PPlog

In police training for new recruits the mantra “It may be surprising to you but people tell us lies” is drummed in at every opportunity. In the November ‘News from Norfolk Constabulary’ they say “The county’s 52 Safer Neighbourhoods Teams (SNTs) are listening closely to our residents and working with them and other partners to resolve the issues they raise.” See my report of the Safer Neighbourhoods meeting of 25th September below.

These are my views on why child protection, especially in relation to the social work profession, is failing in what are rare but tragic instances. Firstly: people who go into social work as a profession mainly do so because it is about a career in helping others. The International Federation of Social Workers’ Definition of social work is: “The social work profession promotes social change, problem solving in human relationships and the empowerment and liberation of people to enhance well-being. Utilising theories of human behaviour and social systems, social work intervenes at the points where people interact with their environments. Principles of human rights and social justice are fundamental to social work.” The role of ‘social policeman’ markedly conflicts with this basic purpose. Social workers are not trained to interrogate, arrest, forcibly remove and deprive of liberty and deal with violence and aggression - and for the majority who enter...

Norfolk LINks - The interim core group have called it Norfolk LINk but in my opinion the structure will only work at all effectively as a series of local community networks, not as a single county wide Local Involvement Network - so I insist on the plural. The interim core group and the interim host (Voluntary Norfolk), from the end of May on made a very good start working actively in partnership with the host to set up some early strategies and policies (should have been from 1st April but the county council were, IMHO, tardy). I think in particular, the Code of Conduct produced is excellent and could be a model for others (I am currently updating ppeyes and will be including a copy of core documents there). My own involvement began in July with inclusion in the “Improving Access to Psychological Therapies” LINks group. This was interrupted by the scandalous temporary loss of my driving licence (see earlier blog entries) but I’m now back in the loop and we had an ...

Reconcile these: “Make community involvement more convenient ...LINks should provide more ways for more people to be heard and they will work hard to engage with people who may be easier to ignore.” (LINks Guide no 4, NHS National Centre for Improvement) “The experience of disabled people, people with learning difficulties and people with mental health conditions is a significant resource, so make it clear their experience and knowledge is valued. Think through the implications of your promotional programme so that any venues can meet all access requirements.” (LINks Guide no 8, NHS National Centre for Involvement) Remembering that the people NCI is talking about mainly live on welfare benefits ------- With this: The NHS National Centre for Involvement ANNUAL CONFERENCE INVOLVING, ENGAGING, EMPOWERING - PPI In action. Tuesday 25th November 2008 International Convention Centre, Birmingham “Our annual conference is organised to to bring together everyo...

Got this: Mike cc all other people emailed.   I am sorry that you have chosen to misinterpret the content and spirit of my email. Following my visit to you on 16 th May, we both agreed we could be open with each other. That agreement seems to be interpreted by you in a very one-sided way. In the light of your comments, I see no point in continuing the exchange.   On behalf of the NPA and its Disability Forum, I accept your resignation.   Chris Harding MBE LL.B Solicitor Chief Executive Norfolk Police Authority My reply: Hello Mr Harding. A typical middle class bureaucrat's response and whitewash!! How on earth could I have been more open and straightforward? Mealy mouthing is your province, not mine.  Well let this working class disabled service user tell you: you had no choice mate - my decision. But you can bet your life you've not heard the last of me.  Heddwch Mike.

Today, I received this mail as a result of my pplog entry of 25th September: Mike cc SL   Thank you for keeping Sarah and others in the loop on your experience at the Loddon SNAP meeting held on the 24 th Sept as posted on your Blog.   I sought to follow up your experience given its very negative perspective. I have had a number of different perspectives from various other attendees at the meeting. All of them accept that the meeting was not well run and that, consequently, things were not spelt out at the outset. However, they all seriously challenge the view that the police officer was rude or abusive to anyone. That said, he was, due to the lack of an effective chair, left handling many issues that were not for the police, or them alone.   This combined with the fact that the closure of Loddon Police Station was still a “local” issue and it dominated the anti-attitude of those present even when, in policing terms, crime is down and performance is up...

Well, we’ve certainly lost an ally with Ivan Lewis’ departure from the Department of Health. Not one generally impressed with MPs and the distance they tend to go to any lengths to keep other people at (Charles Clarke is a scorching example), I met Ivan Lewis at Peter Beresford’s Shaping our Lives 10th birthday party a couple of years ago and found him natural, genuine and caring about the dire level of social care in this country. All of us at the party were service users and Ivan Lewis mingled and nattered without side or affectation. I thought him fighter for people’s rights - probably the reason Brown has had him removed: there is a internal friction there at present around social care finance. Ivan Lewis was Junior Minister. The new guy, Phil Hope, MP for Corby has been made a full Minister for Social Care and he will also carry the Mental Health portfolio. His website tells us his qualifications are in teaching and he has been much involved in learni...