Assessing strategies to combat neighbourhood disputes (Anti-social behaviour)

Assessing strategies to combat neighbourhood disputes (Anti-social behaviour) in deprived council estate areas: A case study on the Isle of Dogs, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Project Issue: The Crime and Disorder Act, 1998, defines anti-social behaviour as behaving: â€Å"In a manner that caused or was likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to one or more persons not of the same household as (the defendant).† (Home Office (a) 2003) As this definition covers a wide range of crimes from prostitution, to having excessively high hedges1, I have decided to specifically focus on neighbour disputes such as noise pollution, violent occurrences, and inconsiderate rubbish dumping and similar neighbour to neighbour disputes. The central issue of the dissertation will be firstly, the evaluation of how well four researched strategies used to combat anti-social behaviour, all used in four case studies, actually combat and prevent anti-social neighbour disputes. Secondly, how well those strategies would be placed to deal with neighbour disputes in the Isle of Dogs. Each strategy that has been researched has a relevant case study that illustrates precisely how that strategy works when deployed in practice. Each strategy will be assessed in light of the relevant case study. Case studies have been used concerning anti-social neighbour disputes from the Isle of Dogs (East London), Blackburn, Manchester, and Scotland. The questions that this dissertation will be seeking to find out are: * What are the most prominent and researched strategies that have been analysed, evaluated, and used by academics and practitioners? * How useful are each of these strategies, and what are their strength's and what are their weaknesses? * To what extent, can each of these strategies be successfully applied to neighbour disputes within the Isle of Dogs, with its own unique situation e.g. diverse ethnic population, and extreme poverty on the doorstep to a wealthy area (Canary Wharf)? * How high is the level of anti social behaviour within the borough, relative to other London boroughs? * What is so different or peculiar about the Isle of Dogs? I will locate this central issue within the wider context of the causes of anti-social behaviour, and take into consideration the various dimensions of neighbour disputes. For example I will also consider the age and racial dimensions (Lucey & Reay 1999), and the gender dimensions (Nixon & Hunter, 1999), of anti social behaviour and in particular, neighbour disputes. METHOD Summary of the academic research required: The aim of this project is to research, analyse, and evaluate the various arguments and strategies concerning the best method to combat anti-social behaviour with regards to neighbour disputes. There are three main strategies or approaches to combat (anti-social) neighbour disputes that my research has discovered: 1. Improving exclusion from certain areas (as advocated by the government). This would include laws making it easier for social landlords to exclude or kick out tenants from social housing at little notice. It could also include restriction orders whereby the accused is not allowed to come within a certain distance of the property or use certain language in the presence, or audio range, of their neighbours as shown in one of the case studies I have researched (Home Office, 2003)2. It could also come in the form of issuing curfew orders3. 2. The second possible response is the ‘Dundee Families project model (Hunter, 2003). This is similar to the 1970's method of rehabilitation through intensive social work and constant nurturing of offenders, as well as the nurturing of community stakeholders. 3. The third approach is one of the Webster-Stratton programme as advocated by a senior lecturer at the Institute of Psychiatry Stephen Scott4. This is a parent teaching programme, similar to the rehabilitation method above, but involves working strictly with young children (below 10 years of age) and is based in a secure environment talking kids through a video presentation, and group discussions on how they should diffuse problematic situations when encountered upon. 4. The fourth possible approach is the one advocated by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister: The new deal for Communities (NDC) approach whereby large sums of money, à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½800 million, is given to various neighbourhoods throughout the country for the regeneration of their local community. This could involve building a new park, refurbishing the local community hall, or creating a voluntary organisation aimed at cleaning up graffiti. Through my preliminary research in the form my annotated bibliography, I have discovered that there are widely contrasting views as to the causes of anti-social behaviour, and what strategies work in combating neighbour disputes and those that are a lot more contentious. Each of these strategies will be examined in my dissertation and I plan to analyse and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each of these strategies. For each strategy that I have researched I have also researched a corresponding case study that illustrates precisely how that strategy works in practice. With this in mind, I plan to test each strategy by examining the relevant case study against benchmark factors such as: * How well would this strategy work in the Isle of Dogs? * Who are the main beneficiaries, and who are the main losers? * Is it practical? (e.g. cost effective and workable in today's political climate) * Does it pay attention to gender ethnic, or cultural, differences? * Does it build relations within the community as opposed to exclude sections of the community? Anti-social behaviour is commonly thought to occur in regions and areas where there is a high density of council houses, high levels of unemployment, and low levels of education opportunities (Home Office (b), 2003). However this assumption can be challenged, and the main aim of my research is to do precisely that, provide a balanced yet provoking argument providing both sides of the argument to this debate. It could be argued that only by spending money in the regeneration (e.g. building new community facilities, installing double glazing windows, giving grants for local businesses etc) will people take pride in their communities and their housing and stop the anti-social behaviour (Home Office (d), 2003). However it could be argued that only by including those that commit anti-social behaviour crimes into society, would there be a decrease in the amount of neighbour disputes [as opposed to excluding them from housing, facilities, benefits etc] (Scott, 2001) & (Hunter, 2003). Alternatively it could be argued that only by some form exclusion can there be a settlement to anti-social neighbour disputes (Home Office (a), 2001. Data collection: I plan to research and investigate: (a) Various academics think tanks, and the government's views on how to combat anti-social behaviour. (b) How these strategies are deployed on the ground by evaluating the case studies that I have selected. (c) Research previous government funded anti-social behaviour projects and organisations, and evaluate these claims against the previously mentioned benchmarks such as: * Practicalities such as cost, manpower, etc * How the people within the community viewed the project * Does it pay attention to gender ethnic, or cultural, differences? * Does it build relations within the community as opposed to exclude sections of the community? My data collection process will rely heavily upon case studies that I have obtained from various academic journals and government reports. Case studies will be taken from the Isle of Dogs in Tower Hamlets (Nixon & Hunter, 1999), from Scotland (Scott and Parkey, 1998), from nation-wide studies (Nixon & Hunter. 2001), and the British Medical Journal (Scott, 2001), amongst others. I have refined my research sources to be more dependent on case studies and journal articles as opposed to other forms of data collection. This is because this specific dissertation is looking for detailed analyses of projects that have combated anti-social behaviour disputes, as opposed to general information, or the views of certain people. I have also devised a questionnaire that I will put forward to a representative sample of 50 Isle of Dogs residents. The questionnaire will not form a significant part of my research, as I will be relying heavily on the case studies. However the results of the questionnaires will be used to back up, or refute, the arguments that I will be presenting in my dissertation. The questions that I will put forward to interviewees are as follows: Questionnaire. What type of incidents would you describe as anti-social neighbour disputes? How big an issue would you rate anti-social neighbour disputes within the Isle of Dogs on a scale of 1 – 10? (1 being not significant and 10 being an extremely big issue) Do you feel that the Isle of Dogs has an above national average level of anti-social neighbour disputes? What do you think is the best method to prevent neighbour disputes concerning adults? * Punish the parents after several warnings * Punish the parents immediately * Give the children extensive social worker attention * Put the child and parent through a psychologically designed training programme on how to behave. * Or other, or a combination of these. If so please explain†¦ Have you been involved in an anti-social neighbour dispute within the last five years? If yes, then ask? (b) Where you an offender or a ‘recipient' of the dispute? I will be asking these questions to the interviewee on a one to one basis and will arrange these interviews by visiting the local Bengali cultural community centre, the local high street, the local cafà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½, and visiting the local benefits agency (dole office). In addition to these sources I will also collect data from reliable websites such as: Regeneration and anti-social behaviour organisations * http://www.crimereduction.gov.uk * http://www.socialexclusionunit.gov.uk * http://www.odpm.gov.uk * http://www.london.gov.uk * http://www.lda.gov.uk * http://www.go-london.gov.uk (Government Office for London) * http://www.englishpartnerships.co.uk * http://www.bura.org.uk (British Urban Regeneration Association) * http://www.cabe.org.uk (Commission for Architecture and Built Environment) * http://www.civictrust.org.uk * http://www.coalfields-regen.org.uk (The Coalfields Regeneration Trust) * http://www.towerhamlets.gov.uk * http://www.cprregeneration.co.uk * http://www.dta.org.uk/index2.html (Development Trusts Association) * http://www.europa.eu.int * http://www.idea.gov.uk (Improvement and Development Agency) * http://www.renewal.net * http://www.urcs-online.co.uk (Urban Regeneration Companies (URC's)) * http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/323/7306/194?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=1&author1=Stephen+Scott&andorexacttitle=and&andorexacttitleabs=and&andorexactfulltext=and&searchid=1071092635458_16583&stored_search=&FIRSTINDEX=0&sortspec=relevance&resourcetype=1,2,3,4,10

