Friday 16th October
Wellcome Collection Conference Centre, 183 Euston Road, London NW 1 2BE
 
The Government Office for London are bringing together professionals within Local Authorities and Primary Care Trusts to share innovation, successes and learning to help improve health outcomes for London’s Children in Care. This event will focus on highlighting successful examples of transferable practise from across London. This wll be set within a context of national policy development and regional initiatives including the London Pledge for Children and Young People in Care.

Places are limited to 3 per each London Authority for this free conference. Register your interest by emailing Nigel.Barker@gol.gsi.gov.uk. The deadline for registration is Friday 9th October.
 
http://www.gos.gov.uk/gol

Young London Matters – Making Every London Child Matter is a very useful resource for sharing information about children and young people’s services in London.

The London Pledge for Children and Young People in Care sets ambitious goals to deliver the best possible outcomes for children in care. The Pledge aims to ensure that children and young people in care across London have equal access to the same range of key services and support wherever they live, go to school or access employment or training opportunities in London. The Pledge is supported by all of the Children’s Trusts in London .

http://younglondonmatters.org/home

Tags: advanced social work practice, encouraging innovation, Learning and Development

 Advanced practitioners in social work are research-literate, reflective and professional leaders in their field. They are able to draw on a range of empirical, theoretical and professional sources of knowledge and take the lead on social work policy and practice innovations.

Run by Dr Martin Webber this two-day course will provide participants with hands-on experience of the making of the advanced practitioner in social work. The first day will provide an overview of the research methods that provide evidence for social work practice and will equip participants with some basic critical appraisal skills. The second day will give detailed consideration to the definition of an advanced practitioner and will include a case consultation group focusing on enhancing social work practice skills and knowledge. Participants are encouraged to bring a case example with them to discuss within this group.
 
Places are very limited and registration will close on 21st August 2009.
 
For further information on  this and all courses please see the website
http://www.iop.kcl.ac.uk/departments/?locator=4&context=1239
or email the administrator: imh@iop.kcl.ac.uk

Supporting and Promoting Advanced Social Work: a guide for employers and practitioners published by the Institute of Psychiatry is available to read here http://www.iop.kcl.ac.uk/sites/mhsw/?id=168

Tags: advanced social work practice, institute of psychiatry, mental health, post qualifyng training, research, Social Work

Now in its third year the mental health social work CPD conference is definitely worth attending. Organised by the Institute of Psychiatry (King’s College London) and Making Research Count you will have the opportunity to hear about the latest research and practice and join in the debate about the future direction of mental health social work.

The secondment of adult mental health social workers into NHS trusts and the separation of children and adult social services has increased the gulf between children’s and adults’

practitioners. At a time of increased media attention on the profession, now is an opportune moment to reflect on an enduring strength of social work – its holistic approach to children, adults, families and communities.

Parallel workshops will explore research and practice in the following areas:

Early intervention in psychosis

Approved Mental Health Professional training

Effective social work practice with children & adults

Practitioner research

Stigma and discrimination

Assessments of children

Working with men sexually abused in childhood

Social capital and social work

Learning disabilities and self-harm

User involvement and inter-professional working

International social work

Case consultation – live!

Speakers include:

Prof Jill Manthorpe (Professor of Social Work, King’s College London): Personalisation and mental health services

Prof Michael Sheppard (Professor of Social Work, University of Plymouth): The significance of service user coping to practice

Dr Mike Slade (Reader in Health Services Research, Institute of Psychiatry): Recovery: A challenge for all mental health professionals

Booking information

Fees:

EARLY BIRD RATE £80 – for bookings received before 5th June

£120 – for bookings received after 5th June

£40 – social work students

A limited number of free places are available for service users and carers.

For further information and to book your place visit http://www.iop.kcl.ac.uk/events/?id=737

I look forward to meeting you there!

Tags: advanced social work practice, connecting children and adults, mental health conference, research papers, social work cpd

Zarine Kharas, founder and CEO of online fundraising website Justgiving.com, has been awarded the 2009 Albert Medal for democratising fundraising and technology for charities.

Kharas will argue that, with both banking and politics in disgrace, it is up to companies to create lasting social value. To achieve this, the rule book needs to be thrown out and the maximisation of profit replaced with a more balanced sense of purpose.

Kharas will talk about business responsibility and highlight the unorthodox ways in which Justgiving operates – a fascinating, and successful, example of a more humane and enlightened enterprise.

