The Social Work Blog

An introduction to the cushions and comedy of social care

The Social Work Blog — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 12:16:56 GMT

by Bronagh Miskelly As the new editor of Community Care I have a steep learning curve ahead of me - especially when it comes to the veritable dictionary of acronyms in social care. Read More......(read more)

Scandinavia: social care Nirvana no more?

The Social Work Blog — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 10:45:17 GMT

By Keith Sellick Social care writers often portray Scandinavia as some sort of Nirvana (or maybe Asgard or Valhalla). A month doesn't go by without an article appearing that ends with the sentiment: "They do it better in Sweden/Denmark"...(read more)

Registration of personal assistants - the great divide

The Social Work Blog — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 10:23:17 GMT

The General Social Care Council has announced that it will consult on whether personal assistants employed by direct payment recipients in England should be registered . This is a very difficult area with many in the service user movement likely to suggest...(read more)

School dinners at heart of child obesity debate

The Social Work Blog — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 09:34:28 GMT

Two stories, two pages apart caught my eye in last Tuesday's issue of the Daily Telegraph. Read More......(read more)

Is a local government strike wise?

The Social Work Blog — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 12:19:44 GMT

by Adam McCulloch On Question Time last nigh t (Thursday 26 June) a social worker in the audience attacked the government over local government pay, lambasting ministers' failure to tax the rich more. But I couldn't help thinking that this is...(read more)

To strike or not to strike?

The Social Work Blog — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 17:18:42 GMT

This summer is likely to be a stormy one for Britain's local government sector. Beneath the ballooning cloud of rising fuel, food and utility costs, the scene is set for a long and torrid battle between cash-strapped workers and belt-tightening employers...(read more)

Fat pills that can kill

The Social Work Blog — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 17:21:52 GMT

by Anabel Unity Sale Fat. The three-letter word that can kill you, now the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has got its way. Read More......(read more)

Will Glasvegas make social workers cool at last?

The Social Work Blog — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 18:04:35 GMT

by Andrew Mickel There's an advert for Community Care's glorious talkboards, Carespace , based on the oft-commented fact that there are no TV show about social workers. This week doesn't see any change in that, but it does see the bizarre...(read more)

Dementia strategy means business

The Social Work Blog — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 17:24:56 GMT

It's pretty rare for us Community Care journos to praise rather than bury the government in our blogs, but I'm willing to break a habit in the case of the draft dementia strategy published last week . It seemed to exemplify what policymaking should...(read more)

Inflation: does it depend on your class?

The Social Work Blog — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 11:20:26 GMT

By Keith Sellick Yesterday the Daily Telegraph led with "Double blow for middle class families" pointing to rising household bills and the Chancellor's call for pay restraint. It said that inflation for the middle classes was running at...(read more)

Council bans words

The Social Work Blog — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 16:31:58 GMT

by Anabel Unity Sale Councils always get a bad rap in the papers. If it's not one thing it's another. This time Tunbridge Wells Council is in the frame for attempting to make sure it uses inclusive language by banning the word 'brainstorming'...(read more)

Baby love

The Social Work Blog — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 18:19:06 GMT

by Anabel Unity Sale My heart sank when I read that the number of girls aged under 16 having abortions in England and Wales increased by 10% last year. Not because I disagree with abortion, I don't. I am very much pro-choice and believe abortion should...(read more)

Bitter pill

The Social Work Blog — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 16:55:37 GMT

By Derren Hayes The news that scientists in the US have developed a pill that can soothe childhood aches and pains was greeted with predictable scepticism by doctors this side of the pond. Read More......(read more)

Child obesity is not child abuse!

The Social Work Blog — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 13:16:08 GMT

by Adam McCulloch Fellow Community Care blogger Simon Stevens wonders - not entirely seriously - if we'll see the day when you could be arrested for eating a Big Mac or ordering fish and chips . I laughed out loud on reading this but then I noticed...(read more)

Personalisation: what's it all about?

The Social Work Blog — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 16:59:34 GMT

By Daniel Lombard Social care is "no longer the Cinderella of public services", Ivan Lewis proudly declared in a House of Commons committee room this week. Read More......(read more)

Public sector pay

The Social Work Blog — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 14:25:25 GMT

By Keith Sellick Unison meets next week for its annual conference as its local government membership ballots for strike action over pay. The councils have offered 2.45%, which has been rejected by the union's national leadership as being in effect...(read more)

Post office closures

The Social Work Blog — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 15:36:05 GMT

By Keith Sellick I was in Somerset at the weekend, enjoying the sun and scenery. I visited the local library and perused the local newspapers. Apart from stories about failing street lamps, Britain in bloom, and car scratching, the main issue was post...(read more)

Fuelling the child poverty debate

The Social Work Blog — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 11:39:11 GMT

