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Choice, Control and Obfuscation – How the Personalisation Dream is Dying

In the bold move towards a transformation in adult social care, it feels from where I sit, that control has completely overtaken any pretence of ‘choice’ in the so-called move towards more idealised ‘person-centred’ care and support planning. I hope I...

Published 12 Sep 2011 7:29 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: burstow, carer, carers, dementia, direct payments, Disability, discrimination, elderly, health, local authority, local government, mental health, Mental Health Foundation, old age, older people, personal, personal budget, ras, resource allocation system, social care, social issues, social work, socialcare, the small places, work
Technology, Social Media and Social Services – Finding new ways to ‘help’

I have some across lots of discussions and debates about ways of using social media and new technologies and interactions to ‘help’ social services become more effective. Most of it seems to revolve around building online directories and databases of...

Published 30 Aug 2011 6:39 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: british social work, carer, carers, dementia, direct payments, Disability, election, IPad, local authority, old age, older people, personal, personal budget, social care, Social media, social media and social work, social work, social work and technology, socialcare, technology and social work, Twitter, using technology with service users, work, YouTube
Social Work and the March to Neoliberalism (or Personalisation gone bad)

I caught this article a few days ago on the Huffington Post by a Social Work academic, trying to explain away another aspect of the riots and cashing in on his status no doubt as an ‘authority’. I don’t have much time for the body of the article. He starts...

Published 18 Aug 2011 6:53 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: direct payments, Disability, elderly, Employment, health, local government, neoliberal social work, old age, older people, personal, personal budget, personal budgets, professor jonathan parker, social care, social issues, social work, social workers, work
Personal Budgets, Personalisation, Thoughts and Hopes

Yesterday Think Local Act Personal (TLAP) published the results of a National Personal Budget Survey. The headline ‘results’ are of course overwhelmingly positive. Personal Budgets work. Direct Payments Are Good. Everyone is happy. jrambow@flickr Is any...

Published 23 Jun 2011 7:37 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: budget, carer, carers, direct payments, Disability, discrimination, elderly, health, Home Care, local authority, local government, mental health, old age, older people, personal, personal budget, politics, social care, social work, socialcare, work
Human Rights, Home Care, Personal Budgets and Cost Saving

I read on the BBC website among others that there is a report suggesting that care provided in the home by local authorities to older adults may be overlooking human rights issues. Daniel2005@flickr An inquiry into this was initiated by the Equality and...

Published 20 Jun 2011 6:55 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: carer, carers, dementia, direct payments, Disability, discrimination, ehrc, elderly, elderly home care, equality and human rights commission, government, health, Home Care, home care and human rights, Human Right, Human Rights and Liberties, human rights of older adults, individual budgets, local authority, local government, mental health, old age, older people, personal, personal budget, personal budgets, personalisation, report into home care, social care, social work, work
Personalisation and Professional Disillusionment

Yesterday, Community Care published the result of a survey they had undertaken about ‘personalisation’ among social care professionals. The headline figures while wholly unsurprising, make for interesting reading where only 41% of respondents felt...

Published 26 May 2011 7:14 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: budget, burstow, care in the community, carer, direct payments, discrimination, elderly, implementation of personalisation, individual budgets, local authority, local government, old age, older people, paul burstow, personal, personal budget, personal budgets, personalisation, personalisation agenda, Personalization, social care, social work, uk, work
Are Beans more valuable than People? – Or A Day at Community Care Live 2011

Yesterday I went to the C0mmunity Care Live conference. It is an annual event put on by Community Care Magazine and runs across two days. Being one of the very few free events (and excellent – free isnt the ONLY reason I go but it does help!), I...

Published 20 May 2011 6:29 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: caregiver, carer, carers, dementia, direct payments, elderly, health, MCA, mental health, Mental Health Foundation, miranda wixon, old age, older people, personal, peter beresford, social care, social issues, Social media, social work, think local act personal, work
Law Commission Report on Adult Social Care – some thoughts

I’ve not had much time to look through the Law Commission Report into the proposed changed in Adult Social Care Law but to say it’s been long needed is an understatement. Adult Social Care Law is a hotch-potch and a mess. A couple of weeks ago, I was...

