Joined Up Thinking

I'm sure we all suspected it already, but a report this week from the Kings Fund Explaining variation in use of emergency hospital beds by patients over 65 gives us an explicit statement that areas where there are well developed integrated care services for older people have lower emergency hospital bed occupancy, and in areas where there are larger than average proportions of older people in the community, hospital bed occupancy by this demographic is lower. This is possibly because the development of integrated services is more advanced in these locales, having developed in response to the needs of the population. The corollary of this is that in areas of high bed occupancy tended to have overly long lengths of stay related to older people transitioning from hospital back to supported home or social care living. The wide spread introduction of more joined up services would reduce hospital costs considerably and one would hope improve the lives of service users.
In Swindon services for a different demographic group have also shown that inter-professional working can improve the efficacy of health and social services. A formal partnership between NHS Swindon and Swindon Borough Council to work with Participle, reduced the number of different contacts with outside agencies with families who participate, with integrated teams. The results have seen  increases in adults returning to work or training, children returning to school and  reduction in numbers of children on child protection plans, as participating families were supported in making changes. See Guardian 10 August for more information.

New E-publications

Action For Children (2010). Deprivation and risk: the case for early intervention. In three sections: policy analysis, life stories and a summary of effective practice in tackling child deprivation.
Statham, J. & Smith, M. (2010). Issues in earlier intervention: identifying and supporting children with additional needs. Department for Children, Schools and Families. Focuses on two broad types of need: the risk of abuse or neglect and the risk of emotional/behavioural/mental health difficulties.
Walker, J. et al. (2010). Relationships matter: understanding the needs of adults (particularily parents) regarding relationship support. Department for Children, Schools and Families. A qualitative study designed to inform policy formulated to support relationships between parents, in order to minimise the risks, for children, associated with parental separation.
Department for Children, Schools and Families. (2010). Building a safe and confident future: implementing the recommendations of the Social Work Task Force. A joint policy implementation plan from the Department for Children, Schools and Families, the Department of Health and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills in partnership with the Social Work Reform Board.
DCSF Violence Agains Women and Girls Advisory Group. (2010). Advisory Group final report and recommendations. this group was set up to advise ministers on how schools can help to tackle the issue of violence against women and girls.
May, T. et al. (2010). Differential treatment in the youth justice system. Equality and Human Rights Commission. Examines the inequlity of treatment of different ethnic groups by the youth justice system.

New E-documents

Speight, S. et al. (2010). Families experiencing multiple disadvantage: their use of and views on childcare provision. National Centre for Social Research.
Silvestra, A. (2009). Young people, knives and guns: a comprehensive review, analysis and critique of gun and knife crime strategies. Centre for Crime and Justice Studies.
Stanley, N. et al. (2010). Children and families experiencing domestic violence: police and childrens' social services' responses. NSPCC.
Loureiro, T. & Fellow, L. (2009). Child and family impact assessments in court: implications for policy and practice. Families Outside.
Centre for Social Justice. (2010). Green paper on the family. Centre for Social Justice.
Ministry of Justice. Reducing re-offending: supporting families, creating better futures.
Esley, S. (2010). "Advocacy makes you feel brave": advocacy support for children and young people in Scotland. Scottish Parliament.