Case: Maple Leaf Shoes Ltd., Legal Challenges Essay

The Ontario Human Rights Code states that sexual harassment occurs in situations when one individual is bothering the other by saying or doing unwanted or unwelcome things of a sexual or gender-related nature. This could be characterize in terms of inappropriate touching, offensive remarks about individual, sexual suggestions, unsuitable comments about body parts, exposure to sexually offensive pictures, verbal abuse due to the gender, etc. It is also considered to be a form of illegal discrimination and is a form of sexual and psychological abuse. In terms of the case, this is a clear case of sexual harassment because Rosetta is one of the two women in the department that every morning got called by her male co-workers as risotto, meaning Italian rice with gravy, and teased with Italian greetings. In addition, occasionally they asked her what she was doing with her Italian boyfriend and whether she had a good time with him the night before. Moreover, one of the co-workers asked her whether she prefer Italian over Canadian men and occasionally they loudly bragged to each other about their experience with their girlfriends so that Rosetta can hear it, just to embarrass her. Furthermore, her male co-workers told a dirty jock and asked Rosetta if she understood or if she could tell one as well. Usually, sexual harassment is a pattern of behaviour that happens frequently over a period of time. In this case, there is a pattern of different incidents that occurred over the period of Rosetta’s employment, which created a poisoned effect on the places where she worked. This type of sexual comments made her feel uncomfortable, in some situations even cry, which indicated that the work environment is poisoned. Although, Rosetta tried to make the harassment stop, it is not her responsibility alone, Al also has to make sure that sexual harassment does not occur in his workplaces because sexualized environment can create atmospheres that encourage more serious and direct sexual harassment, such as sexual joking n this case. If in the future more women would have positions in this department, this can create decrease in productivity, increase in team conflict and furthermore, lead to decrease in success at meeting financial goals because of team conflict. Moreover, it can create job dissatisfaction, loss of employees from resignations, and increase absenteeism by employees. In addition, the knowledge that harassment is permitted can damage ethical standards and discipline in the organization in general. Overtime, employees will lose respect and trust in their supervisors who encourage and/or ignored the problem, which can lead to a negative image of the company and create legal actions against the organization. The ignorance of the problem can create large costs to organization through damaged morale, lawsuits and absenteeism. People who harass will have no reasons to stop unless they are challenged. Therefore, it is necessary to support and encourage Rosetta to come forward. Eva can offer suggestions how to solve the problem but only Rosetta must choose what will be the best choice for her. Moreover, Eva can encourage Rosetta to seek help from a counsellor and provide her with helpful telephone numbers; however, it’s up to Rosetta to make her own decisions. In terms of their conversations, Eva should know that conversations that were between Eva and Rosetta are confidential and Eva cannot just go and tell it to somebody. The only time Eva may have to tell someone about Rosetta’s problem without her permission is if Rosetta is in immediate physical danger, which is not the case in this situation. Yet, ignoring or minimizing the problem will not make it go away. To conclude, it’s up to Rosetta to make complains to appropriate authority or to pursue a legal actions against the company in this matter. Eva can only morally support and advise Rosetta but cannot do any legal actions for her. The only think that Eva can try to do is to inform a human resources department in the organization about the situation and ask for the proper investigation about it. The other option that Eva can consider is to have a consultation with the lawyer about this whole situation; however, she should not say any names. All of these options have a good chance for success, as long as all of them conducted in accordance of law. Al’s first responsibility in this case is to properly deal with workplace sexual harassment issues involve the appropriate distribution of the organization’s policy on sexual harassment in the workplace. However, he did not take it serious when Rosetta complained to him, thus she was forced to terminate her employment. The other responsibility that Al should have carried is to show Rosetta that he, as a supervisor of the organization have responded to complain with the process of preventing sexual harassment in the workplace and are dealing with it in a timely and effective manner when it does occur. Al also felled to carry it appropriately, moreover, he blamed Rosetta to be too sensitive and that she takes herself too seriously. And based on his philosophy, such as to be able to laugh at ourselves now and the, it shows that he encourages this type of behaviour in the work place. Furthermore, Al has to take approach to sexual harassment where it involves the development of an internal system for the fair and balanced investigation of every complaint of this nature. Every complaint should be taken seriously. Employees must be aware that they are free to put forward complaints about sexual harassment in their workplace and that they will be free from retaliation and intimidation as a result. They should be encouraged to use and rely upon the company’s internal complaint mechanism and resolution system. In this step, Al also felled to follow the appropriate road. His behaviour with employees encourages them to joke around, which may discourage other employees to complain due to fear of retaliation and intimidation, if Al tells employees about complain. It is absolutely critical that employer who has not yet adopted appropriate policies and attitudes towards sexual harassment in the workplace join the movement towards zero tolerance for these workplace problems. It is critical for the employer not only live up to their legal  responsibility when dealing with issues of sexual harassment, but perhaps more importantly is to show that they have done something. Accordingly, proactive steps are to create sexual harassment policies and well publicized complaint procedures set, which would create the correct tone for the elimination of sexual harassment in the workplace. As a bi-product, the same visible procedures will also help to reduce the employer’s potential exposure to vicarious liability for the acts of employees. Reference Ontario Women’s Justice Network. 6 Jan. 2002. Metropolitan Action Committee on Violence Against Women and Children. 10 Feb. 2006 The Ontario Human Rights Commission. 11 Feb. 2007. The Ontario Human Rights Commission. 11 Feb. 2007 Ontario Women’s Directorate. 1 May 2003. Government of Ontario. 9 Feb. 2006 The Canadian Human Rights Commission. 9 July 2004. Government of Canada. 9 Feb. 2006.

Child care Essay

Describe the duties and responsibilities of own work role MY RESPONSIBILITIES – To create a safe, happy, positive, stimulating, Multicultural learning environment in which children can be. Also To meet the children’s individual needs, appropriate to their stage and level of development. Making sure to be involved in the setting up and clearing away at the start and end of each session as required. To be involved in my key groups activities and the planning, to ensure that what the children are playing with is safe to use and age appropriate. To communicate with parents/careers is the correct manner. 1. Explain expectations about own work role as expressed in relevant standards Practitioner’s expectations should be to become a valuable practitioner, to be reliable and build good relationships with children and parent carers, encouraging play whilst learning, and by having children’s best interests e.g. physical activities, outings, this would help them to enjoy their growth in knowledge and assist in enhancing their development as a whole. Also practitioners should work as a team with other staff members and parent/carers in order to support the children to promote the children’s initial learning so that the children will feel confident and would be able boost up their self-esteem, and this will also help them in their future, and prepare them in further education when they move onto school. Also the expectations that are to be done in placement at a relevant standard is to supervise the children this plays a big role in child protection Act and health and policy. Practitioners should always watch the children closely to prevent and red uce the injury to children. 2.1 Explain the importance of reflective practice in continuously improving the quality of service provided Reflective practice is imperative in order to ensure that high standards are kept continuously as circumstances, children and environments change. In order to reflect one must continuously be aware of approaches used and how they can be changed or developed to improve. Continually improving and adapting approaches benefits both children and practitioners, ensuring that each individual child’s needs are catered for. Reflective practice involves evolving in a child centred approach. The childcare benefits as his/her skills grow and develop, enabling the highest standards of care and provision. It also promotes a better level of understanding and acceptance of those different from us, taking on board the opinions, cultures and attitudes of others to ensure a diverse and positively productive daily experience that enables higher levels of understanding from all. 2.3 Describe how own values, belief systems and experiences may affect working practice everyone has different values, beliefs and preferences. What you believe in, what you see as important and what you see as acceptable or desirable is an essential part of who you are. The way in which you respond to people is linked to what you believe in, what you consider important and what interests you. You may find you react positively to people who share you values and less warmly to people who have different priorities, the professional relationships you develop with people you support are another matter. As a professional, you are required to provide the same quality of support for all, not just for those who share views and beliefs. This may seem obvious but knowing what you need to do and achieving it successfully is not the same thing. The first step is to identify and understand you own views and values. 3.1 Evaluate own knowledge, performance and understanding against relevant standards 4.1 Identify sources of support for planning and reviewing own development 5.1 Evaluate how learning activities have affected practice The reasons why it is important to evaluate learning activities are: †¢ To see what is working and what needs removing or changing. †¢ To assess how the activities are being delivered and how they could be improved †¢ To see how the activities are being received by the participants Evaluation is important as it helps out when planning and helps you to think about the learning that has taken place. Spending time going through the learning activities and seeing how students have responded to a certain question, can really help reshape it for the future classes. It is also important to look back and learning objects so you can measure what the children have learned. If you do not think carefully about learning objectives at the planning stage, it will not always be possible to evaluate whether children have achieved them.

Role of Government in the Economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Role of Government in the Economy - Essay Example From this research it is clear that the government has provided guidance to the progressive movement of the economic activities taking place with the intention of sustaining the continuous economic growth; as well as providing employment and ensuring the stability of the prices of good and services. This means that in the US, the government has an involvement in the acceleration of the economy’s growth rate through the adjustment of such distributions. Other factors include the spending of funds and tax rates through the government management of money supply with the application of control to these monetary policies. Although having said this, it does not necessarily imply that the term would indicate the complete control on economic activities, rather, the term only suggests how the government plays an important role in the stabilisation of the economy.This essay highlights that  Neo-classical economics concentrates predominantly on the importance of individual and personal economic preferences, market equilibrium, and the balance between supply and demand.  These points are at the center of the neo-classical suppositions of the economy, which are the main trend to the perspective idea of capitalism. The most basic unit of the theory of neo-classical economics evolves into the concept of individual ownership, and initially its focus is on how individuals decide or manage their properties. This theory is primarily concerned with how an individual enjoys the profits in the context of the benefits that they receive from their properties, and thus changing the amount by which will be gained from their property which may also attribute to the social convenience or suffering (Veblen, 1969). Veblen (1969) also believed that an individual can be compared to a computer that mechanically benefits through its given data. The change of that data itself might result in them knowing to put themselves into a position where they will be able to meet various needs. This is the idea of capitalism, a social system that favors individual needs and rights. The neo-classical theory focuses onto the consumer, and how individual consumption will powerfully influence the behavior of the production, the needs of the consumer that has been granted by the market (Goodwin et al, 1997). The stability of the equilibrium in the economy is in the equal distribution of supply and demand. Every individual based on this theory has the right to be involved in the â€Å"free market†, wherein sellers and buyers have each others contribution in setting the price of a particular product (Barrons, 1995). Through this principle, it is not the government that will control the supply and demand of a p articular product as the free market is governed with the market forces (supply and demand), wherein prices are set toward equilibrium. This maintains the balance of the demands as opposed to the supply of the products. Although the government does not possess an absolute power over the economy, the government does have the role in the economic development which, according to neo-classical theory is essential to economic growth. The main responsibility of the government in the economic sector is to secure business cycles which do not mean harm to individual rights, constituting peace and order and protecting every citizen, both consumers and capitalists against frauds and the