Published 12 May 2011 7:21 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: adult social care, british social work, carer, carers, direct payments, direct payments for residential care, elderly, health, Law Commission, law commission report on adult social care, local government, mental health, national assistance act, national assistance act 1948, old age, older people, politics, social care, social care law, social work, Statute, uk, work
Personal Budgets in Practice

Recently, I’ve been working with a service user and his carer (daughter) to put together a support plan or rather two support plans – one for him and one for his daughter . The two live together and without his daughter’s presence, there is no doubt at...

Published 6 May 2011 7:06 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: budget, caregiver, carer, carers, carers allowance, carer's direct payment, carers personal budget, dementia, direct payment, direct payments, elderly, health, Home Care, individual budget, local authority, local government, old age, personal, personal budget, social care, social issues, social work, uk, work
Personalisation in Mental Health and Older Adult Services

Personalisation is a very broad brush term to describe the so-called ‘transformation’ agenda in adult social care. In very general terms it refers to the process of moving from resource-led to needs-led systems of service provision (just as the NHS …...

Published 4 Mar 2011 6:09 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: adult social care, budget, care provision, dementia, direct payments, Disability, discrimination, elderly, health, ilf, individual budget, individual budgets, learning disability, local authority, mental health, old age, older people, personal, personal budget, personal budgets, personalisation, politics, putting people first, sds, self-directed support, social care, social issues, social work, Support group, work
Cuts – a personal tale

A couple of weeks ago, I had one of those deeply depressing moments that will generally punctuate a career in social care. I had to go and tell a woman, who cares for her mother with enormous patience and dignity, … Continue reading → Read...

Published 28 Jan 2011 6:56 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: budget, caregiver, carer, carers, cuts, dementia, direct payments, Disability, elderly, evil tories, family, health, individual budget, local authority, london, mental health, old age, older people, personal, personal budget, personal care, personalisation, politics, respite care, sds, self-directed support, social care, social issues, social work, work
Why the ILF went..

There’s a post on Community Care’s ‘The Big Picture’ blog which explains some of the reasons behind the decision to scrap the ILF (Independent Living Fund). It is written by Melanie Henwood and Professor Bob Hudson who were commissioned (they …...

Published 15 Dec 2010 6:28 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: benefits, direct payments, local authority, personal, personal budget, politics, social care, social issues, social work, work
The Death of the Independent Living Fund

Yesterday was quite a day for adult social services. As well as the more obvious announcements of the cuts to local authorities and the unveiling of a so-called ‘Localism Bill’, Maria Miller, the minister for disabled people announced that the …...

Published 14 Dec 2010 6:18 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: abolition of independent living fund, Alf Morris, cutting ilf, direct payments, Disability, disability discrimination, discrimination, ilf, Independent living, independent living fund, local authority, local government, long-term care, lord morris, Maria Miller, MCA, personal, personal budget, personalisation, politics, Quality of life, social care, social issues, social work, Spending Review (United Kingdom), uk, work
A Vision for Adult Care – a few brief thoughts

I’ve only just had a chance to read the ‘Vision for Adult Care’ published yesterday and wanted to offer a view very initial thoughts although I haven’t any doubt that it will be referred to continually for many years to … Continue reading →...

Published 17 Nov 2010 7:12 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: big society, care in the community, care sector, care services, carer, carers, dementia, direct payments, elderly, health, individual budgets, local authority, local government, mental health, old age, older people, paul burstow, personal, personal budget, personal budgets in care, personalisation, politics, social care, social issues, social work, uk social work, vision of adult care, work
The Financial Management of Personal Budgets

The soon-to-be defunct Audit Commission published ‘The Financial Management of Personal Budgets’ today. Community Care have a good run down on the basic points but I thought I’d read through it myself, just because I’m actually genuinely interested...

