Scottish Exec launches National Child Protection public information phone line.

The Scottish Executive has launched a 24 hr child protection information line designed to complement Scottish child protection services. The child protection information telephone line runs in tandem with a National Child Protection Website. (Child Protection Line Tel - 0800 022 3222)

The child protection line gives easy access to child protection services and allows people to share concerns about a child with the most appropriate local agency. People who call the confidential child protection line freephone number will speak to a trained operator.

Depending on the nature of the call, the operator may transfer the caller to the most relevant agency, or advise who the caller should speak to next

Scottish Executive Education Minister Hugh Henry said:

"All children deserve the best possible start in life but too many find their young lives blighted by abuse or neglect. For those vulnerable youngsters, it's vital that they get help as soon as possible. That means that we all have a duty to step in if we fear a child is in trouble. We must never assume that the authorities - police, social work or education - are already aware of the situation.

"However, we know there is often confusion about who to call or how to get help. This service will provide a single, nationwide access point, helping all of us to help vulnerable youngsters."

The introduction of the information line follows a pilot in the North-east of Scotland in 2005 and delivers a commitment from the Children's Charter to provide a nationwide, 24-hour child protection information service.

Inspector Peter Reilly, who is also the Grampian Police Child Protection Co-ordinator, said:

"The pilot was extremely effective in raising awareness that it is everyone's job to make sure that children are protected. The lessons learned from the pilot have been invaluable in preparing for the wider national response and the roll out of the national Child Protection Line. The NESCPC welcomes the national launch as a means of reaching a wider audience, further raising awareness and so helping to protect our children and young people."

The Scottish Executive's Child Protection Reform Programme budget will provide the set-up and running costs of the line which will be around £200,000 over three years

The Children's Charter, launched in March 2004, included a commitment by the Scottish Executive that they would 'work with agencies and existing helplines to provide a 24-hour national child protection service'.

The charter was part of the Executive's three-year child protection reform programme - a response to It's Everyone's Job to Make Sure I'm Alright, the child protection audit and review. A MORI poll undertaken as part of this review indicated that people didn't know what to do if they had a concern, how to report it and what might happen if they did.

It will also be supported by a poster campaign - in GP surgeries, community venues and other local outlets - and copies of the poster images are available.

Although the 24-hour information line will operate nationwide from the outset, publicity for the new resource will be rolled out in a phased way, concentrating initially on Midlothian, Highland, Edinburgh and the North-east (covering Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Moray).
Source:Scottish Executive

Scotland: Adult Support and Protection Bill approved

MSP's have approved a new Bill that offers greater protection to adults at risk of abuse.
The Adult Support and Protection (Scotland) Bill will give new powers and a statutory responsibility to local agencies to investigate any risk of harm or abuse to adults living in care homes or in the community.
Deputy Health Minister, Lewis Macdonald said:
"The passing of this new Bill sends out a clear message today - abuse of adults at risk will not be tolerated in Scotland.
"It's vital that we protect vulnerable adults from the risk of harm, whether this is caused by physical injury, neglect, sexual abuse or financial exploitation. This new legislation will mean that these often hidden problems can be tackled sensitively and constructively."
New powers remove uncertainties about the duty to act and will make it possible to investigate allegations of mistreatment. Assessment of the person and their circumstances can be carried out and appropriate support offered. In exceptional circumstances, a victim can be moved to a temporary place of safety and perpetrators excluded. Any actions taken must be to the benefit of the individual concerned.
Local councils and their partners are also placed under a duty to create Adult Protection Committees made up of a wide range of interested parties including social workers, health staff and the police to oversee adult protection work and to monitor its effectiveness and report their findings to Parliament on a regular basis.
David Manion, Chief Executive, Age Concern Scotland, said:
"Older people across Scotland welcome this long-awaited legislation which will make it a statutory responsibility to respond to incidents of harm or abuse of an adult who may be vulnerable.
"Scotland is now leading the way by legislating for improved safeguards and responses and is giving out a clear message that the mistreatment of any person will not be tolerated."
Part 1 of the Bill is concerned with adult protection. Parts 2 and 3 clarify aspects of both the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000 and the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 whilst also making some minor adjustments to the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968.
Source : Scottish Exec

Elderly Care at Home gets EU boost

Care at Home for the elderly gets a significant boost with the announcement of
a consortium of 20 partners from European universities, public bodies and private companies to develop improved technology that should allow vulnerable older people to continue to live independently at home.

The Service Orientated Programmable Smart Environments for Older Europeans (SOPRANO) project is part-EU funded and aims to develop IT based assisted living services that promote the independence of older people, improve their quality of life and address the issue of ageing.

Mike Hodges, the Research and Development Director at Tunstall, the private company leading the research project, said: 'Against a background of accelerating demographic ageing across Europe, the latest telecare and telehealth solutions will play a pivotal role in helping to relieve some of the growing pressure on healthcare providers. Tunstall is proud to be leading this cutting-edge project which is addressing these key issues.'

The project will demonstrate how to use telecare technology, Information Technology (IT) and mobile communications to develop new community-based models of care and support. The research hopes to advance global knowledge in remote diagnostics, semantic IT, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) location, and radar and integration architectures. 600 users will test the viability of these technologies in real homes.

The project will have two goals: to develop new ways of integrating assistive technology, telecare and telehealth solutions into users' homes to provide assistance; and to investigate the motor, sensory and cognitive difficulties experienced by older people and the best vision, voice or sensory-based means of communicating with users.

SOPRANO hopes to investigate the development of a fully networked home environment where integrated appliances support users in carrying out their everyday activities, and advanced telecare and telehealth solutions can monitor well-being to ensure that assistance is provided when required.

It is hoped that such low-level, round-the-clock telecare technology will offer a cost-effective alternative to traditional care, while also ensuring users get the support they need in the familiarity of their home environment.'

What such technology systems will never be able to offer though is real face to face meaningful human interaction and for many eldery people this can be the differenec between just living and enjoying a quality life. The development of these technology solutions to the problems of caring for the elderly must be supported and encouraged but we must never forget that the elderly, like the rest of us, need the warmth of human companionship and this is something that more traditional forms of care , at their best, have provided. The challenge is to develop systems of care which can meet these full range of needs.
http://www.tunstall.co.uk/

Elderly care: doctors discriminate says study

Half of doctors discriminate against elderly patients because of their age according to a study of elderly patients with angina. They were less likely to be prescribed a statin to lower their cholesterol, given appropriate tests, be referred to a cardiologistor or be offered surgical treatments. They were more likely to have current prescriptions changed and be told to come back later.

The survey questioned 28 GPs, 28 elderly care specialists and 29 cardiologists from southern England and the Midlands. The study of doctors treatment of the elderly (published in the journal Quality and Safety in Health Care)found patients over 65 were managed differently from younger patients.

In the study the doctors were interviewed about 72 fictional patients with varying degrees of heart problemsangina were presented using a specially-created computer programme.