how to write abstract for report"how to write abstract for report" Need some helping writing an abstract?! Please!?
I am writing up an abstract for a physics lab report, but considering the lab [Laboratory Fundamentals and Data Analysis], I am unsure as how to start the abstract. In the lab we learned error analysis, graphing, significant figures, and standard deviation, among others. We even did an experiment where we used Hooke's Law and weighed "weights" and recorded our data. Could anyone give me a starting point please. I would most definitely appreciate it. Thanks.
In the abstract you write about the experiment.
Findings
(Ex: We found that the applied force on a spring is proportional to the displacement of the spring...)
Expectations
Anomalies or novel findings
(Ex: You found that Hooke's law does not hold when you apply enormous forces to the spring...)
If your work is congruent with other works
(Ex: Our experiment is in good agreement with Hooke's Law blablabla)
Identity Theft Nightmare (The Today Show)
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How To Carry Out Dissertation Writing Process?
Dissertation paper is generally a file prominence the investigators research i.e. the purpose for performing the investigation, the discussions and the ending. Dissertation writing is generally written by the graduate, master and doctoral level for individual explanations or to acquire a degree or any expert requirement. It is written after getting approved of proposal writing. To get a hold of a quality dissertation assignment is not an effortless job. Generally students have dropped the semester as they are hand over this job of writing a dissertation.
This type of academic writing is a tedious assignment that required various careful arrangements and consumes hundreds of hours of investigator. It's significant that you must have an accurate sketch out for your writing proves. An accurate sketch out will not only simple your job but would convert your writing troubles and anxiousness into useful and victorious writing. Here are some guiding principles that should be followed by the investigator while dealing with the dissertations writing.
Proposal Submission: One who is willing to deal with dissertation writing is required to present a quality dissertation proposal to defend the dissertation topic and to prove him/her as a researcher. It is the most vital part of the complete process. The research proposal must face the detail like the plan and objectives of the investigation, a statement of problem that lay down the stand for your complete process. Moreover it's also significant to underline the research methodology utilize to collect data, magnitude and restrictions and bibliography for example survey reports, daily and weekly magazines or any other journal that you had utilize for data collection.
Review of Literature: It is necessary to emphasize the literature review in your assignment. Literature review underline the past research work done by other investigators on the similar subject. It is helpful for the researcher to elucidate the distinction and comparison of own word done with the past and provide you an idea from to carry out further research. You just need to prominent the major features in this part.
Methodology & Research Process: methodology and research process is the next step to be written. The research process must underline the methods, and the research questionnaire. There are numerous methods to perform research but check out the reliability and authenticity of the source. In methodology writing you need to state that the research carried out was quantitative or qualitative, theoretical or piratical.
Main Body: This is the main part of your discussion. Present all the research material. Deeply discuss on the issues and troubles occurred in investigation and also talk about the problems that have not been solved till yet within your field.
Conclusion Writing: Once you have finished with your methodology write conclusion. Here you need to present the solutions to all your raised queries. Present the purposes on which you have carried out the process.
Final Part: After conclusion, write bibliography and abstract of your papers. Take an overview of your complete papers to improve the quality and to avoid the mistakes. Try to give your paper and dissertation writing an expert way.
About the Author
Daniel Bacon is an experienced academic writer & provides help with dissertations along with essays, research papers, term papers, coursework, thesis, dissertation editing and proofreading. If you need dissertation help, you may proceed with the offer of FREE dissertation topics and FREE dissertation samples by clicking them.
2004 Peugeot 407 2.2 i 16V SPORT AUTOMATIC Review,Start Up, Engine, and In Depth Tour
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how to write a written report"how to write a written report" how do you write a report about the environment?
I am trying to write a report about the Environment but don't know what to write about: for example: Pollution in the environment I just don't know what to write about the Environment. Help?
A really hot topic right now is the over building in the Seattle, Wa area. That is one of the reasons the flooding was so bad. They have build so much in some areas, there is no where for the water to go!
Another hot one is Global Warming, you could talk about what exactly it is and why some people don't believe it is real.
How about talking about various research in other types of fuel besides gas? That one is very politically hot now too.
What about the effects on the ocean from an oil slick? What exactly is oil and it's effect on the environment...how much is left?
Rain forests are disappearing...
Ozone layer...holes in it...cause and effect...
