The Social Work Blog - Community Care's CareSpace

CC Live: Risk Factor - violence against social workers

By Mike McNabb Violence against social care staff has been in the news again so if I were a tad worried about my chances of surviving a home visit intact, Ray Braithwaite would be a useful mentor to have. Read More...

Posted May 15 2008, 03:31 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: Community Care Live 2008

CC Live: Adult Green Paper

By Mike McNabb Adult care has hit the headlines again with prime minister Gordon Brown wanting to open a debate on its future. It was a debate welcomed by Stephen Burke, chief executive of Counsel and Care . Read More...

Posted May 15 2008, 01:15 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: Community Care Live 2008

CC Live: Beverley Hughes speaks

By Mike McNabb Are politicians losing their appeal? Of course they are, they have been shedding it for eons. But when children's minister Beverley Hughes gave her keynote address today, one would have thought an auditorium that seats 500 could have...

Posted May 15 2008, 12:01 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: Community Care Live 2008

CC Live: Question Time

How many Daily Mail readers were at Community Care Live? The safe answer is "not many". The bold answer is "quite a few". Perhaps I am about to commit mass libel, but some social workers must read it, even in a covert operation by...

Posted May 15 2008, 11:00 AM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: Community Care Live 2008

CC Live: Domestic violence

By Mike McNabb It is an age-old problem but it is only in the past 30 years or so that domestic violence has become accepted as a major social issue. And the understanding of the effect it has on children is even more recent. Read More...

Posted May 14 2008, 04:46 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: Community Care Live 2008

CC Live: Personalisation - Workforce implications

By Mike McNabb Most commentators agree that personalisation is the greatest shake-up in service provision since the launch of the welfare state but it turns out it is fraught with dilemmas. Read More...

Posted May 14 2008, 11:22 AM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: Community Care Live 2008

CC Live: Gang warfare or a war on gangs?

By Mike McNabb It was timely in a tragic sense that a discussion on gang warfare should take place in London. Thirteen teenagers have fallen victims of violent deaths on the capital¹s streets this year, although not all of them were gang-related. But...

Posted May 14 2008, 11:20 AM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: Community Care Live 2008

CC Live: The personalisation revolution

by Mike McNabb Personalisation. How inelegant can a buzzword be? But it is one whose workings were explored elegantly by a panel of experts: Read More...

Posted May 14 2008, 11:18 AM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: Community Care Live 2008

CC Live: A World Away

by Mike McNabb Tired of the right-wing media hype about those dastardly asylum seekers (whoops, nearly fell into the propaganda trap there), it was refreshing to hear the voices of a group of people who actually wanted to do something positive. In this...

Posted May 14 2008, 11:16 AM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: Community Care Live 2008

Community Care Live: Keynote address

by Mike McNabb Glen Mason, director of social care leadership and performance at the Department of Health, opened the 12th Community Care Live by describing Gordon Brown's desire to put a new focus on social care this week as an exciting development...

Posted May 14 2008, 11:12 AM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: Community Care Live 2008

No excuses for paedophiles

by Natalie Valios Occasionally, decisions by the judiciary make my heart sink. A case in point is the story in today’s papers which reports on a court case involving 20-year-old Jon Dixon who tried to rape an 11-year-old girl. Read More...

Posted May 09 2008, 04:00 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: child protection, Judge Robert Atherton; Jon Dixon; attempted rape; paedophile

Competing agenda once again?

by Amy Taylor This week home secretary Jacqui Smith has announced a new crackdown on antisocial behaviour by persistant offenders . Under the plans 'action squads' will work with the police in every community to reduce antisocial behviour by carrying...

Posted May 09 2008, 03:35 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: antisocial behaviour, Jacqui Smith, young offenders, the youth justice board

Alcohol, crime, justice and sexism

by Anabel Unity Sale Three drunk women, aged 37, 39 and 41, were filmed on CCTV mugging a man , also drunk, of his wallet. He was punched and kicked by one of the women before the other two stole from him. Read More...

Posted May 09 2008, 03:04 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: violence, Criminal justice, crime, offenders, anabel unity sale, alcohol

Michael Heseltine's drug's strategy: hit the Chelsea party set!

by Adam McCulloch On last night's Question Time (BBC1) Michael Heseltine, in answer to a question on the government's cannabis u-turn, put the surprising view that any successful drugs strategy should “start at the top”. He singled out the “Chelsea...