Whether it is tanker drivers going on a national strike, motorcyclists holding a mass rally on the M6 or lorry drivers blocking the roads of central London, those who rely on petrol for their livelihoods certainly know how to get the message across that...(read more)

Child poverty up. And pensioner poverty too

The Social Work Blog — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 10:21:50 GMT

by Mithran Samuel So child poverty has risen again. And pensioner poverty as well . To put it in context, the figures on household incomes published today relate to 2006-7 since when the government has announced tax and benefit changes in successive Budgets...(read more)

Educating the Big Brother way

The Social Work Blog — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 17:21:37 GMT

by Anabel Unity Sale Yes, it's that time of year again: Big Brother's back on Channel 4. Before you groan at the thought of every television screen, newspaper - and don't think it's just the red tops that go gaga for the latest bunch of...(read more)

Excellence Network social care awards 2008

The Social Work Blog — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 15:02:58 GMT

by Simeon Brody TV newsreader Dermot Murnaghan was the host for the inaugural Excellence Network 2008 awards. Read More......(read more)

Forget me not

The Social Work Blog — Thu, 29 May 2008 15:51:10 GMT

by Anabel Unity Sale We all have days when we forget things we have said and done - or at least we want to. There was the time when I walked into a meeting at a local authority - which shall remain nameless to protect the innocent - in order to interview...(read more)

Community Care Live 2008 - Question Time: the video

The Social Work Blog — Thu, 29 May 2008 11:30:51 GMT

by Simeon Brody Community Care Live 2008, was one of the biggest and best conferences Community Care has ever organised. And as ever, one of the highlights of the event was the Question Time session chaired by BBC journalist Jeremy Vine. Read More......(read more)

Jumping the gun on child's death

The Social Work Blog — Thu, 22 May 2008 08:27:35 GMT

How many vulnerable children will die before these lessons are finally learnt? Thus speaks a Daily Mail comment piece today in relation to the tragic case of Khyra Ishaq, a seven-year-old girl who died in hospital over the weekend in Birmingham. This...(read more)

Cameron gets Tories back to basics

The Social Work Blog — Wed, 21 May 2008 11:04:40 GMT

by Mike McNabb Just when we thought that David Cameron had broken with tradition he does us all a favour and reverts to Tory type. Read More......(read more)

Anti-Gypsy violence in Italy is warning for UK

The Social Work Blog — Tue, 20 May 2008 11:42:52 GMT

by Mike McNabb If Nero fiddled while Rome burned, one wonders what form of inaction the old emperor would have taken in Naples in the past week. Read More......(read more)

Social care conference catering: curried parsnip v jammie dodgers

The Social Work Blog — Mon, 19 May 2008 15:11:05 GMT

by Daniel Lombard Ask any reporters who've covered conferences, particularly the ones involving overnight stays, and they'll tell you that most of the time, they can't wait to get away. Last month came one glorious exception: the Association...(read more)

Iceland, single mums, happy families

The Social Work Blog — Mon, 19 May 2008 11:29:20 GMT

by Adam McCulloch High divorce rate, high birth rate, a large proportion of single mothers... I must be writing about a place beset with crime, poverty, delinquency and misery. But no, this is a description of Iceland, apparently the happiest place on...(read more)

CC Live: Risk Factor - violence against social workers

The Social Work Blog — Thu, 15 May 2008 14:31:49 GMT

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......(read more)

CC Live: Adult Green Paper

The Social Work Blog — Thu, 15 May 2008 12:15:55 GMT

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......(read more)

CC Live: Beverley Hughes speaks

The Social Work Blog — Thu, 15 May 2008 11:01:02 GMT

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...(read more)

CC Live: Question Time

The Social Work Blog — Thu, 15 May 2008 10:00:15 GMT

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...(read more)

CC Live: Domestic violence

The Social Work Blog — Wed, 14 May 2008 15:46:29 GMT

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......(read more)

CC Live: Personalisation - Workforce implications

The Social Work Blog — Wed, 14 May 2008 10:22:13 GMT

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......(read more)

CC Live: Gang warfare or a war on gangs?

The Social Work Blog — Wed, 14 May 2008 10:20:32 GMT

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...(read more)

CC Live: The personalisation revolution

The Social Work Blog — Wed, 14 May 2008 10:18:18 GMT

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......(read more)

CC Live: A World Away

The Social Work Blog — Wed, 14 May 2008 10:16:09 GMT

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...(read more)

Community Care Live: Keynote address

The Social Work Blog — Wed, 14 May 2008 10:12:47 GMT

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...(read more)

No excuses for paedophiles

The Social Work Blog — Fri, 09 May 2008 15:00:27 GMT

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......(read more)

Competing agenda once again?

The Social Work Blog — Fri, 09 May 2008 14:35:23 GMT

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...(read more)