Four Forces of Evolution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Four Forces of Evolution - Essay Example Another force that results in evolution is gene drift and it is a result of alterations in the frequency of genes in a particular population. It is even recognized as allelic drift, this is because it even includes alteration in frequency of allele in a certain population as result of sampling that is random in nature. The force of genetic drift may result in the disappearance of allele and this may take place due to reduction in genetic variations. Offspring Alleles and Parent’s alleles may be similar to each other. The third force of evolution is gene flow which refers to the movement of genes from one specific population to another population. The process of this transfer is even regarded as migration of genes. The existence and absence of gene flow can alter the course of entire evolution. Gene flow may result in the introduction of variants of genes and characteristics that may negatively impact a particular population. Due to this, a population’s organisms may develop devices in order to conduct prevention of mating with species that may be distant genetically. If this process takes place it may occur in the development of new species and gene flow can even effect variations in one particular population or variation between different populations. Natural selection refers to the concept that states that genetic mutations that result in enhancement of reproduction should remain familiar in different generations of a population. The concept of survival of the fittest states that indivi duals who have the ability to reproduce along with survival should remain and should be responsible for the determination of quantity of contribution that is genetic in nature in succeeding generations. Variation can take place if natural selection occurs in genes and individual species. The term isolation mechanism is used to refer to a particular trait including

The ethics that support meat eaters and non-meat eaters Essay

The ethics that support meat eaters and non-meat eaters - Essay Example The paper tells that the ethics that support eating meat is the question of survival and leading a healthy life. Other than the preferences of taste and culinary matters, meat provides many proteins, vitamins, and other nutrients that are vital for people to lead a healthy life. Meat provides sufficient fat and nutrients, especially to people living in regions, where it is difficult to subsist on vegetarian food. Some examples of such regions include the Polar Regions and the desert areas, where it is difficult to grow plants in sufficient numbers, to support a growing population. The issue of killing living things becomes irrelevant since even vegans consume many products such as cosmetics, oils, medicines, wear leather shoes, and fur, all obtained from animals and their body parts. Countless animals are killed during farming, and these include insects, earthworms and others 'non-glamorous' animals, that thrive in their natural habitat. In fact, while clearing up forests for agricul ture, thousands of animals and birds are disrupted from their natural homes and literally 'left in the wild', where they have no chances of survival. The argument that it is unethical to kill an animal, therefore, falls flat. Therefore, vegans also kill animals, maybe unwittingly, but they do aid in their killing and exploitation, in one form or another. It is therefore obvious that the argument used by vegetarians against meat eating seem hollow and filled with sycophancy.

Gender Gap Between Male and Female Obstetrics and Gynecology Essay

Gender Gap Between Male and Female Obstetrics and Gynecology - Essay Example This gender gap is not only in Britain but in the United States as well and hence making the gender gap continue to increase (Higham and Philip 142). Male as well as female medical students all receive the same kind of training in medical colleges on gynecological and obstetrician training and are therefore competent. This, therefore, means that female patients should not be afraid to be examined by the male doctors because they may even have more experience and expertise than some of the female ob-gyns when it comes to diagnosis and even treatment (Tseng and Jon Mark 17). The lack of involvement or totally keeping male students out of this field of medicine shuts men out of women’s health issues including the issues on reproduction especially relating to contraceptive which should be a shared decision between men and women (Boulis and Jerry 154). There will also be a lack of gender equality which is being advocated for in society in all careers and also there will be a lack of future role models in the society. Higham, Jenny, and Philip, Steer. â€Å"Gender gap in undergraduate experience and performance in obstetrics and gynecology: analysis of clinical experience logs.†

Questions answered Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Questions answered - Essay Example It is important to note that an proposition ought to have a defined timeframe upon which it will expire or be invalidated. Secondly, a contract must involve consideration (Meiners, Ringleb and Edwards, 2014). By delineation, consideration denotes the damages on the part of the supplier or entity giving the promise and must be quantifiable financially. The third element as posited by Meiners, Ringleb and Edwards (2014) is contractual capacity. There are legal guidelines outlining the qualifications of an individual with the capacity to enter into an contract with another person. For instance, an individual must be an adult or have attained eighteen years of age, be mentally upright. Any contract enterer with an individual who has not met the specified qualifications is invalid. The fourth element of a contract is legality (Meiners, Ringleb and Edwards, 2014). In this regard, the involved entities must be ready to bind their agreement legally. In case one of the parties does not deliver in regard to the promises outlined in the contract, the legality of the contract gives the party the basis to initiate legal proceedings against the other party. Fifthly, there must be a valid consent to enter into an agreement (Meiners, Ringleb and Edwards, 2014). By explanation, this means that an individual should individually assent to the agree ment without being forced. Informed consent is defined by Schermer (2002) as the practice or procedure through which a medical practitioner reveals all information relating treatment to a patient with an intention of providing him or her with all the relevant information required to make a choice to either allow or reject treatment. Patients, according to Schemer (2002), have a legal right to determine the type of treatment they prefer and it is the obligation of the physician to respect the patients decision. In order for a patient to allow or refuse treatment, the physician involved must explain in detail the

Please explain 'product placement ' and evaluate the effectiveness of Essay

Please explain 'product placement ' and evaluate the effectiveness of product placement in moveis and online games - Essay Example Nowadays product placement has been expanded and included into program TV programme. It has also been included in an array of different media like video games, novels etc. Moreover the role of the product placement has been shifted from being a background prop to now being an important part of a movie. There are many films like Castaways in 2002 where Tom Hanks who was a FedEx employee was left to drift alone after a plane accident with many FedEx packages. It helped him survive on the deserted island alone. Similarly there are many instances in games like Burnout Paradise where political ads of Obama were shown. This shows that product placement is an important strategy for the marketers in the present time. This report will take a look at the effectiveness of product placement in the movies and games. Product placement is defined as the paid inclusion of a branded products or brand identifiers within a mass media program through visual or audio means. This kind of strategy is adapted by the marketers to increase the brand familiarity and sales of the brand. It helps to capture more eyeballs for the marketer. Basically it increases the product presence among the customers more than ever before1. There are many advantages to product placements. These include overcoming the problem of zapping. Zapping occurs which when people switches between the channels. Because of product placement people are unlikely to engage in zapping because the brand appears in their favourite movie or video games which they can’t change. Hence they watch the product while watching the movie. In addition to this in such films the product is endorsed by a celebrity which h appears to have significant influence on the attitudes of the consumer towards the product. Further through product placement the advertisers are able to target very specific audiences since the demographics of those who attend the kind of movie can well be understood at prior. Product

Zimbardo Prison Experiment. The Dynamics of Attitude and Behaviour Essay

Zimbardo Prison Experiment. The Dynamics of Attitude and Behaviour - Essay Example (Rothman-Marshall, 6 Jan 99) However, when a person performs an action contradictary to a strongly held belief or opinion, there is a jarring feeling that distresses, which psychologist Leon Festinger describes as that uncomfortable feeling one gets when one "finds oneself doing something that doesn't fit with what one knows." This chafing sensation, known as cognitive dissonance, is glaringly visible in the Zimbardo Prison Experiment. For the two-week experiment, a group of students were paid to participate in a simulated situation where half the randomly chosen students were 'prisoners' and the other half, 'guards'. The students took to the roles they were acting, and soon the life-like 'prison' was a scene of realistic baton-wielding tyrannical uniformed guards subjugating and abusing the hapless, helpless prisoners to such an extent that few even suffered from severe trauma, and had to be replaced. During the experiment, it was noted that decent, (presumably) law-abiding boys behaved in a manner totally contradictory to their normal attitudes. The 'guards' often abusing and manipulating the 'prisoners' who, stripped of their identity, debased and dehumanised, acted out the part of the oppressed 'prisoner'.

Standard Deviation and Outliers Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Standard Deviation and Outliers - Assignment Example Thus, it can be seen that a single point that is far away from all the points increases the standard deviation by a big amount that is from 1.58 to 6.68. Therefore, there is a great impact of the new point on the standard deviation. b) Create a data set with 8 points in it that has a mean of approximately 10 and a standard deviation of approximately 1. Use the 2nd chart to create a second data set with 8 points that has a mean of approximately 10 and a standard deviation of approximately 4. What did you do differently to create the data set with the larger standard deviation? (4 points) Notice that the standard deviation is 0. Explain why the standard deviation for this one is zero. Do not show the calculation. Explain in words why the standard deviation is zero when all of the points are the same. If you don’t know why, try doing the calculation by hand to see what is happening. If that does not make it clear, try doing a little research on standard deviation and see what it is measuring and then look again at the data set for this question. The standard deviation is zero when all of the points are the same. This is because standard deviation measures the individual data point deviation (variation) from the mean value. The standard deviation is a single number that helps us understand how individual values in a data set vary from the mean. When all the points are same, then the mean value will be also the same point and hence deviation of all the data points from the mean value will be zero. Since, the deviation of all the data points from the mean value is zero in this case; therefore, the standard deviation is zero when all of the points are the same. When all the value are the same then mean value, will be also the same and hence the value of for individual data point will be zero, and the sum will be also zero. Therefore, the standard deviation is zero when all of the points are the same. 3. Go back to

