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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
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
Winterbourne View – Where were the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards?

One of the many things that have been concerning me since the Panorama programme about abuse within the Winterbourne View hospital for adults with learning disabilities was aired was the way that the safeguards implemented under the Mental Capacity Act...

Published 6 Jun 2011 6:45 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: abuse in residential care, adult protection, adult safeguarding, best interests assessment, Best Interests Assessor, bia, Care Quality Commission, deprivation of liberty safeguards, dols, health, local authority, long-term care, MCA, mental capacity, mental capacity act, mental health, mental health legislation, nursing home, panorama, personal, politics, residential care, social care, social services, social work, social worker, training, winterborne, winterbourne view, work
Eligibility, Birmingham and Cuts

While awaiting the details of the court judgement, there was an important ruling yesterday that Birmingham Council’s attempt to limit eligibility to social care services to those who have ‘critical’ care needs is unlawful. Drawing out some of the definitions...

Published 21 Apr 2011 6:37 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: BBC, Birmingham City Council, Disability, discrimination, elderly, England, learning disability, local authority, local government, mental health, old age, older people, personal, personal care, politics, respite care, social care, social issues, social services, social work, social worker, socialcare, uk, United Kingdom, work
Weekly Social Work Links 11

I am going to have to do a quicker than usual ‘round up’ this week because I’m heading off to the March this morning. But it has been a fantastic week in terms of the richness of posts. I’ve already … Continue reading → Read More...

Published 26 Mar 2011 5:50 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: british social work blogs, links, second life, social work, Social Work Blogs, social work links, social worker, uk, 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
Saving General Social Care Council

There’s an interesting article in the Guardian today, headlined ‘The General Social Care Council must be saved’. It seemed a curious headline because I didn’t know it was something that was particularly passionately felt so for that, I was drawn …...

Published 8 Sep 2010 6:53 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: General Social Care Council, health, health care, local authority, local government, personal, social care, social care association, social issues, social work, social worker, uk, United Kingdom, work
Vacancy Rates

Community Care have published a special report into social work vacancy rates in the UK. The report finds that 1 in 10 social work posts in the UK are currently vacant according to information that they have put together following … Continue reading...

Published 26 Aug 2010 7:17 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: local authority, local government, lots of vacancies, personal, politics, social care, social services, social work, social work vacancies, social worker, vacancy, work
I’d rather be an OT..

Image via Wikipedia After moving into a large open plan office, certain politics surround the allocation of the ‘best’ desks. I am very happy with my desk location apart from the fact that I’m placed a little too closely to the kettle to have an entirely...

Published 14 Apr 2010 7:05 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: cpn, office, OT, personal, social work, social worker, work, working life
Learning

The process of having a student with me has been a revelation. I am fortunate that the student is prepared, enthusiastic and interested. That goes a long way to be honest. She hasn’t had a lot of experience in the sector but has a lot of experience to...

Published 17 Feb 2010 7:07 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: mental health, old age, older people, personal, practice teaching, social care, social work, social work theories, social worker, student social worker, theory in practice, United Kingdom, work
A Home to Fit

I have worked with Mrs G for about 18 months. She has a degenerating dementia and is becoming more physically frail. Unsurprisingly this is not an uncommon basic scenario that rears it’s head at work. Mrs G has no surviving family but she was a very active...

Published 16 Feb 2010 6:52 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: Add new tag, Alzheimer's disease, dementia, elderly, England, health, local authority, long-term care, mental health, nursing home, old age, older people, residential care, social care, social issues, social services, social work, social worker, work
Of Mouse and Man

I probably picked the wrong clothes to go to work yesterday. I knew I was going to visit a house that had been kept in what might be called ‘less than sanitary conditions’. Although that is a fairly gross understatement. As a student accompanying me remarked...

