FII on-line discussion: 29 April
An expert panel discussion concerning Fabricated & Induced Illness (FII) organised by Autistic Parents UK - for details click here.
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On-Line Seminar 10 April a 1pm
Donald Forrester of CASCADE will discuss his recently published book on social work and human rights. To register for the seminar click here.
Read moreSocial care charging consultation
The Welsh Government is proposing to raising the current charging cap for non-residential care from £100 to £120 per week. The announcement can accessed by clicking here and a commentary…
Read moreFII questions in the Welsh Parliament
For a details of questions raised by Senedd Member Mark Isherwood concerning the prevalence of Fabricated or Induced Illness allegations in Wales - click here.
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Senedd Member’s concern about the prevalence and impact of allegations of Fabricated or Induced Illness (FII) in Wales
North Wales Member of the Senedd and Chair its Cross-Party Autism Group, Mark Isherwood, has raised concerns with the Minister for Health and Social Services that parents of neurodiverse children…
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Decision making quality and the Local Government Ombudsman
Cerebra, the disabled children’s charity has published[1] an important and troubling analysis of data concerning the performance of the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGO). Over a decade of…
Read moreCASCAIDr crowdfunding
CASCAIDr, the social care advice charity is crowdfunding to obtain barristers' views on undecided points of law – for details click here.
Read moreReforming health and care services in Wales
The Bevan Commission’s report ‘The Foundations for the Future Model of Health and Care in Wales’ can be accessed by clicking here.
Read moreA Vision for Social Care in Wales
ADSS Cymru, Solace Wales, CLILC WLGA and Social Care Wales have jointly published a report with this title – which can be accessed by clicking here.
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Jam tomorrow – maybe: the revised Working Together guidance.
As expected, disabled children and their families will be disappointed by the updated 2023 Working Together guidance. Despite compelling evidence that local authority assessment and care planning protocols discriminate against…
Read moreCarers survey
An NHS England survey to better understand carers experiences of care plans can be accessed by clicking here. Unreasonably short timeline (it closes 2nd January) but an important issue nevertheless.
Read moreDisability Activist Nathan Davies’ Petition
For Nathan Davies' Petition to the Senedd regarding Direct Payments in Wales click here.
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Special Guardianship allowance ~ Ombudsman report
A recent report by the Public Services Ombudsman Wales (PSOW)[1] arose out of a complaint that a local authority had failed to implement the recommendations of a Stage 2 Independent…
Read moreWebinar 7.30pm 23 November 2023
Homelessness: The Ethics of Gatekeeping convened by The Homelessness Best Practice CIC for details click here.
Read moreNHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC)
The Department of Health and Social Care has mistakenly tweaked the Framework Guidance in an way that fails reflect changes made by the Care Act 2014. For a posting by…
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Fabricated or Induced Illness (FII) research report
FII is a term adopted by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health – in essence – to replace what was previously referred to as ‘Munchausen syndrome by proxy’.…
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Independent living when a care home might be ‘cheaper’
Can local authorities refuse to fund a home care package if it is cheaper for the person’s needs to be met in a care home? Where there is more than…
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A care home as the cheaper option.
Can local authorities refuse to fund a home care package if it is cheaper for the person’s needs to be met in a care home? Where there is more than…
Read moreCerebra Trustee and staff vacancies
For details of Trustee and Staff opportunities with Cerebra, the Disabled Children's Charity - click here.
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Section 117 Mental Health Act (MHA) 1983 and Ordinary Residence: the Supreme Court decides
So, what was that all about? For some strange reason in 2020 the Department of Health and Social Care changed its mind concerning the determination of a person’s ordinary residence…
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Direct payments and disabled children
An earlier posting[1] considered an important local government ombudsman decision. The decision confirmed that: (1) parents of disabled children have a right to opt for a direct payment even if…
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Fit-for-Purpose Guidance for the Assessment of Disabled Children & their Families.
Guidance developed by independent Parent Carer Groups and individual parent carers will be launched at a webinar on the 12 July 2023 10:30am – 12:30pm. The document describes what they…
Read moreNHS Continuing Healthcare & Direct Payments
The Welsh Government will be introducing legislation to enable direct payments to be paid to people receiving for NHS continuing health care funding. Click here for the announcement and for…
Read moreDisabled Children Continence Support Survey
An on-line survey by Cerebra concerning the accessibility and suitability of local Continence Support arrangements for Disabled Children can be accessed by clicking here.