ESL classroom modification Essay Example for Free

ESL classroom modification Essay English as a second language students need modification and accommodation in the mainstream in order to be successful, because they pose problems to the teacher as most of them are not up to the academic level of other students. Research has shown that many teachers have not had training on how to successfully teach these students in the classroom. This article synthesizes what we as educators believe are the most important principles that teachers should support English as second language student to perform better in their academic field Modifications are individualized strategies posed on student for their success. They are appropriate when a student have learning difficulties in classroom. Implementing modifications that are parts of the student’s education plan are required by law. Modifications are necessary to any student that is not being successful with the regular method of instruction. They are important since not all students learn alike this help students be successful in their academic field. Research shows that social language is developed by students known as Basic inter personal communication skills (BICS) through informal and formal interaction with peers. The skills acquired are distinctive since they are not used in academic field. Academic language termed as Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP) can take up to five to eight year to master (Cummins, 1984), Cummins notes in his classic work that (BICS) is typically acquired over a period of one to two years. Student who are yet to develop (CALP) in English, teachers need to be careful in choosing task that provide relevant information of cognitive complexity and contextual support. For student to complete activities that are cognitively complex they need to posses CALP to complete them. English language learners may lack the language skills to comprehend explanations of complex concepts and to express their thoughts yet they may have cognitive capacity to grasp material in such situation teachers may make comprehension of instruction through the use of contextual support such as gestures, hands-on learning, visuals, and other non-verbal accompaniment of instruction. The more instruction is contextualized, the better chance the English language learner has to develop understanding of complex concepts and the language used to explain them (Cummins, 1984). How can a teacher ensure that ESL students experience the same level of comprehension as the native English speaking students? The answer involves most of the teachers time but result are well worth it. Since the first aspect of language is aural or listening, read aloud session held after school could help for the beginning ESL students. The teacher can employ more students involvement and leadership by supervising a reading group in which the more advanced ESL student read to the beginning student. This method helps the beginner to feel more comfortable with the text as well as encourage advanced students to work on oral communication skills. However, one does not want to segregate students; the teacher should therefore stress the basic the basic learning strategies of making prediction, taking notes, inferring word meaning, and asking questions as they read. The simple strategies provide focus for reading and engage the learner in active reading (spangenberg-Urbschat 95). Fair assessment is one of the biggest questions concerning incorporation of ESL students in to regular English class. Should ESL student be held to the same grading standard as the native English speakers? Solution is yes, but methods of assessment should be different. With modification ESL students should demonstrate understanding of text, grammar skills and vocabulary. Standardized tastes do not show how well ESL students have comprehended the information and also overwhelm them. Assessment of all choice of student should be portfolio assessment as it tracks students improvement through sample quizzes, projects, reading log and journals. Providing equal education for the ESL student did not always mean those students were getting fair education. The courts found that Chine students involved in the suit were being excluded from educational opportunities since even though they were provided with the same instructional and materials as the native English student, they could not take the advantages since they lack adequate English language skills. Since ESL learners cannot take equal advantage of those opportunities, it is therefore not fair nor equal to them to use the same instructional strategies as the native English student. A model portfolio that has implications features for the ESL classroom can be used as a systematic tool in instructional planning and student evaluation. The potential for determining the depth and breadth of a students capabilities can be seen through analysis and comprehensive data collection. A comprehensive, focuses on both the processes and products of learning; uses both formal and informal assessment; seeks to understand student language development in the affective domains, cognitive, metacognitive, and linguistic; stress both formal and academic language development. Contains teacher, student, and objective input. The teacher should take some strategies on how to handle newcomers and emergent student. For the newcomers create climate of acceptance, use manipulative visuals, realia, props and games, use cooperative learning group, display print to support oral language , the teacher should also set model activities for the students to boost their understanding. Use of bilingual students as peer helpers is necessary he/she should adjust his rate of speech to enhance comprehension. In addition, he should ask yes/no questions to test if they can recall what they have been taught, ask them to draw/show/point various parts that have been taught during the lesson. He should test the new comers more on area dealing with vocabulary and terminologies. The teacher should simplify the language and not the content, moreover, the teacher should design the lesson in such a way as to motivate student to talk. As the teacher watch student improve, he should start asking them questions that require one or two words response for example who? What? When? Which one? How many. His lessons should expand on the vocabulary. Sensitizing mainstream students to the newcomer challenges is one of the suggestion for supporting ESL newcomers. The teacher should prepare native English students for the arrival of the newcomers. The teacher should brainstorm them on how they would feel if their parent took them to another country to study. student may demonstrate physical ailment or display a wide variety of unusual behavior such as aggression, depression, tantrums, tendency to withdraw, crying and sleeplessness. The teacher should therefore be aware of the culture shock and know how to handle such situations. The teacher should create frequent opportunities for their success in the classroom, give a lot of encouragement and praise on what the student can do and be careful not to call on them to perform what is above their level of competence. In this way the teacher create a nurturing environment for the student the teacher should establish a regular routine for the newcomers by giving them help in organizing space, time and material. he can achieve this by giving the a copy of daily schedule have them keep it at the front of their ESL notebook or tape it to their desk. From the beginning engage newcomers in language learning. the teacher can achieve this for example rote learning whereby students learn sight words, chants, poems, songs, list and spelling words through rote learning. Include them in class authority so that they can also see they are important members in the group, areas of expertise include math, computers, origami or art work. At first, student may not talk at all therefore the teacher needs to recruit volunteers to work with newcomers. It is critical to provide student with aural input in plenty in order to familiarize themselves with the English language. Students using headphones should be isolated from the rest of the class; this is a word of caution about the use of tapes and tape recorders. Appropriate reading materials for the ESL learners should at least include the following; story plots that are action based little text on each page, text that contains repetitive and predictable phrases, high-frequency vocabulary and useful words, text that employ simple sentenced structure, and numerous illustration that help clarify the text. when the teacher is reading to the ESL beginners he should make sure language is comprehensible therefore he should use reading strategies to increase students’ comprehension for example using expressive tone, reading sentence at a slow-to-normal pace. Literate and preliterate newcomers who speak a language that does not use Roman alphabet need direct instruction in letter recognition and formation as well as the phonetic beginners. The teacher teach phonetics in context the teacher can introduce and reinforce letter recognition beginning and ending sounds, rhyming words, blending silent words, homonyms etc through the use of authentic literature . since phonetic worksheets present new vocabulary out of context, they are generally useful to the newcomers. There are ten things the mainstream teacher can do to improve instruction for the ESL students. To begin with, the teacher should add gestures, point directly to objects, or draw pictures when appropriate, enunciate clearly, but do not raise his voice. Secondly, write legibly, clear, and in print . thirdly, he should try to avoid slang words and idioms; in addition, he should present new information in the context of known information and present information in a variety of ways. He should announce the lesson’s activities and objective, and list instructions step-by-step. Moreover, he should always emphasize key vocabulary words and provide frequent summations of the salient points of a lesson. The teacher should also recognize student success frequently and overtly, individual praises in some cultures are considered inappropriate and therefore embarrassing or confusing to the student. The teacher should use clear and consistent signals for classroom e should therefore develop and maintain routine. Finally If a student does not understand information you are delivering to them, try rephrasing or paraphrasing in shorter sentences and simpler syntax have students demonstrate their learning in order to show comprehension instead of asking them Do you understand? in this manner the teacher will check their understanding through repeating information and reviewing it frequently. The teachers need to know various teaching strategies when dealing with ESL student. Cooperative is one of the strategies. Robert E. Slavin (1995) has shown cooperative learning can be effective for students at all academic levels and learning styles. This method give all student frequent opportunities to speak this boost spirit of cooperation and friendship amongst students, student benefit from observing learning strategies used by their peers through shared learning activities. Language experience approach also known as Dictated stories is another strategy. Student’s words are used to create a text that will be used as a material for reading lesson. In this method students learn how their language is encoded as they watch it written down. It help student bring their personal experience in to classroom most important to culturally diverse student. Total physical response (TPR) is another strategy it. in reading comprehension the teacher should reduce the quantity of student reading at a time to be able to attend to individual level he should also modify materials to student’s decoding level, in addition, he should have students paraphrase verbally what has been read in the lesson . He should also eliminate visual distraction on page this is to enhance concentration span of students use of personal experience is important since it enhance understanding for example the teacher can encourage student to give their own experience after giving the his own to give them clue on what is meant in the lesson Conclusion Teachers are now responsible for education of student that they were not originally trained on the old adage of ‘good teaching will work for everyone is too simplistic to address the very real challenges that these teachers face. Teachers should take heart and work fully on their profession. Remember that when we are deliberate and informed about the learning that is taking place teaching becomes most powerful. This is usually true when we are teaching a student a completely different language their growth t are validated in the effort they put forth in your class and in life. ESL student can bring a wealth of information resources and culture with them yet they need our help in order to contribute to our classroom and society. By understanding some of the basic concepts that English as a second language specialists have known for years, content area teachers can tap into the resources that LEP students bring with them, making the transition to the mainstream classroom not only easier for the ESL student but also the content area teacher as well. Reference 1. Cummins, J. (1984).Bilingualism and special education: Issues in assessment and pedagogy. San Diego, CA: College-Hill. 2. Classroom modification http://www. spavinawok. net/CLASSROOM%20MODIFICATIONS. pdf. 3. Krashen, S. Terrell, T. (1983). The natural approach: Language acquisition in the classroom. Oxford: Pergamon Press. 4. Short, D. J. (1993). Assessing integrated language and content instruction. TESOL Quarterly, 27, (4), 627-656. 5. Teacher Discussion Forums: forums. eslcafe. com/teacher/viewtopic. php? t=448 44k Cached Similar pages