How to Be a TV News Reporter : How to Write for a Prompter in TV News
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Hiring Essay Writer For Your Custom Writing
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If you want customized writing services, be prepared to pay some equivalent amount with what services you might want. On the other hand there are those essay writing companies which provide custom writing but a high price. Those companies do not provide students an equal opportunity of getting custom writing services. Students do struggle before they get custom writing which is of quality and they are capable of paying. Our essay writing company does provide students with custom written papers which do cater for their needs. We have qualified essay writers who will provide you with custom writing services which are original and unique. With more than 800 qualified staff, our company has been I the essay writing industry for more than 8 years. Students from all over the world have enjoyed our custom writing at a price which they are able to pay. Our essay writers have been trained and thus they will provide you with custom writing services.
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Industrial Electrician - Working in Canada
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how to write a report abstract"how to write a report abstract" Who knows how to write a technical REPORT?
Could someone tell me what things I should put in the technical report? For instance, abstract or introduction?? and how to write it and organize it? If it'd be possible, could you show me some formal examples on some websie? Please Please~~~~~~~~
Most reports contain some or all of the following sections, usually in this order.
`Abstract' or `summary'. `Acknowledgements'. `Introduction'. `Objectives'. `Theory'. `Methodology' or `procedures'. `Results'. `Discussion' or `interpretation'. `Conclusion'. `Recommendations'. `References' and/or `bibliography'. `Appendices'.
Check the following website. It is a very useful introduction to technical report writing:
how to write a report introduction"how to write a report introduction"
College Lab Report Writing
Lab report writing is one of the common assignments undertaken by students of all levels for instance college and university students. Lab reports are written after performing practical experiments. It is essential to have excellent reporting skills in order to write quality reports. It is also essential to know all the steps involved in the practical process in order to write quality lab reports. It is therefore essential to go over the experiment procedure, instructions and the results prior to lab report writing. The other step that is necessary is to research on several facts and information that can be used to support the results and conclusions drawn from lab experiments. The various sources that can be used to obtain information are books, scholarly articles, journals and even the Internet. Results should therefore be supported using solid facts and evidence. This evidence is obtained from the sources mentioned.
Lab report writing should be original. This means that writers are required to write from scratch using original content. Plagiarized lab report writing results to students earning failing grades and a bad reputation. It is also important for a writer to have exceptional writing skills so that they can write good lab reports. Lb report writing should be done according to instructions given by instructors and lecturers for instance, they have to be written using the appropriate writing style. Moreover, they should have the appropriate number of pages. The several writing styles used during lab report writing include MLA, APA, Chicago and Harvard writing styles. Writers have to be knowledgeable and be familiar with all the writing styles prior to lab report writing. Moreover, they have to know all the steps and sections of lab report writing. The first section to consider during lab report writing is the introduction part. This section is where a writer defines terms and tells the reader what the experiment entails.
The second section in lab report writing is where a write gives details of the materials and instruments used for the experiment. If at all, it is a scientific experiment, the reagents used have to be mentioned. The next section is the procedure part where a writer explains the entire procedure used to perform the experiment. The procedure has to be described in prose form during lab report writing. The next section is that of the results whereby a writer notes down the results obtained after the experiment. Finally, there is the discussion and the conclusion part where a writer discusses the results obtained and gives inferences and implications. It is essential to take note of all the steps and sections involved during lab report writing. This will ensure that the lab report paper generated is superior quality. Students who encounter difficulties in lab report writing opt to get assistance from writing companies. There are several companies that can provide lab report writing services though it is appropriate to choose the best custom writing company.
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About the Author
Author is associated with SuperiorWriters.com which is a global Lab Report Writing & Custom research Papers provider. If you would like help in Lab Report and Buy essays you can visit SuperiorWriters.com
The Legitimate Residual Income Report -- Introduction
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Analytical Essay
Writing an analytical essay requires great analytical thinking skills which call for clear demonstration of your understanding of a topic and its interpretation. Many students from various parts of the world find it a challenge to write analytical essay for various reasons. Some have very limited time to write a critical essay while some do not have the skills in writing a good essay. Such students require support and assistance from people who mind their academic success and online writing companies which offer reliable analytical essay service.
