March 2011 - The Social Work Blog

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Plans to bring forward assessed year in doubt?

It looks like the proposal to bring forward implementation of the assessed and supported year in employment (ASYE) for social work graduates in England was optimistic, to say the least. Last year, the Social Work Reform Board asked Skills for Care and...

Published 31 Mar 2011 4:25 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: workforce, assessed and supported year in employment
Do kids understand the term 'social work capabilities'?

SETTLE DOWN CLASS! You at the back - stop talking. Now everyone, first question in the session on social work: Hands up who knows what a professional capabilities framework is? How about the theory of critical reflection? And what can you tell me about...

Published 29 Mar 2011 1:02 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: workforce, consultation, social work reform board
Council social work staff to get electric cars

Social work staff at Scottish Borders Council will soon have access to three electric cars for home visits , the Berwickshire News reports. The average running cost of an electric car is 3p per mile, compared to 40p for normal cars. Photo by frankh on...

Published 28 Mar 2011 3:12 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: workforce, electric car, home visit, mileage rates
Social care workers join March for the Alternative

Thousands of social care workers took to the streets of London in protest at the massive spending cuts affecting the sector, which one campaigner described as potentially "catastrophic" to communities. Coach-loads of union activists came from...

Published 26 Mar 2011 9:21 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: workforce, social work
Battle begins over name for social work regulator

What's in a name? Some might say the leadership of the regulator taking over social work in England next year is the biggest issue at stake. But the proposal to change the name of the Health Professions Council is already being hotly contested. The...

Published 25 Mar 2011 1:00 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: workforce, social work, regulation
College wants your views on statutory council duties

The College of Social Work is inviting practitioners to submit their views on the government's consultation to cut back on statutory council duties. As reported in Community Care , the Department for Communities and Local Government is considering...

Published 25 Mar 2011 11:47 AM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: local authorities, councils, social work, statutory duties
Video: Bringing public service cuts home (literally)

Here's a little something to amuse people ahead of the rally on Saturday ... 'Bringing the Cuts Home', by Steve Price Read More...

Published 24 Mar 2011 4:33 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: workforce
Full coverage of march against public service cuts

So... the big march/rally approaches. March for the Alternative, which kicks off at 11am in London's Victoria Embankment and culminates in a rally in Hyde Park at 1:30pm , was organised to oppose cuts to public services. And, according to sources...

Published 24 Mar 2011 2:32 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: workforce, cuts, tuc rally, 26 march, march for the alternative
Budget 2011: Social work on the open market

Tomorrow's Budget will be an opportunity to judge the government's understanding of the gap between ambition and reality when it comes to outsourcing social work and other services to employee-led mutuals, writes Dan Gregory on ResPublica . Gregory...

Published 22 Mar 2011 4:06 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: Budget, workforce, mutuals, social enterprises
Social worker loses race discrimination claim

A white social worker has lost his bid to claim up to £18,000 compensation from Birmingham Council for race discrimination, the Birmingham Mail reports . Read More...

Published 22 Mar 2011 3:56 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: workforce, discrimination
How social workers can keep safe in the workplace

Unison Scotland and the Scottish Association of Social Work have issued guidance on how social workers can keep safe in the workplace . The guide covers issues such as self-regulation, supervision, workload management and health and safety. It also advises...

Published 22 Mar 2011 11:23 AM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: workforce, safety, Unison, scottish association of social workers
Social workers may have to pay £3,150 into pensions

Many social workers currently pay between 5.5% and 7.5% of their salaries into the local government pension scheme. So if employee contributions to public sector pensions went up by 3% , social workers would have to pay up to £3,150 a year into their...

Published 21 Mar 2011 4:13 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: workforce, pensions
Changes to regulation of social workers in England

Penny Thompson (pictured left) has vowed that the General Social Care Council will go out "with a bang not a whimper" when it is scrapped in April next year. Speaking at the GSCC's conference, Building a stronger profession in challenging...

Published 21 Mar 2011 3:11 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: workforce, General Social Care Council, health professions council, anna van der gaag, penny thompson
More than half of public sector workers would strike

More than half of public sector workers would consider going on strike or taking industrial action over job cuts and changes to pensions, according to a new survey - reflecting a growing sense of frustration and anger among Community Care readers. The...