Research On Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Nursing Essay

Research On Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Nursing Essay The topic for this piece of work is Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). This area of research was chosen due to the science and medical aspect behind this very interesting topic. MRSA is a topic of great importance for the general public but also for health professionals, e.g. nurses and doctors. Although it wasnt until recently that MRSA was named a superbug, the medical community remained calm when people found out about it, as they had been aware of the bacterium since the early 19060s. It is common knowledge that the most frequently found home of MRSA is medical health centres and nursing homes. The author of this medical journal is mostly concerned with the challenges and threats MRSA posses to her, as she works in a hospital where the majority of the patients are the elderly. [2] Firstly, MRSA was researched in depth to all aspects, e.g. symptoms, treatment, and prevention methods. The information was bulky and helpful allowing for fully detailed knowledge and understanding of the subject. Secondly, the information was collaborated and mixed together to create a full and informative graded unit on the subject of MRSA. This collaboration of information allows not only for the reader to get a detailed introduction to MRSA, but also gives the reader an idea of what MRSA is and how treatment has developed since the discovery in 1961. The use of several resources meant that the information in the text was not only the most relative but the most informative. Thirdly, and finally, the HND: Applied Science Course was used not only to aid and boost the already present science and medical aspects of MRSA, but to aid in the problem solving characteristics required in the graded unit. Such subjects as Fundamental Chemistry, Information Technology, Biochemistry, and Presentation Skills were used to better the understanding of MRSA and improve the layout and design of the graded unit. What is MRSA? Shown below is a tiny cluster of bacteria known as Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) seen under a microscope. MRSA is a common skin bacterium caused by Staphylococcus aureus (sometimes called, Staph) that is resistant to a wide range of antibiotics. [3], [4] [5]: MRSA under the microscope The name Methicillin-resistant means that the bacteria are not affected by the antibiotic methicillin, and a number of other antibiotics such as penicillin and cephalosporin, which used to be the common drugs to kill the Staph bacteria. There are a number of different MRSA strains, around 16, all with varying degrees of resistance to methicillin. [3] Staphylococcus aureus (SA) is a commonly occurring bacterium that has been around, for thousands of years and the discovery of MRSA in the early 1960s. Around a third of the worlds population carries MRSA harmlessly on the skin, nose or throat (especially in folds like the armpit or groin). [3], [6] MRSA is most commonly found in hospitals, due to the fact that there are higher numbers of infected surfaces and people in a hospital. The highest number of patients in a hospital or normally elderly who are sicker and weaker than the general population, which makes them more susceptible to infection due to a weaker immune system. Since around a third of the worlds population is colonizied by MRSA, the potential for infection is incredibly high. A person becomes infected when the organism invades the skin or deeper tissues and multiplies. [6], [7] During the early 20th century, 45% of the worlds population were not living beyond 65 years old, with infectious diseases being the leading factor to this low life expectancy. Due to the discovery of penicillin by Alexander Fleming in 1928, and the manufacturing of the antibiotic, the fight against infectious diseases including infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus was able to begin. Unfortunately, just a decade later Staph aureus became resistant, not only to penicillin, but also new antibiotics such as: erythromycin, streptomycin, and tetracycline. [8] In 1960, the newest and most effective chance of controlling and stopping Staph aureus was Methicillin. But this antibiotic that had once been the only weapon against Staph aureus was short lived and soon joined the other antibiotics that were now ineffective and useless in fighting Staph aureus. In the late 1970s the first outbreak of MRSA was reported in hospitals in eastern Australia, and by the 1980s MRSA had emerged all over the world. [8] It can be seen in the graph; MRSA Figures of Isolates per year in Europe; that certain countries are suffering from MRSA a lot greater than others. For example, the Nordic Countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland Sweden) and also The Netherlands have the least outbreaks of MRSA per annum. Countries such as Malta, Greece, Ireland and the UK all suffer each year from high numbers of MRSA sufferers or colonized individuals. It can be seen from the graph that the worst outbreak of MRSA was in Malta in 2001 with more than 50% of the individuals tested being sufferers, whilst in the same year Iceland had no reports of any MRSA outbreaks. The reason for Maltas high percentage of MRSA carriers in 2001 could have been due to a lack of knowledge and understanding of the bacterium. Another possible reason for the high percentage could be that not enough procedures or policies regarding MRSA were available or even in place. The following two years MRSA in Malta declined to around 40% of tested indi viduals being carriers, which show that policies had been put into place after the outbreak in 2001. [9] [9] MRSA Figures of Isolates per year in Europe The extremely low percentages of MRSA carriers in The Nordic Countries and The Netherlands could be due to these countries having many policies advising and informing people in the community and patients and doctors in medical facilities of the dangers of MRSA and the simple methods on avoiding the bacterium. In the graph below it shows that The Netherlands tested 1238 people per annum for the bacterium MRSA, with less than 3% each year between 2000-2003 being carriers of the bacteria, which is seen to be around only 37 people. [9] The spread of MRSA throughout Europe is a serious problem that seems to affect almost all countries severely. The graph shows how easily MRSA can fluctuate from country to country, and from year to year. If more policies and better education on the subject of MRSA were available not only to hospitals but to the community in the UK then it is possible that the carrier percentage in Britain will decrease, but until such action is taken the British population will suffer not due a to lack of medical care but to lack of education. Symptoms The symptoms of an infection due to MRSA can vary greatly, all depending on what part of the body is infected. MRSA can infect a wide range of body tissues and organs, which makes MRSA the Superbug that it is. [10] Although there are a large number of symptoms of MRSA, there are only two types of infection: Skin infection and Bloodstream infection. Below is a table, of the type of symptoms common to each of the infections. [10], [11] [11]: Symptoms of MRSA related to infection type Skin Infection Bloodstream Infection Boils Endocarditis Abscesses Osteomyelitis Styes Septic Shock Impetigo Septicaemia Carbuncles Meningitis The longer that any of these symptoms continue untreated, can greatly increase the risk of a widespread infection in the body. Shown below is the damage that some of these symptoms can cause to a person. [12], [13] [12]: Impetigo [13]: Abscess Although MRSA can lead to all of the above symptoms, without treatment, it normally starts as a reddish blotch or pimple on the skin. This leads onto an MRSA lesion [14] forming, which is the first and most noticeable stage to identifying an MRSA infection. [15] [14]: MRSA lesions However all these symptoms cant be identified without certain lab tests. Usually before diagnosis of MRSA has occurred but the symptoms of a staph infection are visible, doctors and nurses will treat the patients infection as a common staph infection, and prescribe antibiotics that would have no effect on MRSA. This delay in diagnoses of MRSA could result in the patient having to stay longer in a medical facility or worse the delay could allow the infection to get worse and infect the blood and the heart. Therefore the longer it takes to diagnose MRSA, means that patients will suffer more and the problems in the NHS and other health services shall continue to be unresolved. Causes of MRSA MRSA can be transmitted by direct contact with a person carrying MRSA on their skin, e.g. individuals who are colonizied with MRSA can pass the bacteria through a variety of direct contact from a simple hand-shake to a kiss from a loved one. The transmission of MRSA can also take place through indirect contact. This form of transmission is just as common as direct if not more. A person can be infected by MRSA by touching any surface, e.g. a pedestrian walker button, which is likely to have an incredibly high number of people touching it everyday and all-day, and with around a third of the worlds population being carriers the chance of being infected is high. Hot spots for indirect contact are door handles, game controllers, keyboards, sheets and towels. The final and least likely form or transmission is by airborne infection. An airborne contaminant is the least likely form of spreading as it is more likely that a skin to skin contact will take place with the colonized or infected individual carrying MRSA. An airborne contaminant can be spread when sheets in a room are thrown around the place when making the bed. As the duvet is fanned skin particles are flown into the air causing the infection to become airborne and allows for easy transmission. The way in which MRSA can be transmitted and individuals contaminated depends on where the infection was acquired. The key areas of MRSA spread are; the health-care system and the community in any country, and because these two are the major hot spots it means they can be categorized. Healthcare-Acquired MRSA and Community-Associated MRSA are these two categories. CA-MRSA (Community-Associated-MRSA) CA-MRSA can easily be spread in any enclosed space, especially any crowded or unsanitary condition. Outbreaks of CA-MRSA are more than common in prisons around the world with American and European countries being the worse as well as in military training facilities. The high number of MRSA sufferers in any prison can be seen as a problem for any country. The over populated state and the lack of space and hygiene could be resolved by an increase in the size of prisons or a decrease in number or prisoners in a prison. Although the problem seems easy to fix the strain on any country to fix this problem can be seen as over-whelming. CA-MRSA has affected sports teams, athletes and gyms. The bacterium spreads easily through cuts and abrasions and skin-to-skin contact. Sharing towels or athletic equipment increases spreading infection among athletes. This problem can be resolved by equipment being cleaned after use and towels not being shared. CA-MRSA can be dangerous in children and young adults, causing a widespread infection when it enters the body through a cut or scrape. Children may be more susceptible to infection due to their immune systems not being fully developed. The spread of MRSA and the realities of who is most at risk of contracting the infection all come under as the Causes of MRSA, because each directly links to how the person becomes infected. The environment that a person exists in can majorly affect their chances of being infected by MRSA, for example, hospitals. If a person is spending the majority of their time or even visiting for a short period of time, their presence in an environment like a hospital will greatly increase the potential of infection. HA-MRSA (Hospital-Acquired-MRSA) The reason that hospitals are seen as the hot spot of MRSA infection is because the majority of people there are ill. For any individual that suffers from a medical condition like HIV or cancer, that weakens the immune system, the chance for infection is increased exponentially. [16] HA-MRSA can normally enter though an entry point into the body, such as a surgical wound or a catheter. This can sometimes be a major problem for some patients and can resolve in death. Abscesss normally form to control and heal the infection. For most HA-MRSA infections not much can be done to resolve the problem except to make sure that medical staff are kept constantly aware of how vital hygiene is when dealing with patients. The patients tend to be older, sicker and weaker than the general population, making them more vulnerable to infection from HA-MRSA. These are some of the few problems that nothing can be done about. The age of a person isnt a major factor unless the patient is older as their immune systems are weaker they are prone to disease and infection. Hospitals are filled by many patients, doctors and nurses, so HA-MRSA can easily be contracted, through direct contact with other patients or staff, or through contaminated surfaces and through an airborne contaminant. [17] This can be resolved by making sure contact with infected individuals is limited and the staff, made to contact is also limited. Surfaces in any medical care facility should always be sanitised and kept clean. The superbug that is MRSA can be seen as a never ending problem because MRSA infection can arise in the community, which I feel will not eliminate the stress on hospitals but instead increase it. Even if hospitals were to have better control methods and better policies addressing the problem of MRSA, the outside world could not continue to keep surfaces completely clean, with door handles being constantly used. The problem seems to be more like a never ending round-about instead of a quick sprint to resolving the spread of MRSA. Screening for MRSA Screening for MRSA is an effective and safe method to find out if a person is a carrier of MRSA. Screening for MRSA before a person enters an environment like a hospital can greatly decrease the chance for a carrier to become infected or to infect others, as the staff at the hospital can remove as much of the bacteria as possible through a simple treatment. [18] The screening process is simple and involves no injections. Instead several swabs are taken at the most common carrier sites of the bacteria; the anterior nares (nose), the axilla (armpit), and the perineum (groin) are all tested. If any skin lesions were seen or noticed they would also be tested, due to them being one of the first signs of an MRSA infection. [19] There are three ways of testing the swabs taken from a suspected carrier of MRSA. These include: Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) PCR is a method for producing large amounts of specific DNA or RNA fragments of defined length and sequence from small amounts of primers. The reaction is not only efficient and specific, but is also very rapid and extremely