Social work news

• ‘It’s a tax on disability’: rising UK social care costs force many into debt

  28-05-2023 08:00 via theguardian.com
  
  As outgoings exceed income, people can’t afford to pay for the support they need along with normal expensesDisabled people are paying “a tax on disability” by being forced to fund soaring care charges out of their benefits as the cost of living pushes care users into financial crisis.Charities and disabled people’s organisations (DPOs), including Mencap, Scope, the MS Society, Inclusion London, Dimensions, and WinVisible, told the Observer that disabled care users are bei
  
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• How Finley Boden was returned to his parents

  26-05-2023 20:16 via communitycare.co.uk
  
  Social Work Recap is a weekly series where we present key news, events, conversations, tweets and campaigns around social work from the preceding week.
  From the story behind Finley Boden’s return to his parents to the Children’s Commissioner threatening legal action over the government’s asylum plans, here’s what you might have missed this week in social work:
  Court papers reveal how Finley Boden was returned to his parents
  Finley Boden (photo: Derbyshire Constabular
  
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• Policy paper: International Education Strategy: 2023 update

  26-05-2023 17:00 via gov.uk
  
  2023 update to the International Education Strategy highlighting progress, UK government support to the UK education sector and future priorities.
  
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• A market-based service: why Australia’s aged care homes fail residents with demential

  26-05-2023 17:00 via theguardian.com
  
  The royal commission found dementia care should be ‘core business’, but more than two years later, staff say compulsory training ‘is basically non-existent’Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastRegistered nurse Alison* has spent almost $40,000 throughout her 20-year career in aged care learning how to work compassionately with elderly people and, in particular, those with dementia.Despite more than two-thirds of those in residential aged
  
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• Parents given life sentences for ‘savage’ murder of baby son

  26-05-2023 15:52 via theguardian.com
  
  Ten-month-old Finley Boden died on Christmas Day, just over a month after being returned to parents’ careA couple found guilty of the “savage and brutal” Christmas Day murder of their 10-month-old son have been sentenced to life imprisonment.Finley Boden died 39 days after a family court ruled he could be returned to the care of his parents, Stephen Boden, 30, and Shannon Marsden, 22. Continue reading...
  
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• Couple jailed for ‘savage’ Christmas Day murder of baby son

  26-05-2023 15:52 via theguardian.com
  
  Finley Boden’s father imprisoned for minimum of 29 years and his mother for minimum of 27A couple found guilty of the “savage and brutal” Christmas Day murder of their 10-month-old son have been sentenced to life imprisonment.Finley Boden died 39 days after a family court ruled he could be returned to the care of his parents, Stephen Boden, 30, and Shannon Marsden, 22. Continue reading...
  
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• Quality of social work CPD ‘much higher’ than in previous year, says regulator

  26-05-2023 13:53 via communitycare.co.uk
  
  The quality of social workers’ continuing professional development submissions was “much higher” in the last registration renewal round compared with the previous year.
  That was the message from Social Work England after the annual assessment of CPD submitted by a randomly selected sample of 2.5% of social workers on the register.
  While 129 of the 2,225 (5.8%) whose CPD was studied for the 2021 renewal round were given feedback on how their submissions could have been improved,
  
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• Decision: Revised direction to Birmingham City Council (revoked May 2023)

  26-05-2023 13:33 via gov.uk
  
  Revised statutory direction to Birmingham City Council in relation to its children’s services from July 2019.
  
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• Open consultation: Data access policy update: proposed draft

  26-05-2023 13:00 via gov.uk
  
  This consultation seeks feedback on the latest update to data access policy.
  
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• News story: Chancellor reveals life sciences growth package to fire up economy

  26-05-2023 10:38 via gov.uk
  
  A £650 million war-chest to fire up the UK’s life sciences sector and drive forward the government’s priority to grow the economy has been unveiled by the Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt today 25 May 2023.
  
