Fighting Monsters - Member blogs - Social Work Blog

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
Interviews and Ideas

Please forgive the blatant self-promotion in this post but it’s Friday and I’m feeling a like I have a bit of a cold coming so I’m less ‘perky’ than usual. Dorlee from Social Work Career Development has published an interview which she did with me and...

Published 9 Sep 2011 6:58 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: Education, health, personal, psw, shirley ayres, social care, social issues, Social media, social work, social work and technology, social work career development blog, sw4sw, work
RIP NHS?

A truly national health service as conceived in the post-war years has been tottering on the brink for a number of years. As the previous Labour government sowed, so the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives will reap today as the NHS and Social Care...

Published 7 Sep 2011 7:16 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: andrew lansley, david cameron, destruction of the nhs, end of the nhs, evil tories, health, lansley, mental health, nhs, personal, politics, social care, work
Why I Quit BASW (British Association of Social Workers)

I felt a tinge of sadness when I finally decided to quit BASW (British Association of Social Workers). I’ve been an advocate and member for a good few years and I have a great deal of respect for a lot of people who work there. I advised colleagues to...

Published 6 Sep 2011 6:18 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: basw, British Association of Social Workers, college of social work, health, leaving basw, Professional association, social care, social work, Trade union, Unison, work
Weekly Social Work Links 30

As the days become more distinctly autumnal, I’m sharing some interesting links I’ve come across over the last week. As always feel free to share any other links you find that are related or interesting in the comments section. I’m always wanting to find...

Published 4 Sep 2011 8:52 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: blogs, Child protection, health, links, mental health, social care, Social Sciences, social work, social work blogging, Social Work Blogs, social work links, University of Kent, weekly social work links, work
Panels

Since I’ve been employed as a social worker one of the constants in my working week has been the presence and existence of ‘panels’ in many different forms. There was a brief stage when we were told not to refer to them as ‘panels’ but rather meetings...

Published 31 Aug 2011 6:42 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: continuing care panel, decision-making, funding panel, health, health care, local government, long-term care, National Health Service, nhs, old age, older people, personal, personal budget, social care, social work, 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
Perspectives, Students and Ageing

I enjoy having students around. It helps keep me fresh and enthusiastic and to see my job through the eyes of someone coming into it rather than through the occasionally blurred eyes of someone who has been working for a while. I had a student shadowing...

Published 26 Aug 2011 7:21 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: elderly, getting old, old age, older people, personal, shadowing, shadowing a social worker, social care, social work, social worker, Student, work
Hemming and Haigh – The Journey of an Injunction

A curious news story broke on Monday. Curious because it is rare that the Family Court make public judgements. As the Yorkshire Post reports Victoria Haigh “caused” the girl, now aged seven, to repeat the untrue child sex abuse claims she had “manufactured...

Published 24 Aug 2011 6:37 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: Christopher Booker, daily telegraph, Elizabeth Watson, Family court, High Court, Injunction, john hemming, john tune, local authority, Nicholas Wall (judge), personal, politics, social care, social issues, social work, socialcare, sunday telegraph, superinjunction, vicky haigh, work, Yorkshire Post
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
Fixing the Broken not Healing the Wounded – a wrong-footed Government response

Our wise leader, David Cameron, clearly being an iconic Philosopher King, spent many days studying the possibly causes for the devastating riots in London and across England. He concluded after much intellectually rigorous pursuit, that the causes of...

Published 16 Aug 2011 7:04 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: benefits, broken britain, cameron, Chipping Norton, david cameron, discrimination, Emma Harrison, gang culture, gangs, health, iain duncan-smith, london, personal, philosophy, politics, Prime minister, Single-parent, social care, social issues, social work, work
Blame the Poor – A Riot Rhetoric

I apologise for keeping on one track in my posts this week but I am preoccupied by events of the last week. I’m not the same person I was a week ago. Some of the pillars that I held on both tangible and intangible have gone now, never to be replaced....

Published 12 Aug 2011 6:58 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: Clapham, Croydon, Ealing, England, local authority, london, london riots, personal, poverty, Riot, social care, social issues, television, work
Communities

One word that has come up a lot in the last few days are discussions about communities. Whether is it ‘affected communities’, or ‘community leaders’ or ‘rebuilding communities’ and it has made me wonder about what the meaning of the word is. whizchickonabun...

