Disability benefit cuts will force people out of work

Half of working disability living allowance (DLA) claimants will have to stop working if they are deemed ineligible for the benefit as a result of proposed government cuts, a survey by Disability Alliance has found.

The results were released at the start of a three-day online campaign - One Month Before Heartbreak - against government plans to reform the benefit, which the alliance estimates could see 750,000 people lose support, and other disability cuts.

The government has received criticism that the reforms are primarily motivated by desires to cut the DLA bill regardless of the effect on disabled people.

Today’s figures are the interim findings of a survey to inform the alliance's response to the government’s consultation, which closes on the 14 February.

Neil Coyle, director of policy at Disability Alliance, said: “The full range of cuts will considerably impact upon disabled people but the DLA reform is particularly dangerous as it could lead to considerably higher state costs – to the NHS, councils and in lost tax contributions.”

A spokesperson for the Department for Work and Pensions said the government were ensuring DLA reached the most vulnerable with the changes. She added: "At the moment 80% of people on DLA do not work and we want to make sure that disabled people who can work get all the help and support they need to do so. Alongside DLA, disabled people who can work will get more tailored help then ever before through the Work Choice programme, the new Work Programme and the Access to Work scheme."

The survey also revealed disabled people's fears about the cuts. “I would have to consider suicide as a serious possibility,” said one respondent. “DLA makes the difference between having a tiny little bit of independence and life not being worth living.”

Another respondent said: “If I lost my DLA my illness would get stronger and I would eventually starve and be put back in my mental health hospital again for my own well being."

“If my DLA was reviewed again I don't think I would have the will to live anymore,” added another.

Coyle said he was extremely concerned that the government’s plans had led to disabled people considering their own self-worth.

One Month Before Heartbreak is organised by The Broken of Britain - a grassroots disability body set up to campaign against the cuts. It is calling on disabled people and others to post blogs opposing the changes.
For more info- http://www.communitycare.co.uk/Articles/2011/01/14/116108/disability-benefit-cuts-will-force-people-out-of-work.htm

Kyrgyz civil society protests against conditions introduced by Parliament for religious customs performance

Kyrgyz civil society protests against conditions for religious customs performance, introduced by Parliament.

Today a number of public and non-governmental organizations protested against Friday three-hour prayer break for governmental workers, which was introduced by Parliament.

“We remind Akhmatbek Keldibekov, Speaker of Parliament, that according to Constitution, the Kyrgyz Republic is independent, democratic, law-governed, secular, and unitary state. According to article 7 of the Constitution, none of the religions can be set as state religion of the Kyrgyz Republic. Article 4 of the Constitution forbids formation of political party on religion grounds; article 5 says that State and its departments serve to all society but not to a part of it,” civil activists said.

Leaders of public associations and NGO also remind deputies that “tax payers of the country can practice any religion or not to belong to any confession, and deputies violate tax payers’ rights and constitutional principle of religion derogation form the state, by creating special praying conditions for one of the religions in Parliament,.”

“Praying and religion practice is free and personal matter of everyone, it must not be done at the expenses of tax payers. Even without that tax payers dole out money for deputy’s corps and provide deputies with offices, transports, communication means and housing perks. Tax payers have moral and legal right to stop paying taxes in the case of violation of main contract, which Kyrgyz Constitution is,” human right advocates remind people’s deputies.

They call Parliament to “rigorously obey constitutional principles and perform their direct law making duties to the interests of the whole Kyrgyz nation.”

Leaders and members of Human Rights Concil, Civil Control Committee, Democracy and Civil Society Coalition, Voice of Liberty and Open Position public associations, Kylym Shamy human right center, Psychological Health public organization, and League of Child rights put their names to the notification.
For more info- http://eng.24.kg/community/2010/12/29/15603.html

Civil society groups back new climate body vice chair

A nationwide network of civil society groups on Tuesday expressed support for newly appointed Climate Change Commission (CCC) vice chairperson Lucille Sering, saying her appointment to the post signals reforms in the climate body.

“We welcome this development as it ushers in the much-need reforms in a commission formerly beset with an uninformed and biased leadership," Rowena Bolinas of the Aksyon Klima network said in a statement on Tuesday.

She likewise lauded President Benigno Aquino III’s “swift and decisive" action to replace former CCC vice chairperson Heherson Alvarez, who has drawn flak in the past months due to his supposed “unilateral" decisions in the body. (See: PNoy lauded for replacing Alvarez as CCC vice chair)

“President Aquino made the right decision in appointing Commissioner Sering as the new vice chairperson. Now, we can look forward to a more consultative climate body that seeks to listen to the voices of vulnerable sectors affected by climate change impacts," she said.

