risk

Enabling risk, ensuring safety: self-directed support and personal budgets (At a glance 31)

This ‘At a glance’ briefing highlights some of the emerging findings from research and practice regarding risk taking and safety in the implementation of self-directed support and personal budgets. The briefing summarises research findings from UK and international studies and emerging practice. The aim is to highlight evidence of what may help or hinder risk enablement and adult safeguarding in the context of promoting independence, choice and control. It also provides some examples of how practice is developing.

Tenure rights and responsibilities

A review of the tenure rights, responsibilities, risks and problems faced by landlords, lenders and tenants.
This paper, commissioned as part of JRF's Housing Market Taskforce programme, also:
* examines the problems associated with current housing legislation, particularly on social housing; and
* outlines options for the reform of tenure and assesses their likely impact on vulnerable groups and housing market volatility.

At a glance 02: Improving outcomes for people in shared living services

Shared living schemes are one way of providing more personalised services. They offer care and support to people who use services, usually older people and those with learning disabilities, in family homes. This At a glance presents the key messages from the SCIE study, 'Improving outcome for service users in adult placement - commissioning and care management', drawing out the messages for local authority managers, care managers and commissioners.

Unkind, risk averse and untrusting - if this is today's society, can we change it?

The JRF’s recent public consultation revealed a strong sense of unease about some of the changes shaping British society. This Viewpoint continues the discussion about modern 'social evils' on the theme of ‘a decline in values’. Julia Neuberger argues that we can change society for the better by deliberately rebuilding trust, opening up our institutions, and stopping the ‘blame culture’ from preventing simple acts of kindness and altruism.

Understanding Depression in Later Life

The main focus of this learning object is depression amongst older people. The learning object begins by highlighting some of the problems with defining and diagnosing 'depression' and then goes on to discuss the estimated numbers of older people that are thought to suffer from the condition. Issues that make people more or less vulnerable to developing depression in later life are also examined. Finally, effective treatments for depression and explanations for why it so often remains unrecognised in older people is discussed.