www.newcastle.gov.uk/welfarerights

This is a very good website for anyone
interested in welfare rights – adviser, social worker, student or
client and so on, writes Gary Vaux. And not just those in Newcastle
– apart from links to local advice agencies, most of the
information is relevant to a much wider audience. The design is
clear and a wide range of subjects are covered. The section on
dealing with debt is particularly useful. There are also copious
links to other sources of information. However, I am left with a
few concerns about this site in particular and benefit websites in
general. First, the design, while simple and quite effective,
screams “local authority”. It would win very few prizes for
excitement and visual appeal. Second, keeping websites up to date
is always hard – but does it help a carer to be told that they can
only earn “up to a certain amount” before losing their invalid care
allowance? The site contains a good factsheet on what is now called
“permitted work” – but another part of the site still refers to
“therapeutic earnings”. These may seem to be minor quibbles but
they fuel my worry that, however much work we might put in to
updating our websites, we can never quite manage to keep ahead of
the game.

www.swcf.org.uk  

This is the website of the Social Workers
Christian Fellowship, writes social worker Keith Malcolm. There are
details of membership, history, events and publications. Links to
other Christian organisations can be very useful if you are
searching for service providers with a Christian perspective. The
site needs updating on a more regular basis as some of the events
advertised have passed. Issues of faith and spirituality are often
an important part of the lives of people who use social care
services. SWCF helps to inform and promote practice from a
Christian perspective.