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
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
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
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
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
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
The Hardest Hit Campaign

The ‘Hardest Hit’ Campaign is has been organised by a number of disability charities which form the heart of the UK Disabled People’s Council which is an umbrella group for many organisations across the country and Disability Benefits Consortium which...

Published 10 May 2011 6:49 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: benefits, carer, carers, Disability, disability benefits, Disability Living Allowance, Disability pension, employment support allowance, hardest hit, london, National Insurance, social care, social work, socialcare, 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
Negligence and Care – Kersal Mount Care Home

A nursing home in Sheffield, Kersal Mount, yesterday admitted it was negligent in the treatment of a Doreen Betts, 78, who was left to suffer with with pressure sores for three months and who eventually died of an infection caused … Continue reading...

Published 15 Apr 2011 6:29 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: Bedsore, Care Quality Commission, cqc, dementia, doreen betts, elderly, health, Inspection, kersal mount care home, local authority, neglect in care home, nursing home, old age, older people, personal, Sheffield, sheffield residential home, social care, social work, socialcare, Standard of care, the laurels and the limes care home, work
Lansley, Nurses, Social Workers and Colleges

Yesterday, as a part of Lansley’s so-called ‘listening’ exercise, he found himself at the conference of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) as they voted in favour of a motion of no confidence in him personally by a fairly substantial … Continue...

Published 14 Apr 2011 6:51 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: andrew lansley, basw, British Association of Social Workers, college of social care, college of social work feud, Disability, health, local authority, Motion of no confidence, National Health Service, nurse, personal, politics, Royal College of Nursing, social care, social issues, Social media, social work, social work college, socialcare, Unison, work
Chief Social Worker?

A couple of days ago, I noted a that BASW issued a press release stating that their ‘chief social worker plans gain tentative ministerial support’. BASW (British Association of Social Workers) have been lobbying for changes in the Health and … Continue...

Published 31 Mar 2011 6:43 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: baswcosw, British Association of Social Workers, chief social worker basw, college of social work, community action, health, peer support, personal, politics, Professional association, social care, social issues, social work, socialcare, work
Bullying

Bullying – it’s a very loaded word. As adults we’ve been through the school experiences where, if we didn’t experience it and weren’t perpetrators, we’d probably know people who were in one or the other camp. School is just a … Continue reading...

Published 25 Feb 2011 6:30 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: Adult, Behavior, Bullying, bullying in residential care, care homes, community, community building, dementia care, discrimination, elderly, health, long-term care, nursing homes, old age, older people, personal, social care, social issues, social work, socialcare, Violence and Abuse, work
Health and Social Care Bill 2010/1 – some comments and not much hope

I haven’t read the Health and Social Care Bill. I have glanced at it. I tried to look at anything connected with Mental Health and Social Care and there are a few bits and pieces nestled in there towards the … Continue reading → Read More...

Published 20 Jan 2011 6:29 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: andrew lansley, destruction of the nhs, evil tories, General practitioner, General Social Care Council, health, health and social care bill 2011, HealthWatch, local authority, lying liberals, mental health act 1983, mental health, nhs, NHS primary care trust, old age, personal, politics, social care, social issues, social work, socialcare, work
Weekend Links

I used to try to have a weekly round-up post of social work blogs. I gave up a couple of years ago because it took too much time up but I’m going to try again… simply because there is so … Continue reading → Read More...

Published 16 Jan 2011 5:44 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: blog round up, links, personal, social care, social work, Social Work Blogs, socialcare, work
2010 – A look back

It’s been one hell of a year and I can’t say I’m terribly sad to see the end of it but my gut feeling is that, however hard I try to be positive, I can’t cover myself in pure optimism … Continue reading → Read More...

Published 29 Dec 2010 6:13 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: British Association of Social Workers, local authority, mental health, personal, personal budget, politics, social care, social issues, social work, socialcare, work
Regaining Radicalism

An issue that has been swilling around in my head for a while concerns the ‘reclamation’ of the radical tinges of the social work profession and whether or not we are moving into a potentially more dangerous era as the … Continue reading →...