Published 11 Aug 2011 6:55 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: boris johnson, Chipping Norton, community, community building, Community leader, Community management, david cameron, local authority, london, Online Communities, personal, social care, social issues, what is community, work
London – Some thoughts and hopes

I didn’t sleep much last night. Or the night before. Or the night before that. My city is burning. There is a tangible fear in the air. I’m not above it because I feel it and I see it. I don’t want to listen to politicians being parachuted in (when they...

Published 9 Aug 2011 6:58 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: big society, david cameron, England, local authority, london, london riots, personal, social care, social issues, Tottenham
Riots, Poverty and Assumptions

It would be remiss of me not to mention the rioting that took place in London over the weekend. I work and live in some of the poorer areas of the city and felt, indeed, still feel desperately saddened by some of the pictures and reportage coming from...

Published 8 Aug 2011 6:51 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: anger, Brixton, David Lammy, facebook, health, local authority, london, london riots, politics, poverty, social care, social issues, Tottenham, tottenham riots, Twitter, work
Commissioning

Yesterday, I caught up with a friend of mine whom I hadn’t seen for a few months. She works in commissioning. She didn’t work in commissioning when we first met but her career trajectory has taken a few odd side steps and there she is. We talked about...

Published 4 Aug 2011 6:43 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: caregiver, Commissioner, Disability, health, Home Care, local authority, local government, mental health, personal, social care, social work, work
Rankings and Musings

Quick post today as I have a few things on the go. So, Wikio sent me their top 20 UK Health Blogs and again, I’ve made the list. Thanks to everyone for your support and do check out the other sites there – there are some real gems and it’s a pleasure...

Published 3 Aug 2011 7:14 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: activities in care homes, august, care homes, links, old age, older people, personal, social care, social work, technology, technology in residential care, Wikio, wikio rankings, wikio top 20 health blogs, work
What does a Mental Health Social Worker do?

I think there’s a lot of misunderstandings about what I actually do at work. What do social workers who are in mental health services do? What do social workers who work in adult services do? I hope by reading, some people get to learn a little of my...

Published 2 Aug 2011 7:36 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: AMHP, approved mental health professional, Best Interests Assessor, carer, cmht, Community mental health service, health, mental health social work, mental health, mhsw, NHS Trust, personal, social care, social work, social work in the uk, social worker, what does a mental health social worker do, what does a social worker do, work
Life as a Social Work Student 4 – The Half Way Point

This is a guest post from the student who has contributed since before her course started. She first wrote here about her pre-course shadowing experiences, her initial impressions after a few months on the course, the start of her first placement and...

Published 1 Aug 2011 7:04 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: blogs about social work, Colleges and Universities, Education, Employment, guest post, masters in social work, personal, reflections of social work student, social care, Social Sciences, social work, social work course, social work in the uk, social work student, studying social work, university, university experiences, what's it like to study social work, work
Fear and Loathing in the Public Sector – Or Why I despise Oliver Letwin

Yesterday I read this article about Oliver Letwin, who, according to the Guardian article ..warned that it was only through “some real discipline and some fear” of job losses that excellence would be achieved in the public sector. Letwin added...

Published 31 Jul 2011 7:13 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: conservative party, conservative party policy, david cameron, health, KPMG, local authority, member of parliament, National Health Service, Oliver Letwin, personal, politics, Public policy, public sector, social care, social work, the nasty party, work
Castlebeck and CQC – Brief Thoughts

I don’t have time for a long post today, just a few brief thoughts that came to me as I considered the unsurprisingly critical report on Castlebeck by the CQC. Of course it’s easy to be wise after the event but it leaves a bitter taste in the mouth when...

Published 29 Jul 2011 7:04 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: adult care, BBC, Care Quality Commission, castlebeck, cqc, Disability, health, Home Care, long-term care, nursing home, Ofsted, panorama, paul burstow, personal, social care, social work, work
Sadness, Sympathy and Self

Sometimes, some days feel filled with sadness. I had one of those days this week. I don’t like to use the word ‘hardened’ but to put it this way, in over 10 years of frontline social work practice in some of the most deprived areas of the country and...

