Welfare Reform on the Web (January 2011): Social care - UK - community care

Personal assistants special report

V. Pitt and others

Community Care, Nov. 25th 2010, p. 22-29

Due to the personalisation agenda, the market for personal assistants for people with physical and learning disabilities is growing. This special report covers arguments for and against regulating personal assistants through a registration scheme, safeguarding and recruitment issues around hiring personal assistants for people who lack mental capacity, a case study of a service taking its inspiration from dating agencies to find personal assistants that are compatible with personal budget holders, and advice on how to get the employer-personal assistant relationship right.

Reflections on the serious case review of a female adult (JK)

P. Scourfield

Journal of Adult Protection, vol. 12, Nov. 2010, p. 16-30

This article reflects on the serious case review undertaken in relation to the death of JK, who had refused social services and had chosen to live in squalor and unsafe circumstances. She was found dead in her home by members of the Carrick Rapid Assessment Team. This paper explores, from a social work perspective:

1. legal powers in working with people who refuse services
2. a consideration of the relevant concepts of choice, risk, self-determination and power
3. whether such situations should always be regarded as safeguarding issues, and the implications of their being so regarded.