Social services

Three expert commentaries have been written about the approaches to health and social care integration in Sandwell, Hertfordshire and Barking & Dagenham which were described in the last issue of this journal. They cover organisational, user/carer and international perspectives

Family carers provide more care than the combined efforts of the NHS and social services departments, and their value to the economy is estimated to be around £34 billion a year (Hirst, 1999). However, many carers have health problems of their own.

Describes a support group where family carers new to the challenges of dementia can learn more without loosing their privacy. 'One Day at a Time' is a series of monthly talks run by the Dementia Development Team within social services in Kensington and Chelsea who want to develop their understanding and knowledge of dementia, without disclosing all in an emotional support group.

Including informal carers within social work training programmes is generally regarded positively. Such approval is aligned with the view that users of welfare services possess valuable, even unique perspectives relevant to professional education and training. This article identifies three models incorporating the experience of carers into social work training and draws attention to aspects of good practice.

Needs assessments are widely used in the field of aging, and are considered valuable tools for planning service responses to unmet and undermet needs of older adults. This article describes a comprehensive needs assessment of Bermuda's older population and presents some of its findings to illustrate concerns about needs assessments that emerged from this experience. We suggest that even when needs assessments are carefully planned and adhere to generally recognized best practice principles, they may not be able to fully provide desired information.

Emphasis on support for informal carers focuses on those who provide, in the words of the Carers (Recognition and Services) Act 1995, 'substantial' and 'regular' care. Following research and policy, professional education has also developed interest in those who live with the people they support, such as co-resident spouses and children of all ages. This article considers those who probably do not define themselves as carers and are usually referred to as 'relatives' or 'family', living at a distance from an older relative.

Research has been undertaken to look at how well social care and health organisations involve adult carers in service planning and delivery. This article concludes that while some carers are involved at a strategic level, carers are most dissatisfied about their involvement in individual assessment processes and outcomes. [Abstract]

This article advocates incorporating biographical narratives into social work practice involving older lesbian, gay and bisexual service users. Offering a critique of ‘sexuality-blind’ conditions in current policy and practice, the discussion draws on qualitative data to illustrate the potential benefits of narrative approaches for both practitioners and service users.

The article focuses on young carers in Great Britain. It states that the recent split of council social services for adults and children has resulted in young carers falling through the gap. A pilot project is being made with the Children's Society to develop pathways for young carers and their families.

Reports how a complaint about a refusal to re-house a carer nearer her mother uncovered a conflict between a council's policies on social services and housing.