Published 28 Oct 2010 7:26 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: Audit Commission, budget, carer, carers, direct payments, Disability, elderly, health, local authority, local government, mental health, National Health Service, old age, older people, personal, personal budget, politics, social care, social issues, social work, work
The Disgrace of Individual Budgets

I have a few words for Paul Burstow, the Minister responsible for Care Services, who is appalled, according to Community Care, about the low take up and roll out of personal budgets in Adult Services – the take up is … Continue reading → Read...

Published 22 Sep 2010 6:35 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: burstow, direct payments, elderly, government, health, individual budgets, local government, older people, paul burstow, personal, personal budget, personal budgets, politics, social care, social work, social worker, uk, work
Bel Mooney, Disability and Sex

There is something of a theme for the week and while I wanted to move onto other subjects and events, I was unfortunate enough, in my daily trawl of news websites to come across this ignorant abomination of a ‘column’ … Continue reading →...

Published 18 Aug 2010 7:56 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: bel mooney, daily fail, daily mail, direct payments, Disability, disability discrimination, discrimination, hateful daily mail, health, local authority, mooney, personal, personal budget, politics, prejudiced journalism, sex and disability, social care, social issues, social work, social workers, uk, work
Getting back to work

I’ve been building my work up slowly over the last few weeks after a lengthy period of sickness following my operation. I missed it more than I thought I ever could! As I have been revisiting people I haven’t seen for a while, it’s good to know that everyone...

Published 30 Jul 2010 8:09 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: direct payments, disfunctional IT systems, elderly, health, individual budgets, information technology, IT, local authority, mental health, old age, personal, personal budget, politics, social care, social issues, social work, uk, work
Resource Allocation Systems

Community Care has an article about a case which refers to the RAS (resource allocation system) used to determine the levels of personal budgets in social care. Perhaps I should step back a little and explain briefly about the RAS. There is a lot of jargon...

Published 19 Jul 2010 7:57 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: administration, direct payments, individual budgets, local authority, personal, personal budget, personal budgets, r(savva) v Kensington and Chelsea LBC, ras, resource allocation system, social care, social issues, social work, uk, work
Cuts

Some of the coalition’s plans to cut the national budget deficit are beginning to take shape and we are beginning to see where the ‘pain’ will be felt. As I have previously remarked, the atmosphere within the service where I work anyway, has most definitely...

Published 18 Jun 2010 6:57 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: abolition of free swimming, direct payments, Disability, government cuts, ilf, independent living fund, personal, physical disability, politics, social issues, social work, Swimming, work
Thoughts on the Leaders’ Debate – 15.4.10

I watched the ‘Leaders Debate’ or rather, most of it. I thought Brown did better than I expected and Cameron worse. That may have been due to my expectations that Brown would be poor and Cameron would be polished. I expected Clegg to make quite a strong...

Published 16 Apr 2010 6:58 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: Brown, cameron, carer, carers, Conservative, david cameron, direct payments, Gordon Brown, government, itv, leaders debate, Liberal Democrat, local authority, Nick Clegg, old age, personal, personal budget, politics, social care, social issues, social work, work
Individual Fudge-its.

I have tried to embrace the personalisation agenda. Really, client-choice is wonderful. I welcomed Direct Payments and saw a few through to the finish although always keen to emphasise the difficulties as they arose. Basically, the idea of giving the...

Published 23 Feb 2010 7:29 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: care management, direct payments, Disability, elderly, health, ib, individual budgets, local authority, personal, personal budget, self-directed support, social care, social issues, social work, work
Moving on Individual Budgets

And so it starts. Currently we are still in ‘pilot’ phase of the Individual Budget roll-out – the forefront of the personalisation and self-directed support agenda and if that sentence made little sense to you – you can probably count yourself lucky!...

Published 25 Nov 2009 6:49 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: alzheimers, attempts to be positive about new systems, carer, carers, carers individual budgets, direct payments, elderly, England, health, ib, individual budget, local authority, personal, personal budget, personalisation, personalisation agenda, ras, resource allocation systems, sds, self-assessment questionnaires, self-directed support, social care, social issues, social services, social work, uk, work
Personal Budgets – Some thoughts

I attended some training on Personal Budgets a while ago. It was fairly comprehensive training that was surprisingly well-presented (it isn’t that I don’t always expect good training but sometimes it can be something of a curate’s egg.. ). It leaves me...

