"Life After Care Conference" 2009

In September 2009 40 care leavers came together for the "Life After Care Conference" organised by the Debate Project. The Conference Report on the experiences of the attendees is available here.

Highlights from Careknowledge December

Ross, N. (2009). Young fathers and their experiences of forming families, a study from the Centre for Research on Families and Relationships.
Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland. (2009) Too Close to See. Report into the care and treatment of Mr F. Deficiencies in this care contributed to a serious incident and the death of Mr F.'s father.
Heslop, P & Macauley, F. (2010). Damage Limitation. Learning Disability today. Jan 2010, pp. 16-18. On research with people with learning diasabilities who self-harm.

Glasgow gangs and violence reduction

Strathclyde Police's Community Initiative to Reduce Violence report a 49.2% drop in recorded violent activity among gang member participants in the initiative. CIRV takes the approach of working with a gang as a unit and works with the gang to address offending behaviour.

National Safeguarding Delivery Unit report published

The NSDU was established in response to Lord Lamin's report on The Protection of Children in England. The first NSDU report outlines its priorities in developing the Independent Serious Case Review and identifying and disseminating lessons to be learnerd from the SRC and Child Death overview panels.

Are mother and baby units the best option?

Doing time with mum. Beth Gardiner meets women bringing up theri babies in prison. Guardian 19 December.

Adoption research paper from the Social Policy Research Unit, University of York

Characteristics, outcomes and meanings of three types of permanent placement - adoption by strangers, adoption by carers and long-term foster care. September 2009.

Substance Exposed Infants - Paper from the USA

Substance-exposed infants: state responses to the problem
It might be interesting to contrast this paper from the US. Department of Health and Human Services, National Centre on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare with current practice in the UK.

Adoption e-document

Adoption and the Inter-agency Fee, a research report from the Department for Children Schools and Families.

Children's Centres in Rural Areas

Insights from users and providers of children's centres in rural communities: a summary report. Commission for rural communities

Home Office Research Reports on drug treatment

The drug treatment outcomes research study (DTORS): cost-effectiveness analysis.
The drug treatment outcomes research study (DTORS): qualitative study.

Care Knowledge highlights - new Scottish content this week

Care knowledge is useful in highlighting new e-documents and acting as a gateway to reports across a variety of sources.
From the Scottish executive:
The Capacity of disability organisations to engage with public authorities.
A resource guide to engagement standards, guidance and tool kits.
Mapping Scotland's disability organisations.
Older people living in the community - nutritional needs, barriers and interventions: a literature review.
Other highlights from Careknowledge this week:
Targeted violence and hostility against people with mental health conditions.
Healthier children safer communities.
Young black people and the criminal justice system.

E-Doc on hidden Children

The children's Society have published a research report Hidden Children: separated children at risk focussing on children removed from their country of origin, who are then vulnerable to exploitation.

New E-documents on the web

Who's child now? Fifteen years of working to prevent the sexual exploitation of children in the UK. Barnardo's (2009).
UK Manifesto for Children. Unicef (2009).
United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child: priorities for action. Department for Children, Schools and Families (2009).
Working together achieving more: a joint commitment to take action in response to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child's concluding observations. Department for Children, Schools and Families (2009).
Keeping children out of harmful institutions: why we should be investing in family based care. Save the Children (2009).
Together we can end violence against women and girls: a strategy. Home Office (2009).
Improving safety, reducing harm: children, young people and domestic violence: a practical toolkit for frontline practitioners. Department of Health. (2009).
Conceptualising the prevention of sexual assault and the role of education. Carmody, M. (2009). Australian Centre for the Study of Sexual Assault.

Immigration camps are harmful to children

A joint statement by the Royal Colleges of Paediatricians, GPs and Psychiatrists and the UK Faculty of Public Health is to be presented to ministers today. The report concludes that the detention of vulnerable children seeking asylum, at Yarl's Wood is harmful physically and psychologically. See reports in the Independent & BBC.

Children and Young People in custody 2008-2009

This report was published by HM inspectorate of Prisons, Youth Justice board today. The report found an over representation of care-leavers and ethnic minorities in the custodial population, with many young people complaining that little has been done to help them avoid reoffending on release. See also comment in the Guardian, December 9.

A day with an Approved Mental Health Professional

Today's Guardian carries and article in which Deborah Orr spends a day with the mental health workers who routinely face the decision of whether to section under the mental health act.