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• Secure children’s home bed numbers fall despite huge level of need

  25-05-2023 23:47 via communitycare.co.uk
  
  Secure children’s home bed numbers have fallen over the last year despite huge levels of need for placements for very vulnerable children.
  The number of approved places in England and Wales’s 14 homes dropped by 7.6%, from 249 to 230 in the year to March 2023, with just 203 of these available for use, down from 220 the year before.
  The number of places contracted to the Ministry of Justice to place children detained by the criminal justice system remained stable, at 105, meaning the
  
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• Independent report: Commercial clinical trials in the UK: the Lord O’Shaughnessy review

  25-05-2023 23:30 via gov.uk
  
  Final report of the independent review of UK commercial clinical trials, and government response.
  
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• 60,000 boost to care workforce from overseas staff in past year

  25-05-2023 17:11 via communitycare.co.uk
  
  The social care workforce has been boosted by 58,000 overseas staff over the past year, revealed government immigration figures published today.
  But while care homes have made a dent in record vacancy levels experienced in 2022, staffing gaps have remained stubbornly high in domiciliary care, according to separate data issued by Skills for Care.
  The rise in overseas staff joining the workforce came on the back of the government’s decision to add ‘care workers’ and ‘home c
  
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• Social work bursaries down in value by £1,000-£1,500 due to nine-year freeze

  25-05-2023 15:46 via communitycare.co.uk
  
  The real-terms value of social work bursaries in England has fallen by £1,000 to £1,500 per year because of a nine-year freeze.
  As previously trailed by care minister Helen Whately, the government confirmed this week that bursaries – paid to university master’s students and second and third-year undergraduates – would remain at the level they have been since 2014, for the 2023-24 academic year.
  This means that an undergraduate bursary for a student in London is wort
  
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• Policy paper: The National Health Service Pension Scheme (Member Contributions) (Amendment) Regulations 2023

  25-05-2023 15:46 via gov.uk
  
  Report detailing the uplifts to the member contribution tier thresholds.
  
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• ‘Inaccurate’ grooming gang claims putting children at risk, Sunak and Braverman told

  25-05-2023 15:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Exclusive: Joint letter from organisations and experts says singling out British-Pakistani men draws attention away from other sources of sexual abusePoliticians who make “inaccurate or divisive claims” about child sexual abuse and grooming gangs undermine efforts to tackle the crime and almost certainly make children less safe, organisations and experts in the subject have warned in an unprecedented joint letter.The letter, signed by 50 researchers and more than a dozen organisation
  
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• Statement to Parliament: Health and Social Care Secretary Oral Statement on NHP

  25-05-2023 15:28 via gov.uk
  
  The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care makes a statement on the New Hospital Programme and the commitment to deliver 40 new hospitals by 2030
  
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• Press release: Record numbers of doctors and nurses to help cut waiting lists

  25-05-2023 14:51 via gov.uk
  
  There are more doctors and nurses working in the NHS than ever before, with hundreds more doctors in general practice and thousands more primary care staff.
  
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• News story: Five major hospitals to be rebuilt as part of over £20 billion new hospital infrastructure investment

  25-05-2023 14:46 via gov.uk
  
  Five hospitals constructed mostly using reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) will be rebuilt by 2030 as part of the New Hospital Programme.
  
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• Statement to Parliament: Health and Social Care Secretary Oral Statement on Patient Choice

  25-05-2023 14:27 via gov.uk
  
  The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care makes a statement on action the government is taking to improve patient choice to help cut NHS waiting times.
  
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• Guidance: School exclusions: guide for parents

  25-05-2023 14:01 via gov.uk
  
  A guide to help parents and carers understand the suspension and permanent exclusion system in schools in England.
  
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• Guidance: Wave 3 T Levels: overlapping qualifications

  25-05-2023 13:24 via gov.uk
  
  A provisional list of qualifications that overlap with wave 3 T Levels, and guidance for awarding organisations on the appeals process.
  