Chair: Matthew Taylor, chief executive, RSA

The Albert Medal acknowledges individuals who contribute to social innovation. Last year the Albert Medal was awarded to Simon Duffy CEO of in-control

http://www.thersa.org/events/our-events/the-new-business-of-business

Venue: RSA, John Adam St, London WC2N

Tags: charity fundraising, justgiving.com, lecture, matthew taylor, rsa, zarine kharas

Skills for Care London and the CWDC have organised a series of PQ seminars across London for managers to explore the benefits of supporting staff to undertake a Post Qualifying Award. A number of universities will be contributing their thoughts about how post qualifying education developments are addressing the policy drivers underpinning workforce reform including the Personalisation Agenda, Transforming Adult Social Care, Every Child Matters and the Social Work Taskforce. The seminars are being facilitated by Shirley Ayres – Communications Consultant, publisher of Be Inspired an online resource for social work and formerly Chief Officer GLPQ. 

Managers are invited to attend one of these unique seminars to find out how the Post Qualifying Awards: 

o Develops and enhances social work values, knowledge and skills

o Broadens knowledge of social policy and legislation 

o Increases the use of evidence based practice

o Encourages more effective networking and collaboration with colleagues from different backgrounds 

o Enhances the sharing of knowledge and skills within teams

o Confirms the status of the consultant social worker

All attendees will receive a copy of the new Skills for Care London and CWDC publication “Making Sense of the Post Qualifying Awards – A Brief Guide for London Employers” .

Places are limited and advance booking is essential. If you have not yet received an invitation and would like to attend one of the seminars please contact the sub regional Post Qualifying/Practice Learning Co-ordinator listed below for a booking form and further information.

North West London Sub Regional Seminar – 25th February 9.45 – 1.00 Hammersmith Town Hall,

Dionne.Collins@lbhf.gov.uk 

South East  London Sub Regional Seminar- 26th February 9.45 – 2pm (including lunch)  -   London South Bank University

helen.moss@southwark.gov.uk 

North East London Sub Regional Seminar – 2nd March 9.45 – 1.00  Mulberry Place Town Hall

ali.rusbridge@towerhamlets.gov.uk

North Central London Sub Regional Seminar 4th March 2.00 – 5.00 The Resource Centre, Holloway Road

Tags: post qualifying awards, pq information seminars for managers, researching the impact of post qualifying awards

Connecting to citizens in a consumer age.
Thursday September 25 2008, 6pm-9pm RIBA, Portland Place, London.

Special guest speaker Alexis Cleveland, the director general for transformational government at the Cabinet Office.

I attended the last debate which was both stimulating and challenging and I would recommend booking a place. How do we translate the vision behind words such as transformational, personalization and engagement into meaningful actions that will make a real difference to the quality of life we all experience? When using state services are we consumers, clients, customers or service users? Do we have different expectations of different public services especially if they are “free” at the point of delivery? The evening is free to attend. To register your place please email gemma.dixon@guardian.co.uk

A word of advice, these events are booked out very quickly so, if you would like to attend book your place as soon as possible. Places are limited and will be allocated on a first come first served basis. The Guardian, With the help of their partners for the evening, A&T Kearney, will be looking at the issues surrounding how the public sector understands and responds to the needs of citizens.

Over the past two years, much progress has been made towards the ambitious vision set out in 2006 by Sir David Varney for a reform of public services with a focus on more personalized services and greater engagement with citizens. There is now greater choice for people and more involvement of citizens in reform. However, delivering some aspects of this vision has proved a challenge, particularly given difficulties in cross-government working and understanding customers’ needs.

We will examine some of the barriers that hinder change, including an apparent lack of confidence in government data handling, the challenges of developing joined-up services across central and local government, and building a more detailed understanding of customers’ needs.

Alexis Cleveland, director general for transformational government at the Cabinet Office , will be the  keynote speaker. She will be joined on the panel by Pat Harding, customer services director of Cambridgeshire county council, and Bernard Quinn, head of strategy and planning at NHS Direct. The evening will be conducted under the Chatham House rule, allowing a frank and unattributable exchange of views which will then form the basis for a report in the November edition of Public magazine.

Tags: alexis cleveland, cabinet office, chatham house rules, connecting in a consumer age, guardian debate, public magazine, transformational

This free event will explore our use of language, and what, if anything, we should and shouldn’t say. Is there such a thing as “political correctness” and has it gone too far? What is the role of religious sensitivities?

The debate will seek to explore how we get along as a nation, speak a common language and understand the difference between freedom of expression and deliberate and hurtful insult.

This is the second RSA event co-hosted with the Commission under the Open to Question banner.

