August 2010 Archives

The College of Social Work online consultation exercise closes on 10 September. Should it have a trade union function? How much would you be willing to pay for membership?  Click here to take part

Live consultation events will continue to take place throughout September, on the following dates:

• 1 September, Durham
• 2 September, Leeds
• 6 September, Manchester
• 7 September, Doncaster
• 13 September, London
• 15 September, Birmingham
• 20 September, Wolverhampton
• 21 September, Leicester

For more info visit www.collegeofsocialwork.org

Last chance to take part in Community Care's caseloads survey: join the hundreds of social workers who have responded so far and tell us how excessive caseloads are affecting your work.

Picture by jepoirrier on flickr

Community Care's special report on vacancy rates across the UK allows you to find out about rates in your local authority. Click here to go to our interactive map. Also available is a column by children's minister Tim Loughton and a social worker's first hand account of what it's like to work in a short-staffed team.

Join in the debate on CareSpace

A care worker who sexually abused children more than 30 years ago was finally caught after being nnominated for a bird-watching award, The Mirror reports. Chris Rhodes, now 73, was employed by Cardiff social services at the time of the offences. His victims, aged between 11 and 15, stayed silent until Rhodes won an RSPB award and his photo appeared in a local paper.

Test your investigative social work skills with this interactive online quiz.

You are faced with a schoolboy complaining of being hurt by his father - what do you do?

The Association of Directors of Social Work in Scotland have launched the game as part of their campaign to increase public understanding of the profession, Social Work Changes Lives.

I tried it out this afternoon and while I must admit to getting one of the answers wrong it was an engaging and eye-opening experience, and demonstrated how much social workers have to think on their feet in child protection investigations.

Mental note: if a parent answers the door and is drunk and abusive, don't back off and call for help, either from the police or from colleagues. Without wanting to give the game away, mum could either assault the police or disappear without trace!

 

A nurse caught sleeping during a night shift at a care home has been suspended for a year.

Carole Spencer was criticised for her actions by the Nursing and Midwifery Council, which could have had "serious consequences" for the elderly residents in her care.

However, as reported in the Daily Telegraph, Spencer consistently denied the allegations and failed to show any remorse.

She was caught out after a colleague at the Bessingby Hall Residential Nursing Home in Bridlington, East Yorkshire took photos of her and recorded her snoring. The NMC suspended her from the register for a year.  

Nick Clegg has supported the idea of a graduate tax for university leavers, which could leave social workers out of pocket to the tune of nearly £40,000.

The deputy prime minister said this was the best way to encourage more working-class children into further education, the Daily Mail reports.

He spoke out in favour of the system after David Willetts, the universities minister, said yesterday that there should be a set number of places for students from poor backgrounds.

A 5% graduate tax could result in social workers having to pay back £37,550 - more than triple what they pay under the current tuition fee system, according to New Statesman.

Picture by Rex Features.

Junior council staff waste over two-thirds of their working day, according to research by management consultancy firm Knox D'Arcy. The solution, it seems, is better supervision...

Hot workforce topics for debate this week include whether taking on a second job without informing either employer constitutes misconduct.

It follows two recent, and in some ways very similar, conduct cases: Alice Tagoe and Doccus Nyabunze. Allan Norman, social worker and solicitor at Celtic Knot, an independent law firm and social work practice, argues on The Big Picture blog that neither case should have gone to a full conduct hearing.

In other news, people have been discussing on our forum CareSpace whether students should be registered after the Health Professions Council said it wasn't necessary to protect the public.

Interesting piece on why social work regulation is being transferred to the Health Professions Council on the HPC Watchdog blog. Here's an excerpt:

"...While it is not clear how social workers, psychotherapists and care workers relate to each other as subjects for HPC regulation (let alone how they relate to paramedics, physiotherapists, and biomedical scientists), it is clear that the HPC is keen to pursue its expansion as planned, and to reduce the differences amongst practitioners to maximise economies of scale. The new government has apparently been convinced by the argument, although this cannot be without problems within its ranks."

http://hpcwatchdog.blogspot.com