WOWPetition to assess full impact of all cuts to support & social care for disabled people

Michelle Maher of WOWPetition explains why you should sign the WOWpetition.co.uk

Today’s papers are full of the horrific impact of cuts to social care and with the Independent Living Fund just starting to impact, we are sadly sure this will get worse. We urgently need an assessment all cuts to disability support as called for by EHRC and Social Security Advisory Committee which Osborne is blocking, showing no duty of care towards disabled people.

As you know ESA (WRAG) has also been cut by £30 a week, access to work, support employers, council tax, housing benefit, and the roll out of PIP has seen many people losing support. We need you’re help to get behind and back the new WOWpetition.co.uk fronted by Francesca Martinez.  If you can e mail the petition to members tweet and put on facebook any help would be great.

We are a small group of sick, disabled people and carers who need backing.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/brutal-government-cuts-forcing-disabled-6802010#ICID=sharebar_twitter 

Michelle Maher

Sign the new petition here: WOWpetition.co.uk 

Petition: Assess full impact of all cuts to support & social care for disabled people

Govt has ignored calls for a full assessment of the impact of Welfare, Social Care & NHS reform on disabled people and their families. The number of households with a disabled family member living in “absolute poverty” increased by 10% between 2013 & 14.

Since WOWpetition collected 104,000 signatures the Government claimed IFS said it was too difficult to do a CIA, IFS subsequently contradicted the claim and said it could be done. EHRC and Social Security Advisory Committee have also called for a CIA of how cuts have affected disabled people and their families. A Cumulative Impact Assessment undertaken by Landman Economics and the National Institute of Economic and Social Research proved disabled people have been hit the hardest by cuts.

Community led public services can transform inequalities, says report

Thursday 22 October 2015

UNISON Labour Link Media Release - Launch of Commission on Health Inequalities report will take place at 22 October, 9.00am UNISON Scotland, 14 West Campbell St., Glasgow

The report of the Commission on Health Inequalities for the Scottish Labour Party calls for national leadership and community hubs to tackle health inequalities.

The Commission for Health Inequalities set up by Labour’s then shadow health minister, Neil Findlay MSP, has published its report today (22 October 2015) calling on the Labour Party to adopt radical policies to tackle Scotland’s enduring policy failure of health inequalities. The commission report calls on Labour Party to adopt a transformative agenda if it wants to change political priorities of the Scottish Parliament on this issue.

The report aims to prioritise this agenda across government. It proposes a breadth of policies to tackle health inequalities in Scotland.

Key policy recommendations include building of community hubs, with local multi disciplinary teams that join up services in real localities and which would also serve as community meeting places, where communities are free to set their own agenda. They would include various public services based under the same roof including social work, housing, health and leisure services such as community cafes. With advice shops that offer amongst other things debt, welfare and income maximisation advice. (Para 3.6 of report). These are the type of services envisaged by Christie, who recommended services designed from the bottom up with citizens at their heart, with a high degree of professional autonomy for front line teams.

It recommends the adoption of a progressive universalism approach whereby important basic universal services are targetted and tailored in proportion to community needs.

And it recommends the introduction of health inequality impact assessments for every policy devised by public bodies in Scotland. In other words anything that the Government and every other body do must always take cognisance of its impact on health inequalities. This would ensure that the Scottish Government would take a cross portfolio approach. (para 3.3 in report)

Other policy recommendations include free childcare, an end to the council tax freeze, using the Scottish Parliament new welfare powers and using procurement to end low pay and poor employment practices
Dr David Conway, Chair of the Health Inequalities Commission said, “Health inequalities are the manifestation of inequalities in income, wealth, and power. They result in upto 30 years difference in life expectancy between those born in the richest and poorest neighbourhoods.

There have been many reports on Scottish health inequalities over the years. This commission report is different because it is firmly focussed on what we can and must do in Scotland to tackle this enduring problem. It is a national shame that we have some of the worst health inequalities in the developed world.  We need to debunk the myth that there are no devolved powers available to take on this huge challenge and get on and do something about it. The commission recommendations come from a wide consultation with experts working in communities, the health service, local government, and trade unions; as well as from community engagement events.

The testimonies we heard from people working heroically in their communities painted a graphic picture of the miserable reality of poverty and inequality and the inadequate policy and resources we put into tackling health inequalities in Scotland.