Panel debate to include Trevor Phillips, chair, EHRC, Rod Liddle, former editor, BBC Radio 4’s Today programme and Ziauddin Sardar, writer and academic. Chair: Matthew Taylor, chief executive, RSA

Tuesday 15 July, 6pm RSA 8 John Adam Street London WC2N 6EZ

Book now

Tags: equal opportunities, language, permission to speak, political correctness, royal society of arts

What makes a good psychiatrist – this challenging question is being asked by Professor Dinesh Bhugra President, Royal College of Psychiatrists who is speaking at the 2nd UK Mental Health Social Work Continuing Professional Development Conference on Friday 11 July 2008. The conference theme Mental Health Social Work: Opportunities and Challenges encompasses a wide range of topical issues.

Share your thoughts about what you believe makes a good psychiatrist and the book which has most influenced your thinking about mental health issues by completing the online survey launched by the Institute of Psychiatry Kings College. Comments from the survey will be addressed by Professor Bhugra in his presentation at the conference.

The Mental Capacity Act 2005 has framed a number of new roles including the Approved Mental Health Practitioner (AMHP), the Responsible Clinician and the Independent Mental Health Advocate. These roles could be undertaken by a broader group of professionals. What are the implications for social work practice?

The full conference programme and application form can be downloaded here. Mental Health Social Work Conference 11 July 2008 Flyer and Booking Form.pdf (73.02 kb)

Tags: institute of psychiatry, mental health, what makes a good psychiatrist

Eligibility Criteria

• In order to apply for a bursary, you should be working towards either the GSCC approved Post-qualifying Specialist Award in Social work, the Post Qualifying Higher Specialist Award in Social Work, or the Advanced Award in Social Work.

• Candidates, with the exception of People who use Services who are formally supporting education, must have a GSCC-recognised social work qualification, be registered on the Social Care Register and provide their GSCC Social Care Register number.

• Bursary funding will only be awarded to candidates working towards Post Qualifying Awards who:

o Do not have an employer i.e. those who are responsible for their own national insurance contributions.  This may include freelance or independent social workers who are sole traders or who have their own limited companies. Social workers who source their work via recruitment companies are not eligible for the PQ bursary and are encouraged to have a discussion with their recruitment company about their PQ needs.

o Are social workers who work for one or more employers on contracts of 12 hours or less, excluding those who have a permanent contract with a local authority.

o People who use services who are formally supporting social work education.

o Social workers working for small voluntary or not-for-profit organisations who employ a total of 50 registered social workers or less.

Candidates must be resident in the UK at the time of applying and have been for the previous 3 years and must undertake the majority of their work in England.

If you are a CAFCASS candidate, including self-employed, you are under contract to the Department for Children, Schools and Families and therefore this funding, from the Department of Health, is not available to you.

Tuition Fees

Bursary awards can only be provided to support tuition fees for GSCC approved PQ programmes or modules. Applicants must provide documentary evidence (e.g. a copy of a letter from a university) that they have been offered a place on the programme of study for which they require funding. 

Retrospective applications will be considered for candidates who are currently undertaking programmes which started this academic year (from September 2007).

Candidates who already have confirmed places for programmes starting in September/October 08 may also apply at this stage. However, in allocating the limited funds available, priority will be given to candidates currently undertaking programmes.

There will be future bursary rounds from autumn 2008 forwards although the closing dates are not yet available. Further information and the application form can be downloaded as PDF files or as word documents Criteria for PQ Bursaries appendix A final.doc (37.50 kb) and national bursary application final 30[1].05.doc (159.00 kb)

Tags: cwdc, deadline, eligibility criteria, post qualifying courses, pq bursaries, registered social workers, skills for care

Refugee Week takes place from the 16th – 22nd June. It will be celebrated by a UK wide programme of events which celebrate the contribution of refugees to the UK.

During Refugee Week hundreds of events exploring refugee experiences take place across the UK. These range from small community and school activities to art exhibitions, political debates, film screenings, conferences, big music festivals, sports events etc…Find out what is happening in your area.

Anyone can get involved in Refugee Week either by organising or visiting an event or by just spreading the word!

I love the idea of Small Actions and the Refugee Week UK team are looking for ideas for ‘small actions’ that could help change the way British born people and refugees see ach other. A small action could be anything from inviting a refugee friend to share a cup of tea with your grandpa to learning to say hello in a different language. Any action that, when performed by lots of people, can lead to big changes. Refugee week are collecting as many serious, silly and simple actions as they can. I like the idea of being able to say hello in at least 20 languages! Check out Small Action for inspiration and add your own!

Social work has always championed social justice and should be at the forefront of challenging the same old myths and scare stories which are constantly being given airspace and by extension credibility. The truth is in short supply. This leaflet, produced by the Refugee Council, lists these facts and figures that you can rely on.more information

Tags: challenge stereotypes, inspired, refugee week, say hello on 20 languages, small actions, social justice, Social Work