Published 21 Mar 2011 10:45 AM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: workforce, strike, pensions, industrial action, tuc rally
SCIE video on challenges of children's social work

The Social Care Institute for Excellence has produced an interesting video highlighting the challenges of child protection work in an emergency duty team , including a visit to a family involved with children's services. Read More...

Published 16 Mar 2011 5:18 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: workforce
'Easier to recruit a PM than a DCS in Haringey'

Will Hutton has said it's become easier to recruit a Prime Minister than to find someone to run child protection services at Haringey Council. Speaking after the launch of his independent review of public sector pay, the economist told the Breakfast...

Published 15 Mar 2011 10:07 AM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: workforce, pay and conditions, Add category, senior managers
Listen to the latest Community Care podcast

Listen to the latest Community Care podcast and catch up on the latest hot topics in social care: this week, communities secretary Eric Pickles, left, comes under fire for putting safeguarding duties at risk, protests against spending cuts, and vegetarian...

Published 11 Mar 2011 11:04 AM by The Social Work Blog
Video: BASW and College leaders go head to head

The College of Social Work and the British Association of Social Workers have clashed in recent weeks after BASW decided to re-brand itself as BASW - the College of Social Work, and form a rival organisation in January . The College of Social Work, being...

Published 9 Mar 2011 4:11 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: social workers, social work, college of social work, basw - the college of social work
Should social care workers pay more for pensions?

We'll find out whether Lord Hutton thinks so tomorrow, as he unveils his final report into public sector pensions . The former Labour cabinet minister has been asked by the government to recommend ways of ensuring the system is affordable and sustainable...

Published 9 Mar 2011 3:56 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: social workers, pay, pensions, social care workers
Social worker jailed for stealing £9,000 from council

A "devious" team manager who stole nearly £9,000 worth of furniture, appliances and clothing intended for vulnerable children and families has been jailed for 28 months , the Aberdeen Press and Journal reports. Between September 2005 and August...

Published 7 Mar 2011 1:18 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: social workers, workforce, social work
Live Twitter updates from council's social care staff

When the Greater Manchester Police used Twitter to record every incident it deals with in a 24-hour period in October last year, we discussed (semi-seriously) how a similar approach could be used to publicise the realities of frontline social work. Well...

Published 3 Mar 2011 4:26 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: social workers, workforce, social work, greater manchester police, twitter, walsall council
Video: Protestors "mourn the loss" of public services

We've been talking this week about creative ways to protest against public sector cuts. Protestors in Lewisham seem to be leading the way, by holding a mock funeral to "mourn the loss" of public services - complete with gravestones and a...

Published 2 Mar 2011 12:41 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: social workers, Budget, workforce, social work, cuts, lewisham council
Ethnic minority staff and managers "face catch-22 situations" all the time

Neelam Bhardwaja, director of social services at Cardiff Council, is the only serving director from a minority ethnic background in Wales. Born in India, she moved to the UK as a teenager and went on to become the president of the Association of Directors...

Published 2 Mar 2011 9:12 AM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: social workers, workforce, social work, cardiff council, glass ceiling, minority ethnic
Caseloads survey deadline extended to 14 March

People are still taking part in our supervision and caseloads survey (in partnership with Unison), so we have decided to extend the deadline to 14 March . IIt's only 10 questions long, confidential and it will help us to campaign for better working...

Published 1 Mar 2011 11:48 AM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: social workers, workforce, social work, Unison, caseloads, social work contract

March 2011 - The Social Work Blog

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Plans to bring forward assessed year in doubt?

Do kids understand the term 'social work capabilities'?

Council social work staff to get electric cars

Social care workers join March for the Alternative

Battle begins over name for social work regulator

College wants your views on statutory council duties

Video: Bringing public service cuts home (literally)

Full coverage of march against public service cuts

Budget 2011: Social work on the open market

Social worker loses race discrimination claim

How social workers can keep safe in the workplace

Social workers may have to pay £3,150 into pensions

Changes to regulation of social workers in England

More than half of public sector workers would strike

SCIE video on challenges of children's social work

'Easier to recruit a PM than a DCS in Haringey'

Listen to the latest Community Care podcast

Video: BASW and College leaders go head to head

Should social care workers pay more for pensions?

Social worker jailed for stealing £9,000 from council

Live Twitter updates from council's social care staff

Video: Protestors "mourn the loss" of public services

Ethnic minority staff and managers "face catch-22 situations" all the time

Caseloads survey deadline extended to 14 March