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• CQC checks of council adults’ services: pilots selected to test system

  25-05-2023 13:18 via communitycare.co.uk
  
  The Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) new system for assessing council adults’ services’ performance of their Care Act 2014 duties will be piloted by three councils over the coming months.
  The regulator’s work in Birmingham, Lincolnshire and Nottingham councils, which starts this month, will inform its rollout of its local authority assurance system this autumn.
  Inspectors will assess the authorities using its draft local authority assessment framework  and will a
  
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• Guidance: National flu immunisation programme plan 2023 to 2024

  25-05-2023 12:00 via gov.uk
  
  The annual flu letter describes the national flu immunisation programme and outlines which groups are eligible for flu vaccination.
  
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• Research: Studying part-time: perspectives of mature students

  25-05-2023 11:00 via gov.uk
  
  Qualitative research with mature students (aged 21 or above) about their higher education choices and experiences, and their views on modular study.
  
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• Research: Social integration in schools and colleges

  25-05-2023 11:00 via gov.uk
  
  An independent research report examining some of the approaches being used in schools and colleges to promote social integration.
  
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• Research: Mental health and wellbeing practices in higher education

  25-05-2023 11:00 via gov.uk
  
  A study of the institutional policies and practices of higher education (HE) providers to support student mental health and wellbeing.
  
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• Consultation outcome: NHS Pension Scheme: proposed uplift to member contribution thresholds for 2023 to 2024

  25-05-2023 10:50 via gov.uk
  
  We are consulting on changes to the NHS Pension Scheme Regulations 2015 concerning uplifts to member contributions in 2023 to 2024, in line with the Agenda for Change pay deal.
  
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• Research: The impact of rising costs on childcare and early years providers

  25-05-2023 10:30 via gov.uk
  
  Research on whether childcare providers’ businesses were being affected by rising cost pressures in November 2022.
  
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• Official Statistics: Serious incident notifications: 2022 to 2023

  25-05-2023 10:30 via gov.uk
  
  Statistics for England on serious incidents that involve death or serious harm to a child due to abuse or neglect, and any death of a looked-after child.
  
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• Official Statistics: Higher-level learners in England: 2021 to 2022

  25-05-2023 10:30 via gov.uk
  
  Statistics providing an overview of higher-level learning across the further and higher education sectors in the academic year 2021 to 2022.
  
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• News story: More choice to help cut hospital waiting times

  25-05-2023 01:15 via gov.uk
  
  Patients will be given more choice and greater control over their own care, including through the NHS App
  
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• 14% pay rise for Cafcass social workers sought by unions

  24-05-2023 23:13 via communitycare.co.uk
  
  Unions want a 14.4% pay rise for Cafcass staff this year to help family court social workers recover ground lost to inflation and local authority colleagues.
  However, they face an uphill struggle in securing this, with ministers having set a ceiling on average pay rises for government departments of 4.5%, plus an additional 0.5% targeted at the lowest paid, a restriction covering Cafcass staff.
  The scale of Napo and UNISON’s pay claim for 2023-24 was confirmed today after the Office for Na
  
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• The Guardian view on carers: those who do the caring deserve care themselves | Editorial

  24-05-2023 20:08 via theguardian.com
  
  There remains a vast tension between the importance of care work, both paid and unpaid, and how little recognition it getsWestminster rarely serves up good news, so let us celebrate when it does. Millions of employees are about to get a new statutory right: they can take up to a week’s extra leave to care for elderly, sick or disabled relatives. The law on carers’ leave was introduced by the Liberal Democrat MP Wendy Chamberlain and cleared its final parliamentary hurdle last week. A
  
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• ‘No one listened’: mother of Cheshire boy kidnapped by father says she warned authorities

  24-05-2023 19:51 via theguardian.com
  
  Ibrahim Faraj, seven, was abducted and taken to Saudi Arabia in NovemberA woman whose seven-year-old son was kidnapped by his father and taken to Saudi Arabia has said she repeatedly warned authorities it would happen but “no one listened”.Ranem Elkhalidi has not seen or spoken to Ibrahim Faraj since November, when he was abducted by his father, Hamzah Faraj, in breach of a court order. Continue reading...
  
