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.

Child Neglect in Scotland

The Scottish Executive have published a new report, conducted by researchers at University of Stirling, on the current scale and nature of child neglect in Scotland. Daniel, B., Burgess, C. & Scott, J. (2012). A review of child neglect in Scotland, provides statistical information but also delivers information from focus groups on how well professionals across disciplines are performing in recognising and helping neglected children.

Designing and delivering older care in Glasgow

A new report from IRISS, the Institute for Research and Innovation in Social Sciences, has been published on an innovative project: Shaping the choreography of care & support for older people in Glasgow. This partnership project, working with diverse agencies from social work, to health, to Glasgow School of Art, collaborated on future support for older people's well being and service delivery.

Integrated Care in Lanarkshire

Hendry, A. (2010). Lanarkshire's managed care network: an integrated improvement collaboration. Journal of Integrated Care. 18 (3) pp. 45-51. This journal is available via CareKnowledge. The Lanarkshire service encompasses health, social care and housing, to improve service delivery to older people.

New publications form the Department for children, Schools and Families

Farmer, E. & Lutman, E. (2010). Case management and outcomes for neglected children returned to their parents: a five-year follow up study. Department for children, Scools and Families research Brief 214. Key findings of this study include that there is a tendency over a long period of time of intervention for abuse and neglect to be minimised in reporting leading to insufficient action to protect children; that outcomes were much better for younger children, for whom intervention tends to be more proactive, and that in two fifths of cases children were not adequately safeguarded, often because of over-optimistic views of the possibility of parental change.
Carpenter, J. et al (2010). Outcomes of inter-agency training to safeguard children: final report to the Department for Children, Schools and Families and the Department of Health. This study examines the evidence base for inter-agency training and. assesses the efficacy of training in safeguarding children.

Department for Children, Schools and Families (2010). Parenting and Family Support: guidance for local authorities in England. Non-statutory guidance for service commsioners, managers and decsion makers.
Langer, S. et al (2010). A report on themes emerging from qualitative research into the impact of short break provision on families with disabled children. DCSF research report conducted by the Centre for Disability research, Lancaster University.
Robertson, J. et al (2010). The impacts of short break provision on disabled children and families: an international literature review. DCFS Research report 222

Safeguarding Children

Singleton, R. (2010). The chief Advisor on the Safety of children: first annual report to Parliament 2010. Outlines the changing environment in which safeguarding professionals are working, the increased demand for services and concerns from the sector.
Depatment for children, Schools and Families (2010). Working together to safeguard children: a guide to inter-agency working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. Covers statutory guidanceand non-statutory practice guidance for agents working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children in accordance with the Chidlren Act 1989 and the chidlren Act 2004.

Child protection - a police officer's account

"Baby X", Detective Seargant Harry Keeble's account of working for Hackney Child Protection is published this week.  An article about hs experiences, "How can a child be beaten to death, yet no one is jailed for murder" appeared in the Observer 17 January.