sensitive. Uses for the reaction include disease diagnosis, detection of difficult-to-isolate pathogens, and the direct detection of MRSA from nasal swab samples. [20] PCR can be seen as the quickest of the three methods as it removes all the tedious work of having to count up the colonies on an agar plate and it doesnt involve having to wait for several days for the results like an enrichment broth. PCR is also a very simple procedure. [21] PCR is also the most costly of the three, which although is a negative quality it isnt a major factor when testing to see whether someone is infected by MRSA. Enrichment Broth Cultures An enrichment culture is a medium with specific and known qualities that favors the growth of a particular micro-organism [22] The major pro with Enrichment Cultures is that they give an easy way in which to isolate pure cultures of  scarce microbial types. The two biggest cons when using Enrichment Cultures is that they very easily become contaminated, which can be seen as very big negative when trying to isolate a MRSA. [21] Direct Plating Direct Plate counting is a method used to count the number of cells in a sample. Once the cells to be counted have been isolated, they are dilute; due to the fact that too many cells will cause the Petri dish to be so populated with colonies, that it would be impossible to count. After the cells have been diluted, they are incubated on an agar medium until colonies form. It is now that the cells are counted. [21] Direct Plating can be seen as the method with the most negatives. Sampling error is the most obvious negative as it refers to the uneven spread of the sample on the agar plate. This is a serious negative as it can hinder the end results. Another negative is that it has little effect on cells that do not split, as it hinders the final count. Through all of Direct Platings negatives it is still seen as the best available method for identifying viable cells. [21] All three types of screening and testing methods are valid and useful for different end results needed. It can be seen from the information that Enrichment Cultures and Direct Plating are not as quick and effective as PCR. Though PCR is flawed by the cost the pros can easily be seen to outweigh this small negative. I believe PCR is the best method for testing for the presence of MRSA, as it gets the results quick and easily and avoids all the tedious work of counting cells. Prevention Methods Hand Hygiene By having good hand hygiene the risk of spreading MRSA can be reduced greatly. Hands and wrists should be washed thoroughly using an antiseptic hand wash or simple dispenser soap. Cross-contamination and spread of MRSA in hospitals is being tackled by using special anti-microbial hand washing products and alcohol-based antiseptic agents. Hand hygiene is essential even if disposable gloves have been worn. Hand hygiene procedures must always be performed before leaving the room (even if there has been no direct contact with the patient, e.g. when serving food, airing the room or making the bed). The diagram below shows the proper method to washing hands effectively. [23] [23]: How to wash hands properly Precautions Infection control precautions can be seen as obvious things in preventing cross contamination. The following precautions should always be carried out at all times and with all patients and medical staff. Cover all cuts, abrasions and lesions especially those on hands and forearms with a waterproof dressing. Maintain hand hygiene Before and after dealing with each patient Before handling food Following bed making After handling blood and bodily fluids and also items contaminated with blood or bodily fluids Dispose of waste safely Isolate patients with a known or suspected infection Use disposable gloves and aprons when dealing with patients, blood, bodily fluids and the making of beds. [7] Education The continuous education of all health-care staff members is an essential art of any MRSA control scheme, as well as making sure up-to-date information is always available and known. The education of patients is also vital to controlling MRSA infections. The Department of Health Services: Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offers a link to an MRSA patient information sheet. Such information as this can be seen as extremely helpful as it answers the most common asked questions regarding MRSA. [24] All the possible prevention methods boil down to maintaining excellent hygiene. By keeping your environment, your personal care items, and yourself clean you can reduce the risk of contracting MRSA. It is imperative to follow the directions laid out by staff when you are in hospitals, nursing homes, and gyms, as these locations can carry an increased risk of MRSA infection. [25] Treatment The treatment of MRSA, in todays world is more difficult than ever. MRSA being a superbug means that it is resistant to a wide range of antibiotics. With such antibiotics as Methicillin, Penicillin and Cephalosporin being among the many antibiotics that have no affect on MRSA. When MRSA was first discovered to be resistant against methicillin a number of other treatments were devised so as to stop the outbreak of the bacteria. Although the alternative antibiotics were affected for a while, MRSA became resistant to them also. This meant that new drugs had to be made so as to control MRSA from becoming a worldwide pandemic. The manufacturer of such drugs as Chlorhexidine hydrochloride, Vancomycin Hydrochloride and Linezolid meant that MRSA had a chance of being controlled. [26]: Comparison of Vancomycin and Linezolid Vancomycin Linezolid Mechanism of Action Cell wall synthesis inhibitor Protein synthesis inhibitor Dosage Form Availability Intravenous Intravenous Oral Adverse Events Red man syndrome Rash Nephrotoxicity Ototoxicity Bone marrow suppression Mitochondrial toxicity: neuropathies and lactic acidosis Serotonin syndrome Routine Therapeutic Drugs Monitoring Performed Yes No The table above shows a comparison between two drugs that are used to treat MRSA. From the table it is clear to see that both treatments offer adverse effects. With Vancomycin only being able to be administered intravenously (IV) while Linezoid can be administered by IV or orally. The number of adverse effects is greater for Vancomycin suggesting that Linezoid is the better method for treatment of MRSA. [27]: Linezoid [28]: Vancomycin Hydrochloride The images above show the complexity of the Linezolid and Vancomycin Hydrochloride and how they are structured. Isolation of a patient/person suffering from MRSA is seen as an alternative treatment. The isolation of a person is extreme as it means confiding them to one room in a separate ward. The advantage of such an extreme treatment is that, the physical barrier between the infected and the uninfected acts as a disturbance stopping the further transmission of the bacteria. The other advantage is that the separation gives a clear psychological message to the sufferer that they are infected and have a huge potential to infect those around them. With any advantage comes a disadvantage, with isolation having one huge disadvantage. The psychological damage that isolation can have on an individual can leave them so lonely that they begin to distrust those around them. The individual can become so independent that they see no need for help form others and this can lead to a long and lonely existence. [29] Available Aid There are many sources of aid, available for those who are colonised, infected or related to someone with MRSA. MRSA sufferers and their families who are feeling the pressures of living with MRSA can retreat from their ordinary lives, of people asking things like are you ok and do you need any help, online. Through such support groups as MRSA Action UK, a registered charity with the aim of helping and supporting not only the sufferers of MRSA but their families also, the stress of being a sufferer of MRSA can be relieved. MRSA Action UK not only acts as a charity to make the general population aware of the superbug but also offers links to other sites which give information and further support for anyone who needs it. MRSA Resources is an online discussion board, where people who have MRSA, have lost someone to MRSA, or just want to talk about the subject, are able to. The discussion board allows for people to share not only the information they have found on the internet or in books and newspapers but also allows them to connect on a personal level where they can share their own personal experiences with MRSA. Conclusion The prevention and controlling methods for MRSA infections is dependent on the approach and high standards of which healthcare workers abide by, as well as, strong leadership to highlight the dangers of an MRSA infection. Standard precautions, e.g. hand hygiene, together with isolation, and education are key to the prevention and control of MRSA. The overall welfare and safety of a person is of the up most importance, and measures undertaken to control MRSA shouldnt interfere with the already established care of patients. Therefore, it can be seen that the investment in more isolation rooms in hospitals and increased hygiene care throughout the world can reduce the potential of MRSA infections. MRSA can be seen as a major problem for health services throughout the globe, as it decreases mortality rates, increases morbidity rates and causes patients to stress over the possible symptoms. It is essential to have a well-structured and clear policy on infection control in hospitals and educational facilities to stop or a t least stunt the spread of MRSA as well as other infectious bacterium. As well as a clear policy educational programmes and leaflets on infectious control should be made available at request as well for the training of nurses, all to aid in the understanding of MRSA. In any medical facility it is nurses who are in immediate contact with many patients over prolonged periods of time. With this in mind it means that the hygiene of nurses should be maintained continuously at a high standard. Not only should they keep their hygiene high when dealing with patients but also with relatives and visitors to the hospital. In spite of all the possible improvements that have been established and stated in this graded unit, the problem of MRSA control and eradication still seem to be a subject that will never be resolved. Though hospitals could improve hygiene and lower the potential of HA-MRSA, the potential threat of increased CA-MRSA is always a possibility due to community hygiene being impossible to control or establish a policy to which CA-MRSA would be effected by. Glossary (All glossary definitions were taken from the internet, from several different sites). Abscess an accumulation of pus in a body tissue, usually caused by a bacterial infection. Airborne in or carried by the air. Antibiotics a chemical substance derivable from a mold or bacterium that can kill microorganisms and cure bacterial infections. Bacteria bacteria are tiny, single-celled organisms that live in the body. Some can cause illness and disease and some others are good for you. Bloodstream infection a condition in which bacteria enters the blood, which can occur through a wound or infection, or through a surgical procedure or injection. Boils an inflamed, raised area of skin that is pus-filled; usually an infected hair follicle. Carbuncles skin lesion typically caused by Staphylococcus aureus, and resembling a boil with multiple heads. Catheter a hollow, flexible tube inserted into the body to put in or take out fluid, or to open up or close blood vessels. Cephalosporin any of a class of natural and synthetic antibiotics developed from Cephalosporium fungi. Chlorhexidine hydrochloride an anti-microbial agent. Colonized the presence and multiplication of microorganisms without tissue invasion or damage. The infected individual demonstrates no signs or symptoms of infection, while the potential to infect others still exists. Culture the growing of microorganisms in a nutrient medium (such as gelatine or agar). Endocarditis inflammation of the endocardium and heart valves. Endocardium lining of the interior surface of the hearts chambers. Erythematous a reddening of the skin. HIV (Human immunodeficiency virus) a retrovirus that attacks helper T cells of the immune system and causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS); transmitted through sexual intercourse or contact with infected blood. Impetigo a highly contagious skin infection caused by bacteria, usually occurring around the nose and mouth. Intravenous (IV) a dose of medicine administered from a drip, down through a hollow needle inserted into a patients vein. Isolation the act of isolating something; sets something apart from others. Linezolid a synthetic antibiotic used for the treatment of serious infections caused by Gram-positive bacteria that are resistant to several other antibiotics. Meninges the three membranes that surround and protect the spinal cord and brain. Meningitis inflammation of the meninges; usually caused by infection by a microorganism. Methicillin antibiotic drug of the penicillin family used in the treatment of certain staphylococcal infections. Mitochondrial toxicity a condition in which the mitochondria of a bodys cells become damaged or decline significantly in number. MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) a serious and potentially fatal infection caused by Staphylococcus aureus bacteria that is resistant to the broad-spectrum antibiotics commonly used to treat it. Nephrotoxicity damage to the kidneys produced by drugs or other substances. Osteomyelitis the inflammation of bones and bone marrow because of an infection, usually caused by bacteria. Ototoxicity toxic to the organs of hearing or balance or to the auditory nerve. Pandemic an epidemic that is geographically widespread; occurring throughout a region or even throughout the world. Penicillin an antibiotic used to cure or stop the spread of certain infections, due to its ability to inhibit the growth of certain bacteria. PCR method of amplifying or copying DNA fragments that is faster than cloning. Red man syndrome an infusion reaction to vancomycin, causing flushing of the skin and an erythematous rash on the upper body. Septicaemia a life-threatening condition in which bacteria multiply in the blood and produce toxic materials; commonly known as blood poisoning. Septic shock a life-threatening condition in which tissues become damaged and blood pressure drops due to bacteria multiplying and producing poisons in the blood. Serotonin syndrome a potentially life-threatening adverse drug reaction that may occur following therapeutic drug use. Skin infection (Dermatitis) inflammation of the skin. Staphylococcus aureus potentially pathogenic bacteria found in nasal membranes, skin, hair follicles, and peritoneum of warm blooded animals. They may cause a wide range of infections and intoxications. Styes a pus-filled abscess in the follicle of an eyelash; caused by a bacterial infection. Superbug a strain of bacteria that is resistant to all antibiotics. Vancomycin an antibiotic effective against some bacterial infections.

