Sunday Post on Dedicated Mnister for Older People.

Government told to reconsider court restrictions on independent social workers

By Janaki Mahadevan, Thursday 19 April 2012

Criticism of independent social workers is not grounded in evidence, researchers from Oxford University have found.

Family courts have been told to reduce the reliance on independent social workers.

The Family Justice Review, which published its final report in November last year, called for independent social workers to only be employed in family courts in exceptional circumstances.
It cited delays in the system and duplication of evidence as reasons for the restricted use of the specialist professionals.
But research from Oxford University, based on 65 cases concerning 121 children, found that cases referred to independent social workers involved children and parents with multiple problems.
In nearly half of the cases, the social workers had conducted work that had not already been undertaken by local authorities. Where reports were delayed, in most cases it was due to change in circumstances of the cases. On all other occasions, the reports were filed to the lead solicitor on time.
John Simmonds, policy director at the British Association for Adoption and Fostering, said: “It is clear that there needs to be a re-evaluation of the negative picture that is currently driving reform.
"This must include a robust evaluation of what is at danger of being lost to court processes that make life-changing decisions on the future of children.”
Most of the cases examined by the researchers involved children aged six or younger who were subject to concerns or allegations of failed parenting.
On average, the specialist social workers had 24 years' experience in the children's social care profession.
Hilton Dawson, chief executive of the British Association of Social Workers, said:
“At last we have an evidence base to give us a true indication of the value added to family court proceedings by highly experienced independent social workers. The research challenges the views presented in the Family Justice Review.”
The report concluded that if the government moves forward with the recommendations of the Family Justice Review, without further research into the impact of independent social workers, it risks failing children and increasing delays.
Philip King, director of the Confederation of Independent Social Work Agencies, said: “With a dramatic rise in the numbers of children coming into care, the research highlights that courts may be severely hampered by a lack of access to these experts who have been shown to be able to provide high-quality, forensic reports to meet deadlines.
“The government needs to urgently rethink its policy towards social work experts if it is to meet its own agenda for more decisive and speedier justice for the most vulnerable children within our society.”

Magazine wants your story. Fee offered.

 Hi there

I'm a writer for Grazia magazine and I was wondering whether you might be able to help with a case study search.

I'm urgently looking to speak to a woman who lost custody of her children in a divorce because she was a working mum, and her husband argued that she worked too many hours to care for their child/children.

Do you think there's any way you might know of someone who would consider sharing her story?

Age-wise we're looking for someone who's 39 or under, and we'd want her to be pictured in the magazine. I can guarantee that the feature will be handled very sensitively and sympathetically, and we can read
the piece back to whoever we speak to before it goes to press to make sure that it's all accurate and that she's 100% happy with it.

We can also pay her a fee to say thanks for taking the time to speak to us, and of course we'd be happy to credit your organisation so that other women affected by this issue can seek help.

In view of the fact that many of our readers are working mothers, we're keen to highlight this extremely important issue, and would appreciate any help on this.

I'd be more than grateful if you could get back to me as soon as possible.

Many thanks and kind regards,


Caroline

Disadvantaged Scottish families less likely to access health visitor checks

http://www.cypnow.co.uk/cyp/news/1072814/disadvantaged-scottish-children-access-health-visitor-checks?utm_content=&utm_campaign=Early%20Years%20Now&utm_source=Children%20%26%20Young%20People%20Now&utm_medium=adestra_email&utm_term=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cypnow.co.uk%2Fcyp%2Fnews%2F1072814%2Fdisadvantaged-scottish-children-access-health-visitor-checks

An Easter Message

If Jesus was born in today’s troubled times would the same thing happen?

The Mission of Jesus

Jesus was born, in a stable, so unkind
His mission on earth was for the sake of mankind.
He was raised in a family who were workers in wood
and his life on this earth was only for good

He was an ordinary lad growing up in hard times
But in him stirred something that was spiritually fine
He confounded the wise men with wisdom and lore
And cleared out the temple and told them 'no more'

The story of old is that he healed all the sick
some people thought it was some kind of trick.
tis what YOU believe that matters to you
so listen to his teaching and follow him too.

The priests at the time were so unkind
If people believed Jesus, then they would find
That they were controlled by lies and deceit
his truth would leave the church facing defeat.

So they plotted against him and brought him to trial
His followers were frightened and uttered denial
the crucifixion carried out was a terrible blow
Now the truth for mankind, will they never know?

