Mad World - Other blogs - Social Work Blog - Carespace from Community Care

Social workers: have you ever had a security guard accompany you on a home visit?

One of the major talking points in episode 2 of social work documentary Protecting Our Children was the use of security guards on a home visit. We put together a light-hearted poll to find out just how widespread the practice is: Online Surveys &...

Published 9 Feb 2012 12:44 PM by Mad World

Filed under: bbc, children, media, protecting our children, security, social work, workforce

Protecting Our Children live chat - your comments

We had a great response to the live chat we organised during BBC social work documentary Protecting Our Children. Just click on the chat box on the page and you can review the 500+ comments made by our panel of experts and the social work contributors...

Published 31 Jan 2012 9:47 AM by Mad World

Filed under: children, media, protecting our children, social work, workforce

Protecting Our Children BBC social work doc: Live chat tonight

I'm sure you will have all heard about the BBC social work documentary, Protecting Our Children , which starts tonight (Monday). Don't forget that tonight you will be able to join a live discussion, directly before, during and after the programme...

Published 30 Jan 2012 9:40 AM by Mad World

Filed under: bbc, chat, children, protecting our children, social work, workforce

Social care 2011: Who had a good year, who had a bad year?

by Mithran Samuel and Simeon Brody Good year Kaliya Franklin Franklin has emerged as one of the foremost service user bloggers and campaigners against cuts to disability benefits and care. Blogging at Benefit Scrounging Scum and The Broken of Britain...

Published 22 Dec 2011 9:30 AM by Mad World

Filed under: adults, children, Politics, social care, social work, workforce

Community Care's top 10 stories of 2011

We wrote hundreds of social care news stories, analysis pieces, features and good practice guides in 2011. But which stories proved most popular, in terms of hits, on our website? Here is the top 10, in reverse order: 10. Councils withdrawing social workers...

Published 20 Dec 2011 9:30 AM by Mad World

Filed under: 2011, adults, children, social care, social work, workforce

What do troubleshooters do that social workers don't?

David Cameron is to announce plans for a network of "troubleshooters" to give more focused support to troubled families. It all sounds very good but leaves me with a few thoughts. What will these "troubleshooters" do that social workers...

Published 15 Dec 2011 11:47 AM by Mad World

Filed under: children, david cameron, familes, Politics, social work

Community Care Live Children and Families: Highlights

Thousands of social workers, social care staff and students gathered at the Business Design Centre in London for Community Care Live Children and Families yesterday. There were lots of highlights and some incredibly popular sessions. Delegates queued...

Published 17 Nov 2011 3:53 PM by Mad World

Filed under: children, Community Care Live, social care, social work, students, training, twitter

A social worker's ode to hot desking

There was a time when people wrote poems about daffodils, or tigers or the night mail crossing the border. How times have changed. Here is a rather splendid poem about hot desking by an anonymous social worker: Hotdesking's fine if you're all...

Published 24 Oct 2011 5:15 PM by Mad World

Filed under: adults, children, hot desking, social care, social work, workforce

Podcast: homelessness, charging for care and social work assistants

Just finished editing Community Care's latest podcast in which we discuss the idea of housing homeless people before dealing with associated substance misuse problems, charing parents who put their children into care and news that social work assistant...

Published 7 Oct 2011 12:38 PM by Mad World

Filed under: adults, children, homelessness, podcast, social care, social work, workforce

It's the year of the black dog

Mental health charity Sane has launched a nationwide Black Dog campaign to raise awareness of depression. Winston Churchill famously referred to his depression as the "black dog" and Sane plans to install at least 40 black dog sculptures around...

Published 21 Sep 2011 1:02 PM by Mad World

Filed under: adults, children, Mental Health, sane

Happiness, crime and the "architecture of fear"

Young people who are happy are less likely to be involved in crime, a new report suggests . "Our results suggest that the emphasis placed on happiness and well-being by positive psychologists and others is warranted," McCarthy said. "In...

Published 22 Aug 2011 5:12 PM by Mad World

Filed under: adults, children, crime, happiness, Mental Health, urban design

Neil Morrissey's experience in care and how to deal with an office bully

Two items caught my eye today (my colleagues are still processing the budget). Neil Morrissey speaks to the Guardian about a new TV programme revisiting his experience as a child in care. A particularly strong message is the low expectations people had...