If we are ever going to solve this issue we are going to have to fundamentally change our political priorities and choices taken in the Scottish Parliament”

A full list of the policy recommendations are in the report, some are repeated in the notes below.

ENDS


Notes 
Commission on Health Inequalities Report  for the Labour Party in Scotland was commissioned by Neil Findlay MSP when he was shadow minister for health. It is supported by Socialist Health Association.
The document also calls for a range of policies to tackle low pay and poor working conditions including:

• Agency workers given parity with full-time employees.
• To use procurement to ensure better pay and conditions protection for workers including paying the workforce at least the living wage,  to incorporate the value of lost tax credits in peoples low pay, and to end zero hours contracts and blacklisting trade unionists.
•  Ensure the ‘Scottish Real Living Wage’ is paid in the Social Care sector.
•  Encourage collective bargaining processes.
• Ensure all Fair Work Convention recommendations are implemented.
• Establish a Scottish Health & Safety Executive.
• Raise the levels of Social Security payments to a level conducive to the minimum income for healthy living.
• Abolish the cruel sanctions regime.
• Review all employment and welfare policies devolved in the Scotland Bill and ensure that they are used to maximum potential to reduce health inequalities.

It also calls for Scottish Parliament to:

• Lift the council tax freeze. Reform the regressive Council Tax and consider options for fairer local taxation.
• Build a minimum of 10,000 new social houses each year. Transform the quality and quantity of social housing across Scotland.
• Introduce better regulation of private rented sector including effective rent controls and consider extending the Housing Quality Standards to the Private Sector.
• Provide free childcare at the point of use and extend breakfast clubs and free healthy meals to nursery schools.
• Ensure schools strive to develop social, emotional, health and wellbeing agendas as a foundation for learning.
• Reverse Cuts and boost spending at Further Education colleges.
• Tackle the Mental Health Crisis in Scotland - We strongly recommend that mental health services are prioritised and invested in as a matter of urgency
• Create national targets for reducing health inequalities.
• Create a Cross-portfolio Cabinet Secretary for Health Equity.

Social care staff need UNISON - and some good news from Scotland

#uNDC15 Conference showed just why social work and social care workers need UNISON as it backed a range

Kate Ramsden:
Social Workers' contempt conviction overturned

of measures demanding safe staffing levels. The union will call on all the UK governments to review staff numbers and introduce regulations to force employers to report staff levels and vacancies annually.

It also raised concerns about social workers being named in reports which will add to the abuse staff often face due to the negative portrayal of the profession in the media and TV dramas. It was not only a concern for staff but also for people who may need services.

UNISON demands Stirling and Clacks councils release elusive report

Date: Wednesday 10 June 2015

UNISON has called for the immediate release of all Ernst & Young documentation relating to the future of social care and education in Clackmannanshire and Stirling Councils.

In particular, UNISON demand the release of a report - by accountants Ernst and Young, commissioned by Stirling and Clackmannanshire councils - which was supposed to be a balanced investigation into the business case for the two councils to share services.

It was proposed that the report would take seven weeks, but it has taken over 30 weeks thus far and has been in the hands of senior council officers of both councils for well over a month.
UNISON believes this is an excessive amount of time to make this report public.

Trade unions, staff and many of the elected members are now asking how objective this report is going to be. The longer it drags on the more suspicious and uneasy the staff are becoming about potential decisions being taken behind closed doors.

UNISON warning over public services in Stirling and Clacks

Friday 22 May 2015

Council staff have grave concerns about the future of public services in Stirling and Clackmannanshire, says UNISON.

UNISON will present a report to senior managers in both Stirling and Clackmannanshire Councils today which raise grave concerns about plans to run Clackmannanshire's education services from Stirling, and Stirling's social care services from Clackmannanshire.

UNISON’s report is based on a survey of 331 staff from both councils. Staff were asked to give their views on what is being called ‘lead council model’ for shared services between Clackmannanshire and Stirling Councils. The proposals being considered would mean that education for both councils would be run by Stirling Council and social care services for both councils would be run by Clackmannanshire Council.

Staff who were surveyed said that these new proposals will result in a ‘poorer service with potential for serious consequences’ that services will ‘continue to deteriorate’ and some staff even suggested that if these plans go ahead it will be an ‘unmitigated disaster’.

