Mark Sheldon

This booklet has been produced by the Working Together with Parents Network (www.right-support.org.uk). The Network was set up with funding from the Baring Foundation and the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation to support the development and sharing of positive practice in supporting parents with learning disabilities and learning difficulties.

This booklet tells the stories of six families headed by a parent or parents with learning disabilities or difficulties, from England, Wales and Scotland, who have been
enabled – with the right support from professionals – to look after their children and safeguard their welfare.

Future rules – Children’s advice on the Regulations to be made under the Children and Young Persons Act 2008

This report sets out what children and young people in care told Ofsted they wanted the Government to put in Regulations that are to be written to say what must happen under the Children and Young Persons Act 2008.

That Act is a new law about how children in care must be looked after in future.

Download here

This practice guidance concerning the involvement of Independent Mental Capacity Advocates (IMCAs) in safeguarding adults is jointly published by the ADASS and SCIE. It replaces the Practice guidance criteria for the use of IMCAs in safeguarding adults published by ADASS in 2007.

Read more here

Download here

Via the GSCC Website ~ http://www.gscc.org.uk

A recent poll carried out by the General Social Care Council (GSCC) shows that 93 per cent of social workers surveyed, believe that newly qualified social workers (NQSW) lack key skills when they enter the workplace.

Almost half of respondents to the poll in Social Work Connections, the GSCC’s newsletter for social workers and students, thought that NQSW’s needed more training in ‘risk analysis’.

Read more here

Via CQC Website Press Release – http://www.cqc.org.uk/

Services have steadily improved overall but rising demand and pressure on finances make reform essential, says new regulator

The Care Quality Commission applauded overall improvements over recent years, as it published its first annual report to parliament on the state of health care and adult social care in England.

But it cautioned that some services were lagging behind the pack and that there were areas of common concern across health and social care, notably keeping people safe and staff training.

CQC pointed out that services would be operating in a different environment in future, with pressure on finances adding to continuing increases in demand and rising expectations. It said that the next big challenge for health and social care is to accelerate efforts to make services more joined up and centred around people’s needs.

Its report argues that joining up health and social care can deliver both better care and greater efficiency.

Read State of Care report here

The Department of Social Work and Social Care at the University of Sussex is carrying out research on access to social care for adults with autism spectrum disorders in England.

This research has been commissioned by the Social Care Institute for Excellence and sponsored by the Department of Health. It will inform and support the Department of Health strategy for Adults with autism spectrum disorders.

Read more and access the online survey via the NAS website http://www.autism.org.uk/

UNISON have set out a ten point blueprint which is aimed at combating the problem of violence and aggression faced by their members.

Helga Pile, UNISON national officer for social care, said:
“Sadly, being a social worker, or working in social care has become a high risk job. It cannot be right that staff who are working hard, often under difficult circumstances, to keep children and vulnerable adults safe, are coming under regular attacks and abuse.

They call for the first step to be setting up a national register of attacks.

More information can be found on the UNISON Website

Penny Thompson to join the GSCC as new Chief Executive

04/02/2010 Via the GSCC Website ~ http://www.gscc.org.uk/Home/

The General Social Care Council (GSCC) today announced the appointment of a new Chief Executive – Penny Thompson – to replace its interim Chief Executive, Paul Snell.

Penny will take over the role with the GSCC, which regulates social workers and social work education and training, by 1 April 2010.

A trained social worker, Penny has over twenty years experience in social care and local government, including as Chief Executive of the London Borough of Hackney, and Social Services Director of Sheffield City Council. She is currently co-director of independent public sector consultancy PeysnerThompson Ltd.

Announcing Penny’s appointment, GSCC Chair Rosie Varley said:

“I am delighted that the GSCC has appointed someone of such standing within the social care sector. Penny’s career demonstrates her ability to achieve in the most demanding of circumstances. In particular, her experience of turning around the performance of Sheffield’s social services department, together with her recent experience at NHS-Haringey in the wake of the Baby Peter tragedy, make her an ideal candidate to take forward the GSCC at this critical juncture.”

Read more here

The latest (edition 3) of the User-Led Organisation Action and Learning newsletter is now available to download via the DH website.

Contents includes;

• Wave 1 News
• Wave 2 Update
• Capacity Builders
• The Right to Control
• Organisational updates
• ULO Engagement update
• Local Involvement Networks (LINks)
• Personalisation
• Carers Strategy Update
• Personal Health budgets

Newsletter can be downloaded here

Via the  NMHDU website – http://www.nmhdu.org.uk/

There needs to be much greater attention and effort on improving mental wellbeing to help people live healthier, happier and more productive lives, according to the results of a major new survey of 18,500 residents in the North West launched recently, which reveals significant differences in levels of mental wellbeing.

The survey can be downloaded here