Published 23 Mar 2011 4:17 PM by Mad World

Filed under: bullying, children, children in care, social care

New Community Care social work podcast launches today

If you are interested in social work stuff and like listening to things on the internet then you'll love the new Community Care podcast. Be gentle with us - it is our first attempt - but in this episode we discuss the glass ceiling facing black and...

Published 4 Mar 2011 9:24 AM by Mad World

Filed under: adults, children, media, podcast, social care, social work, workforce

Cannabis linked to earlier onset of psychosis

Cannabis use appears to be linked with the earlier onset of psychosis, a new study suggests. The meta analysis of previous studies found people who used cannabis developed psychosis on average over two years younger. Although the nature of the link is...

Published 8 Feb 2011 2:29 PM by Mad World

Filed under: cannabis, children, Drug use, drugs, family breakdown, Mental Health, psychosis

A social worker's Christmas carol

An anonymous contributor sent me this and I rather like it - enjoy! 'Life at the Office' Christmas Carol With apologies to 'While Shepherds watched their flocks' ... While Social Workers write reports All seated at their desks, The Strategic...

Published 22 Dec 2010 4:34 PM by Mad World

Filed under: carols, children, christmas, social work, social workers, workforce

Community Care's email newsletter Christmas break

Do you subscribe to Community Care's really rather splendid daily and weekly email updates ? If not, you should do as they are a handy way of keeping up to date with all the latest social care news. For existing subscribers I need to let you know...

Published 7 Dec 2010 3:22 PM by Mad World

Filed under: adults, children, social work

Binge drinking, depression and stuttering

Teenagers who binge drink may be putting themselves at risk of depression or anxiety in later life, research suggests . Apparently rats exposed to binge drinking experienced a change in their brain chemistry which "might lead to behavioural disorders...

Published 18 Nov 2010 3:21 PM by Mad World

Filed under: alcohol, binge drinking, children, Human Brain, Mental Health, stuttering

On measuring happiness and why loneliness and exams are bad

The big news today is that the government looks set to launch a "happiness index" to measure the mental wellbeing of the nation and presumably the effect of government policy on it. Measuring wellbeing indicators alongside economic ones to gauge...

Published 15 Nov 2010 3:23 PM by Mad World

Filed under: adults, children, exercise, happiness, Mental Health, psychotherapy, schools, wellbeing

Are you a social work moaner?

Social work is a tough job and has not been well served by successive governments and the media. However, there does seem to be a tendency among some social workers to only see the negative. Social workers do some great work but there are one or two who...

Published 9 Nov 2010 1:19 PM by Mad World

Filed under: adults, children, social work, workforce

Young Minds launches new website run by young people

Mental health charity YoungMinds has launched a new website for young people affected by mental health problems . The new site, part of the Very Important Kids project, will allow young people to get advice, share experiences and feed into the charity's...

Published 9 Nov 2010 8:51 AM by Mad World

Filed under: children, Mental Health, young people

New wellbeing site for primary school children

The Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust has developed a rather lovely site called Cam's Den for children in its local area, Camden (London), where they can learn about emotional wellbeing and building resilience. And it features a sock puppet...

Published 25 Oct 2010 3:36 PM by Mad World

Filed under: camden, children, Mental Health, prevention, website, wellbeing

Adolescents explained, the benefits of massage and toys with mental health problems

Today I present you with an assorted bag of mental health-related goodies: A German company has developed a set of toy creatures with mental health problems (see above). Is this something I should disagree with? I'm not sure but I quite like the idea...

Published 10 Sep 2010 3:06 PM by Mad World

Filed under: adults, children, loneliness, massage, Mental Health, students, suicide, toys, young people

Depression, pregnancy and violence

Things I have spotted today: Substance abuse not mental illness is the reason why some mental health patients commit violent crime, the Guardian reports . Men should be screened for post-natal depression, says the Medical Research Council. Psychological...

Published 7 Sep 2010 3:49 PM by Mad World

Filed under: adults, children, depression, drugs, Mental Health, mindfulness, pregnancy, substance abuse, violence

Who is hiring newly qualified social workers?

Community Care recently ran a survey revealing a 1 in 10 vacancy rate in social work - much higher than equivalent professions. It also revealed the £70m extra that local authorities spend employing agency social workers. So why do I keep reading on CareSpace...

Published 7 Sep 2010 3:06 PM by Mad World

Filed under: aduts, children, employment, nqsw, social work, workforce

Picard backs Miliband for Labour but who do you want?