It is important for students to seek assistance from writing companies like ours which offer analytical essays of supreme quality which demonstrates a clear understanding of the topic. This is the company that provides first class analytical essay services that interprets an assigned question or topic according to your lecturer's requirements. Apart from analytical essay service we can also provide you with tips on how to write a good and original analytical essay.
Our analytical essay service is based on two fundamental principles. The first is augmentation element which is an essential parts or writing a standard analytical essay. To come up with an argument, the writer has to extensively read various information materials before getting into writing. The main topics and themes of your topic will, then be noted down before coming up with and analytical arguments.
The second components of our analytical sassy service are the explanation aspect. This helps to come up with a successful essay. The explanation component is about giving detailed discussion of the topic's background, its proponents and clearly explained ideas to support the topic. Basically what our analytical essay is all about presenting reliable information to the readers. This information is gathered by our researchers and writers who specialize in analytical essay service .They make original interpretations and comments on the aspects required in your topic for them to come up with high quality and an authentic work.
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Paradoxical Blue Peter Analytical Stenge
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Steps in Writing Book Reports the Easy Way
Research papers, quizzes, book reports –these are all part of the students’ academic requirements in college. As students shuffle from one subject to another, seeking a balance to these coursework is the key in helping them reach their ultimate goal – graduating from their chosen academic field.
Students grumble and complain when a professor ask a class to do book reports. Ultimately, students do not have an alternative but to comply. However, they can avoid being hobbled by problems and anxieties in meeting their requisites.
Below are some tips on how to lighten up the load in writing book reports:
1. Book Choices
If professors assign a book, students have no option but to read it and proceed with the next step. If professors give students a free reign on book choice, the first step is to determine the genre they want to explore on their book reports - fiction or non-fiction.
Students should also consider working on a book they genuinely interested in. This way, the process of writing and developing the content becomes less excruciating. The final output will be a pleasurable experience for both the writer and the reader as the can easily convey his or her understanding of the reading material.
2. Creating an Outline
After deciding on the book, developing an outline is the next step. An outline gives the structural framework on how a writer can proceed. A student can rely on the outline to develop a strategy that works for him or her. Changing the outline as the student progresses on is a welcome sign. This means that the writer is discovering significant ideas.
3. Writing a Draft and Final Copy
Composing good book reports becomes a fun experience with the discoveries that surface along the way. Writing a book report does not happen overnight, but is composed of two parts: the draft and the final copy. A draft copy gives life to the ideas written down on the outline. It represents the initial thoughts of a writer about the manuscript. Students expect to discard ideas written on the outline to enhance the overall appeal of the paper they are writing. After settling on some ideas and balancing the thoughts of the paper, students will then revise and end up with a final copy.
After observing these tips, students can find their book reports easier to accomplish. This time around, they will not be overwhelmed by fear in fulfilling this scholastic requirement. Students can relax after submitting their book reports.
About the Author
Lilian Smith is a part-time essay writer who loves sharing her knowledge to students to lighten up their coursework. She used to be scared of writing essays , term papers and book reports.
SPM Chemistry Explanation of Cooling of Naphthalene Experiment Part 2
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Interested in communication studies? Check if your birth chart approves of it
They say, 'pen is mightier than the sword'. If you feel that it's the right time to grab the mightier weapon, go for it NOW! But does your birth chart allow you? Take the reality check given below.
The 3rd House of the horoscope represents efforts made by a native to achieve goals in life, communication skills, talent, hobbies, extra curricular activities and quick writing ability. This House also indicates short journeys, siblings, servants, subordinates, friends, neighbours, right ear, shoulder and arm. Talents such as sports, games, acting, singing, modelling, fashion designing, dancing and painting can also be judged by the strong 3rd House of a native?s horoscope.
Gemini is the sign whose Lord Mercury is the significator of writing and communication that governs the 3rd House in the natural zodiac. Mercury is the planet that gives a person communicating skills. The 3rd House of the horoscope governs all forms of communication (through writing, speaking, mailing, self-expression and speech). People those who want to opt for a career in field of writing and editing (stories, scripts, resume, reports and news) must have a good 3rd House means placement of benefic planets would enhance the chances of growth in a field related to communication and writing. If the 3rd House receives the aspect of benefic planets like Jupiter, Mercury, Venus and Moon, one becomes a good writer and communicates impressively in public.
