Sunday 24 June 2012

Self Disclosure

As someone who has worked in mental health and addictions, I was pleased to hear, 3 cross parties MP's have taken the gumption to talk candidly about their own personal experiences with depression in the House of Commons , these 3 MP's wil also be stearing the government in reforms on mental health and how there can be more preventive interventions. I agree with their proposals, however where is the money coming from? Charities are continuely having their budgets and this will become increasly worse when the PCT's are finally closed down in 2013,and the Health and Social Act will see a massive polarisation in our most basic of services, as GP's will be more accoutable for their budgets. GP's have met in my professional life have disclosed they do not do not understand depression and addictions, and will see their patient mental health issues as burden on their scant resourses, and may quickly get patients removed if they cost them too much money. I am little confused about Ed Millband attack on the East European workforce in the UK, and stated there should be jobs for British workers. Ed Millband mother was a Polish immigrant to this country. As someone who is also a decendent from Polish immigrants, I took offence to his attack on economic migrants, as the majority of the migrant workforce work harder than an indigenous population. My message to Ed Millband he should look at his own garden and how it is growing before judging someone else's garden. An old Polish saying.

Sunday 17 June 2012

The Elected Police Commissioner

The people of Essex should by now, received a form to register to vote or been asked to confirm their vote to the borough electoral register. Some people may not be aware this is to vote in November for the Elected Police Commissioner. This is a extremelly important vote as by electing a Police Commissioner the general public can have more a voice with police issues, be informed on how their council tax monies is spent on policing and to support the victims of crime. Judges have recently acknowledged publicly that they do not understand the general public and have started to watch TOWIE and football matches to enable them to empathise with whom they are defending, proscuting or interviewing a witness in crown court. These finding can also relate to a elected police commissioner, how can someone become a Police Commissioner when they have no experience of the Police Force and are aligned to a policital party, which they are accountable to, when they become a Police Commissioner. I am supporting Mick Thwaites who is standing as an Independent, who has worked his way through the ranks of the Essex Police and left the force as a Divisional Commander in Southend-on-sea Police Station. Mick Thwaites has years of experience in policing and will ensure the victims of crime are fully supported and the general public can have a stay on how the future of Essex Police is run.

Monday 11 June 2012

Problem Families

The Coalition government want local councils to deal with trouble families and will be offering funds as incentive to local councils reduce benefit culture, anti-social behaviour and reduce social services intervention. I agree with all statatory and charities working in partnership to reduce referrals to social services to enable families to be kept together, as it is cheaper in the long term, foster care costs an approximately £500 per week per child. The Big Issue founder informed the government it is cheaper to send a child to Eton Public School, then placing a child into foster care. In my professional opinion (eight years working as an addiction therapist and with vicitims and perpetrators of domestive violence ), the familiy or individual has to recognise they have a problem. This punitive, coercive approach does not work when a person or family has no insight to their behaviour and how it is effecting others around them. To change an entrenched behaviour requires psycho-social interventions to look at genology of the family, educational background, social services past and present involvement, good quality housing and schools with a good pastoral department and an empathic approach to a person circumstance, and all interventions should task centred, and managed within a approriate time frame. Eric Pickles did not mention any of my interventions when discussing this new schmeme to address ASB and how to deal with problem families. My concerns are how these scheme is going to be implemented when statatory agencies have less staff, high case loads, charites are having their funding cut, this scheme would put another strain on these statatory and charitable services. Is the Big Society volunteers going to work with these problem families? Another way of putting it - patonising middle-class women who have the time to volunteer help the needy and poor!!! With no personal or professional experience working with these familes. Poverty doesn't make families or an individual promblemtic, being in poverty offers less choice and social inequality. Everybody has a right to reach their potential, however British society is becoming more polarised and in my opinion this scheme identifies an ever increasing polarised society.