Simon Hughes calls for review into children’s access to legal aid
The family justice minister Simon Hughes has called for an urgent review of legal aid cuts in a move that publicly signals Liberal Democrat unease over the impact of coalition austerity policies.
In a statement issued through his party’s press office, Hughes has asked his own department, the Ministry of Justice, to investigate whether vulnerable children [...]
Social workers making the right decisions to protect children, say guardians
In over 80% of cases local authorities were right to make applications for care proceedings when there were no other courses of action
Social workers have been making the right decisions to protect children since the death of Baby P, research by Cafcass has found.
The organisation’s study, Three weeks in November, found that in over [...]
Minister applauds council’s child sexual exploitation project
The Kingfisher project brings together police, council and health services to work together to combat child sexual exploitation
Oxfordshire council’s award-winning sexual exploitation project has been heralded as a method that can “drive improvements elsewhere” by the crime prevention minister.
The authority’s Kingfisher project brings together police, council and health services to work together to combat child [...]
The HCPC answers your queries about social worker registration fees
The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) answers Community Care readers’ questions on the fees and costs of being a member:
Q: Can you explain the HCPC fee structure?
A: Our registration fee is currently £80 a year for all registrants, which is based on our projections of future activity levels and considered by the HCPC council annually.
We [...]
Are social workers being dishonest about the realities of adopting a child?
Adopting a child is not about neat beginnings or endings, yet there is much pressure to pretend it is, writes adopter Sally Donovan.
The adjective most used to describe my work is ‘honest’. Sometimes it is prefaced with ‘searingly’ and expressed in a way that might indicate my honesty is not entirely welcome.
When the manuscript [...]
Entering care is an opportunity to evaluate a child’s emotional well-being and improve their mental health
Entering care is an opportunity to evaluate a child’s emotional well-being and improve their mental health.
Concepts of prevention and early intervention can seem like an awkward fit with the care system. It’s sometimes viewed as the end of the road, when other interventions have failed. But a child’s entry to care can represent a new phase [...]
