Can you cope?
It’s a simple question – yes or no? If you are a parent of a disabled child – it is a question, when asked by a social worker, that you…
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Author: admin
Why are Social Workers in Wales the Happiest?
An interesting paper that uses a 2015 Guardian survey that found that social workers in Wales to be the ‘happiest’ (87% compared to 79% in the UK overall). Andy Pithouse,…
Read moreVoiceSpaces
Gill Loomes has posted on her website ‘VoiceSpaces’ a fascinating piece reflecting on what the ‘Radical’ or disruptive ‘Voice’ may be for people who lack or lose capacity. It emerges…
Read moreFurther Delay Social Care Green Paper
Details of the proposed reform of social care in England have been delayed until the New Year,. For an update note on this from DRUK click here.
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Action on Disability: The Right to Independent Living
The Welsh Government has published a consultation paper setting out how it intends to fulfil its obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: the paper…
Read moreDraft additional learning needs code
The Welsh Government has published the draft code for consultation – for details click here
Read moreState of Caring in Wales
The 2018 report published by Carers Wales on the impact on carers of the failing care system in Wales – click here
Read moreCounting the Costs
An important report published by ‘Contact’ on the additional costs of borne by families with disabled children – click here
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Continuing NHS Healthcare: legal challenge
A briefing note by Julie Burton Law concerning a successful legal challenge to a Local Health Board’s refusal to provide adequate replacement (respite) care for a disabled young adult. The…
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Elaine McDonald
It is reported that Elaine McDonald has died. She was by all accounts an extraordinary person and I hope she is remembered for this and her brilliance as a ballerina. …
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Elaine McDonald
It is reported that Elaine McDonald has died. She was by all accounts an extraordinary person and I hope she is remembered for this and her brilliance as a ballerina. …
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Personal Budgets: the tail and the dog
The law is clear: a disabled or older person’s eligible needs must be met, either by the council arranging the services or by providing a direct payment sufficient to enable…
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The charging regulations and injustice
A guest ‘post’ by Brian Collinge, a former local authority Chief Executive and father of a son who has severe learning disabilities. Brian identifies a major injustice experienced by disabled…
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Continence supplies from NHS Wales
The Welsh Government is to be congratulated in terms of putting their hands up and amending key guidance concerning continence supplies. In its recently released circular WG Guidance for the…
Read moreDisability support cuts in Wales
To access the BBC story concerning the impact of the WILG Closure click here.
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Is Britain Fairer? No.
Disabled people … are finding themselves increasingly excluded from mainstream society, starting in education and continuing later in life. …. . Disabled people are more likely to be in poverty,…
Read moreIs Wales Fairer?
“Unless these inequalities are addressed now, the disadvantage that too many people in Wales face could become entrenched for generations to come.” To access the Equality and Human Rights Report…
Read moreWelsh Government ‘independent living’ consultation
The Welsh Government has launched its Consultation on its new ‘Framework and Action Plan’ for advancing the right of disabled people to ‘independent living’. The consultation document can be accessed…
Read moreUN Progress Report on Disability Rights
The ‘UK Independent Mechanism Report update report to the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities’ (produced by the Equality and Human Rights Commissions representing the UK’s four…
Read moreUN Progress Report on Disability Rights
Nathan Lee Davies has produced an excellent Wales focused note about the ‘UK Independent Mechanism Report’ - only just off the publishing press. Click here for to access Nathan’s commentary.
Read moreADSS Cymru & Welsh LGA
Publish a ‘Position Statement’ calling for preventative services funding – click here for their report.
Read moreHousing Adaptations Consultation
The Welsh Government is consulting on ‘Housing Adaptations Service Standards’ which will include timescales for works and payments. Click here to access the consultation.
Read moreAutumn 2018 Newsletter
A draft of Luke Clements’ Autumn 2018 Newsletter can be accessed by clicking here.
Read moreAutumn 2018 Newsletter
A draft of the Autumn 2018 Newsletter can be accessed by clicking here.
Read moreEnd of Life care & Continuing NHS Healthcare
We have posted on the main ‘What’s new’ section of this website a talk by Luke Clements concerning the current English NHS CHC guidance and statistics as they relate to…
Read moreRightfullives Exhibition
If you get the chance - have a look at the wonderful Rightfullives online Exhibition by clicking here
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Continuing Health Care Funding and End of Life Care
Opening address to the Association of Palliative Care Social Workers Tackling Poverty in Palliative Care Conference York University 13th September 2018. One of our greatest achievements as a nation…
Read moreLaw & Social Care Lecturer Vacancy Leeds
For details of a new Law & Social Care lecturer post at the School of Law, Leeds University - click here.