Staff also said there will be increased confusion saying, ‘how will you know where to find out if you qualify for a service’; ‘people will be confused over who provides their services’; and ‘they will be confused over where to go if you have any problems’. Staff also said they would be confused about ‘which policies to follow from which council’

Pam Robertson, UNISON secretary for Clackmannanshire branch, said “This report shows that council staff views are clear. They think these proposals will cause confusion for the public, that services will be less accountable to the public, and that local jobs will be lost. Council services are complicated enough to navigate and many of the people we serve are vulnerable and in need of care. They will not cope well with a change like this."

Lorraine Thomson, UNISON Secretary for Stirling local government branch, said: “Our two councils work very well together already. Staff welcome joint working where it improves our services to the public. But we have looked across the world to see where this type of reform has been tried before and the concerns raised by our staff are exactly what has happened elsewhere. It creates confusion, has no accountability, local jobs are lost and it ends up costing council tax payers more for worse quality services.”

Lorraine also said “We want to discuss how we improve all our services by working together, but in this case we just have to persuade elected councillors not to make a bad decision.”

This staff survey report was handed to the Chief Executive Officers of both Stirling and Clackmannanshire councils today, it is also being circulated to all MP's, MSP's and Councillors who represent our constituencies.

END

Notes for editor

1. UNISON is the public service union for the UK. It is the biggest trade union in Scotland and the biggest trade union representing local government staff in both Clackmannanshire and Stirling Councils

2. The full report can be read on UNISON Stirling branch website here:http://www.stirlingunison.co.uk/ 

3. The full report can also be read on UNISON Clackmannanshire Branch website here: http://www.clacksunison.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Shared-Services-Survey-Final-Report-May-2015.pdf

4. The report was carried out because UNISON was concerned about the lack of staff engagement that Ernst & Young had undertaken as part of their work on the business case for the Shared Services project. UNISON implemented a full and detailed staff survey to find out what front line staff really thought about the Shared Services project so far, and what their thoughts were for the future.

UNISON slams charity for not paying minimum wage back pay

Friday 1 May 2015

UNISON is furious that The Richmond Fellowship Scotland is refusing to pay hundreds of pounds in back pay to staff who have not been paid the national minimum wage.

The trade union will be taking legal action against The Richmond Fellowship Scotland, who provides care services across Scotland.  UNISON believe The Richmond Fellowship Scotland has broken the law by paying their workers a flat rate payment for overnight stays which gives an average pay for some staff well below the national minimum wage.

After campaigning by UNISON, The Richmond Fellowship Scotland recently sent a briefing to all staff which agrees to pay the national minimum wage from April 1st  2015, saying UK ‘Government guidance’ confirms that sleepover hours should be counted as working hours (and therefore covered by the national minimum wage).  However The Richmond Fellowship Scotland has refused to discuss any back pay which is owed to UNISON members.

Care workers deserve living wage

#stuc15 The STUC endorsed UNISON’s Ethical Care Charter and committed to campaigning for a living wage for all care workers in Scotland. Delegates backed the call from the Chartered Society for Physiotherapy, which recognised the invaluable contribution of care workers to health and social care provision in Scotland and slammed the terrible working conditions for many as exposed by UNISON’s “Time to Care” survey.

UNISON - Speaking up for Social Work, supporting radical practice

Scotland’s Social Work Issues Group (SWIG) hosted a very successful Fringe Meeting following Local Government Conference on Sunday, entitled “Challenges for Social Workers and the art of radical social work today.”

Chaired by Kate Ramsden, the audience of around 70 delegates, heard from Helga Pyle, National Officer for Social Care, and from SWIG’s John Stevenson and Colin Turbett.

Helga kicked off with a summary of the key findings from the UK UNISON report “Social Work Watch: inside a day in social work” which had been launched that week.

UNISON is the union for social workers

#uLGC14 Delegates backed a call from City of Edinburgh Branch to mount an awareness raising and recruitment campaign on the issues for members raised by the contempt of court proceedings in Scotland, and had welcomed UNISON’s actions in Scotland to protect and advise members and to press for legal changes.

Moving the motion, Edinburgh’s John Stevenson told delegates that the problem stems from a legal system that thinks only grown ups have rights.

“Imagine you have a law in Scotland that says the child’s welfare is paramount? Well we do?

High standards of elderly care need well paid, well trained staff

#stuc14 Congress once again condemned short-term cost “saving” practices which undermine the care of older people in Scotland and the STUC will press the Scottish Government and the Labour Party to take action to end such practices.