Just had to share this video of Sir Patrick Stewart, aka Jean Luc Picard from Star Trek TNG, offering his backing to David Miliband in the Labour leadership election. If Stewart is Picard, does that make Miliband Data? Or that bloke with the funny glasses...

Published 2 Sep 2010 5:47 PM by Mad World

Filed under: adults, children, labour, miliband, Politics, social work, workforce

Sleep deprivation, psychoative drugs and mindfulness

Here are some items lassoed from the ever moving informational herd that is the internet. Teenagers who get less than five hours sleep a night apparently face a higher risk of mental illness , research suggests. Scientists are re-examining the potential...

Published 2 Sep 2010 5:31 PM by Mad World

Filed under: children, drugs, Mental Health, mindfulness, teenagers, young people

Why don't you switch off your television set and go for a walk instead?

This post is a homage to 70s and 80s kids TV programme Why Don't You , which exhorted viewers to "switch off their television sets and do something less boring instead" (after the programme had finished obviously). I mention it because the...

Published 31 Aug 2010 4:06 PM by Mad World

Filed under: children, Human Brain, media, Mental Health, older people

Making the budget cuts - some social work ideas

The good people of Britain have been happily contributing to the government's spending cuts challenge, posting 44,000 suggestions so far, which we can now all vote on. But are there any suggestions which relate to social care? There certainly are...

Published 19 Aug 2010 5:39 PM by Mad World

Filed under: adults, children, Politics, social work, workforce

The paradox of choice, new early years blogs and autism

I really like this photo - it's from Dominic's Pics on Flickr and I'm using it to represent "choice". I chose to do that. Anyway, perhaps I should just get on with some interesting links: Choice has been a big idea in public services...

Published 9 Aug 2010 1:15 PM by Mad World

Filed under: antidepressants, autism, children, choice, foster carers, Mental Health, Politics

YoungMinds' new mental health comic strips

Charity YoungMinds has combined two of things closest to my heart: mental health and comics in a new set of online comic strips designed to help parents deal with their children's behaviour over the summer. Check them out - they're good. Read...

Published 6 Aug 2010 2:44 PM by Mad World

Filed under: children, comics, Mental Health, YoungMinds

Fed up of social work? Why not become an astronaut?

Case load getting you down? Taking too much work home? Why not leave all the stress behind and opt for a simpler career - as an astronaut? New Scientist has a handy guide to getting your foot on the galactic career ladder. I mean, how hard can it be?...

Published 3 Aug 2010 12:33 PM by Mad World

Filed under: adults, children, social work, space, workforce

Trainers and mini skirts banned for children's services staff

Which of these pairs of shoes, so artfully modelled by my colleagues, is more suitable for a social workers? According to the Mail , Southampton City Council believes it certainly isn't the pair on the right. It has apparently sent out a memo to workers...

Published 2 Aug 2010 12:20 PM by Mad World

Filed under: children, children's services, clothing, social work, workforce, young people

Mother's affection, a bad day and a death in custody

Here's a round up of interesting mental health related items I have noticed today: An account of the death in custody of a mental health patient in London, from the BBC. CNN examines the links between a mother's affection in childhood and later...

Published 27 Jul 2010 12:19 PM by Mad World

Filed under: adults, children, criminal justice, Mental Health

Can sport really be Britain's "hidden social worker"?

So suggesteth Lord Coe in an article in the Mail today . I think he has a good point, particularly in relation to work with young people. Ready access to sport every night of the week would keep a lot of kids out of trouble. There's a bit more to...

Published 26 Jul 2010 12:23 PM by Mad World

Filed under: children, social work, sport, workforce

Young people shape mental health services and why it's good to be busy

Two items for you today. Firstly, the Guardian covers a new project in which young people get to shape mental health services for their peers. Sounds very worthwhile. Secondly there is a story that certainly rings very true with me. Research suggests...

Published 21 Jul 2010 3:45 PM by Mad World

Filed under: adults, children, guardian, Mental Health, young people

Social worker stops boy jumping off bridge

There's a great good-news story about social worker Paul Child who has received an award after talking down a boy who was threatening to jump off a bridge. Read More...

Published 12 Jul 2010 12:05 PM by Mad World

Filed under: adults, children, social work, workforce

Social worker features on Coronation Street

Does anybody watch Coronation Street? Do they still have the cat sitting on the wall in the opening credits? I hope so. Anyway, it appears as if there is a social work character on the show. Read More...

Published 30 Jun 2010 12:27 PM by Mad World

Filed under: adults, children, media, social work, workforce