Social workers are ideally placed to offer the support, brokerage and advocacy roles which will come about as part of the move towards greater choice and control for service users, whilst continuing their vital role in safeguarding those who are vulnerable, the General Social Care Council (GSCC) said today.

Staff shortages have left many health visitors responsible for more than 1,000 children each, suggests a survey. Nearly 75% of 829 health visitors polled said they could not meet the needs of the most vulnerable children.

Lib Dem health spokesman says political parties are refusing to talk about unacceptable state of mental health services.

Concern about the growing demand for adult social care in Surrey is to be the focus of a special Question Time debate hosted by Surrey County Council.

Parents will be able to ask if someone close to their family is a sex offender under new pilot schemes in England.

Almost half of community mental health patients in England are unable to access any out-of-hours care, an NHS inspectorate survey suggests.

Rachel works in a voluntary sector organisation supporting vulnerable tenants in East London. She has also worked for a national charity working with people with learning difficulties. She spoke to Socialist Worker.

A new national voluntary sector umbrella body that claims it will be the biggest representative of users of health and social care services across the UK held its inaugural conference this week in a bid to sign up members and decide which issues to address.

The struggle for funding facing charities working with vulnerable and disenfranchised women speaks volumes about the crisis facing hundreds of thousands of single-issue voluntary groups working with those falling through the gaps in social care provision across the UK.

The Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) and the Department of Health have endorsed a new guide aimed at helping Local Authorities boost their overall performance in the care of blind and partially sighted adults.