But Jesus’ mission was clear and precise
A message so simple is for all to be nice
‘to love one another as he has loved you’
If you follow this teaching, God will bless you.
 
Jimmy

Jimmy Deuchars 0141 882 5658

Family courts and how incompetent (but highly paid) so-called experts are failing children

 

By Professor Jane Ireland

PUBLISHED: 22:49, 13 March 2012 | UPDATED: 22:49, 13 March 2012

The welfare of children is at the heart of the family courts system. These courts deal with incredibly sensitive, highly emotional cases, involving questions of custody, abuse, neglect, adoption and access.

The futures of the most vulnerable in our society can be affected for ever by the decisions of judges, particularly where there is pressure to remove a child from the parental home.


The awareness of such vulnerability has increased dramatically in recent years due to a string of well-reported cases such as those of Baby P, the 17-month-old boy from Haringey who was killed by his mother and her boyfriend, with a number of failings noted in those professionals tasked with protecting the child.

Vulnerable: The tragic death of Baby P highlighted the importance of sound judgements in family courts

Such cases have led to mounting anxiety about child protection.

Consequently, it is vital the family courts have all the necessary advice and evidence so they can reach the best-informed decisions.

Crucial

The possibility that this is being compromised by psychological ‘experts’ who do not have the qualifications, skills or knowledge for this crucial role is extremely concerning.


A number of these family cases require forensic or clinical expertise from expert witnesses, and yet this is not always evident in the experience of those asked to give their professional opinions.


Where children’s lives and futures are concerned, the courts should rely on the very best expertise from psychologists and related experts, such as psychiatrists, who really understand issues like personality disorder, sexual offending and domestic violence.


Yet, based on research I conducted as a forensic psychologist at the University of Central Lancashire and Mersey Care NHS Trust, this does not always seem to be the case.

 

The study, carried out by a team at the university, was commissioned by the Family Justice Council, and explored in detail expert witness reports submitted by psychologists to family courts.


The Family Justice Council was set up by the government in 2004 to ensure that children’s needs are met within the judiciary, and was keen to explore the quality of the evidence being submitted to the family courts.


Having examined the files on no fewer than 127 cases from the family courts in which psychological ‘experts’ were involved, the results were concerning — indicating an absence of qualifications and competence across a number of areas.


‘Experts’ were found to be conducting assessments covering crucial family issues without having the experience to do so, and certainly without use of the most up-to-date and accepted methods of assessing risk.

'Expert' witnesses are influencing decisions that could be life-changing for children (picture posed by model)

Equally concerning is evidence from the report that the majority of experts are not in practice, so they are not routinely treating clients or working as part of a wider service.


Instead, there appear to be a growing number who are ‘professional’ expert witnesses, whose only practice is in providing assessments to a court.


It certainly suggests a living can be made out of this work alone, even though the more traditional approach was for an expert in practice to be called upon by a court occasionally to provide their experience.


It leaves a range of difficulties. Courts run the risk of utilising unqualified psychologists, or psychologists who are not qualified in the area they claim to be able to testify in.


Courts rely on a single expert in most cases, so the selection of this expert is crucial.


Our research indicated that at least one fifth of all these psychological experts were not properly qualified at all, in the sense that they did not belong to either of the two main UK bodies, the British Psychological Society or the Health Profession Council.


Moreover, in conducting assessments of families, at least 20 per cent of them strayed far beyond their own field of experience, something that has the potential to be highly risky in child cases.


For example, we found evidence of witnesses commenting on sex offenders even though they had not practised in this area, or commenting on mental illness without ever working in that field.

Career witnesses: There are 'experts' who make a living from psychological assessments without being in practise

Indeed, the study found that fully 90 per cent of the witness reports were written by ‘experts’ who were not actually engaged in psychological practice at the time.


The quality of a large number of the reports was also low. Our analysis found that 65 per cent were rated as either ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’ — a remarkable statistic.


The research team found a bewildering array of difficulties in how the reports had been conducted. Some ‘experts’ did not seem to value the importance of conducting interviews with those family members they had been asked to assess.


There was also an overuse of psychological tests, many of which had no clinical value or were ‘made up’ by the psychologist involved.


There was also evidence of antiquated intelligence tests — more than 20 years out of date — being employed.


We also found evidence of witness reports comprised of a range of emotive judgments that were more opinions than professional assessments.


For example, statements like ‘a self-centred young woman’ or, in rather quaint language, ‘an uncouth child’.