Assessing student social workers suitability: university procedures compared

Currer, C. (2009) Assessing student social workers' professional suitability: comparing university procedures in England. British Journal of Social Work, 39(8), pp. 1481-1498. Currer compares procedures in English Universities and finds that social work educators, in their role as gatekeepers to entering the profession, vary in their processes for determining fitness of students to practice, and concludes that greater guidance from the General Social Care Council is required.

Poverty and Social Exclusion Report

Monitoring Poverty and Social Exclusion 2009, the annual report form the Joseph Rowntree Foundation is now available online.

Banks accounts help to reduce reoffending

A project which furnishes prisoners with bank accounts has been shown to reduce reoffending rates. Staff at Forest Bank private prison in Manchester worked with the Cooperative bank, enabling prisoners to open bank accounts while serving their terms. For 60%  prisoners, this was the first time they had held a bank account and participants reported increased feelings of self respect in addition to the practical benefits when finding employment or accomodation. The first report of the follow up of prisoners (2008) showed reconviction rates reduced by around 50% of the national average, and the 2009 follow up of the original group continues to show the same rate of success. See Guardian, 3 December online.

Social Work Task Force Recommendations

The recommendations of the Social Work Task Force (England & Wales) are examined at length in this weeks Community Care (3rd December, Jordanhill Serials 362).

Partner exploitation and violence in teenage intimate relationships

The NSPCC and University of Bristol have published the first major British  study of the incidence and impact of violence in teenage intimate relationships. The report found that such violence has to be regarded as a significant issue in child welfare, with girls reporting far more frequent incidences of violence than boys, and that these had a greater negtive impact. Younger girls (13-15) were just as likely to experience violence as young women age 16+ and few reported the violence to an adult.

Higher Inspirations, Brighter Futures launch - NRCCI

The National Residential Child Care Initiative, led by SIRCC, yesterday released a set of reports on the future of residential childcare in Scotland. The NRCCI was commissioned by the Scottish Executive to undertake a strategic review of  residential childcare services and to provide a blueprint for their future develoment, with the aim of making "residential care the first and best placement choice for those children whose needs it serves". Findings include that residential care can make a lasting and positive contribution to young peoples' lives, rather than always being a service of last resort, as it is currently perceived by the public and some professionals. See also a digest at Learning and Teaching Scotland.

Care Quality Commission findings on Adult Care (England)

The regulator for social care and mental health in England today released their first annual report on the quality of adult care in England. The Commission has found improvement overall, but eight local authorities have been told urgent improvement is needed. At least one local authority executive has disputed the findings. The report covers the provision of home care, in addition to residential care. See also BBC news online.

SCIE Online TV

SCIE (Social Care Institute for Excellence) have a new online TV service, with streamed video on safeguarding adults and children, children of prisoners, mental capacity and more. SCIE's dementia gateway also has a selection of online videos and e-learning resources.

Social Work Task Force Final Report

Children's secretary Ed Balls and Health secretary Andy Burnham (England and Wales) will announce today new standards in social work, including pay reform, improvements to social work degrees, changes in selection procedures and the introduction of a licence to practice, only awarded after sucessful completion of a probationary year in practice. The proposed new National College of Social Work will be a professional body to strengthen the representation of social workers. (Guardian 1st December 2009). The final report's recommendations will not, however, include a national cap on workloads.

Ed Balls Interviewed in the Guardian

Ed Balls interview in The Guardian, 28.11.09, wants to see a cultural shift in status and a better future for social work as a profession. He talks of the balancing act between the need to act, in the days following the emergence of failures at Haringay council to protect Baby P, and the need to maintain the morale of a battered profession. The Social Work Task Force at the Department of Children Schools and Families (England and Wales) are due today to report on recommendations for the future of the profession, including the proposed establishment of a Royal College of Social Work.

Prison Population Rises

Scottish Prison Statistics published yesterday show that the Scottish Prison population increased by 6% last year, with 75% of people completing short prison sentences going on to reoffend.

Dublin clerical child abuse report published

The Report by Commission of Investigation into Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin was published yesterday by the Irish Department of Justice. The report gives a damning report verdict on the handling by Church and State of allegations of child abuse against Dublin clerics. Findings include that the church prioritised protection of its reputation above the protection of children and that the State, including the Garda (police) further failed to protect children by allowing the church to operate outside the law, reporting allegations back to church authorities, rather than initiating police investigation. Further detail and comment can be read online at BBC News.