Social Care For Older Adults In England Social Work Essay

Social Care For Older Adults In England Social Work Essay During the last two decades social care for older adults in England has witnessed many significant changes. Implementation of the community care reform, privatisation of the social care and Direct Payments have had an impact on the social work as a profession to date. In the first part of the literature review I would like to give an overview how all of these initiatives shaped present social work practice for older adults and then focus strictly on personal budgets and recent research of the practice. Traditional social work characterises working closely with the service user, building very much needed relationship, assessing problems, making a judgment about coping abilities, looking on range of resources and at the end making an informed professional judgment about the best way to support service user (Lymbery, 1998). Dustin (2006) presents traditional set of skills such as communication and interpersonal skills, use of self, negotiation and mediation skills as well as appreciation of organisations and procedures as a core of the practice. In the 1980s governments concerns about increasing number of older people as well as running very expensive residential care have been a driver for transformation delivery of social care (McDonald, 2010). Furthermore, and most significantly, a new Conservative political view included: a belief in the greater economy, efficiency and effectiveness of private sector management; consumerism; the virtues of competition and the benefits of a social care market; and a deep mistrust of public service professions and their claims to special knowledge and expertise (Lymbery, 1998, p. 870) had its reflection in implemented legislations and community care reforms. The White Paper Caring for People: Community Care in the Next Decade and Beyond and The NHS and Community Care Act 1990, implemented in 1993, introduced care management and changed the role of the social worker in statutory sector. Hugman (1994, p.30) argues that the care management is a move away from professionally defined responses to need to managerialist responses dominated by resource priorities. McDonald (2010, p. 28) also states that professional discretion has to a large extend been replaced by formulaic approaches to assessment and service eligibility. Community care reform imposed on practitioners to focus more on the processes and on more complex bureaucracy what affected other aspects of care managers/social workers practice such as limited and formal contact with the service user and therefore difficulties in building up relationships with the client, reduced emotional support, counselling role, advocacy role, group work, less attention to monitoring and reviewing (Lymbery, 1998; Postle, 2002; Weinberg et al. 2003; Carey, 2008). Carey (2008, p. 930) states that: the quasi-market system has also helped to create a complex administrative system based around the management of contracts, assessments, care plans and a seemingly infinite variety of bureaucratic regulations and procedures. Most such tasks are relentlessly processed by often perplexed care/case managers, many of whom quickly begin to question any initial motivations to enter social work. Lymbery (1998) points out that more administrative system and budgetary constraints took away from practitioners a sense of traditional role and increased monitoring of social workers decisions. It has been argued, that key community care reform objectives such as a wider range of choice of services, reducing unnecessary paperwork, meeting individual needs in a more flexible and innovative way have not been achieved (Scourfield, 2006; Carey, 2008). The next important step for the shape of present social care has been introduction of direct payment schemes. The British Council of Disabled People (BCODP) presented findings of their research in publication Cash in on independence with evidence that directly provided services were inflexible, unresponsive, unreliable and take away service users control over the support (Zarb and Nadash, 1994). The BCODP also proved that direct payments can be cheaper and at the same time can provide a higher quality of support (Glasby and Littlechild, 2009). Under the pressure of sustained and strong campaign for reform from the BCODP and other bodies, the government finally implemented The 1996 Community Care (Direct Payment) Act (Glasby and Littlechild, 2009). The Act allowed making cash payments by local authorities to individuals to arrange their own support (McDonald, 2010). In 2000, direct payments were extended to other service user groups and from now on older adults could also benefit from it (Glasby and Littlechild, 2009). Following direct payments, in 2003, the charity organisation in Control, focused on people with learning disabilities, developed the new way of organising care called self-directed support (Glasby and Littlechild, 2009). Browning (2007, p. 3) states that the introduction of self-directed support is potentially the biggest change to the provision of social care in England in 60 years. The terminology has developed during the process of implementation of this concept. By 2004 in Control started using the term individual budget which describes budget from several different streams such as the Access to Work; the Independent Living Fund; Supporting People and the Disabled Facilities Grant; local Integrated Community Equipment Services, adult social care and NHS resources. In the pilots where funding streams were not integrated and projects relied on social care funds the term personal budgets was being used (Glasby and Littlechild, 2009). The in Control Partnership desire was to have the ir concept to be fitted to the existing social care arrangements, to free up available resources, which were tied up in existing buildings and pre-paid services and to allow people to use them flexibly and creatively (Glasby and Littlechild, 2009, p. 77). The aim of personal budgets was to shift power to service users by adaptation to the way of allocating resources, controlling and using the support (Routledge and Porter, 2008). At the same time the government was facing challenges such as aging population, care within the family becoming less an option, more diverse communities, higher expectation form the service as well as continuing desire to retain by people control over their lives as much as possible, including risk management (DH, 2005; HM Government, 2007). Older adults are the largest group of recipients of social care with more than a one million in 2006 (Leadbeater et al., 2008). The number of people of state pensionable age is gradually increasing with twelve million in mid-2009 (ONS, 2010). Some of the above factors have been a drive for governments increasing interest in a personalised system as a way of saving cost in already constrained budget (Glasby and Littlechild, 2009). From 2005, numerous documents such as Independence, Well-Being and Choice, Our Health, Our Care, Our Say: A New Direction for Community Services, Opportunity Age and Improving the Life Chances of Disabled People, Transfo rming Social Care stated governments support and shift towards personalisation (Routledge and Porter, 2008). In 2007, The Putting People First concordat informs about reforms to transform the system, based on  £522 million Social Care Reform Grant, to include service users and carers at every step of organising care (HM Government, 2007). Although the government states the way forward, it gives little explanation what it will mean for the front-line practitioners, for their roles and tasks required under new arrangements (Lymbery and Postle, 2010). It states the time has now come to build on best practice and replace paternalistic, reactive care of variable quality with a mainstream system focussed on prevention, early intervention, enablement, and high quality personally tailored services (HM Government, 2007, p 2). The Putting People First concordat (2007, p. 3) also says about more active role of agencies, emphasises greater role of self-assessment, therefore giving social workers more time for support, providing information, brokerage and advocacy. It also underlines importance of person centred planning, self directed support as well as personal budgets being for everyone. Glasby and Littlechild (2009, p. 75) define personal budget as: being clear with the person at the start how much money is available to meet their needs, then allowing them maximum choice over how this money is spent on their behalf and over how much control they want over the money itself. The recently published, in 2009, Working to Put People First: The Strategy for the Adult Social Care Workforce in England states a bit clearer roles and tasks of front-line staff under new arrangements and recognises social workers role as a central in delivering personalised service. Social workers play a key role in early intervention, promoting inclusion and developing social capital as well as safeguarding adults in vulnerable circumstances. They are skilled at identifying models of intervention, some therapeutic, some task centred and working through with people the outcomes to be achieved. They also undertake navigator and brokerage roles as well as supporting self-assessment (DH, 2009, p. 34). However, Lymbery and Postle (2010) points out that the strategy does not explain who will be undertaking specified roles and tasks, we have the right people doing the right roles and not using highly skilled workers for lower skilled tasks (DH, 2009, p. 33), and therefore the situation from community care reforms replicates where introduction of care manager denied the unique position of social worker. On the other hand, Glasby and Littlechild (2009) point out that the change of the social workers role from focusing on assessment to support planning and review will give more chances to work in partnership with service users to support them, what was the reason for many to come to the social care profession. Implementation There is an agreement that social workers motivation and support are crucial for the success of personalisation and based on their education and experience they are best-placed to fulfil roles and tasks in the new arrangements (Tyson et al. 2010; Samuel, 2010). Results from Community Care and Unison this year survey regarding impact of personalisation on social workers reviled that 88% of respondents had recognised some impact on their job, with 40% saying it had been positive and 29% negative (Samuel, 2010). Two years ago in similar survey, negative impact of personalisation claimed only 18% of respondents (Samuel, 2010). One of the most important evaluation of personalised budgets undertaken by IBSEN (2008) indicates that practitioners attitude towards the new system was based on the positive experiences of service users, strong leadership from managers or implementation team. On the other hand, hindrance for positive experience included high workloads, poor information and trainin g about IBs, and the lack of clarity about detailed processes as new systems were put into place (Glendinning et at., 2008, p.22). The IBSEN study also indicates that inclusion of front-line practitioners in developing documentation and processes was key factor for successful implementation. The limitations of the IBSEN study are that it have been conducted in very tight timescales and with continues policy changes and delays, however it is a crucial research on the early impact of individual budgets (Glasby and Littlechild, 2009). My research study will examine in depth the experiences of front-line practitioners of implementation of the personalisation and will also look at their positive and negative drivers. Bureaucracy The Community Care survey has found