Society daily 27.09.10

Follow Society Guardian on Twitter Follow Patrick Butler on Twitter Sign up to Society Daily email briefing Today's top Society Guardian stories Millions paid in compensation to migrants locked up in UK UK Border Agency turns down requests for non-EU social workers Cuts offer Ed Miliband an open goal Quangos: our civic belt and braces Editorial: Council tax - a policy that doesn't add up Stories you may have missed over the weekend Unison threatens strikes over quango facing axe We can't just leave it to the police – we must all tackle antisocial behaviour "It was maternal, not political": the Italian MEP who took her baby to work Childhood casualties of the family courts Baby P social workers thought his mum was "caring" Other news The coalition's decision to allow councils to appoint independent auditors is "an extremely bad idea" , warns a leading expert in government accounting, the Financial Times reports. Special constables should receive a tax rebate in return for their voluntary service , recommends the Association of Police Chief Officers, according to the Daily Telegraph On my radar... • Fascinating commentary on Reform's recent public spending cuts meeting in Cannock, West Midlands. Here's Guardian columnist Julian Glover's account , and here's a blog post by Reform researcher Will Tanner in the Spectator. And this is Reform deputy director Nick Seddon's sobering conclusion, in Guardian Public, that the harsh reality of the cuts hasn't quite sunk in yet : "It became clear that local people were not aware of the difficult decisions; and the local leaders weren't about to make their own lives harder by pointing out where the axe would fall. I don't mind change as long as it's the right change, stated one audience member, and I don't mind cuts as long as they're in the right places." • This fascinating illustrated example of how social change and evolving social attitudes are reflected in editions of Richard Scarry's classic children's books (thanks @naomi_jacobs ). • An excellent Conor Ryan blogpost on the Coalition's quango cull : "Reading through the list leaked to the Daily Telegraph, an organ guaranteed to back Maude over timid ministers, one is struck not by the absurdity of many of the bodies to be axed, but by their obvious usefulness." • More interesting reflections on quangos and bonfires by Caroline Crampton in the New Statesman, Ian Magee of the Institute for Government , John Copps of New Philanthropy Capital , Comment is Free's People's Panel, and The Guardian's Michael White . • John Haydon's blog post giving four reasons why every charity chief executive should be on Twitter (thanks @mariairurita ). • Solace chief executive David Clark on public sector managers and the importance of reflection in times of crisis . • Hilton Dawson, chief executive of the British Association of Social Workers, on data that shows there's been a 10% increase in the number of looked after children in Wales over the past year: "Local authorities are being a bit more alert to child protection or a bit less willing to manage risky situations in the community and decide to put children into care. It's almost certain there isn't an increase in neglect and abuse. I don't think it's just about heightened awareness, I think it's about everyone's nervousness in managing risk." • A thoughtful piece from blogger and social entrepreneur Rob Greenland looking behind the hype around personalisation in social care : "We need to not be hoodwinked into believing that loads of people have Individual Budgets, when in practice nothing has changed (or improved) for them. And I also think that we need more honesty about the role of social workers in making change happen. Are they best placed to do support planning and brokerage? Or are they best placed to maintain the status quo?" • Two good posts by Blogger Citizen R posting on I Was a Public Servant blog. This one on academy schools and this one about the recent Ofsted report on special educational needs : "And how will we support teachers in working with these children? Through local authority support and training. Except that local authority support won't exist soon because of cuts. And perhaps if we remove children from the SEN register we won't have to stump up the additional money for them because… Suddenly everything becomes clear. " Guardian and Observer Christmas Appeal 2010 Help us decide which youth charities to support. This year our Christmas appeal will support charities working with vulnerable teenagers and young adult s. That bit we've decided on. What we don't know yet is which ones to support. And that's where you come in. There are around 8,000 UK charities out there who operate in this area. We are looking for 10 projects which do innovative, effective work with young people at risk aged 13-24. So if you work for a charity, and you fit the bill, please apply ( you can find the link to the pdf download on this page ). If you know of a charity you think we ought to support, then encourage them to apply or nominate them on this blog , and we'll contact them on your behalf. Applications close on 8 October, the appeal will kick off in December. Events Driving efficiencies in public sector ICT , 30 September, London: a one-day conference for senior IT professionals to re-examine the way they work, cut costs and deliver vital efficiency savings. Public sector online , 4 October, London: a one-day conference examining how public sector professionals can engage with their audience to deliver services more effectively and strategically online. Guardian Social Enterprise 2010 , 16 November, London: An interactive conference for anyone delivering public services or supporting social enterprises. Speakers include: minister for civil society Nick Hurd; Peter Holbrook, chief executive of the Social Enterprise Coalition; Allison Ogden-Newton, chief executive, Social Enterprise London; Lord Victor Adebowale, chief executive, Turning Point; Rod Schwartz, chief executive, Clearly So; Dai Powell, chief executive, HCT; Alastair Wilson, chief executive, School for Social Entrepreneurs. Society Guardian blogs Joe Public Sarah Boseley's global health blog Guardian awards Guardian Public Services awards 2010 Guardian charity awards 2010 Society Daily blog Society Daily blog editor: Patrick Butler Email the editor: [email protected] Society Guardian Links SocietyGuardian.co.uk Guardian cutswatch - tell us about the cuts in your area Public - the Guardian's website for senior public sector executives The Guardian's public and voluntary sector careers page Hundreds of public and voluntary sector jobs Society Guardian editor: Alison Benjamin Email the SocietyGuardian editor: [email protected]