Published 10 Feb 2010 6:29 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: diogenes syndrome, elderly, health, hoarding, housing, local authority, mental health, old age, older people, personal, Rodent, social care, social issues, social work, social worker, unsanitary conditions, work
Into the Night

Image via Wikipedia Although the nature of AMHP work is that it will be crisis-orientated, I have found that assessments are usually planned to some extent. Last week, we received a referral to our team at about 3.30pm. For reasons that smack of ageism...

Published 8 Feb 2010 7:12 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: Add new tag, Ambulance, AMHP, approved mental health professional, ASW, carer, carers, elderly, health, hospital, london, long-term care, mental health act 1983, mental health, old age, older people, personal, social care, social work, social worker, work
Returning

I know, it wasn’t really a massive ‘return to work’ deal yesterday, because I was working last week and the week before and apart from the public holidays (for which I am very grateful) haven’t really had any time off but it still had a ‘back to school...

Published 5 Jan 2010 6:58 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: allocations, back to work, cmht, elderly, health, Holidays, local authority, mental health, old age, older people, personal, social care, social issues, social work, social work uk, social worker, work, workload
Neighbours

Unsurprisingly, confidentiality and the maintaining of such is a key part of our job. Over the past few months really, an interesting and in some ways warming story has developed in front of me that I thought I would share just before Christmas. It involves...

Published 24 Dec 2009 7:05 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: companionship, confidentiality, elderly, friendship, housing, local authority, lonely, old age, older people, personal, sheltered housing, social care, social work, social worker, work
Are Social Work Lecturers out of touch?

This is a question which was raised by the Social Work Taskforce report and challenged by said lecturers in a Community Care article after the report suggested that there is an element of being ‘out of touch with current practice’. When I was studying...

Published 18 Dec 2009 6:41 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: british social work, Education, lecturers out of touch, local government, personal, Research, social care, social issues, social work, social work as academic discipline, social work lecturers, social worker, work
On Probation

In some unsurprising but still welcome news, Community Care reports that the Social Work Taskforce is proposing a ‘qualifying year’ post degree and pre-registration to all social workers coming into the workforce from university. It makes perfect sense...

Published 20 Nov 2009 7:07 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: british social work, community care, local authority, probation year for social workers, social work, social work taskforce, social worker, uk, work
Free Personal Care?!

Image by lukemontague via Flickr One of the surprises in Gordon Brown’s speech to the Labour Party Conference yesterday (to me, anyway!) was his proposal that from the middle of 2010 (election result nonewithstanding.. ) he would oversee a change to the...

Published 30 Sep 2009 6:34 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: british policy, carer, carers, dementia, discrimination, domiciliary care, elderly, eligibility for free services over 65, fair access to care services, free personal care for over 65s, Gordon Brown, gordon brown's speech 29/9/09, health, labour party conference, local authority, long-term care, old age, older people, personal, politics, social care, social issues, social work, social worker, socialcare, support in the community, uk, work
Choice

We have been taught and trained to regard choice and individuality, quite rightly, very highly. Choice is fundamental and giving people choice is a key task in developing strengths. Without allowing choice, we float around in a moral vacuum. Without choice...

Published 14 Sep 2009 6:56 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: AMHP, autonomy, health, local authority, mental health act 1983, mental capacity act, Mental Capacity Act 2005, mental health, mental health act, old age, older people, personal, social issues, social work, social worker, work
Advocates

Currently I’m working with a man who has no family or friends who have been able to speak up for him or support him. Initially, as a decision about where he was going to be living was being made, I was obliged to access an IMCA (Independent Mental Capacity...

Published 11 Sep 2009 7:13 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: advocacy, health, i'd rather be an advocate, imca, imha, independent mental capacity advocate, independent mental health advocate, MCA, mental health, personal, social work, social worker, socialcare, uk, work
Hopes and Balls

Oh dear. I suppose he’s trying to claw back any credibility he might once of had. Ed Balls, the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families writes a blatheringly sympathetic piece in the Guardian about how much he supports social workers. Nice...