Sering, who once served as Department of Environment and Natural Resources undersecretary, took her oath on Monday afternoon as the new CCC vice chairperson, in ceremonies administered by President Aquino himself.

As the new vice-chairperson, Sering now serves as the executive director of the body, which is chaired by the President.

Chito Tionko, a civil society representative, meanwhile challenged Sering to take concrete steps to cut the country’s greenhouse gas emissions.

“We should be ready to shift to organic agriculture, shelve our coal plants, establish an efficient mass transport system and ban logging and mining," he said in the same statement.

Tionko will be one of civil society representatives of the Philippine delegation to be sent to Cancun in Mexico in December for the next round of climate change talks.

For more info- http://www.gmanews.tv/story/206713/civil-society-groups-back-new-climate-body-vice-chair

Children's worker banned for safeguarding failures

A social worker who repeatedly failed to safeguard vulnerable children has been removed from the register.

John Maude's failings left many vulnerable service users unprotected when he worked at Rotherham Council, a conduct committee of the General Social Care Council found.

As allocated social worker for three children while at the Yorkshire authority between 2005 and 2009, the committee found Maude had:

Failed to respond to allegations of domestic violence against the father.

Failed to follow the advice of other professionals.

Left the three children in a "highly dangerous situation", and the youngest child without a protection plan.

Allowed the father to have unsupervised contact with his three children, leaving them at "an unacceptably high risk of harm".

Maude claimed that he had sought legal advice regarding the youngest child, but the committee was told there was no record of this.

The committee rejected the social worker's defence and found he had committed serious misconduct over a considerable period, breaching a number of the codes of practice for social workers. These included neglecting the best interests of service users, putting service users at unnecessary risk, failing to meet standards of practice and failing to keep clear and accurate records.
Collected from- http://www.communitycare.co.uk/Articles/2010/11/12/115807/childrens-worker-banned-for-safeguarding-failures.htm

Guidance restricts social workers learning from serious case reviews

Social workers have not learned the lessons from the Baby P case because government guidance prevents them from being more authoritative with parents and families, the author of the second serious case review on the toddler's death has told Community Care.

Alan Jones said the biggest lesson to be learned from the full publication of the Baby P SCRs, and from almost every other SCR he had ever written or studied, was the need for social workers to challenge parents more.

"Without being cynical I believe we will not, and have not, learned from the Baby P case," he said. "There has been no suggestion by government or service leaders that they should place more importance on this learning in the provision of our child protection services.

"Without a change to authoritative practice by all protection agencies we will not prevent the continuing catalogue of avoidable non-accidental deaths."

He said current government guidance put more importance on social workers supporting families and parents to try and keep the children at home if at all possible.

Sue Woolmore, independent social work trainer and consultant, said this view was common throughout the sector.

"The culture within child protection has become so driven by the fear of exposure for incompetence or poor practice, practitioners and their managers have become far more preoccupied with ticking the right boxes and staying close to guidelines.

"The problem is that they've done that at the expense of their own professional judgement. As a result, what we've been doing with serious case reviews is identifying lessons within child protection, but we haven't been able to embed them. The system isn't flexible enough."

Woolmore said the 10-day time limit for initial assessments was one example of well-intentioned guidance that often led to poor practice.

"When you have to get that assessment done in 10 working days, how are you ever going to penetrate all the layers of complexity within a household like Baby P's? Of course you're going to have to rely on what the adults tell you, and that's one of the main failings pointed out about this case."

However, Jenny Myers, head of safeguarding at Barnardo's, said that even if the guidance were changed, social workers also needed to be properly trained, supported and competent to become more authoritative.

"Workers need to be able to use professional judgement and challenge families. However flexible your guidance, it won't make a huge amount of difference unless workers are up to that."
collected from- http://www.communitycare.co.uk/Articles/2010/11/09/115765/social-workers-must-challenge-parents-baby-p-scr-author.htm

Social entrepreneurs to the rescue

WHEN in doubt that Jamaica is blessed and has within it the seeds of its redemption, look to the field of entrepreneurship. Sandals, owned by Butch Stewart, is rated by Inter-brand, an organisation specialising in valuing brands, as one of the top 20 brands in the Commonwealth. Each year this newspaper, which is also a member of the Sandals family, hosts an awards ceremony at which it honours business leaders. This year's competition, like the others that have gone before, reveals the amazing courage and inventiveness of local as well as foreign business people who have invested in the Jamaican dream.