Published 8 Nov 2010 6:36 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: basw, British Association of Social Workers, local authority, local government, mental health, old age, older people, personal, politics, Public services, social care, social issues, social work, socialcare, Tertiary sector of the economy, Trade union, Unison, work
Rising Detentions

Community Care have a short report about figures were published yesterday by the NHS which indicate that there has been an increase in detentions under the Mental Health Act over the last year. As the article says The numbers of … Continue reading...

Published 6 Oct 2010 5:56 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: AMHP, health, hospital, mental capacity act, mental health, mental health act, personal, psychiatric hospital, social care, social work, socialcare, uk, work
Liberating the NHS – some thoughts

There has a lot been written since Lansley announced the new government White Paper on reforms to the NHS called ‘Equity and Excellence : Liberating the NHS’ My hesitation in summarising the points immediately came partly because the thought...

Published 15 Jul 2010 7:17 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: andrew lansley, equity and excellence, government health policy, health, health policy uk, lansley, liberating the nhs, local authority, mental health, National Health Service, national institute for clinical excellence, nhs, nice, pct, personal, politics, scie, social care, social care institute of excellence, social issues, social work, socialcare, uk, uk politics, work
Into the Deep End

While I’m still recovering at home, my thoughts are turning over a number of things as they come up and I suspect while I am still off work, I’ll be considering some more ‘memory’ posts to keep me on top of things. After I qualified, well, actually a...

Published 25 Jun 2010 5:21 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: elderly, local authority, local government, old age, older people, personal, social care, social issues, social services, social work, socialcare, uk, work
Cutting Costs

Public sector cost cutting is very much a theme of the moment. I suppose in my narrowly focussed view, I thought that we would be struggling but wouldn’t necessarily see any immediate changes – at least as far as front-line clinical work is concerned...

Published 26 Mar 2010 7:07 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: cutting costs in the public sector, local authority, personal, public sector, social care, social work, socialcare, work
Of Snowiness

Really it was a fairly busy day yesterday. The person I had been scheduled to visit and had completely expected to be out when I called was actually in. Of course, he wouldn’t let me in but we managed a fairly useful chat through the front door and kitchen...

Published 22 Dec 2009 6:40 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: carer, carers, cmht, local authority, london, mental health, old age, older people, personal, snow, social care, social work, socialcare, traffic, travel, work
Aftermath

It’s been a year since the ‘Baby P’ story broke about Peter Connolly and his tragic death following a litany of appalling abuse by his carers. As he was on the child protection register and known to Haringey Social Services and had contact with primary...

Published 11 Nov 2009 7:25 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: baby p, children act, ed balls idiot, Guardian, Haringey, local authority, mental health, patrick butler, personal, peter connolly, Ray Jones, social issues, social work, social work taskforce, socialcare, 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
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
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
Drawing a close

I went out with all the best intentions on my visits last week. I was going to see a couple of people I hadn’t seen for a while but about whom I wasn’t overly concerned, to discuss the end of my involvement with a view to working towards discharging them...

Published 8 Sep 2009 6:47 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: care programme approach, closing cases, cpa, elderly, goodbye, health, local authority, mental health, old age, older people, older peoples services, saying goodbye, social care, social work, socialcare, 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
Second thoughts

I struggled at work yesterday. It was a long day built from unexpected eventualities over the long weekend. The nature of the job is very much to expect the unexpected and plans put together aren’t always able to pan out the ways that they should. For...

Published 15 Apr 2009 6:54 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: elderly, health, Home Care, hospital, hospital discharge, long-term care, mental health, old age, older people, second thoughts, social care, social issues, social work, socialcare, uk, 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
Do Something

I came across this article last weekend, in the Guardian, about a man, Gordon Stewart, who was a ‘hoarder’. It goes beyond the common definition of ‘hoarding’ though and becomes a major and almost life-threatening degree of hoarding and collection of...