Published 9 Sep 2009 6:12 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: deirdre saunders, Ed Balls, General Social Care Council, gscc., health, local authority, mental health, old age, older people, social care, social issues, social services, social work, social work taskforce, social worker, the guardian, uk, work
A Gentle Man

I had arranged an assessment on the ward this week. I was assessing a man I had known for a few months in my capacity as his care co-ordinator. He has been on the ward under Section 2 of the Mental Health Act (for assessment – up to 28 days) for a few...

Published 7 Aug 2009 6:54 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: AMHP, ASW, compulsory detention in hospital, elderly, health, hospital, mental health, mental health act assessment, old age, older people, psychiatric hospital, section 2, section 3, sectioning, social work, social worker, to section, ward, work
Winding down

I’m going away soon. Friday will be my last day at work for a couple of weeks anyway and I’m heading west for a while. It brings to mind one of those panics though when you go through each and every set of case notes and try to imagine all the possible...

Published 7 Jul 2009 6:29 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: break, holiday, local authority, social work, social worker, stress at work, vacation, work
Away Day and Old Acquaintances

As I was wandering around the office, stretching my legs, I fell upon a conversation between one of the social workers who works in a different locality team and her manager about the possibility of a whole team ‘team building away day’. Of course this...

Published 25 Jun 2009 5:57 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: away day, cmht, community mental health team, health, local government, mental health, nurse, practice teacher, social work, social worker, uk, work
Three months, two children, one goodbye

I mentioned that I always intended to write little about the experience of foster caring. The reasons for that were solely related to the focus of the blog and much more importantly, the privacy of the children concerned – but the experience of fostering...

Published 6 Jun 2009 7:50 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: british foster care, first foster care placement, Foster care, foster child, fostering, personal, social work, social worker, starting to foster, uk
Working the Media

Community Care are running a campaign ‘Stand up Now for Social Work’ which aims to highlight both the good and the bad in reporting of social work. It’s a fascinating campaign and a positive one and also, as we can see by recent news stories, one that...

Published 24 Apr 2009 6:36 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: community care, Guardian, Journalist, News broadcasting, social work, social worker, stand up now for social work, the monitor, the monitor blog, uk, work
The cost of vacancies

Community Care published some research they carried out yesterday which found that there is a 10.9% vacancy rate for social workers in England – rising to 18.6% vacancy rate in London. They also publish a breakdown of individual councils – at least those...

Published 17 Apr 2009 6:37 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: Child protection, community care, England, lack of social workers, local authority, local government, london, Recruitment, recruitment crisis in social work, social care, social issues, social work, social work vacancies, social worker, the social work blog, work
Reporting Poor Practice

Poor social workers put vulnerable people at risk. That doesn’t really need a genius to determine, but the Local Government Chronicle reports that these practitioners are not being reported to the GSCC (General Social Care Council) and thus are able to...

Published 16 Apr 2009 6:31 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: General Social Care Council, gscc., local government, local government chronicle, London Borough of Haringey, Rosie Varley, social work, social worker, social workers, work
Assessing Liberty

Two weeks tomorrow, the Deprivation of Liberties Safeguards went live. As of this week, my borough have had two referrals for assessments. I know this as I was asked to complete the first assessment – after some discussion, gracefully withdrew as although...

Published 14 Apr 2009 6:57 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: AMHP, best interests assessment, Best Interests Assessor, deprivation of liberties safeguards, dols, local authority, MCA, mental capacity act, Mental Capacity Act 2005, old age, older people, social issues, social work, social worker, socialcare, work
World Social Work Day

Happy World Social Work Day! A day to celebrate the joy of social work – I had an idea for a post planned but couldn’t let this occasion pass so my thoughts about the letter received by every registered social worker in the UK on Friday will have to hold...

Published 17 Mar 2009 5:56 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: advocacy, Alan Johnson, Ed Balls, Hilton Dawson, mental health, social work, social work in the uk, social worker, uk, work, world social work day
Compulsion

The big difference between the work I am doing now and the work I was doing 18 months ago is the role that compulsion plays in my day to day work. A couple of weeks ago, a nursing student came up to our office - her placement is on the attached ward and...