A few weeks ago, the Michael Lee-Chin-controlled National Commercial Bank held its Third Annual Nation Builder Awards function. This year the award went to Jason Henzell and the Treasure Beach-based Jake's Holdings Limited, a renowned boutique hotel and home of the famous Calabash festival. Jason is also president of Island Outpost, an entity controlled by Chris Blackwell; another entrepreneur with a name that is known to the investment world and with roots firmly planted in Jamaica.

These names are readily recognisable, but Jamaica's entrepreneurial stream runs quieter and deeper than that. The Global Entrepreneurial Monitor compares countries based on the prevalence of nascent and start-up entrepreneurs. Going back to 2005, Jamaica ranks near the very top. Trying to list names is an exercise in futility. One would exhaust oneself as entrepreneurs of substance are found at every stratum of Jamaican society.

But now there is an interesting game changer being introduced into the mix. The October 4 edition of The Gleaner ran the story: Business boom for Montego Bay -- Branson centre creates business opportunity for young entrepreneurs. The story covered the announcement by Virgin Unite, the non-profit foundation of the Virgin Group that it plans to launch the Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship in Montego Bay. Named after group CEO Richard Branson, one of the world's richest and most alluring figures, the centre will utilise the business incubator concept to spawn, sustain and grow micro-enterprises.

The Branson Centre will target aspiring entrepreneurs 18 - 35 years old who have brilliant ideas in their heads, little or no cash in their pockets, and who are lacking in critical knowledge like business management, marketing and accounting. It will provide them with the necessary mentoring, shared services and financial assistance to ensure the survival and viability of their fledgling businesses. Patrick Casserly of E-Services fame and fortune, who will serve as the centre's interim chairman, is quoted as saying the following. "Using the community of Flankers in St James is the perfect example for this project. We do not see formal businesses being located there by its residents, yet think of the body of services that such a large community needs within its confines, creating a basis for viability and sustainability".

Many Jamaican businesses and entrepreneurs have established foundations to manage their investments in the social sector, but this latest approach by Richard Branson marks an interesting crossover into social entrepreneurship. Who is a social entrepreneur? He is someone who applies business knowledge, principles and techniques to solving complex social problems operating in the not-for-profit non-government sector. Simply put, it is someone who has powerful ideas for improving people's lives without an immediate or apparent profit motive. It is not charity. In the words of Former United States Secretary of Commerce Alexander Trowbridge, "I am not appealing for charity (to solve social problems) but for the application of tough business thinking and shrewd business criteria to these problems."

Bangladeshi economics professor Muhammad Yunus is the epitome of the social entrepreneur. He is famous for helping poor peasant women, once considered unbankable, to gain access to affordable credit through an innovative group lending process that keeps delinquency lower than in the commercial banking sector. Today, his Grameen Bank stretches worldwide and he has been recognised for his work with a Nobel Prize.

The term social entrepreneur may be relatively new but people doing humanitarian work out of their business acumen have been around for a long time. Mary Seacole, George William Gordon and Marcus Garvey would qualify. There are awards that indirectly try to encourage this novel approach to solving social problems. I have mentioned the Observer Business Leader Award and the NCB Nation Builder Award, both of which emphasise individuals giving back to society. There are also First International Caribbean Bank Unsung Hero Award; Jamaica Chamber of Commerce Civic Personality Award; Gleaner Award for Community Service, and the Michael Manley Foundation Award which recognises outstanding community building effort through self-help.

The field of social entrepreneurship is expanding rapidly and is increasingly being viewed as an alternative career path. The world's richest man, Bill Gates, left his day job at Microsoft to head the US$50-billion Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which is dedicated to solving some of the perennial problems affecting people at the bottom of the social and economic pyramid. Social entrepreneurs, like the Gates, are showing that it is possible to do well by doing good.

As is the case with traditional business entrepreneurship, there is a growing trend toward leading universities offering degrees in social entrepreneurship. Right here in Jamaica, Agency for Inner-city Renewal, a community-based organisation in Trench Town, is combining forces with the University College of the Caribbean to develop and offer an MBA degree in the discipline.

Entrepreneurs cannot be accused of having got Jamaica into the economic, moral and social mess that it is in. But it is, nevertheless, social entrepreneurs that are coming to the rescue, "so that Jamaica may, under God, increase in beauty, fellowship and prosperity, and play her part in advancing the welfare of the whole human race".

collected from- http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/columns/Social-entrepreneurs-to-the-rescue_8134119