Posted May 09 2008, 11:11 AM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: Media, Politics, Adam McCulloch, drugs, television programme, Piers Morgan, michael heseltine, Rachel Johnson, BBC1, Question Time, Menzies Campbell, Addiction

Famine stalks the world

By Keith Sellick A story in the Financial Times about social workers in the Philippines handing out cheap rice shows how the global explosion of food and energy prices are impacting on the poor; and those who work with them. Read More...

Posted May 08 2008, 12:40 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: Politics

Craig Bellamy's football, education and health plan in Sierra Leone

by Adam McCulloch Do you think that Premiership footballers are overpaid, flashy, disrespectful, foul-mouthed and arrogant, only interested in money, nightclubs, betting and women? Well, think again. Craig Bellamy, a player who in the past might have...

Posted May 06 2008, 03:10 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: Adam McCulloch, children and young people, sport

Tears of a Clown

By Andrew Mickel So the once-Iron Chancellor has a heart, according to care services minister Ivan Lewis, who is claiming that Gordon Brown cried after reading testimonies from children with learning disabilities. Read More...

Posted May 02 2008, 11:11 AM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: Politics

Birmingham: my kind of town

By Keith Sellick I had to share this with you Telly Savalas does a travelogue for Birmingham . I have been laughing at it for days. The idea of Kojak on the mean streets of Britain's second city. Apparently he also did Portsmouth and Aberdeen Read...

Posted May 01 2008, 04:19 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: keith sellick, birmingham, humour, Telly Savalas

Personalisation - a social care revolution

by Simeon Brody I went to a Community Care conference yesterday about personalisation in adult services. It was a really interesting event and one of the most popular Com Care has ever run - so there's obviously a lot of people out there who want...

Posted May 01 2008, 12:57 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: simeon brody, social workers, direct payments, personalisation, individual budgets, melaine henwood, martin routledge

Mayday: time to defeat Boris Johnson

By Keith Sellick Mayday: a workers' celebration. Some very fine articles here on the history and meaning of 1 May. Read More...

Posted May 01 2008, 11:27 AM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: keith sellick, Politics, boris johnson, May Day, Mayday, Internationale

Josef Fritzl: Austrian idyl cracks

by Adam McCulloch The story of Josef F , of humble Amstetten, has ushered Austria into a new period of self-doubt, even deeper than that brought on by the discovery of Natascha Kampusch's imprisonment in a cellar in 2006. Read More...

Posted Apr 29 2008, 04:53 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: child protection, Adam McCulloch, Elisabeth, Josef Fritzl, Austria

New social worker blog

by Simeon Brody There's a new blog out there by a UK social worker. Read More...

Posted Apr 29 2008, 02:54 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: simeon brody, social workers, fighting monsters

Prison: not the soft option

by Natalie Valios Prisoners prefer to be behind bars where drugs are cheaper, where they get satellite TV, free telephone calls, breakfast in bed and officers who treat them with kid gloves for fear of breaching their human rights. So says Glyn Travis...

Posted Apr 25 2008, 06:19 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: Criminal justice, prison; soft jails; drugs; HMP Coldingley; prisoners

Strictly Baby Fight Club: Channel 4's kids fighting shocker

by Adam McCulloch Don't like to use this medium to depress people, especially so soon after dismissing the Children's Society poll on children's well-being as being too pessimistic, but most people who saw Channel 4's Strictly Baby Fight...

Posted Apr 25 2008, 02:07 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: Media, child protection, Adam McCulloch, children and young people, children's society, channel 4, strictly baby fight club, sport, nspcc, television programme

Post office closures bring out the fighting spirit

by Amy Taylor. While the battle for the mayor of london crown has dominated the media, next Tuesday (May the 1st) also sees local elections taking place in many councils in England. The 2, 500 post offices earmarked for closure will be looming on many...

Posted Apr 25 2008, 01:18 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: post offices, older people

Children's Society well being, mental health poll: should we be worried?

by Adam McCulloch The Children’s Society new pol l, charting the misery of children in the UK will induce quiet sighs of despair in thousands of households. But are kids really fed up in this country? How should we measure that? Read More...

Posted Apr 24 2008, 05:01 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: Adam McCulloch, children and young people, mental health, children's society, well being

Boris banks on City help

London Mayoral candidate Boris Johnson has unveiled his team for tackling the Capital's social ills should he be elected. If you're expecting a list of the great and good in social enterprise then think again. Read More...

Posted Apr 23 2008, 06:19 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: Politics, boris johnson, london mayor, derren hayes

1968: Enoch Powell wasn’t right, he was a racist

By Keith Sellick Forty years ago Enoch Powell made his “rivers of blood” speech. In the past six months, I have watched a BBC documentary where the narrator said that while Powell’s language was regrettable he was right. I have listened to a BBC radio...

