Welfare Reform on the Web (February 2004): Social Care - UK
CRIMINAL RECORDS BUREAU: REGULATIONS UNDER PART 5 OF THE POLICE ACT 1997: A CONSULTATION PAPER
Home Office
[London]: 2003
The proposed regulations will strengthen the role of Registered Bodies in the disclosure process, in particular by making them unambiguously responsible for validating the identity of applicants for disclosure and ensuring that disclosure application forms are fully completed. The regulations also set out the disclosure fees that will apply from April 1st 2004. The fees are currently £24 for a standard disclosure and £29 for an enhanced disclosure and will rise to £28 and £33 respectively.
DEFINING THE ELECTRONIC SOCIAL CARE RECORD: A PROPOSAL FOR INFORMATION MANAGEMENT IN SOCIAL CARE
Department of Health
2003
The report reviews development work so far and sets out an agenda for full implementation of the electronic social care record. It argues that the delivery of good social services depends on up-to-date information on users that may be shared by agencies and transferred when clients move. The report also presents proposals for procurement of the systems, funding and maintenance of confidentiality. Access to information will be agreed with service users, who will also be able to see their own records.
INTEGRATED TOP TO BOTTOM
B. Hudson, S. Giles and A. Crawford
Community Care, Dec. 18th 2003-Jan. 7th 2004, p.32-34
In order for health and social care agencies to work together effectively, mechanisms for joint governance need to be developed at board level. One way of addressing this is to have clear and unambiguous partnership agreements, setting out the terms of business and the rules of engagement, including how to handle relationship breakdown.
PAYBACK TIME
G. Clews, H. Mooney and M.L. Harding
Health Service Journal, Vol. 14, Jan. 8th 2004, p.12-15
The introduction of fines for social services departments which cannot provide care for discharged patients has given an impetus to joint working between health and social care. The article considers the implications of the new system for acute trusts and private care homes, and presents a series of case studies.
PROTECTION OF VULNERABLE ADULTS SCHEME IN ENGLAND AND WALES FOR PEOPLE ACCOMMODATED IN REGISTERED CARE HOMES AND PEOPLE IN RECEIPT OF PERSONAL CARE IN THEIR OWN HOMES FROM DOMICILIARY AGENCIES: A PRACTICAL GUIDE: CONSULTATION DRAFT
Department of Health
[London]: 2003
People living in care homes and those who receive personal care in their own homes will be protected from known abusers under a new scheme that bans them form working with vulnerable adults. The scheme is based on the Protection of Vulnerable Adults (POVA) list. People who have harmed a vulnerable adult in their charge will be placed on the list and thereafter banned from employment as care workers.
QUALITY CARE SERVICES FOR A MODERN SCOTLAND: FIRST ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT OF THE CARE COMMISSION, 1 APRIL 2002 TO 31 MARCH 2003
Dundee: Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care, 2003
Report shows the progress the Care Commission has made in its first year of operation as Scotland's national independent care services regulator. In its first year of operation it has:
- contacted 100% of registered services;
- registered 1,254 services;
- completed 12,108 inspections;
- established a system of integrated regulation with Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education;
- launched a nationwide consultation on standards.
THE ROLE AND IMPACT OF THE STATUTORY FRAMEWORK FOR TRAINING IN THE SOCIAL CARE SECTOR
H. Gospel and M. Thompson
Nottingham: DFES Publications, 2003 (Research report; RR495)
The report finds that care homes run by large private operators and local authorities are best placed to meet national minimum standards on staff training, but many smaller homes will struggle to get 50% of their staff to NVQ level 2 by 2005. Employers are mostly paying for training time and assessment and often for courses, but a good deal of government funding is also available. Funding training is a problem for smaller homes, which have difficulty accessing complex funding streams. Overall, the introduction of the standards has had a positive effect on staff morale, with a real desire for progression and a belief that training will create better career prospects.