social care services

Disabled prisoners: a short thematic review on the care and support of prisoners with a disability

The National Offender Management Service is subject to the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act. This thematic report draws together information from prisoner surveys and inspection reports between 2006 and 2008, together with responses from 82 prison disability liaison officers (DLOs), to examine how well prisons are currently able to discharge these duties. Areas covered include: environment and relationships; safety; health services; activities; and resettlement. The report makes a number of recommendations.

Health Action Planning and Health Facilitation for people with learning disabilities: good practice guidance

The purpose of this guidance is to describe and clarify good practice in health facilitation and health action planning and support localities to make progress on this and on reducing health inequalities experienced by people with learning disabilities. It builds on previous DH guidance and reflects the learning that has taken place since 2002 along with key recommendations of relevant recent reports and research. Short examples of good practice are included throughout.

Growing up in Scotland - sweep 2 - topic research findings: experiences of pre-school education

This report summarises findings from sweep 2 of the Growing Up in Scotland study (GUS), a longitudinal research project aimed at tracking the lives of a cohort of Scottish children.

It is focussed on children’s experiences of pre-school education. This document is one of a series that summarise key findings from the second sweep of the survey which was launched in April 2006. At the second sweep, interviews were successfully completed with 4,512 respondents from the birth cohort and 2,500 from the child cohort.

SCIE Guide 29: Changing social care: an inclusive approach

Adult social care is changing, to ensure that the people who use services are at the heart of their own care and support. This change, outlined in 'Our health, our care, our say' (Department of Health 2006) and confirmed in 'Putting people first' (Her Majesty's Government 2007), will result in greater choice and control for individuals and better support for carers and families. To achieve this, the social care workforce will need to change its approach.

Better health, better care: action plan

This Action Plan sets out the Scottish Government's programme to deliver a healthier Scotland by helping people to sustain and improve their health, especially in disadvantaged communities, ensuring better, local and faster access to health care. The report is informed by the response to the consultation on Better health, better care: a discussion document (August 2007).

Getting it right for every child in foster care and kinship care - a National Strategy

Scottish Government report on what needs to be in place to provide a truly child-centred response and approach to the provision of foster and kinship care.

It then considers what improvements are needed in the support provided to carers that will in turn enhance the quality of care provided to children.

Finally, it addresses the improvements that can be made to the quality assurance systems that govern these types of care.

Our health, our care, our say: a new direction for community services

The Our Health, Our Care, Our Say White Paper sets out a vision to provide people with good quality social care and NHS services in the communities where they live. NHS services are halfway through a 10 year plan to become more responsive to patient needs and prevent ill health by the promotion of healthy lifestyles. Social care services are also changing to give service users more independence, choice and control.