Posted Apr 23 2008, 03:50 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: Politics, racism, Aeneas, Eric Clapton, Enoch Powell, 1968

10p tax rate row: Where is Brown’s commitment to anti-poverty now?

by Keith Sellick Has the furore over the abolition of the 10p tax rate dealt a death blow to New Labour’s talk of social justice and eradicating poverty? Earlier this week, Lib Dem Vincent Cable, wrote: “There was a certain unhappy symbolism yesterday...

Posted Apr 23 2008, 02:58 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: Gordon Brown, tax credits, poverty

Channel 4's The Doctor Who Hears Voices

by Adam McCulloch Extraordinary Channel 4 drama-documentary last night – The Doctor Who Hears Voices – about a doctor diagnosed with schizophrenia who wants to continue practising despite voices in her head telling her to kill herself. Read More...

Posted Apr 22 2008, 12:05 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: Adam McCulloch, mental health, schizophrenia, NHS, tv, adam mcculloch;dr rufus may;channel 4

Remember those who died in social care

by Mike Broad Social worker Philip Ellison's tragic death last week reminds us never to underestimate the dangers of the job. Support worker Ashleigh Ewing, in Newcastle and care worker Sarah Merritt, in Southampton, suffered the same fate last year...

Posted Apr 17 2008, 01:00 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: social workers, violence, Philip Ellison, ashleigh ewing, Mike Broad, sarah merritt

Devon promises holy grail of efficiency and personalisation

by Mithran Samuel Devon Council is currently shaking up its care management function in a reform which promises to both lower the costs of adult social care services and make them more personalised around the user - what the jargon lovers among us may...

Posted Apr 17 2008, 11:26 AM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: Department of Health, Mithran Samuel, efficiency, Whitehall, funding, direct payments, social care, personalisation, individual budgets, Devon Council

Mark Speight, drugs attitudes and celebrity

by Adam McCulloch The deaths of Mark Speight and Natasha Collins, both talented BBC children’s presenters, has brought a ferocious condemnation of cocaine, cannabis and ecstasy “partying” culture from Libby Purves and elicited one or two interesting comments...

Posted Apr 15 2008, 06:42 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: Adam McCulloch, drugs, natasha collins;kate moss;libby purves, pete doherty, amy winehouse, mark speight

Sick trapped failed asylum seekers should not be left to rot

by Amy Taylor Failed asylum seekers unable to leave due to their being no safe route available are stuck here through no fault of their own. Given this point how can it be right that they are not entitled to free NHS care? A two day hearing, which began...

Posted Apr 11 2008, 04:00 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: asylum, the NHS, failed aslyum seekers, asylum seekers

Unfair repercussions of legal aid changes

From October 1st last year no legal aid funding has been available for placements in family assessment centres - used when care proceedings have begun to assess parents' parenting ability. This means that such placements now have to be soley funded...

Posted Apr 09 2008, 04:31 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: child protection, legal aid, children, councils, judge, parents

Ed Balls and Jack Straw show they care

by Adam McCulloch Who says the government doesn’t feel passionate about social care issues? Apparently justice secretary Jack Straw recently threatened to punch education secretary Ed Balls after being spoken to rudely during a discussion about youth...

Posted Apr 09 2008, 03:58 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: Politics, Youth justice, Adam McCulloch, YJB, baroness ashton, ed balls, frances done, jack straw, baroness scotland

No evidence migrants are jumping housing queue

Interim research out today from the Local Government Association and the Equality and Human Rights Commission finds there is no evidence of bias against UK-born people in the allocation of social housing. Key findings include that new migrants to the...

Posted Apr 09 2008, 11:28 AM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: Mithran Samuel, BNP, Local Government Association, Equality and Human Rights Commission, social housing

NHS pay offer: bad news for council workers?

by Keith Sellick The latest pay offer to nurses may undermine local government workers' wage demands. Unison's Pay Matters campaign is arguing, with other local government unions, for a 6 per cent rise this year. Employers have just raised the...

Posted Apr 08 2008, 03:00 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: pay

UN ratifies disability convention

By Keith Sellick The UN has ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities . Ecuador became the 20th country signing the convention, which gave it legal force in the international community. Read More...

Posted Apr 08 2008, 02:46 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: disability

Philip Ellison death: Is social care work safe?

by Simeon Brody The tragic case of the Lancashire social care worker who died after being stabbed yesterday has again raised the question of how safe social care workers are, particularly when it comes to home visits. Read More...

Posted Apr 08 2008, 01:59 PM by The Social Work Blog

Filed under: simeon brody, social workers, violence, safety, Philip Ellison

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