Minneapolis’ Somali community is stunned by White House refugee cap
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The woman remembers when she first moved to the neighborhood more than 20 years ago,…
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https://www.newsbeep.com/222264/
Scotland’s Population Highest Ever, but No Change in Orkney.
AI project that saves Neath Port Talbot social workers 15 hours a week wins UK award
The council’s Digital and Adult Services teams were named winners of the Best Innovation or Demand Management Initiative at the 2025 Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE) Awards, held in Glasgow earlier this month.
Cutting admin, boosting care
The project has introduced AI tools to handle routine documentation and case recording, reducing the time social workers spend on admin by more than 15 hours a week.
Council leaders say the changes mean staff can focus on building relationships with residents and delivering higher‑quality assessments, rather than being tied up with paperwork.
“A testament to our teams”
Cllr Jo Hale, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Services & Health, said the award recognised the dedication of staff:
“By harnessing AI, we’re not just improving efficiency — we’re enhancing the quality of care and freeing up our staff to focus on supporting residents.”
Cllr Simon Knoyle, Cabinet Member for Finance, Performance and Social Justice, added:
“This is a fine example of the use of emerging technologies to make life better for our residents. I’m pleased our innovative approach has been recognised with this UK‑wide award.”
National recognition
The APSE Awards celebrate best practice in local government across the UK. Neath Port Talbot’s entry stood out for its practical impact on frontline services, with staff also reporting improvements in the accuracy of meeting notes and case records.
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#adultServices #AI #APSE #APSEAwards #artificialIntelligence #AssociationForPublicServiceExcellence #CllrJoHale #CllrSimonKnoyle #innovation #NeathPortTalbot #NeathPortTalbotCouncil #paperwork #socialServices #socialWorker
A kid can be taken from their mum & put up for adoption (without needing the mum to agree) not because the child is currently in danger but because the mum has previously been in an abusive relationship.
The Big Cases - My Baby: Taken, Failed, Killed - BBC iPlayer
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0cpgjjd/the-big-cases-my-baby-taken-failed-killed
#FamilyCourt
#SocialServices
#DomesticViolence
#DomesticAbuse
Bridgend children’s services praised for ‘hugely impressive’ improvements following earlier concerns
The latest Improvement Check by Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW) found that Bridgend County Borough Council had delivered progress in every one of the fourteen areas previously identified as needing urgent attention during inspections in 2022 and 2023.
Inspectors said the council had “consistently prioritised” children’s services, significantly strengthening the quality and delivery of support for families. They praised safeguarding arrangements and described the partnership working within the Bridgend Multi‑Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) as “positive practice”.
The report highlights how the council’s Think Family strategy has helped to transform services. Over the past year, the number of children placed on the child protection register has fallen by almost half, while the total number of cases allocated to specialist teams has dropped by 16 per cent. Early intervention work meant that 92 per cent of children supported in 2024–25 were able to remain with their families rather than enter care.
CIW also noted that the council’s recruitment and retention campaign has created a more stable workforce, reducing reliance on agency staff from 41 per cent to just 7 per cent. Staff morale was described as strong, with 86 per cent of children’s services employees telling inspectors they would recommend working for the authority.
Inspectors found improvements in how the voices of children are sought, heard and recorded, and in the way people feel listened to and treated with dignity and respect, although they said there is still more to do in this area. They also pointed to better management oversight, stronger staff supervision and training, and the development of an Information, Advice and Assistance service which is helping to improve outcomes while reducing demand on frontline teams.
Councillor Jane Gebbie, Cabinet Member for Social Services, Health and Wellbeing, said the findings showed “just how far Children and Family Services has improved in the last two years” and credited early intervention and workforce stability as key factors in the turnaround. She added that the council would continue to build on this progress while addressing the remaining areas for improvement.
The latest inspection marks a significant shift from the concerns raised in 2022, when CIW warned that “sustainable progress at pace” was needed to improve outcomes for children. At the time, Liberal Democrat Senedd Member Jane Dodds criticised the inspection regime for lacking context and failing to address the emotional impact of the Logan Mwangi case on frontline staff.
Ms Dodds, who worked for over 25 years as a child protection social worker before entering the Senedd, has been critical of the Welsh Labour Government, accusing them of ducking from scrutiny for not backing an independent inquiry into children’s services across all of Wales, as is taking place in England and Scotland.
The CIW report will go before Scrutiny on 25 September and Cabinet on 21 October. It can be read in full on the Care Inspectorate Wales website.
#BridgendCountyBoroughCouncil #BridgendMultiAgencySafeguardingHub #CareInspectorateWales #ChildAndFamilyService #childrenSServices #CIW #JaneDoddsMS #socialServices
See.. it canbe done. It should be done for all #HealthCare #Services. A society is beholden to look after those who require medical treatment and help. WTF has any private individual/corporation got anything to do with the provision of social services in the first place?
This GOOD NEWS from NSW Labor govt:
"Yesterday, the Minns Labor Government began dismantling the mess and damage caused by Liberals' privatisation.
We announced that we have deployed a team to work alongside staff at the Northern Beaches Hospital to prepare to end the public private partnership (PPP) and transfer the hospital back to NSW Health." (Source: Labor newsletter)
#SateCapture #PrivatisationForProfits #AusPol #NSW #Labor #NorthernBeaches #Hospital #SocialServices #HealthServices
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Sunyata
The Orkney News
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AutisticMumTo3 She/Her or They/Them
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