Society daily: Government loses NHS risk register appeal

Having trouble viewing this email? Society daily 09.03.12 Government loses NHS risk register appeal Clare Horton guardian.co.uk, Friday 9 March 2012 08.13 EST John Healey MP, who first called for the NHS reform risk register to be published. Photograph: Lorne Campbell/Lorne Campbell/ Guzelian Sign up to Society daily email briefing Today's top SocietyGuardian stories • NHS reforms: government loses appeal against order to publish risk register • Royal College of Surgeons condemns NHS reforms • Polly Toynbee: Their failure to stop the health bill will come to define the Lib Dems • Tim Farron: The Liberal Democrats have nothing to apologise for • Adoption process will be made fairer and faster, says David Cameron • George Osborne's austerity cuts will hit poorest families hardest, experts warn • Over-45s more likely to drink almost every day, survey reveals • Homelessness rise of 14% 'just tip of iceberg' All today's SocietyGuardian stories On the Guardian Professional Networks • Hannah Fearn asks where are the women at the top of social housing • We must get serious about tackling mental illness among the young, says Professor Kamaldeep Bhui, president-elect of the World Association of Cultural Psychiatry • The government wants to put more of its business with small firms - but is it fiddling the figures, asks Colin Cram • Hyper-local news, websites and blogs are inextricably linked to cohesion and engagement within communities, reports Gavin Sheppard from the Media Trust • Catriona Maclay, founding director of educational organisation the Hackney Pirates explains how she accidentally started a social enterprise On my radar ... • Adoption. As David Cameron unveils his plans to overhaul the rules around adoption, social work lecturer Di Galpin, an adoptee, has shared her experiences of attempting to access her file . She offers a professional's take on what it's like to be a service user: I eventually meet my adoption social worker and am pleased to report they are experienced and professional, they do not appear to stick to any particular agency approach and make me feel I am listened to as an individual, I do not feel like a service user with this social worker, this is an equal partnership. So, have I seen my file? To cut a long story short the file is still in 'Never Never Land', however, it is going to arrive in 'La La Land' soon. Reasons for delay range from workers and mangers going sick, people working part time, supervision being cancelled and window repairs (don't ask!!!). In all honesty, I am not interested in knowing any of this it only serves to heighten my annoyance and sense of powerlessness. I do understand the pressures in practice, and of course the protection of vulnerable children must always come first, however, whilst not urgent it is actually very important to me. Seeing my file again is a desperate measure on my part because I've exhausted all other avenues, my mother is approaching eighty years of age, time is not on our side. An acknowledgement of how important this might be for me on my first contact with services would have been nice. How does all this make me feel? Angry, powerless, frustrated, sad. My contact with services is minimal and time limited, unlike many others. The professional social worker in me knows the pressure systems, and people, are under and how my request is insignificant in the scheme of social work practice with Children and Families, but, it is important to me. Whilst at an organisational level it is just an old file, for me it is my life and about who I am. This process has made me reflect on my own social work practice, I'd do things differently now! (thanks to Emily Rosenorn-Lanng and Ermintrude for sharing the link) • An excellent post on the Remploy factory closures by Kaliya Franklin for the politics.co.uk site. She writes: What is or isn't politically correct very much lies at the heart of the debate surrounding the closure of Remploy factories. The educated, dominant majority of disabled people have been very clear in our opposition to segregated workplaces; we tend to consider them an outdated idea not acceptable in the 21st century. Most of us aspire to be employed based on our skills and experience, in exactly the same way any other employee is selected, and dislike the idea of being placed in a 'special workplace'. That is certainly an ideal we can and should all aspire to, but it's an ideal that will only develop gradually over decades to come and creates the danger of overtaking the current reality. Expanding the Access to Work scheme which provides equipment and support for disabled people in the workplace as recommended by the Sayce report is a vital part of this process but it is not a magical cure all and does little to encourage employers to see the potential gains in employing a more diverse workforce. It also presumes that the world of employment is willing and ready to take on sick or disabled employees. And because it's not politically correct no-one feels very comfortable discussing the positives or negatives disabled employees can bring, or even the more prosaic questions of what that kind of working environment will be like for everyone. Other news • BBC: Hospital doctors told to rethink weekend working • Children & Young People Now: Pupil referral units 'should become academies' • Community Care: Personalisation central to social care management standards • Independent: Labour tries to outflank Tories on welfare • Inside Housing: New council leader makes housing promise • Pulse: GP's e-petition gets Commons debate after Burnham intervention • Telegraph: LSD could treat alcoholism • Third Sector: Government should take responsibility for local charity cuts, says Navca Events and seminars Digital communications and campaigning for charities Thursday 19 April, Kings Cross, London This half-day seminar will enable you plan, implement and manage your online campaign to maximum effect. It will give you practical advise on how to get the most out of popular social media websites as well as help you define your target audience. This event is a must for anyone needing to plan a campaign to create relationships with supporters to champion your long-term aims. Local Government Leaders Quarterly 19 April 2012, Kings Place, Kings Cross, London This series of evening events has been designed to help public leaders discuss the key issues facing local authorities as they struggle to manage punishing funding cuts while spearheading a revolution in public service delivery. The event, consisting of a debate followed by round table discussion groups, will offer a forum to share problems and find solutions with your council peers. Places are free but limited and available by application only. 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