Removing assessment deadlines 'could hinder funding' - 7/20/2011 - Community Care

Removing assessment deadlines 'could hinder funding' - 7/20/2011 - Community Care

Molly Garboden of COMMUNITYcare [online]

Wednesday 20 July 2011 15:02

Removing assessment deadlines will make it more difficult for children's services to secure funding from councils, according to a former director.

The warning follows the government's pledge to remove the statutory duties on assessment deadlines and the distinction between initial and core assessments.

But today Deborah Absalom, former director of young people's services in Bexley, Greater London, said although targets had hindered social work practice, they had helped directors fight for money.

"They have made the need for funding very clear in local authorities where you have to fight for resources in that area," she told the CIPFA conference on social care funding.

"On a practice level, Munro rightly recommended we lessen that target-driven culture, but I think children's services will have a much harder time arguing their case when they don't have those hard numbers to fall back on."

Absalom, now a children's services consultant, said she did not know of anything children's services departments could do to prepare for this change, adding "it's very wait-and-see".

But there was some hope in Graham Allen's reports on early intervention. "There is good work going on about cost models in early intervention," she told Community Care. "People are looking at how we get some hard evidence together about services. That's really positive."

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http://issuu.com/theifsw/docs/social_work_and_the_rights_of_the_child/1?mode=a_p

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Family Law Week: Independent social workers attack Family Justice Review plans to oust them from courts

Family Law Week: Independent social workers attack Family Justice Review plans to oust them from courts

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Independent social workers attack Family Justice Review plans to oust them from courts

CISW Conference demonstrates depth of opposition by ISWs to proposals

Independent social workers (ISWs) have expressed their anger at proposals to reduce the reliance on expert witness testimonies in family courts. Speakers at a conference hosted by the Confederation of Independent Social Work Agencies (CISWA) described the reform plans, set out in an interim report from the Family Justice Review (FJR) published in March 2011, "as a victimization of ISWs".

Addressing the event, Dame Gillian Pugh, a member of the FJR panel, defended the proposals as "necessary in light of the shocking delays that damage children". But ISW critics said proposals such as ISWs only being employed to provide new information to the court that cannot be provided by the local authority social worker or guardian suggests a lack of understanding about the work independent social workers undertake. One ISW told Dame Pugh: "This reads as change for change's sake and shows a lack of awareness, understanding and evidence about the role of ISWs in court proceedings."

Other speakers at the CISWA event in Birmingham on 24 June lined up to add their criticisms of the reform agenda. BASW professional officer Nushra Mansuri told the event:

"ISWs have been singled out again in a discriminatory manner which is disappointing – a broad-brush approach has been taken that should not be applied across all cases in court."

Ms Mansuri suggested that the current fiscal climate was behind the FJR plans.

"Allowing budgetary issues to dictate what happens in cases involving vulnerable children is risky and unacceptable."

Dr Julia Brophy, senior research fellow at the Centre for Family Law and Policy at the University of Oxford questioned the basis for the reform proposals:

"There are issues with the evidence submitted for the Family Justice Review, with regard to claims of delay, duplication and lack of added value we would like to see a full evidence based evaluation as soon as possible."

Conference chair Philip King, director of ISWA, broadened the debate to encompass the separate decision to cap ISW court fees to £30 per hour, £33 in London, a move that came into force in May. He told ISWs:

"Now is the time to stand up for ourselves and refuse to offer our expert services in exchange for so little."

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Codes of practice - General Social Care Council

General Social Care Commission [GSCC]

Codes of practice

What are the codes of practice for social workers and employers?

The first ever UK-wide codes of practice for social workers and employers were launched in September 2002. The codes provide a clear guide for all those who work in social work, setting out the standards of practice and conduct workers and their employers should meet. They are a critical part of regulating the workforce and helping to improve levels of professionalism and public protection.

To date, the GSCC has distributed more than two and a half million copies of the codes to employers and social workers across England.

Section 62 of the Care Standards Act 2000 requires us to produce the codes and to keep them under review. The codes were developed following extensive consultation with social care workers, people who use services and carers in 2002. They build on existing good practice and the shared values of the sector. Many people rely on the honesty, integrity and professional skills of social care workers and these codes spell out the standards people can expect of them.

Every social worker and employer should have a copy of the codes of practice. The codes of practice can be downloaded from our website. They are also available in various languages and accessible formats, which can be downloaded for free from the website or ordered online.

Enforcing the codes of practice

The codes mean that the social work sector have similar regulation to doctors and nurses. Registered social workers who breach the codes could be removed from the Social Care Register.

• If an employer feels an issue brings a worker's registration into question, a registered social care worker can be referred to the GSCC, which will investigate and consider whether their case should be heard at a conduct hearing.
• The CQC (Care Quality Commission) and Ofsted take the Code of Practice for Social Care Employers into account when enforcing care standards.