Service before self
“Above all I want the work that I do to matter and make a difference to people’s lives; only then will the internal critic of self-doubt and guilt quieten down for a while.” A guest blogger at We Love Local Government describes the very human impact of the cuts.
Parting shots – Why I left my social work post and what I’d change
“While I don’t regret leaving, not really, I do wish I’d been listened to more. That more than anything, would have led me to stay.” CB describes the pressures on social workers from cuts and successive reorganisations, and why some have to leave the profession they love.
Capita, Serco, G4S, government and the rise and rise of electronic tagging
“It seems that Capita has positioned itself (with three other companies) to take over the dire electronic tagging system run by Serco and G4S for the Ministry of Justice. By “dire,” I mean “very likely fraudulent”…” Kate Belgrave is concerned about Capita’s expansion into the electronic tagging market.
Telehealth: So obvious, it must be true
“Like any other intervention, telehealth needs evidence to show effectiveness, safety and cost-effectiveness. So Telehealth Advocates, prove me wrong…” Mark Macgregor casts a sceptical eye over the supposed benefits of telehealth.
Only one argument!
Sometimes in this job you have a week that is like no other you have experienced before and for me this is an important subtle reminder that you can never make any assumptions in social work. It is also a gentle reminder that life is precious and should be treated with respect, and maybe I […]
£3.8bn for health and social care? No thanks!
When I heard the announcement that the Government was creating a £3.8bn pot to fund social care my heart sank. Not because the funding isn’t needed. It clearly and quite desperately is. But this isn’t new money. It’s money that is currently in the “ring fenced, protected” NHS budget and used to provide services free […]
Carers need more than hugs and chocolate
She`d waited a long time for this weekend away; so it had to be right. Dinner B&B, twin room, sea view, parking on site-and shops within a stroll. After scouring the south coast from Deal to Dorset; we found a place that ticked all five boxes-and they were off: Phyllis-my dad`s partner- and for company, […]
Ordinary residence, extraordinary mess
“Disabled people in residential care who want to live more independently are being prevented from doing so by funding wrangles between local authorities” – that’s taken from a piece I wrote three years ago, but since then little has changed. The original piece is on the Guardian website: “Caught in a trap: disabled people can’t move out […]
Do we still value people for who they are?
Recently, I’ve been wondering: what happened to our society’s fundamental moral belief that people have inherent value by virtue of being human? When did we start, consciously or sub-consciously, measuring people’s well-being in terms of cost? Is this the kind of society we really want, or is it the result of a political ideology for […]
Six months in… social work and social care
It’s six months since we launched this version of Guerilla Policy. Here’s a selection of some of our favourite posts we’ve published in social care and social work - from child protection to cuts, recruitment into social work to leaving the profession.
‘The one and only one’
For many years social work assessments have been the main focus for debate and questions within the media and social work practise. First we do the Initial assessment, then if we need more information we complete a more fuller core assessment. The time scales for these assessments were set in guidance regardless of the need […]
The real impact of PIP on social care
I’ve just finished reading about how PIP (Personal Independence Payments) will impact on social care services and it was really shocking. Simon Duffy from the Centre for Welfare Reform writes: “The replacement of DLA with PIP will damage local communities by reducing the incomes of people in poverty, reducing charging income for social care and increasing the numbers entitled […]
Race to the bottom commissioning
Writers are obsessed not just with words but with wordcount. That innocuous, humble figure in the drop-down menu or nestling innocently in the bottom left hand corner of your screen should be a record of achievement. Instead, too often it’s a curse, an ever-tightening straitjacket on the creative flow. Blogging at least allows me to […]
“The revolution starts in the ATOS smoking area” - on welfare, addiction, and dependency
“The extent of the impact of welfare reform scares the shit out of me. That so many people are being attacked on so many fronts, that legal aid is gone, that the help and support once available to claimants, inadequate to begin with, is being cut to shreds…” Social worker Ramona highlights the reality of so-called ‘welfare dependency’.
Rich pickings in foster care
In January the Financial Times carried a piece about the investment potential for private companies seeking to invest in foster care. Entitled Fostering Sector Ripe For Consolidation, it begins in seductive fashion not with high finance or balance sheets but with the personal experience of carers who are clearly dedicated to the disabled child they […]
Fighting for our independence
“The big question for me is, even in these difficult times, can the Coalition rise to this vital challenge, or will the life chances of disabled people be destroyed for a generation?” Jane Young argues for an alternative to the Government’s welfare reforms and the planned closure of the Independent Living Fund.
Choice - real or imagined
I have just read a really interesting blogpost by a GP I admire a great deal: Dr Martin Brunet. He tweets as @DocMartin68. I’m not sure who the other 67 Doc Martins are but I like this touch of humour and Martin’s ‘down to earth’ approach to many of the pithy issues that are facing the […]
Adoption: Threats and divisions as Gove loses patience
We’ve known for some time now that as far as working with children in care are concerned, adoption is the government’s absolute priority. A series of announcements over the past 15 months or so have focused on different aspects of the process. Last week came the latest and potentially most radical, where failing authorities could […]
The big question?
“I don’t think the government have a clue what constitutes success in social work so they came up with some half arsed timescales and a quick look around the basics of what we do and then tell us we are ‘outstanding’.” Social Worker X asks some fundamental questions about social work and doubts whether how we measure ‘success’ fits with the reality of protecting children.
Normal service will not be resumed
“Listen to ministers and you could be forgiven for believing that although cuts in the public sector are necessary, services will be maintained.” Abe Laurens describes the adverse impact on the fostering sector of benefit changes and how these will effect the number of placements available.