Published 6 Apr 2009 6:17 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: diogenes syndrome, elderly, Environment, Environmental Health, health, hoarder, hoarding, human rights, local government, london, Mental Capacity Act 2005, national assistance act, national assistance act 1947, old age, older people, Pest control, Property, s47, s47 national assistance act, social care, social issues, social work, socialcare, work
Protecting Adults

A quick comment about this story about a couple with learning disabilities who were awarded damages of £100,000 against Hounslow Council which was subsequently withdrawn from them following an appeal. They had been victimised over a period of time by...

Published 4 Apr 2009 6:18 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: adult protection, appeal, Care of residents, health, learning disability, london borough of harrow, mental health, safeguarding adults, social care, social issues, social work, socialcare, vulnerable adults, work
Death

I have worked consistently in older adult’s services since I qualified. I’d say, at least until a few months ago anyway – when I seem to have accumulated a few people in their late 60s - that most of the people I see regularly are over 85. So it isn’t...

Published 2 Apr 2009 7:10 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: caregiver, carer, carers, Death, dementia, elderly, family, grief, Grief Loss and Bereavement, health, mourning, old age, older people, social care, social issues, social work, socialcare, 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
More Sunday Ramblings

Not a ‘proper’ post this time but a few random thoughts that have occurred to me. Firstly search terms on my blog. This is one of the more interesting aspects of having a blog and it is one that I’m sure others can attest to. Yes, I...

Published 15 Mar 2009 5:44 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: blog search terms, feedback, generic training, generic training for social workers, local authority, local government, mental health, old age, social care, social issues, social work, socialcare, uk, United Kingdom, work
Assessing Best Interests - part 2

The training continues - it’s a fairly robust one as far as it goes and although it might not be apparent, despite the density of content, I am finding the substance interesting. As promised on the first day of the training, more of the bits and...

Published 20 Feb 2009 5:04 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: AMHP, assessment, Best Interests Assessor, best interests assessor training, bia, conditions attached to authorisation, deprivation of liberty, health, hospital, Law, local authority, long-term care, MCA, mental capacity act, mental health, mental health act, old age, older people, personal, social care, social issues, socialcare, standard authorisation, urgent authorisation, work
The ‘Grow-Your-Own’ Social Worker

We have a new student with us on placement. When I say ‘us’, I mean that one of the other social workers in the team I work in, is her placement supervisor/practice teacher. The Student ™ has been working in the local authority...

Published 9 Feb 2009 6:40 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: Employment, General Social Care Council, gscc., local government, social care, social issues, social work, social work student, social work training, socialcare, uk, United Kingdom, work
Abuse and Stress

The BBC reports on a study published in the BMJ (British Medical Journal) which questioned carers of people who suffer from dementia and found that a third admitted “significant abuse” Predominantly, this abuse is emotional and verbal abuse...

Published 23 Jan 2009 6:22 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: Abuse, alzheimers, BMJ, caregiver, caregiver support, carer, carer support, carers, dementia, elder abuse, elderly, emotional abuse, health, old age, older people, social care, social issues, social work, socialcare, ucl, uk, University College London, work
Support for Alzheimer’s

Tonight, on Dispatches (Channel 4 - 8pm) is going to be looking at support (or rather the lack of support) that is available for people with Alzheimer’s Disease and their families and carers in the UK. The Guardian ran a brief story with Fiona Philips...

Published 12 Jan 2009 6:44 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: Alzheimer, Alzheimer's disease, carer, carers, Channel 4, dementia, dispatches, elderly, fiona philips, health, long-term care, memory clinic, mental health, old age, older people, social care, social work, socialcare, work
Root and Branch

The BBC ran a story yesterday about the new government ‘task force’ which is going to look at the ‘root and branch’ changes that need to take place in Social Work. All this has, of course, only become evident over the past month...

Published 12 Dec 2008 6:29 AM by Fighting Monsters

Filed under: adult social work, basw, British Association of Social Workers, General Social Care Council, gscc., mental health social work, root and branch change, social care, social issues, social work, socialcare, uk social work, work

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