Confused

One man was described as adopting ‘an over-familiar, conspiratorial manner’, while, in another case, a family dog was said to be ‘extremely well-behaved and extremely patient despite constant teasing from the children’. ‘She can be fun to be with’, read one rather unhelpful report.


Sometimes the judgments were wholly inappropriate. ‘Miss X is an attractive mum and has a lovely personality.’


Others were chaotically structured, failed to answer vital questions, or just regurgitated previous assessments.


‘No numbered paragraphs, no glossary, nothing,’ was the verdict by my team on one such report. ‘Simply hopelessly confused,’ was another verdict.


One could ask what encourages a psychologist to become involved in such work. Some will undoubtedly do it out of a desire to protect children. However, it is clear that a career and a living can be made from such work.


On average. experts charge £120 an hour for assessing families and compiling reports. So this is a well-paid profession with tariffs set far higher than for many psychologists working in a full psycho- logical practice.


A complex two-parent assessment for a court case could easily bring in more than £4,000, as a minimum. In our study, one expert laid claim to writing more than 200 reports in the past year, while another put on their CV that they had completed ‘over 1,000 reports’.


What family courts need from psychological experts are authoritative judgments, informed by the latest knowledge in the psychological profession within which experts practise.

Fearful

This is all the more important given the growing numbers of children who are now being taken into care in the wake of cases such as Baby P.


Understandably, social services departments are now fearful of leaving children in the care of parents who pose any risk — which, in itself, could lead to the removal of children more quickly, and subsequently the involvement of experts in helping to assess such parents.


In the past month alone, local councils made no fewer than 903 applications to the courts to take youngsters into care, an astonishing rate of 225 per week.


In total in 2011/12, 9,299 applications for care were made by local authorities, an increase of 12 per cent on the previous year.


Those figures show the vital need for the courts to be assisted to do their jobs effectively. But that will not be done while non-experts potentially mislead judges with evidence which is not up to standard.


Family courts clearly operate within the confines of confidentiality in an attempt to protect the interests of children.


This inadvertently may have allowed for experts to avoid the close scrutiny — from both their peers and the public — which they might be exposed to in other courts.


In short, family courts — perhaps more than any others — deserve the best service experts can give.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2114616/Family-courts-incompetent-highly-paid-called-experts-failing-children.html#ixzz1pHW36652

"We need a Minister for Older People"

By Iain Harrison and Kirsten Mann
writing in The Sunday Post

ALEX Salmond is coming under pressure to appoint a minister for older people. Campaign group Grandparents Apart wants the Scottish Government to follow Ireland, Canada and New Zealand’s lead and create a dedicated champion for the over-60s. Founder Jimmy Deuchars has lodged a petition at Holyrood to set the wheels in motion for the appointment.

MSPs have agreed to debate the idea later this month.

Under the proposals, the minister would have responsibility for issues including fuel poverty, care home charges and home help provision. They would also be expected to hold cabinet secretaries to account and ensure the needs of pensioners are represented. The calls for a dedicated minister for older people come after research showed the elderly feel society treats them badly.

Grandfather-of-six Jimmy, 67, said: “Older people are treated like dirt in this country. “Thousands are separated from their grandchildren and have no rights. Others are frightened to go out after dark. “Many more feel lonely and isolated and as though they’ve been thrown on the scrapheap.” He added: “Despite making up 40% of the electorate there is no minister dedicated to their wellbeing. “This needs to change.

“We need someone devoted to looking after older people’s welfare.” The Scottish Government already has a minister for children and a commissioner for children and young people.

But Deputy First Minister and Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon, who has the biggest portfolio of any cabinet member, is responsible for the elderly. Jimmy claims she’s too busy dealing with political issues to prioritise pensioners. He complained: “Nicola Sturgeon doesn’t even answer my letters and her boss, Alex Salmond, doesn’t appear interested in families.

“I’ve had countless replies from MSPs about the plight of grandparents who have approached our group for help but none were satisfactory. “It seems to me that older people are forgotten when it comes to making important national decisions.

“This causes distress, despair and depression.” Several countries already boast a minister for older people, while a commissioner is in place in Wales and Northern Ireland.

Labour’s Jackie Baillie, Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Health, believes an old people’s tsar is needed in Scotland but stopped short of calling for a dedicated minister.

She said: “Older people and their relatives can feel powerless and confused in navigating our care systems and when things go wrong they feel nothing is done. “As our population ages, Scotland’s older people need someone on their side. But it should be someone independent of Government.”