Published 21 Oct 2009 5:44 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: adult care, adult social care, direct payments, Disability, elderly, government policy, health, independence, individual budgets, local authority, mental health, old age, older people, personal, personal budget, personal budgets, politics, putting people first, ras, resource allocation system, social care, social work, socialcare, uk, well-being and choice, work
A future for adult social work?

Community Care carried out an investigation a couple of weeks ago which found that vacancy rates in adult and children and families’ teams were roughly equal therefore the news that the Migration Advisory Council have dropped specifically adult social...

Published 30 Apr 2009 6:48 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: direct payments, elderly, local authority, long-term care, old age, older people, politics, social care, social issues, social work, socialcare, work
Britain’s Homecare Scandal

I saw Panorama last night. It was an undercover report into the poor state of home care services provided to elderly people in their own homes by a few private companies. I wish I could say some of the findings surprised me, but they didn’t. Some of the...

Published 10 Apr 2009 5:41 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: bbc1, Care Quality Commission, Commission for Social Care Inspection, cqc, csci, direct payments, domiciliary care, elderly, health, Home Care, home care agency, local authority, local government, old age, older people, panorama, poor home care, social care, social issues, social work, uk, work
Direct Payments and Continuing Care

We are used to ‘Direct Payments’ in the social care sector. They were introduced in the Direct Payments (Community Care) Act 1997. While without doubt they are incredibly beneficial and empowering to some service users as they allow the user to receive...

Published 24 Mar 2009 4:46 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: continuing care, Department of Health, direct payments, discrimination, England, health, health care, local authority, london, long-term care, National Health Service, NHS primary care trust, Primary Care Trust, social care, social issues, social work, socialcare, work
The Joy of Targets

We operate to a system of targets. That should be no great surprise. It is how ‘value’ is determined and efficiency is maintained. Social Work is, for the most part in the UK, funded from the public purse and it’s quite right that we...

Published 17 Nov 2008 7:14 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: direct payments, local authority, meeting targets, mental health social work, NHS Trust, older people, social care, social work, social work in the uk, United Kingdom, work
Personal view of Personalisation

I have to admit, before I start, that I have a somewhat brief view of personalisation which the Department of Health explains:- This means that every person who receives support, whether provided by statutory services or funded by themselves, will have...

Published 4 Aug 2008 8:08 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: Department of Health, direct payments, Disability, health, health care, local authority, personalisation, politics, social care, social work, United Kingdom, work
Direct Payments - Chapter Two

So, a week from the start of my journey into a Direct Payments referral and I have sent the appropriate forms, documents and paperwork to the appropriate people. The figures are being checked and the amount that has been requested matched up against ...

Published 3 Jul 2008 5:34 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: carer, carer direct payments, carers, direct payments, elderly, fair access to care, family, gscc., old age, older people, opening direct payments bank accounts, personal assistants, social care, social services, social work, socialcare, uk, work
Direct Payments - Chapter One

Direct Payments is the system of, basically, rather than giving a direct service, providing money to the user of the service to ‘buy’ the care that they need directly. ‘Direct Payments were introduced in the UK - for adults with a disability...

Published 26 Jun 2008 5:10 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: alzheimers, care services, caregivers, carer, carers, carers assessment, carers direct payments, choice, direct payments, old age, older people, social care, social work, uk, work
Help to care

I first saw on the news over the weekend about the report produced by the Institute for Public Policy Research related to Personalised Budgets for Carers and it baffled me a little bit. Don’t get me wrong, I completely think that carers need...

Published 4 Jun 2008 5:40 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: adult care, benefits, caregivers, carer, carers, carers allowance, direct payment, direct payments, institute for public policy research, local authority, long-term care, old age, older people, personalised budget, social care, social issues, social services, social work, uk, work

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