News round-up: Social services in gay couple adoption row

By Mithran Samuel on January 28, 2009 in Adults, Child safeguarding, Children, Disability, Domiciliary care, Fostering and adoption, Mental Health, Older people, Personalisation, Residential care, Substance misuse, Workforce

Social services in gay couple adoption row

Social services have removed two young children from the care of their grandparents and arranged for them to be adopted by a homosexual couple.
Read more on this story in The Daily Telegraph

Police forces not meeting standards for monitoring sex offenders

Police forces are failing to meet standards on monitoring high risk sex offenders, with one force checking on paedophiles in its area just once every six months.
Read more on this story in The Daily Telegraph

Middle-classes hit for £6bn care home bill

The elderly and their families spent £6billion of their own savings shoring up the state care system last year, a watchdog report has revealed.

It found that £5.9billion – half of all spending on care for the vulnerable elderly – is raised via the means test system or by ‘top-up fees’.

Quarter of middle-aged women suffer from depression or anxiety

More middle-aged women than ever before have depression or anxiety, researchers say.

A survey found that a quarter of those aged 45 to 54 experienced a ‘common mental disorder’ in 2007 – up a fifth from 1993.

Every Child Matters is starting to get services pulling in the right direction

Despite controversy and tragedy, social workers believe the Every Child Matters programme is promoting a sense of unity of purpose.

Jennifer Trueland on why Scotland’s social workers are the cheeriest

In 2006, its social services were ‘not delivering’. Today, Scotland’s social workers declare themselves the UK’s happiest. What’s changed?

Birmingham University celebrates its social work qualification’s centenary

It’s 100 years since Birmingham University began offering a qualification in social studies – and the course is still going strong. Chris Arnot examines how the working environment for its graduates has changed.

Caroline Abrahams: Every Child Matters is optimistic

So social workers in Society Guardian’s survey support Every Child Matters (ECM) and think it sets the right policy direction. But they also say they feel their jobs haven’t got better as a result. What are we to make of these apparently contradictory findings?

The strong endorsement of ECM does not surprise me. I rarely hear any professional criticism of ECM; indeed, most people I meet remain highly enthusiastic.

John Dixon: Good news that Putting People First is getting a thumbs-up

It can’t be anything but good news that Putting People First (PPF) is getting a thumbs-up from social workers. As other parts of Society Guardian’s survey suggest, social work and social care have taken a pasting over the past six months.

How Putting People First has put power in service users’ hands

The Putting People First programme puts care choices in the hands of the individual. But do social workers embrace this transfer of power?

Andrew Cole on Hackney’s new approach to social work

A year ago, Rick Mason became one of the new breed of consultant social workers for children and families being created by Hackney children’s social care as part of the east London borough’s Reclaiming Social Work programme. In doing so, he swapped a part-time job as a social worker with looked-after children for a full-time post with far more responsibility in one of the toughest areas of the capital. But he says that while the new job is more challenging, it is actually less stressful

Guardian research reveals majority of social workers are happy in profession

A social worker’s life is not a simple one. But Guardian research reveals the majority are happy in their profession – if frustrated by aspects of it. David Brindle analyses the findings.

Full results of Guardian research

Cornwall’s public services are hearing it straight from service users

Who better to teach public services workers how to interact with people with learning disabilities than someone who knows the difficulties first-hand? Linda Jackson discovers how Kevin Parrott and colleagues are changing attitudes

Less than one in five charities rate highly relationship with local authorities

More than 10 years after the government’s Compact agreement was launched to promote equal partnerships between statutory funders and voluntary groups, less than one in five charities say they rate highly the relationship with their local authority, according to the first national survey of third sector organisations.

New childcare reforms unveiled as cost of pre-school care rises faster than rate of inflation

The cost of full-time nursery care has risen above the rate of inflation and now costs anywhere between £8,700 and £20,800 a year, new figures released today show, further complicating the already fraught calculations for new parents planning a return to full-time work.

Mentally ill victim was failed by CPS

A decision by prosecutors to drop a serious criminal assault case because the victim, who had half an ear bitten off, suffered mental health problems, has been severely criticised by High Court judges.

Alcohol-related deaths among men double in 16 years

The number of men dying from alcohol-related illness has doubled in 16 years, while rates among women have risen more slowly.

The overall number of deaths related to drinking has started to decline after years of steady increases, the Office of National Statistics said.