Social Care Researching

SCIE have published Bibliographical Databases for Social Care Searching, J. Clapton, 2010, a report on the use of bibliographic databases, coverage and strategies, for researching in the field of social care. Among others the report recommends Social Care Online, Child Data, Psychinfo and Applied Social Science Information and Abstracts (ASSIA), all of which are available via our Social Work Electronic Services page. The report recommends search coverage of a minimum of eight databases to ensure in depth research. Our Articles and Search on the Suprimo Catalogue page, can help you with this, and you can now compile customised bundle of databases to cross search using the Find Databases function. Ask at the library enquiry desk for further help.

Fostering in crisis

A report published recently by the Fostering Network, Clark, H. (2010). Bursting at the Seams, highlights the crisis in fostering preciptated by the unprecedented rise in the number of children in need of foster placement in the wake of the baby Peter Connolly case. BBC Newsnight, August 4 also reported on the issue. Charity Barnardos claimed today that govenment data shows that children in England and Wales can wait up to 65 weeks for court decisions on whether they should be permanantly taken into care, leaving children vunerable in family homes or in unstable temporary foster placements. the problem has been exacerbated by the husge rise in cases and the declining status of social workers which has seen courts call for more independant assessments, rather than trust the judgement of social workers involved on the ground. See Guardian August 9, 2010.

New report on public services

Buddery, P. et al (2010). Equality cohesion and public services. 2020 Public Services Trust. The Commission on 2020 Public Services was established by the 2020 Public Services Trust to make recommendations on the possiblilites for public service reform which enables greater progress on inequality in the face of financial constraint.