Published 11 Mar 2009 5:30 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: AMHP, ASW, elderly, health, london, MCA, mental health act 1983, mental capacity act, Mental Capacity Act 2005, mental health, mental health act, mental health act 2007, old age, older people, personal, social care, social issues, social work, social worker, uk, work
Shoesmith speaks

I’ve not been a great defender of Shoesmith, the former Director of Children’s Services at Haringey, but it doesn’t take much heart to have some sympathy for her ‘trial by media’ in the wake of the Baby P affair. She has...

Published 7 Feb 2009 5:27 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: baby p, Child, child protection work, Ed Balls, Haringey, interview, local authority, Sharon Shoesmith, social work, social worker, Sun, Tabloid, the guardian, work
A Journey into Fostering

This is something I haven’t mentioned previously but for the past 18 months or so, my partner and I have been moving through the process of becoming foster carers. We aren’t quite at the end - that will come in a month or so when we meet the...

Published 9 Dec 2008 6:55 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: children, children and families, Foster care, foster child, fostering, fostering panel, local government, london, personal, social care, social services, social work, social worker, work
Reviewing Social Work

This morning, Ed Balls, the Secretary of State for Children has announced review of Social Work. Seeing his job description, I wonder how much effect this will have on the generic nature of Social Work training. Some of the headline changes ‘demanded’...

Published 7 Dec 2008 7:50 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: Ed Balls, health, local authority, mental health act 1983, reforming social work, Sharon Shoesmith, social care, social issues, social services, social work, social worker, socialcare, uk, uk social work, what is social work, work
Mind the Mouth

True story. I was out shopping yesterday trying to keep up with the million things I have on my to-do list. I’m on the phone to one of my friends - another social worker, actually someone I trained with. I was talking about something that had happened...

Published 30 Nov 2008 2:24 PM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: big mouth, blurting, health, personal, social work, social worker, work
Changes

The Guardian are publishing a supplement on both recent and proposed changes within the social care sector to coincide with the opening of the National Children’s and Adult Services Conference in Liverpool. Not having seen a printed copy of the...

Published 22 Oct 2008 5:56 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: carer support, carers, health, Independent living, individualised budgets, informal care, John Evans, local authority, local government, london, long-term care, national children's and adult services conference, newspaper, older people, personalisation, social care, social issues, social services, social work, social worker, the guardian, uk, United Kingdom, work
Patient/Professional Divide

We often talk in terms of us and them. Both users of services and providers of services. Quite often though, we are the same people. I work in a psychiatric hospital - that’s where my office is. Work defines me to a large extent. But I, or people...

Published 18 Sep 2008 5:24 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: Europe, for whom the bell tolls, John Donne, local government, london, mental health, patient, social work, social worker, work
Looking ahead

Yesterday I visited Mrs B and her husband. He has Alzheimer’s Disease and it is at a fairly advanced stage. She has been caring for her husband for many years watching his deterioration staying constantly at his side. I have been involved...

Published 9 Sep 2008 6:05 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: Alzheimer's disease, caregiver, carer, carers, elderly, forewarning, long-term care, mental health, old age, older people, social care, social work, social worker, spouse
Good work, Evelyn

After some of the knocking of social workers that I mentioned over the last few days, how about a positive spin? The Daily Record published a story about a 15 year old girl who suffers from leukaemia who has nominated her social worker for the Scottish...

Published 8 Sep 2008 5:09 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: care ambassador, Child, CLIC Sargent, daily record, dreams, evelyn stewart, Forres, good news, health, positive social work story, social care, social issues, social work, social worker
Picking up the pieces

As I hope is evident, my work is very varied - and that’s one of the main reasons I enjoy it. But I was reminded by an article in The Guardian about what I, personally, find to be one of the saddest tasks that I undertake. And that is when I pack...

Published 19 Aug 2008 5:34 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: assistance, copd, health, home, house, local authority, loneliness, lonely, old age, older people, social care, social services, social work, social worker, socialcare, work

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