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• Social work education in the 2023 to 2024 academic year - GOV.UK

  24-05-2023 18:20 via news.google.com
  
  Social work education in the 2023 to 2024 academic year  GOV.UK
  
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• Speech: Minister Halfon address at UCAS Admissions Conference 2023

  24-05-2023 18:13 via gov.uk
  
  Minister for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education, Robert Halfon, delivered a speech at the UCAS Admissions Conference 2023
  
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• Should social workers be able to work fully remotely?

  24-05-2023 14:52 via communitycare.co.uk
  
  Remote working, a makeshift solution during the pandemic, has evolved into a preferred working model for many practitioners.
  The latest survey on the pandemic’s impact on health and social care staff, carried out from November 2022 to January 2023, found that 8.6% of social workers were working entirely from home, with a further 70.9% doing so some of the time.
  But in two reports last year, Ofsted raised three significant concerns about the impact of remote working on practice.
  Ofsted&rsqu
  
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• Guidance: British schools overseas: how to get accredited

  24-05-2023 12:15 via gov.uk
  
  How to apply for the voluntary accreditation scheme for British schools overseas and where to get support.
  
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• Guidance: Applying for funding from the local skills improvement fund

  24-05-2023 10:31 via gov.uk
  
  Information for further education providers about the local skills improvement fund, including eligibility requirements and how to apply.
  
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• Press release: £165 million fund launched to transform local skills

  24-05-2023 01:15 via gov.uk
  
  Local employer skills gaps to be addressed with a funding boost to transform training and grow the economy
  
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• Major reforms to Welsh care system needed, finds Senedd committee

  24-05-2023 01:01 via theguardian.com
  
  Report raises concerns about near 23% rise in children in care over 10 years amid serious shortage of social workersRadical reforms to the care system in Wales are needed to address a “shocking” rise in the number of looked after children, a Welsh parliament committee has concluded.The committee said the number of children in care was up by almost 23% since 2013 while at the same time there were shortages of qualified social workers. Continue reading...
  
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• News story: Changes to student visa route will reduce net migration

  23-05-2023 14:45 via gov.uk
  
  New government restrictions to student visa routes will cut net migration while protecting the economic benefits students bring to the UK.
  
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• Why the panic over rising immigration? The post-Brexit system is working | Jonathan Portes

  23-05-2023 14:32 via theguardian.com
  
  Wages remain a problem, but rising numbers of skilled non-EU workers appear to be helping the NHS, social care, and indeed the overall UK economyThe UK public policy landscape is littered with disasters. From record NHS waiting lists to the de facto legalisation of petty crime and serious sexual assault, to the environmental damage created by the privatised water and sewerage companies.With immigration figures on Thursday likely to show that net migration in 2022 was the highest level on record,
  
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• Press release: Government to match schools’ tutoring costs next year

  23-05-2023 12:13 via gov.uk
  
  The Government will be raising the subsidy rate for the National Tutoring Programme to 50% in 2023-24
  
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• Guidance: National Tutoring Programme: guidance for schools, academic year 2023/24

  23-05-2023 11:00 via gov.uk
  
  Information for school and trust leaders on how to provide tuition for pupils through the National Tutoring Programme in the academic year 2023/24.
  
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• Form: National Tutoring Programme calculator tool: 2023 to 2024

  23-05-2023 11:00 via gov.uk
  
  Work out how much your school will need to contribute, and track information during the academic year 2023 to 2024 to add to your year-end statement.
  
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• Statutory guidance: NHS England’s protection of patient data

  23-05-2023 10:30 via gov.uk
  
  Statutory guidance on how NHS England should exercise the statutory functions that are intended to be transferred from NHS Digital.
  
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• Data items 2023 to 2024

  23-05-2023 09:56 via gov.uk
  
  Guidance about every piece of information you need to send us in autumn 2023, spring and summer 2024.
  
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• Changes for 2023 to 2024

  23-05-2023 09:56 via gov.uk
  
  Any changes to the information we ask for or how it should be provided since the 2022 to 2023 academic year.
  
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