Published 28 Jul 2011 6:38 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: AMHP, health, injustice, Mental disorder, mental health, personal, philosophy, politics, Sadness, social care, social work, uk, work
Why Deaf Awareness?

This is a guest post by Suzie Jones – @suziejones2010 . Many thanks to her – cb Why deaf awareness? When you think about the people you meet and talk to in your everyday life, I wonder if it crosses your mind that one in every six has a hearing loss?...

Published 25 Jul 2011 6:28 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: Awareness, British Sign Language, Communication, deaf, deaf awareness, Disability, discrimination, guest post, hard of hearing, health, Hearing impairment, learning about deafness, lipreading, social care, social issues, social work, social work and deafness, suzie jones, work
Selling the NHS – The Beginning

Yesterday, while most of the media, fixated self-referentially on the Murdoch hearings and Cameron was flying back into the country, Lansley began to dismantle the National Health Service. As The Guardian reports In the first wave, beginning in April...

Published 20 Jul 2011 6:53 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: andrew lansley, david cameron, Guardian, health, health care, lansley, mental health, National Health Service, nhs, personal, politics, Primary care, private sector healthcare, privatisation, Secretary of State for Health, selling the nhs, social care, social work, socialcare, work
Light Touch Inspections, Winterbourne View and the CQC

There was a report on the Community Care website on Friday that the CQC were ‘calling time’ on their so-called light touch inspection ‘regime’ thereby rolling out potentially to annual inspections for adult services and care homes. As the article emphasises...

Published 19 Jul 2011 7:39 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: BBC, bower, care in the community, Care Quality Commission, cqc, cynthia bower, Disability, Inspection, light touch inspection, long-term care, nursing home, panorama, paul burstow, personal, social care, social work, winterbourne view, winterview, work
A Lament for Lost Genericism in Social Work

It was reported over the week that the Government is to appoint a Chief Social Worker. This is apparently a response to recommendations in the Munro Report and pressure from BASW (British Association of Social Workers). I have previously mentioned by...

Published 15 Jul 2011 7:04 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: British Association of Social Workers, british social work, chief social worker, Child protection, department of education, Department of Health, General Social Care Council, generic social work, health, mental health, munro report, personal, social care, Social Sciences, social work, social work development, uk, work
Age Discrimination and Language – or why I don’t like ‘The Elderly’.

What is age besides a classification? When do we become old? What language is used in relation to people who reach certain points in their life cycle. Does a child become an adult at 18? Legally perhaps but in a sense these are rough brush strokes which...

Published 13 Jul 2011 7:03 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: Adult, Age Discrimination, ageing, Disability, Disabled, Independent living, old age, older people, personal, social care, social work, work
Goodbye Southern Cross, Hello Open Public Services

So Southern Cross – the largest private care home provider in the UK will be closed. What of the 31,000 residents who live in their properties? Well, the government has given us its assurance that they will be ok so that’s alright then. Or not. m kasahara...

Published 12 Jul 2011 7:05 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: big society, care, Care Quality Commission, david cameron, Department of Health, elderly, GMB (trade union), government, health, local authority, long-term care, nursing home, old age, older people, open public services white paper, opswp, personal, politics, Public services, social care, social work, Southern Cross, Southern Cross Healthcare Group, uk, uk government, White paper, work
Making Adult Social Care Better 1

I think I’m fairly good at griping and raising ‘problems’. For the next week, I want to try and take a positive approach and look at solutions as well as problems. - A few conversations I’ve had over the past week have focused on what is wrong with adult...

Published 11 Jul 2011 7:11 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: advocacy, British Association of Social Workers, british social work, Disability, discrimination, health, Home Care, individual budgets, Internet forum, local authority, mental health, old age, personal, personal budgets, personalisation, politics, social care, Social Sciences, social work, social work in the uk, Unison, work
Elaine McDonald, Kensington and Chelsea and Dignity

Yesterday, the High Court ruled in the case of R (on the application of McDonald) v Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. This was a further appeal by McDonald against a previous decision at a lower court. Elaine McDonald is 68 year old woman who worked...