UNISON’s amendment highlighted the need for a well paid, well trained and secure workforce to achieve high standards of care, and pointed to the important role of trade unions in improving staff confidence and the quality of care.

Renfrewshire Council leader makes commitment to UNISON Ethical Care Charter

Monday 17 March 2014

Renfrewshire Council are leading the way in the commissioning of homecare services with the Leader of the Council committing to supporting the UNISON Ethical Care Charter on World Social Work Day (tomorrow, Tuesday 18 March 2014) .

The Charter sets minimum standards to protect the dignity and quality of life for people who need homecare. It commits councils to buying homecare only from providers who give workers enough time, training and a living wage, so they can provide better quality care for thousands of service users who rely on it.

Mark Ferguson, Branch Secretary of Renfrewshire UNISON and Chair of UNISON’s Scottish Local Government Committee, said:

“UNISON members working in Renfrewshire Council are proud that their council is leading by example, committing to our Charter that tackles the problems with homecare contracts head on.  Making this commitment to decent employment conditions for care workers is all about improving the quality of life for the people they care for. A living wage, more secure employment and time to care will help make it possible for dedicated care workers to stay in the job and focus on giving the best possible care."

Renfrewshire Council Leader Councillor Mark Macmillan said:
"I am delighted to be able to support UNISON's Ethical Homecare Charter. Home carers do a vital job helping older and vulnerable residents live with dignity and independence in their own home. We believe clients benefit from a higher quality of care when properly rewarded home carers take pride in the work they do. Renfrewshire Council pays its own home care workers the living wage and we successfully negotiated with employers in the private sector to pay their 300 staff the living wage too.”

Dave Watson UNISON Scotland Head of Bargaining and Campaigns said:

‘UNISON Scotland congratulates Renfrewshire Council and the hard work of UNISON members. It is a real example how unions work in partnership with councils to make sure we really deliver for those we care for. It’s also a positive response to the issues raised by care staff in our recent ‘Scotland – It’s Time to care’ report”.

Ethical Care Councils pledge to commission care only from providers who:

• Give workers the freedom to provide appropriate care and be given the time to talk to their clients.
• Allocate clients the same homecare worker(s) wherever possible.
• Do not use zero hour contracts.
• Pay the Living Wage (£7.65 per hour)
• Pay homecare workers for their travel time, their travel costs and other necessary expenses such as mobile phone use.
• Schedule visits so that homecare workers are not forced to rush their time with clients or leave their clients early to get to the next one on time.

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

1. Cllr. Macmillan will indicate his support for the Ethical Care Charter at 10am on Tuesday 18 March - World Social Work Day - at UNISON Office, Sir James Clark Building, Business Centre, Seedhill, PAISLEY PA1 1TJ

2. The Charter was developed following UNISON's UK 'Time to Care' report in 2012 can be read; http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/ socialwork/Final%20Ethical%20Care%20Charter%20PDF.pdf

3. The concerns of care staff in Scotland are set out in, ‘Scotland – It’s Time to Care’ http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/socialwork/timetocare.pdf

It’s time to care, says UNISON as survey reveals Scotland’s care crisis

A survey of Scottish homecare workers has exposed the shocking reality of the country’s care services.

The majority of workers polled in the UNISON survey believe the service is not sufficient to meet the needs of the elderly and vulnerable people they care for – both from the time they can spend and the quality of care they can provide. Almost half of carers (44%) said they were limited to specific times to spend with their clients. One in two workers are not reimbursed for travelling between client visits, while three in four said they expected the situation to get worse over the coming year.

The survey – Scotland: It’s Time to Care – also revealed that one in ten are on zero hours contracts. This is being fuelled by the way councils commission care and is leading to worse services for the elderly and some of the most vulnerable people in our society.

Scots councils urged to ditch ‘care on the cheap’ 15 minute home visits

UNISON Scotland today hit out at Scottish councils over commissioning 15 minute home care visits to elderly and vulnerable people.

A Freedom of Information request shows that 28 Scottish councils commission such short visits.

UNISON wants the UK and Scottish governments to ban 15 minute care slots and is urging councils to sign up to the union’s Ethical  Home Care Charter.

Scottish Secretary Mike Kirby said: “Austerity cuts are piling pressure onto an overstretched system but it is entirely wrong that in a supposedly civilised society councils are commissioning 15 minute home care appointments.

