Powers of delegation extended to all Local Authorities following successful pilot programme
The Department of Health has made a power to delegate statutory functions available to all English local authorities following the end of a national pilot programme. The adult social care social work practice (SWP) pilots were launched in 2011 to …
Special measures coming for failing care homes and homecare providers
If a school or college is judged to be failing its school children or students through lack of leadership and/or poor quality teaching, there are systems in place to encourage rapid improvement or face the prospect of closure – so …
Care Act 2014 consultation update: more than 200 comments received
We're past the mid-point of the Care Act 2014 consultation period which ends 15 August 2014, so if you haven't submitted your thoughts, opinions and concerns yet you've got just over a month to help make the Act’s implementation as …
Defining the language of care and support
'Information and advice are among the foundation stones of the Care Act and improving people’s access to them is vital to a reformed care and support system,' explains TLAP's Programme Director, Dr Sam Bennett. Amidst the technical tasks of introducing …
Calling social care professionals: DWP seeks benefit of your wisdom
Help improve two Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) disability benefit assessments. There are currently two independent reviews of DWP benefit-related assessments in progress – one for the Work Capability Assessment (WCA) and one for the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) …
Mental health attitudes: empathy winning over austerity
Sometimes, our faith in human nature can be rewarded. A recently published study by The Lancet Psychiatry Journal seems to show that Time to Change - Mind and Rethink Mental Illness's mental health anti-stigma programme - is having a positive …
Department of Health announces research call to evaluate pioneers
A call has been launched this week for new DH-funded policy research to deliver a longer-term evaluation of the Integrated Care and Support Pioneers programme in the context of new funding arrangements for integrated care. The research call follows a …
The Social Care Commitment: service providers see the benefits
In her conversations with employers around the country, Sharon Allen, Skills for Care's Chief Executive, has been encouraged by their understanding of what it means to sign up to the Social Care Commitment and how it can help them focus …
Home is where the heart is – commissioning care to help older people stay at home
'Why is the home we live in so important to us?', asks Tony Hunter, Chief Executive of the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE), in his latest post for the Social Care News blog. They are places where life happens …
Person-centred care: invest in what works
'The drive towards person-centred care has never been stronger,' says National Voices Policy and Communications Advisor, Laura Robinson. But what could this actually mean for those receiving that care? Laura reminds us of the context informing this intent and signposts …