Pensioners’ charity Age Scotland was similarly reticent. A spokeswoman said: “Nicola Sturgeon currently has older people as part of her ministerial remit, so arguably there is already a route for older people’s issues to be raised right at the heart of Government.

“Although a separate minister for older people might send a positive signal, we would need to see strong evidence of the value that this could bring and would have concerns that it might relocate responsibility for older people at a more junior ministerial level.”

A spokeswoman for the Scottish Government responded: “Protecting the rights of older people is a key priority.

“We’ve brought down household bills by freezing the council tax, abolished prescription charges and protected key services including free personal care, eye tests and concessionary travel.

“We would be happy to meet Mr Deuchars to discuss our joint commitment to helping older people.”

We look at the main issues that would face a minister for older people

PENSIONS

Lack of income is unquestionably one of the biggest causes for concern. Britain’s state pension is one of the least generous in the developed world and many private funds have huge deficits.

While a minister for older people in Scotland would have no power over pensions, it is hoped they would take on a campaigning role.

FUEL POVERTY

Fuel poverty is on the rise, affecting 55% of single pensioners and 45% of couples. To make matters worse winter fuel payments — governed by Westminster — were reduced last year.

The Scottish Government does have a package designed to assist those in fuel poverty but critics claim it’s not enough. The minister would be expected to lobby cabinet to extend it and apply pressure to energy firms to lower prices.

HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE

Good health care allows people to stay in their home longer, while good home care allows people to stay out of hospital. The minister could look at creating an integrated health and social care system which would stop people being shunted between services.

SOCIAL ISOLATION

Many elderly people rely on befriending services and community transport to allow valuable interaction with the communities in which they live. Some services have been withdrawn and it is feared looming cuts will worsen the situation. A dedicated minister could help ensure local authorities have enough money, as well as an obligation, to make these services accessible to all.

GRANDPARENTS’ RIGHTS

IN Scotland, grandparents can apply for access to their grandchildren without permission from the courts first, but there is no automatic right.

The rights of their children’s children are set out in the Charter for Grandchildren. There are calls for these guidelines to be made legally binding.

FUNERAL COSTS

Soaring numbers of hard-up pensioners are being buried in paupers’ graves. Across Britain around 21,000 die every year without the money for funeral bills and with no relatives willing or able to pay. In some cases they are interred along with strangers in communal graves containing up to five bodies.

Campaigners believe this is one of the issues a minister for older people could address.

The situation south of the border -There is no dedicated minister for pensioners at Westminster. However, in October, Labour leader Ed Miliband appointed a shadow minister for care and older people.

The following month broadcaster Esther Rantzen handed in a 137,000-signature petition to Downing Street, calling for the role to be created at the heart of the Westminster government.

The petition won support from Scots actor Richard Wilson, actress Linda Robson and broadcasters Tony Robinson and Angela Rippon and more than 80 MPs signed an Early-Day Motion backing the proposal.

So what did people on the street make of the calls for a minister for older people?

Retired secretary Dorothy McLennan (78), from Edinburgh said: “It would be good if there was someone in the Government who would deal specifically with issues affecting older people. The main one for me is waiting lists and waiting times in hospitals and GP surgeries. A lot of elderly folk don’t have relatives to take them and end up sitting in waiting rooms for a long time on their own.”

Elise Theurer (67), from Edinburgh, is a church elder and part-time retail assistant. She says: “In general terms I think it would be a good idea, though obviously how much good they would do would depend on which party was in power.

“I think society is failing older people and that’s because people have a total lack of respect for each other. This would certainly help give is a voice. It’s not easy to live off a pension when rent goes up all the time and council tax has to be paid.”

Richard Forsyth (64), a retired IT consultant who directs Shakespeare plays Traquair House in the Scottish Borders, says: “In principle, as an older person, I think it’s a good idea. There are many issues which they could look at. The bus pass is highly useful, but one thinks it is likely to be taken away soon.

“And living on a fixed income at a time when inflation is about to take off is difficult. As you get older you want to keep warm and the costs of gas and electricity continue to increase.”“

Allan Donnelly (65), a retired Army Cadet executive officer from Dundee, says: “I would say when it comes to the needs of elderly people something is sadly lacking, especially given all the recent revelations about their care in homes and hospitals. There is certainly a need for a spokesperson - a champion for older people’s rights.”

Allan’s wife Patricia (63), a retired café owner, adds: “We took both our mothers in to our own home, but whether or not our children will do that I don’t know. It is no longer in our culture to look after our elders, so what happens to us? It’s a worry.”