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.

Custody versus the alternatives

Those working in criminal justice/probation may be interested in recent and possibly conflicting reports in this area. A report from the Ministry of Justice (2012), Process evaluations on intensive alternatives to custody, which assesses the efficacy of Intensive Alternatives to Custody in seven pilot areas of England and Wales. Initial finding indicate that the IAC orders were welcomed by both persistent offenders and seen as positive and effective by those working in sentencing and probation.
Meanwhile Civitas: Institute for the study of Civil Society have published Acquisitive Crime: imprisonment, detection and social factors which argues that longer custodial sentences are effective in reducing the number of future offences. Paul McDowell, chief executive of Nacro, argues that the Civitas analysis is flawed in todays Guardian .

IRISS FM - social work podcasts

Last month IRISS - The Institute for Research and Innovation in Social Services launched their IRISS FM service - giving access to Social Service Podcasts on diverse social work topics. To listen online or download to you MP3 device of choice go to http://irissfm.iriss.org.uk/

Social Working Independently

Kelly Hicks, Social Worker of the Year 2011, left employment with Doncaster Council and to move in to independent work in the community. Hicks then founded Personalisation Forum Group, a peer support community network for people with mental health problems, whose action has helped to support members and help avoid emergency psychiatric admissions. Group action by the PFG has subsequently forced Doncaster Council to live up to it's statutory obligations in social care assessments for people with mental health problems. You can read more about Hicks work in the Guardian, 12 June 2012.

Apps for Independent Living

The June/July issue of Learning Disability Today has a short article on how everyday technology including phone and tablet apps are helping people with daily challenges like using public transport and communication. Learning Disbability Today can be accessed via CareKnowledge.

Cushen, M. (2012). Getting technical. Learning Disability Today. June/July 2012, 14-15.

Returning Home

The NSPCC have published a report Returning home from care: what's best for children, which examines family reunification and how children returning to the family home can be best supported and protected, as  research reveals that half of all the children who come into care because of neglect or abuse who return home, will subsequently come into care again having suffered further abuse or neglect.

Therapeutic Approaches in Residential Child Care

SCIE have produced a new report 58: Therapeutic approaches to social work in residential child care settings .
Accompanying this they have also released a film on Social Care TV: Therapeutic Approaches to Residential Childcare in Northern Ireland.