The dasha (period) of the Lord of the 3rd House reveals hidden talents of the native, therefore during this period one becomes introvert and shows his talents through hobbies, correspondence, writings, sports, dance, music and drama. In today?s scenario, one can predict modelling, fashion designing, beauty salons from the native?s 3rd House. This 3rd House of astrological chart explores the communicating strength of a person and his relationship in the community, friend circle, co-workers and neighbours. 3rd House of astrological charts informs us about the relationship of the native with his younger brother. Other points decided by the 3rd House of the astrological charts are mental inclination, ability to communicate, memory, intellect, inclination to study, courage, firmness, acting, younger brothers and sisters, cousins, neighbours, short travels, signing contracts and agreements.
Here are some of the astrological combinations of a profession related to Journalism, Communication, Correspondence, Writing and all the hobbies and talents:
If the 3rd Lord is well placed in the 10th House and the 10th Lord is placed in the 3rd House.
If the 3rd Lord receives the aspect of the 10th Lord.
The 10th Lord of profession placed in the 9th House.
If the 3rd and 10th Lord cover 3/9 axis, means 3rd and 10th Lord placed either conjunct or aspect each other in 3rd or 9th House, then the person definitely goes for a profession related to communication, this also represents a profession in railways, airlines or a job related to lots of travel.
If the 3rd Lord receives the aspect of Venus, one becomes an actor, model, fashion designer, and chooses a field that has glamour.
If the 3rd House receives the aspect of Jupiter one becomes a teacher, religious priest, in today?s world (a person who gives lectures based on religion like Katha Vachak, devotional, Santsang people etc.).
Sun in the 3rd House makes a person hard working, therefore one goes for a royal profession like economics, agriculture and medicine. Sun in the 10th House gives authority and Government Service.
Moon in the 3rd House represents fine arts, music and poetry.
Mars in the 3rd House is good for hard work like surgery, marketing, army and wars.
And finally, Mercury in the 3rd House brings Journalism and Mass Communication as a profession. One becomes master and gets success in the field of story writing, editing, communicating and all the fields related to communication.
Editors view about elections 2008 (Before the Death of Benazir Bhutto)
It is a common thought that a person who reads Pakistani press can not be capable provide a precise idea that what is happing in Pakistan. Secondly the concerns uttered by Musharaf government about media's responsibility in development of Pakistan, makes the character of media even more suspicious. Third, common men are not able to understand the difference between views of the newspaper and column writers. Most of the people just start reading a piece of writing by selecting their titles. And try to discover the truth. But when after one week if somebody asks what is the main theme is, so they will have no answer. For the reason I thought that there must be a piece of writing which can provide the overall analysis about forthcoming elections. So I selected two English newspapers namely Dawn and The News and copied their Editorials from their web editions from 1st December to 21st December 2007. I just made an effort to get their views about upcoming elections, political parties and Musharaf government. Mostly all the items are in one way or another related to the elections. This article will provide a glimpse of events of three weeks and all at once the reader can judge whether a prediction or analysis made by any newspaper was factual or fictional.
About the holding of elections in January the Dawn ("The task ahead" 1st Dec) believes that possibly the elections will not take place in peace for the reason that the promises made by Musharaf to withdraw emergency and PCO may not make happy all the fragments of the opposition and boycott of elections by the PML (N) and JI will have an effect on the credibility of the elections. One interesting sentence "There is more to the elections than satisfying the APDM. A greater precondition for a fair and transparent election is the need for lifting the curbs on the media", shows that Dawn supposes that APDM is not seriously working for lifting the restrains on media. That’s why Dawn has set such a proposal to the concerned authorities and general public.