Read moreNeglect is Self-Neglect too?
In a new ‘Views from Practice’ paper in the Rhydian on-line journal, Carys Phillips critically analyses the treatment of ‘self-neglect’ by the Social Services and Well-Being (Wales) Act 2014 and…
Read moreHow effective is the Equality Act 2010?
An Inquiry by the Women and Equalities Committee is trying to answer this question. The Disability Law Service believes there are problems. If you have a disability or care for…
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Families with severely disabled children should not have to live like this.
A report by the ombudsman[i] contains the above quote (said by the disabled child’s mother). The report relates to a council’s failure (for over 3 years) to provide essential home…
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Well-being means more than merely ‘coping’
A recent important report by the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales[1] concerned a complaint made by the mother of young man with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD), mental health problems…
Read moreNew NHS CHC Stats
The NHS Continuing Healthcare statistics for the first quarter of 2018-19 have been released. These suggest that the dramatic decline in the numbers of people eligible for CHC funding has…
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Improving Flexible Working Rights for Carers
A ‘What’s New’ post contributed by David Laurence and Samson Dawodu of the Disability Law Service. Those who care for disabled people should be entitled to reasonable adjustments in…
Read moreRecent developments in children’s social care law and policy relating to Wales
Dr. Julie Doughty is the Deputy Director of Cardiff Law School’s Centre for Health and Social Care Research. Julie has developed the Children’s Social Care Law in Wales website and…
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Disabled Facilities Grants and young people in England
Local authorities have statutory obligations to pay grants to facilitate access to homes by disabled occupants as well as to make them safe for the disabled person and those they…
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The Misuse by local authorities of their ‘protection’ powers
Some disabled people and their families have had negative experiences of the way their local authority or local NHS body behave. In some cases this behaviour feels oppressive and sometimes…
Read moreDirect Payments: Policy, Practice and Innovation Conference
A [pdf] copy of the PowerPoint Luke used at the Disability Wales Conference concerning Direct Payments: Policy, Practice and Innovation held at Cefn Lea, Newtown on the 20th July can…
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Pet care costs and social care charges
For those of us concerned about the high level of local authority charges as well as those sceptical of about the ‘personal budgets’ agenda this is an interesting piece of…
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The accessibility of Disabled Facilities Grant application forms
What can a cash strapped local authority do if the law requires that a grant be paid within 12 months of an application? It appears that about half have decided…
Read moreSave Hereford’s Young Carers Services
Hereford – where I live – having made serious cuts to its carers’ services is now cutting its Young Carers support – see article here. Charlotte has created an e-petition…
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Closure of the Welsh Independent Living Grant: In the cause of equality of provision for disabled people?
Local authorities in Wales are rushing to meet the new September deadline, set by the Minister for Health, for the re-assessment of the 1,300 or more recipients of the Welsh…
Read moreWelsh Independent Living Grant ~ update
The Welsh Government have published an update note concerning the WILG which can be accessed by clicking here. An analysis of the situation will be posted on the 'Rhydian news'…
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Case note
Judicial Review proceedings (withdrawn as settled before final hearing) relating to the failure to assess and then meet the needs of a young person with additional needs and to take…
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Difficulties in getting parent carers needs assessments
Parent carers are reporting difficulties getting assessments of their own need for support as well as getting an assessment of the child’s needs. Reasons given by councils for refusing to…
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Another fall in NHS Continuing Care (CHC) numbers
The CHC figures for the last quarter of 2017-18 have been released.[1] They show that in April 2018 the total number of people eligible for NHS CHC in England stood…
Read moreTransparency in the Family Courts: Publicity and Privacy in Practice
For details of a new publication from Dr Julie Doughty (Cardiff Law School), Lucy Reed and Paul Magrath click here.
Read moreBASW Cymru membership survey on the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014
Following its annual conference in June 2017 – The Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 – One Year On , BASW Cymru ran a survey to gather the views…
Read moreSupport needs of newly formed adoptive families
Sarah Meakins from Cardiff University and her colleagues have recently published a paper in Adoption and Fostering on findings from the Wales Adoption Study. This paper will be of particular…
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