Welfare Reform on the Web (February 2001): Social Care - UK

BUILDING FROM THE BOTTOM UP

P. McCurry

Community Care, no.1346, 2000, p.22-23

Article examines recent mergers between social services and other local authority departments such as education and asks whether integration is necessary to make a success of joint working. There are dangers that social services are not given a high enough profile in the merged department and that the merger is regarded as primarily a cost-cutting operation.

DIRECTORS URGE HUTTON TO OPT FOR INTER-AGENCY ASSESSMENTS

J. Cresswell

Community Care, no.1348, 2000, p.2-3

Under the NHS Plan a single needs assessment process for health and social care will be introduced by April 2002. There is concern about government plans for a nurse-led system rather than a multi-disciplinary approach that would look at the needs of the whole person.

EVERYTHING UP FOR GRABS

R. Winchester

Community Care, no.1347, 2000, p.12

Investigates how Best Value reviews and inspections are impacting on local authority social services departments.

HUTTON SETS THE PACE BUT CAN WORKERS KEEP UP

P. Neate

Community Care, no.1347, 2000, p.10-11

Reports substance of an interview with the Health Minister, John Hutton. Predicts the demise of social services departments within five years, as responsibility for commissioning of adult social care is transferred to care trusts, while children's services may be transferred to education departments. There will be investment in improving training for social care work as part of the drive to raise standards.

A PROBLEM SHARED

T. Shifrin

Health Service Journal, vol.110, Nov 30th 2000, p.16-17

Describes how NHS funds were used to help maintain social services in Hackney following a financial crisis in the borough.

AN SOS FOR SOCIAL WORK

C. Woodley

Municipal Journal, Nov 24th-30th 2000, p.16

Uncovers evidence of an alarming recruitment and retention crisis in social services departments.

VALUE JUDGEMENTS

F. Rickford

Community Care, no.1348, 2000, p.20-22

Over the past seven years home care services have been rapidly privatised and access has become more restricted. Service quality has been adversely affected by low pay and poor conditions of home care staff, increasingly rigid bureaucratic control, and high staff turnover. There is concern that the new best value regime will lead to further exercises in cost cutting by local authorities.

WHAT'S WRONG IN WALES?

R. Winchester

Community Care, no.1347, 2000, p.22-23

Social services departments in Wales have been heavily criticised in recent enquiries and joint inspections. Welsh social services have suffered from political interference by their local authorities, upheavals due to local government reorganisation in 1996 and lack of resources for tackling high levels of poverty.