Leading social care interest groups warn government that its mental capacity reforms are not fit for purpose
The Mental Capacity (Amendment) Bill is proceeding through Parliament. Following upon the DoLS crisis, about which we posted and wrote extensively in recent years, the Bill’s primary purpose is to replace the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) with the Liberty Protection Safeguards (LPS) proposed by the Law Commission’s Review. Last week Rescare received email alerts […]
Special needs pupils being failed by system ‘on verge of crisis’
… So runs the headline today above a special report by Sally Weale and Niamh McIntyre in the Guardian’s Education Section, available to read online here . And it is worth reading. The article catalogues the systemic failures in the SEND system, as local authorities, faced with their own funding crises, and schools with conflicting […]
Focus on Learning Disability, Health and Obesity
Learning Disability and Obesity… So much to say, and so much already said on this issue that we have given it a separate page, now located under the drop-down menu ‘Key Issues and Topics’*. Take a look. I have tried to give an overview of the issues and Rescare’s concerns, and realise that there is […]
Important Legal Challenge to How Court of Protection Appoints Welfare Deputies
We listened with interest this morning to Radio 4’s Today programme. (To be specific, the time was 8:42 am, and the relevant discussion can be heard online at time-point ‘2:42’ of the broadcast, available online at bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0b90pym#playonline ). The Today programme’s interviewees were: Alex Rook, senior partner at the solicitors Irwin Mitchell, who specialises in […]
House of Commons marks Autism Awareness Week
It was heartening to read this transcript of a debate which took place in the Commons on 29th March . (If you have the time, please have read – it is not that long) It was initiated by Dame Cheryl Gillan, Conservative MP for Chesham and Amersham: “I beg to move, That this House notes that World Autism Awareness Week 2018 […]
Death of Rescare’s founder, Richard S Jackson MBE.
It is with deep sadness that we must inform you of the death earlier today, 29th March 2018, of Rescare’s founder, Richard Jackson. Richard was the motivating force behind the foundation of Rescare in 1984, and served Rescare in the roles of Chairman and latterly of Honorary President. Many members of Rescare will have met […]
DOLS Reform. How urgent is ‘a matter of pressing urgency’?
9th Feb 2018: Joint Committee on Human Rights launches inquiry into DOLS reform Rescare covered the issue of DOLS and the repercussions of the Cheshire West case in several articles in Resnews, our newsletter to members, in 2016 and 2017. One of the repercussions of that case was that the Court of Protection became clogged with […]
Minister of State for Adult Social Care appointed
Appointment of new minister reflects (hopefully) government’s higher priority for adult social care. From Community Care Jan 23rd 2018 Caroline Dinenage will be the minister of state overseeing adult social care, the Department of Health and Social Care has confirmed. The decision to give the remit to Dinenage marks an elevation in the importance of […]
Landmark High Court ruling on PIP
PIP: On 21st December 2017 Justice Mostyn delivered his judgement in the High Court in the case of RF v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. The individual (RF) was a client of the charity Public Law Project, and was supported by the mental health charity MIND and the Equality and Human Rights Commission […]
MPs ‘consider supporting and safeguarding adults with learning disabilities’
On 17th October, in a Westminster Hall, Catherine McKinnell, Labour MP for Newcastle North, introduced a debate amongst MPs with the following words: “I beg to move that this House has considered supporting and safeguarding adults with learning disabilities”. In doing so, she was again highlighting the truly shocking murder of Lee Irving and speaking for Lee’s […]