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Consultation on the revision of the ‘Working Together’ guidance.
The Department for Education (DfE) has opened a consultation on its proposal to update the 2018 ‘Working Together’ guidance. It has summarised the overall aim of the update as a…
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A welcome judgment concerning social care charges
A local authority accepted that a disabled person had eligible needs for support to develop and maintain personal relationships, and provided funding for him to attend a social and life…
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The State of Social Care in Wales
A submission to The Senedd Health & Social Care Committee concerning the state of social care in Wales by Ann James and Luke Clements can be accessed by clicking here…
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PANS, PANDAS & Fabricated or Induced Illness (FII)
PANS and PANDAS are severe childhood impairments with symptoms of obsessive-compulsive behaviours, tics or eating restrictions that develop suddenly: conditions that can be accompanied by changes in normal behaviours, personality…
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The Problem with Fast Track in Wales
As previous posting on these pages have sought to highlight,[1] there are in our opinion profound problems with the Welsh Government’s Guidance concerning the process by which eligibility for Continuing…
Read moreAssociate Professor post
We are seeking to further strengthen our disability research programme at the School of Law, Leeds University (closing date 15 May). For details, click here.
Read moreImportant Joint statement
To demonstrate support for the Cri de Cœur / call to action by three leading reviewers involved in Safeguarding Inquiries – click here
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School transport as a human right
There is an extensive body of English and Welsh law that requires local authorities to provide school / college transport for disabled young people.[1] What is often forgotten, however, is…
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She was provided with a leaflet.
Flicking though the current (March 2023) batch of Local Government Ombudsman’s Children and Education complaints decisions is like re-watching Groundhog Days. More than half of the complaints were not, for…
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Autism and Parental Blame
Parent Blame is not simply a problem encountered by families when dealing with Children’s Services. It is, therefore, very welcome that West Midlands ADASS (the Association of Directors of Adult…
Read moreFII Seminar
For details of a FII (Fabricated or Induced Illness) event in Gloucester on 14 March click here.
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462% increase in children’s ‘deprivation of liberty’ applications
A report published by the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory highlights the ‘extreme vulnerability’ of children who are the subject of High Court applications that seek to deprive them of their…
Read moreParental Blame and PDA
For a new research report on this issue by Alice Running & Danielle Jata-Hall, click here.
Read moreChair in Disability Law
The School of Law, Leeds University is looking to appoint a Chair in Disability Law - for details click here.
Read morePublic Services Ombudsman for Wales
The PSOW is considering investigating the fitness for purpose of (and complaints about) 'Carers: Needs assessments'. For details click here.
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I love my dog.
A provocative New Year posting from my good colleague Rachel Adam-Smith. . _______________ I love my dog. He’s non-verbal. I love…
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A sufficiency of carers support services
John Bangs OBE[1] reflects on the recent UN carers rights decision and its implications in relation to the duties of local health and social care authorities to provide a sufficiency…
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Impoverished councils
An interesting complaint concerning (among other things[1]) a prolonged and significant loss of respite care for a young person transitioning into adult services. Due to challenges resulting from his impairment,…
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A Landmark UN carers decision
The UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities has handed down an important decision concerning the rights of unpaid carers in the case of Maria Simona Bellini v.…
Read moreA National Care Service for Wales?
A report by a Welsh Government convened ‘Expert Group’ has been published. For the announcement by Julie Morgan MS click here and for the report click here.
Read moreHealth & social care: cost of operating ‘challenges’
For a Senedd article on this issue click here.
Read moreOn-line focus group 19 November
The University of Galway wishes to hear from disabled children and young people about the impact that the covid-19 pandemic has had on different aspects of their lives. For details…
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Fit for purpose disabled children’s assessment guidance
What would ‘fit for purpose’ disabled children’s assessment guidance look like? At the School of Law, the University of Leeds, this is what we hope to be researching in the…
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NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) ~ Ombudsman report
The Health Service Ombudsman has published an important CHC report concerning the failure of an NHS Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) - now known as an Integrated Care Board (ICB). The…
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Double standards
The current political farce / tragedy has meant that a shaming report[1] concerning the institutional abuse of disabled young people has failed to attract the attention it deserves. The report…
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