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The 'practical idealist'
- Author:
- VALIOS Natalie
- Journal article citation:
- Community Care, 25.6.09, 2009, p.28.
- Publisher:
- Reed Business Information
Lucy Bolden, who works for the disability charity Papworth Trust, has been recognised as an Excellence Network champion by Community Care. This article looks at her commitment and work with the Foundations for Living project.
Guardianship and young adults: the use of welfare guardianship under the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000 for people aged under 25
- Author:
- MENTAL WELFARE COMMISSION FOR SCOTLAND
- Publisher:
- Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland
- Publication year:
- 2009
- Pagination:
- 24p.
- Place of publication:
- Edinburgh
In the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000, welfare guardianship provides the means to protect people who lack capacity to make particular decisions or take particular actions for themselves. The use of guardianship has been increasing for adults under 25, including those with mild to moderate learning disability, and the majority of applications for guardianship, which were previously made by local authorities, are now being made by parents. This research examined: what information private guardians are given about the role; how aware private guardians are of their statutory responsibilities; the views of private guardians on the involvement of social workers; the preparation and support given to supervising officers and delegated guardians; the systems in place for appointment of supervisors and responsible officers; the governance arrangements to ensure that supervisors and responsible officers are fulfilling their statutory requirements; the views of guardians and supervising officers of their impact; and the methods of recording contacts by supervisors and responsible officers. Data was collected from 50 guardianship cases, comprising 39 private cases and 11 local authority orders. Interviews were held with 38 private guardians, 29 supervising officers and 11 responsible officers. This report discusses the findings from these private guardians and social workers, and provides a number of key findings and recommendations.
Social work with people with learning difficulties
- Author:
- WILLIAMS Paul
- Publisher:
- Learning Matters
- Publication year:
- 2009
- Pagination:
- 174p., bibliog.
- Place of publication:
- Exeter
- Edition:
- 2nd ed.
Written specifically to support students on the social work degree, this book aims to provide a positive picture of people with learning difficulties, describe the roles a social worker might play in relation to people with learning difficulties, and describe developments resulting from the 2001 Government White Paper Valuing People on services for people with learning difficulties. The author presents work with people with learning difficulties as potentially long-term, provides information and materials for reflection relating to the National Occupational Standards for Social Work, emphasises the importance of values and respect for people with learning difficulties and promoting equality and partnership in relationships between social workers and people with learning difficulties, and presents current policy as the result of knowledge, skills and understanding developed through research, philosophy and practice. The book covers what is meant in practice by the term people with learning difficulties, a historical account of the development of values, the role of the social worker with people with learning difficulties, considerations that are useful for assessing needs and circumstances at different life stages of a person with learning difficulties, issues concerning assessment, service planning and service evaluation, the nature and management of risk involving people with learning difficulties, protection and advocacy, and empowerment of people with learning difficulties including enabling them to participate in and contribute to relationships and community life. Learning activities, research summaries and case studies are included.
Addressing alcohol and drug addiction among people with mental retardation in nonaddiction settings: a need for cross-system collaboration
- Authors:
- SLAYTER Elspeth, STEENROD Shelley A.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Social Work Practice in the Addictions, 9(1), January 2009, pp.71-90.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
The evidence suggests that substance abuse services for people with learning disabilities are likely to be received in nonaddiction settings that are generally focused on mental health services and are unequipped to service and support such clients. This article aims to provide social workers in nonaddiction settings with the tools to conduct substance abuse screening and to engage with colleagues in addiction settings to bring about effective intervention. The article discusses the risk, consequences and prevalence of substance abuse in people with learning disabilities, and the issues regarding their access to treatment. Current knowledge about substance abuse screening, assessment, and intervention in people with mental retardation is covered. Finally, the article concludes with a basic framework for social workers in mental health services to improve cross-system collaboration with social workers in substance abuse when working with a client with learning disabilities and substance abuse.
The ambiguities of professional and societal wisdom
- Authors:
- HUNTER Susan, KENDRICK Michael
- Journal article citation:
- Ethics and Social Welfare, 3(2), July 2009, pp.158-169.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Abingdon
This paper examines the potential limitations of professional wisdom alongside those of society more generally with respect to upholding the well-being of vulnerable and marginalized people. It presents the dangers, referring to four well-documented illustrations of professional failure, that services and service systems pose when both professionals and society at large do not demonstrate sufficient measures of positive values and ethics to ensure the protection of vulnerable people within care systems. While it argues that reform of service systems and the repair of such breaches are always possible, even such system reform may fail if it is not ultimately guided by wisdom not only from professionals but society itself. Several recent international examples of this wisdom are noted. It sees such wisdom as being located in the inherited values and social ethics of a society and the power of these to guide human conduct in the face of the profound and ongoing limitations of human nature.
Parents as allies
- Author:
- BLAIR Jim
- Journal article citation:
- Learning Disability Today, 9(4), June 2009, pp.22-24.
- Publisher:
- Pavilion
- Place of publication:
- Hove
This article is about using parents of people with learning disabilities to support service improvement. A group called LD Caring Solutions, based in London, was set up to educate health and social care professionals about how to work with people with learning disabilities and their families. The group comprises 18 parents and meets once a month to share concerns, identify priorities, plan action and collaborative partnerships. Members have spoken at conferences, met with commissioners of services and engaged in policy and guidance development. The article concludes with comments from group members, professionals and plans for the future.