of an 84-year-old social worker who squirreled away her life savings before giving it all away in her will.

When I nipped out for a loaf of bread and some pasta from Waitrose at the weekend, I hadn't expected to be left with such a horrid taste in my mouth. This had nothing to do with the food, but everything to do with the terribly polite teenager who offered to pack my shopping.

Tonight's much-trailed Panorama investigation into domiciliary care looks set to deliver a damning verdict on the sector.

Based on evidence unearthed by reporters working undercover in three agencies, its charge sheet is damning, though familiar:- lack of training; short and, sometimes, missed appointments; and care plans not being available, not being updated and not being followed.

And of course, the programme will detail the human costs of these failings, such as what happened to Janet Finn, in June 2008, when the 89-year-old, who has dementia and is doubly incontinent, did not receive any of her three expected appointments during a single day.

Her son said: "She'd had 24 hours with no food, no water, no medication and she was sitting in her own faeces and urine."

All of this leaves us with two questions: how representative is this picture?; and how have these failings been allowed to happen? 

By Mithran Samuel

Alan Johnson made an engaging speech at yesterday's inaugural conference of the charity formed from the merger of Help the Aged and Age Concern. The health secretary reiterated the government's mantra that the long-term reform of adult social care - and its funding - was a top public policy priority.

However, when discussing the timing of the green paper that will initiate this process he said it would be published "later this year". Note the absence of the word "spring", which has hitherto defined the publication window.

From what I can gather the summer is looking fairly likely at the moment. More importantly, expectations about what will be in the green paper appear to be plummeting.

Over the years, social work has been subject of top-level reviews and experienced a raft of reforms. Yet the problems that social workers face persist. 

Following the case of Baby P and other child deaths in Doncaster and Birmingham, we have seen more recommendations from on high and the creation of the Social Work Taskforce, which includes only one practicing social worker. Is this really the answer?

Community Care is backing an initiative to help frontline workers come up with their own charter for the future.

By Emma Maier

The Local Government Association recently polled 1,000 members of the public to reveal their perceptions of social work after the Baby P case. The results were surprisingly encouraging.

By Emma Maier

I have a confession to make. I spent yesterday evening with a senior journalist from The Sun. And he wasn't all bad. 

It was a bit like a blind date. The matchmaker was Unison, Community Care's partner in the Stand Up Now for Social Work campaign, which calls for better media coverage of social work. The venue was a swanky Mayfair hotel, where we were to watch the presentation of the Press Gazette's annual British Press Awards.