Adopting a very straightforward outlook about the boycott politics the Dawn ("Talks, not threats" 2nd Dec) condemns the APDM in these words "The APDM is far from being clear on what lies beyond the boycott". And on the other side criticizes the composition of the present caretaker government and election commission of Pakistan. But at the same time shows mirror to the opposition in these words" Looking at the composition of the current caretaker setup and of the election commission, the opposition is justified in casting doubts on the fairness of the polls. But the opposition will also have to share the blame for the current mess in view of its failure to forge a united stance vis-à-vis the dictatorship in Islamabad whose strength is, among others, based on the disunity of its adversaries". The Dawn not only points out the problems with the portrait but also gives a proposal for the cure of the syndrome. "The only way to set aside all such worries on the part of those willing to contest the election and convince the boycotters to join the fray is for the president to convene a multi-party meeting to iron out all such differences and to make certain changes to avoid aspersions being cast on the election process". All the opposition parties are putting question mark on the credibility of election process, only putting aside PML Q and Mollana sahib. The Dawn ("The ‘common goal’" 5th Dec) represents this idea as such" Any election held under the circumstances will not be acceptable to the entire opposition, save perhaps Mollana Fazlur Rahman. What credibility an election which only the erstwhile ruling party and its officially designated leader of the opposition regard as free and fair will have is anybody’s guess"? The News (A step into the future" 1st Dec) sees this situation of boycott in different perspective " At the same time President Musharraf's firm assertion that general elections would go ahead as scheduled in January, and that "no one would be allowed to create a hindrance in the transition to democracy" are welcome. They give an indication of the resolve to make a full return to the interrupted process of democracy. Given the examples that exist from the past, political parties would be well advised to participate in the process, rather than staging a boycott. Full participation by groups representing all shades of opinion is in fact the best way to strengthen the system ". The News ("Free Aitzaz Ahsan" 3rd Dec) puts an allegation " Aitzaz is, by any yardstick, a popular politician, a brilliant orator and a successful lawyer -- right now he is the man the government is so scared of that he has again been caged for 30 days. He is also a candidate in the Jan 8 election and how can he possibly woo his constituents if he is detained. This would suggest that what the government is doing in his case is nothing more than pre-poll rigging -- and that too of the most blatant kind". Next day The News ( Pressure cooker" 4th Dec) "The one issue on which every party is raising its voice loud and vociferously is the credibility of the regime to hold a genuinely free and fair election. This is the biggest challenge facing President Musharraf and he has already indicated that if the results of the Jan 8 poll are unacceptable, he may quit the scene. This may be seen as a sign of weakness but his best option as the civilian president of the country would be to honestly and sincerely rise above the political fray, stop patronizing some of his past allies, sit down with the main political leaders giving them due respect, create a transparent and fear-free atmosphere and that way he will make the elections non-controversial and more about issues rather than his own person". Criticising boycott of elections The News ("Mr. Boycott " 10th Dec) suggests" Boycott is much on the lips of politicians as we move towards the election of January 2008, and it as yet unclear which of the parties, if any at the end of a period of ritualized posturing, will boycott the polls. Boycotts have a very mixed history in terms of success, and any 'boycott' of the electoral process by the parties is likely to inflict greater wounds on themselves than on the institutions and processes they are boycotting. It could be argued that in the present case a boycott of the process would move those so engaged even further from the levers of power than they already are, and do little to revive their parties which are still recovering from years of absentee landlordism".
On the subject of the disagreement among Nawaz and Bhutto camps, the Dawn (Split on boycott 8th Dec) evaluates the reasons as "Technically, the talks were held between the ARD and the APDM. But for all practical purposes it was the two former prime ministers who were exploring the possibility of adopting a joint stand on the general election. The ARD team was relatively homogeneous, but the diversity in the APDM delegation did not seem to have come in the way of a consensus within the Nawaz camp, Prof Khursheed Ahmad’s presence itself symbolizing the hard line adopted by the MMA’s Qazi faction. The two sides also have differed in their attitude towards President Pervez Musharraf. While Benazir Bhutto had implied that she was willing to work with a president out of uniform, Nawaz Sharif made it absolutely clear that President Musharraf, whether in or out of uniform, was not acceptable to him". And in the end The Dawn validates Nawaz approach," President Musharraf may be out of uniform, but the state machinery is not out of the dictatorial mode". In this feudalistic and capitalistic civilization of Pakistan, every facet of life is under their influence. It is evident in the days of elections when party tickets are given to this segment of society. Dawn ("Feudal stranglehold" 9th Dec) raises the curtain from the stage of upcoming parliament in these words " OVER the decades, society in Pakistan has undergone many changes but one major component of our body politic has resisted all change: the feudal control of the country’s political institutions… According to the report, the three mainstream national parties — PPP, PML-N, PML-Q — and the Sindh-based PML-F have made no efforts to diversify class representation in parliament and have continued to give party tickets in overwhelming numbers to feudal lords". The News ("Taking the lead" 2nd Dec) shows other side of the came coin in these words " In recent years, the gradual disappearance of ideology -- except that adhered to by religious parties -- from politics in Pakistan has in fact left behind a situation where policies regarding key issues such as privatization, welfare and taxation no longer figure in electoral campaigns. Instead, the exercise has been reduced largely to tussles between powerful individuals, whose personal standing, influence and wealth decides the outcome of the contest for a particular seat. In other words, elections have become little more than a kind of wrestling contest between such 'strong men', and occasionally women, whose success or failure is at best only vaguely related to the programme of their parties".