Published 7 Jul 2011 6:32 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: Age Discrimination, ageism, agism, dignity in care, discrimination, elaine macdonald, elaine mcdonald, elderly, health, Home Care, kensington, local government, mcdonald v kensington and chelsea, nursing home, old age, older people, personal, philosophy, politics, r v royal borough of kensington and chelsea, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, social care, social issues, social work, socialcare, work
Initial thoughts on the Dilnot Report on Funding of Care and Support

Scheduling and exhaustion meant I didn’t have time to look at the Dilnot proposals in detail yesterday so this morning I have fired up my browser and am going to make a few initial comments on the baseline main recommendations and hopefully over the next...

Published 5 Jul 2011 7:08 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: Andrew Dilnot, british politics, care and funding, carer, carers, dementia, dillnot report, dilnot report, dilnot report on funding of care and support, dilnott report, Disability, elderly, Funding, funding of care, health, local authority, long-term care, Means test, mental health, nursing home, old age, older people, personal, politics, social care, social work, socialcare, work
Waiting for Dilnot

The Dilnot Commission on Care Funding and Support is due to report back to the government on Monday 4th July. At Arbitrary Constant there is some useful background reading about the Green and White Papers which were published by the previous government...

Published 29 Jun 2011 7:05 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: Andrew Dilnot, care and support, dilnot commission, dilnot report, Disability, elderly, Funding, funding of care, Guardian, health, Home Care, local authority, nursing home, old age, older people, personal, politics, social care, social work, White paper, 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
Learning Disability Week – Hate Crime and Hate Language

I know I’m a bit late to Learning Disability Week – which runs from the 20th June for.. well, a week but it remains a campaign and a group I have a great attachment to coming from years working with adults with learning disabilities before I qualified...

Published 22 Jun 2011 6:44 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: Crime, Disability, discrimination, Hate crime, health, learning disability, mencap, pc correctness gone mad, personal, political correctness, social care, social issues, social work, work
Mrs J and the Mystery Bristol Care Home

There is a story on the Community Care website this morning about an ombudsman’s report relating a woman, Mrs J, who was placed in a care home in Bristol. lovestruck@flickr This was a care home which was not only rated ‘poor’ or had no stars under the...

Published 21 Jun 2011 6:34 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: bristol, care homes in bristol, Care Quality Commission, carer, Commission for Social Care Inspection, csci, dementia, elderly, Home Care, local government, Local Government Ombudsman, long-term care, mental health, nursing home, old age, older people, personal, politics, social care, social work, Standard of care, 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
Safeguarding Adults Awareness Week

I learnt from my Twitter stream (thanks to Lindsay_Pike) that as well as being Carers’ Week, this week is also ‘Safeguarding Adults Awareness Week’. I had never come across this as a ‘week’ before so used my carefully honed research skills to type ‘Safeguarding...

Published 17 Jun 2011 6:54 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: Abuse, Adult, adult protection, caregiver, carer, dementia, Disability, elderly, local authority, personal, philosophy, Safeguard, safeguarding, safeguarding adults, safeguarding adults awareness week, social care, social issues, work
The Price of Everything and the Value of Nothing

To continue my theme (at least initially) for carers’ week, I wondered a while on the purpose of these weeks and days and months we have devoted to various issues. They are about celebration, gratitude and recognition for the most part. Celebrating Mothers...

Published 14 Jun 2011 6:55 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: carer, carers, Employment, health, improving social work, mental health, National Health Service, nhs, personal, politics, social care, social issues, Social media, social work, work
Carers and Carers Week

Carer. Caregiver. Sometimes terminology overcomplicates. What is a carer? A husband or a wife. A partner. A parent or a child. A neighbour. A friend. A niece or nephew. A brother or sister – by blood, or in spirit. A daughter or son-in-law. Sometimes...

Published 13 Jun 2011 6:51 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: carer, carers, local authority, personal, social care, social issues, social work, work
Weekly Social Work Links 20

So another weekend, another series of links that I’ve found in and around the social work blogging networks. I want to start with a few new blogs I’ve come across. Unsettling Social Work is written by an academic who is primarily concerned with the sociology...

Published 11 Jun 2011 7:50 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: blog, blog links, health, link post, links, social care, social work, Social Work Blogs, work

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