“Any member of the public can understand that 15 minutes is not enough to provide even the most basic care, let alone to very frail clients. People with dementia also find the rush of such short visits particularly distressing.

Care solutions need to recognise devolved powers

As the numbers of people needing social care and support continue to rise, there needs to be a long term sustainable solution to the funding deficit in social care and Conference threw its weight behind a range of measures to address this, including support for a national care service, free at the point of need.
  Scotland’s Stephen Smellie brought a Scottish perspective to the debate, however, reminding delegates that social care and the NHS are devolved matters, and different solutions will need to develop in response to different issues.

UNISON warns social work standards are at risk from austerity cuts

12 June 2013

 

Social workers meeting in Glasgow today (Wed) warned that managers and the Scottish Government must do more protect services to the most vulnerable in the face of austerity cuts.

Stephen Smellie, Vice Convener of UNISON Scotland, told a seminar on ethical social work that cutbacks are placing unprecedented pressures on services and on staff working to ensure professional standards are upheld.

New union project offers personal assistants training and employment rights advice

22 May 2013

 

The public services union UNISON has launched a new project offering networking, advice and support to personal assistants (PAs) who work for disabled and elderly clients.

PAs are being invited to a series of meetings in June around  Glasgow to find out more.

Lynne Rankin, organiser for the project, said that PAs working in the homes of disabled and elderly people can feel very isolated and may not be aware of their employment rights.

She said: “We are hoping to contact personal assistants in and around Glasgow.

“We want to offer support with training and development opportunities and to make sure they know about their rights to join a trade union and be represented at work.

“They will benefit too just from networking and meeting others doing the same work. PAs can come to one of the meetings we have organised around the city, or can contact me for further information.”

Employers’ organisations such as Glasgow Centre for Inclusive Living (GCIL) Carers Projects, the Scottish Government and Self Directed Support Scotland (SDSS) have responded positively to the project, agreeing there should be a support organisation for PAs.

Glasgow City Council is also supportive of the initiative and welcomes working with UNISON to provide this. 

Lynne added: “We are also keen to hear directly from PAs what matters most to them and what they would like support on.”

More than eleven meetings have already been arranged at venues including the Pearce Institute, Penilee and Castlemilk Community Centres and the Glasgow Centre for Inclusive Living.

 

ENDS

 

For information please contact:

Lynne Rankin, organiser for the PAs project, 0141 342 2881 or 07903 853022  L.Rankin@unison.co.uk

 

Notes to editors:

1. UNISON is Scotland’s largest trade union representing 160,000 members working in the public sector in Scotland.
2. The PAs project is a new move for UNISON and is working in liaison with a similar project in Yorkshire and Humberside, sharing good practice.
3. PAs work mainly for disabled people, supporting them to live independently, paid for by direct payments from social care budgets. Many may formerly have been employed by councils or are now employed through an agency.
4. Training and development opportunities may include discounts on Open University courses.  UNISON is also working with the Scottish Government and the Workers Educational Association (WEA) to look at developing local learning opportunities for PAs.   

5.       Meetings details are:

Monday 10^th, 17th & 24^th June 10-11am Pearce Cafe, Pearce Institute. Govan

Monday 10^th & 17^th June 2-3pm GCIL 117-127 Brook Street, Glasgow

Thursday 13^th, 20^th & 27^th June 1.30-3.30pm Penilee Community Centre, Glasgow

Friday 14^th, 21st & 28^th June 11am-12 noon Castlemilk Community Centre, Glasgow

Further dates and locations will be added to the website at:

 

http://www.unison-scotland.org.uk/socialwork/personalassistants.html 

 

 

.

 

 

Queen's speech - UNISON reaction

Wed 8 May 2013

QUEEN’S SPEECH – UNISON REACTION

UNISON General Secretary, Dave Prentis, said:

“There is little comfort in this programme for the young, the unemployed, the working poor, the sick, the vulnerable or the millions who have seen their living standards fall drastically since this coalition government came to power.

“It’s a typical Tory tactic to distract attention from the real problems we face by fostering a ‘blame immigrants’ culture, instead of tackling the huge divide between the rich and the poor.

“This government should face facts and accept that its policies are not working for the majority of people. What we need is a programme that will boost growth and create jobs not one that boosts insecurity and fear and creates division.”



More UNISON UK news here:
http://www.unison.org.uk/news/



.