that two-thirds of respondents experience increase in bureaucracy as a result of transformation (Samuel, 2010). There has been an indication in the IBSEN study, two years earlier, that completing assessment and other office based duties was time consuming, however this increase was not significant. Although increased bureaucracy was an effect of more administrative approach of care management after community care reforms (Weinberg et al., 2003), it has been pointed out by Richard Jones, president of the ADASS, that some councils had over-complicated processes such as self-assessment and support planning (Samuel, 2010a). My research will provide in depth insight of the administrative role of the front-line practitioner in current system. Processes The social workers experiences varied significantly regarding assessment process based on self-assessment, with some seeing it as a complete transformation, where for others it was a move towards further development of practice (Glendinning et al., 2008). At the beginning working in dual assessment systems has been recognised as a major challenge (Glendinning et al., 2008). Moreover, the view of social workers from Community Care survey match with opinion form IBSEN study that self-assessment was not giving complete picture of a persons needs, with no focus on risk, issues regarding carers and their needs, and putting at risk social workers skills and professionalism (Glendinning et al., 2008; Samuel, 2010). The in Control report of the Second Phase (Hatton et al., 2008) sees self-assessment approach as the way to reduce the process and at the same time social workers time on this task. On the other hand, Lymbery and Postle (2010, p. 11) point out that assessment is at the heart of w hat social workers do and that not all service users have a ability and knowledge to recognise their needs and then to find appropriate ways to address these needs. Front-line practitioners reported that self-assessment usually has been undertaken with support from a family member or a friend, which has been seen as essential support (Glendinning et al., 2008). It can be seen as a potential ground for conflict of interest between service users and carers with examples such as need for respite care or risk within home setting (Lymbery and Postle, 2010). On the positive side, some front-line practitioners indicated that self-assessment shows that peoples views were taken seriously and as having the potential to generate positive discussions about needs and outcomes (Glendinning et al., 2008, p. 147). The IBSEN study recognises that social workers involvement in this process in work with older adults may be of more importance. Older people become more isolated, have less available supp ort from family, they tend to under-assess their own needs as well as do not perceive their behaviour as creating risk (Glendinning et al., 2008, p. 147). CSCI (2009, p. 137) back up above points regarding assessment stating that In practice, and particularly for people with complex needs, self-assessment entailed intensive support from care managers, more demanding of staff time and skills than traditional professional assessment. However, Community Care survey (2010) showed that two-third of social workers did not have enough time with service user to support self-assessment. In support planning process, exploring options, co-ordination, building confidence and empowering service users and carers were the main roles and tasks mentioned by care co-ordinators (Glendinning et al., 2008, p. 147). Many co-ordinators taking part in IBSEN study admitted that the focus on outcomes had an important impact on their practice. Some participants said that one of their roles was to translate the information given by service user in order to produce a meaningful plan. One of the key issues, raised by practitioners, was confusion whether allocated monies based on for example personal care needs could be used flexibly to purchase other services. Further source of confusion and frustration for front-line staff as well as service users and carers, reported in the IBSEN study, was regarding the material good allowed to be purchased and whether family member could be paid for provided support. Specifically regarding older adults, the issue has been raised that their needs ten d to change much faster, therefore a support plan may be out of date within a couple of months (CSCI, 2009, p. 140). In relation to support planning, the Resource Allocation System (RAS) has been perceived by front-line staff as purely mathematical, easy to use tool, on the other hand, some practitioners said that such mechanical approach to allocation of resources cannot fairly and accurately distribute resources due to complexity of service users needs and circumstances (Glendinning et al., 2008). This research will look at the experiences of front-line staff regarding assessment process, support planning as well as resource allocation in new arrangements. Risk management In CSCI report (2008) there is indication that the new arrangements for social care might increase the level of risk for service users. This issue arise especially where service user with complex needs is involved, as he/she might not be able to show distress (CSCI, 2008). Lymbery and Postle (2010) state that critical in terms of safeguarding in new arrangements is to retain professional engagement with service user. The IBSEN study states that giving service users more responsibilities and therefore more risk was in personalisation philosophy from the very beginning and also recognises that it is a difficult shift for care co-ordinators (Glendinning et al., 2008). Front-line staff had concerns that money could be spend inappropriately by service users, that they might not have appropriate skills and experience to employ PAs, that PAs had proper training to provide for example personal care tasks in safe and effective way (Glendinning et al., 2008). Contrary to that, in Control Third Phase evaluation (2010, p. 73) evidence suggests that people feel and are safer when they are In Control of their support and their money and they can determine what happens around them on a day-to-day basis. In in Control study 60% of professionals said that there was no change in risk management from the start of Personal Budgets (Tyson et al., 2010). On the other hand, Community Care survey (Lombard, 2010) found that 37% of social workers do not know what to do when care arranged by service user puts him/her at risk. My research project will examine in depth the view of front-line staff regarding risk assessment and implication, if any, of shifting more responsibilities to service users. Training, knowledge and skills The IBSEN study found out that most of the care co-ordinators had training provided before implementation of the individual budgets, however there was some who did not have any before undertaking first IB case (Glendinning et al., 2008). The participants in the IBSEN study said that training was focused more on the idea and philosophy behind individual budgets, and did not concentrate enough on processes (Glendinning et al., 2008). Successful in terms of informal training were recognised interactive activities such as team meetings, meeting with IB team workers and development officers and peer support development groups (Glendinning et al., 2008; Lombard, 2010). The Community Care survey on personalisation shows that there are significant knowledge gaps amongst social workers (Lombard, 2010). 63% of respondents admitted the need for brokerage skills, with only 31% stating that they have them. An understanding of the key terms and overall knowledge about personalisation has improved (57%), however 14% of social workers still understand little or nothing about individual and personal budgets (Lombard, 2010). Only 49% of practitioners said that they feel they have enough knowledge about employing personal assistant (Lombard, 2010). My research will examine the experiences of front-line practitioners regarding received training as well as subjective opinion about skill gaps in their practice. Mindset, culture The need for cultural shift and change of mindset of service users and practitioners has been recognised in several publications as one of the most important issues (Glendinning et al., 2008; CSCI, 2009; DH, 2010). The CSCI report (2009) shows that it was not expected from older adults that they will appreciate additional responsibilities in managing individual/personal budgets, however in some sites more older people decided to have Direct Payment and to manage the money by themselves. In addition, in Control report (2010, p. 135 136) shows that by the end of 2009 30.000 people were having Personal Budgets across 75 local authorities with older people being the largest group of receivers (53%). The in Control evaluation was based on online data voluntarily shared by local authorities, however there was no requirement on authorities to share data as well as not all authorities included breakdown by social care group, therefore the information from this report does not show an accura te national picture (Tyson et al., 2010). The Personal Budgets for older people making it happen guidance (2010) emphasises importance of sharing successful stories and cases in order to challenge front-line practitioners stereotypes and increase positive attitude towards older people as a recipients of personal budgets. Resources In this year Community Care survey 36% of respondents said that resources have been the biggest barrier for successful implementation of personalisation. Moreover, based on the information about planned cuts in public sector by the current government, 82% of respondents said that this will slow down the progress of personalisation (Samuel, 2010). It has been pointed out in several publications (Glendinning, 2008; Carr and Robbins, 2009; Samuel, 2010) that front-line practitioners using only public resources face significant challenges in exercising choice, control and independence of service user and his/her own creativity. It is well pictured in this quote this is more difficult when a budget is strictly for personal care that is essential the equivalent of 30 minutes washing and dressing a day is not going to allow much creativity (Fighting Monsters, 2010). Social workers under new arrangements will still be responsible for control expenditure with funding targeted at those most i n need (HM Government, 2008, p.9) what clashes with one of the key principle Putting People First which is prevention and early intervention (Lymbery and Postle, 2010). This research project will examine in depth the view of front-line staff about using of existing social care resources in order to fulfil policies principles and meet older adults needs. Services In the CSCI report (2009) it has been emphasised that to allow people to exercise choice and control and to feel independent, together with transformation of the system, the existing services need reconfiguration. At the moment services are limited and insufficiently flexible, where day services are traditional and predominantly based in buildings, and where block contracting arrangements limit the range of services on offer (CSCI, 2009, p. 148). The Community Care survey (2010) found out that 56% social workers have noticed that services such as day centres are being closed down on the assumption that using personal budgets will mean reduced use of such services. Services, especially from local authority, will have to by attractive, flexible to needs, affordable, price competitive, sustainable, well structured and managed to meet service users needs (Tyson et al., 2010). My research will examine social workers experiences of changes in structure of services for older adults with the emphasise on increasing their choice, control and independence.