From the very beginning, foreign hands are involved in Pakistani politics. Dawn ("The real constituency?" 9th Dec) gives details of this situation. "ANSWERABILITY to the people is a basic tenet of democracy. True we are currently living in dictatorial times, but public opinion has been largely inconsequential in Pakistani politics even in times of democracy, engineered or otherwise. Our leaders in recent decades, be it Benazir Bhutto, Nawaz Sharif or Pervez Musharraf, have all looked to foreign shores for validation and subsequent consolidation of power. When out of office and on the wrong end of the power equation, our politicians make a beeline for Washington or London in an attempt to destabilise the incumbents in Islamabad. Their true constituency, it seems, is not the people of Pakistan but the US and its allies in Europe and the Middle East — and of course the GHQ in Rawalpindi, in some cases…. The image abroad is clearly more important than opinion at home. When elections can be rigged, losing votes and the confidence of the people is not a primary worry. Ours is a country that has imported two prime ministers, one from the World Bank in Washington and the other from Citigroup in New York. Yet, our leaders talk of ‘sovereignty’ and waste no opportunity to condemn foreign interference… We have only ourselves to blame for any meddling in our internal affairs. ‘Advice’ from overseas has been kowtowed to all along, so why should it be surprising that the Saudi envoy can meet Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry when former prime ministers of Pakistan and the deposed Chief Justice’s colleagues, friends and admirers cannot? Or that foreign diplomats have been dispensing advice to local politicians in the run-up to elections, or visiting the offices of media outlets banned under the emergency? The Turkish president recently met with leading Pakistani politicians, going so far as to coach them on how to deal with the military. No doubt he has some experience in this matter but purely in the context of Turkey".
Criticizing the boycott politics and suggesting a way for political parties the Dawn ("PML-N in the field" 11th Dec) writes these lines" The boycott drama, which should have been behind us now, has taken a bizarre turn. Having failed to reach a consensus on the boycott issue in their critical meeting on Sunday, the APDM participants had glossed over their disagreements by announcing that all component parties were free to go their own way. Not to anyone’s surprise, the PML-N decided to enter the electoral fray only to find itself being thrown out of the APDM that Mian Nawaz Sharif had himself founded in July… How the participating parties fare in the elections now depends on numerous factors such as their ability to enter into seat-sharing arrangements, the position they adopt on the restoration of the pre-PCO judiciary in their election campaign, and their success in mobilising the voters who have been depoliticised over the years and are, by and large, apathetic and cynical vis-à-vis the game of politics that is being played out in the country".
PML Q has designed its manifesto with 5 D's and makes some promises with the nation. Dawn ("The manifesto season" 12th Dec) exposes the party in these words" The two leaders said the PML would never support the presidential system, even though the constitutional system as it exists today has been stripped of its parliamentary character and is presidential in all but name….Like all manifestos, the PML-Q’s programme contains aims and promises that, if fulfilled, can help end poverty, create equality, spread education, give the people a higher standard of living and take Pakistan into the 21st century. However, once in power, the parties tend to ignore their election pledges, and it is the bureaucracy that draws up and implements plans that often conform to the conditionalities imposed by the aid donors". While The News ("The five D's" 12th Dec) criticizes the same phenomena in these words " It is also true that both the two detailed manifestos released so far, with their carefully planned words and their mottos, have something in them that resembles a charter put out by a group of boy scouts or some similar organization. There is something a little childish about the focus of the whole effort, particularly since the document, as is the case with the one by the PPP, makes no effort to provide insight into the ideological basis of the policies the parties hopes to follow, but reads essentially as a list of promises, or solemn pledges. This also says something about the wider role of manifestos in Pakistan's politics. The fact is that the assertions made in these documents are rarely, if ever, implemented. And the knowledge of this reality is perhaps one of the reasons why parties can afford to allow so many high-sounding words and phrases to dominate them, confident that in a system where checks and balances have increasingly slipped away or been thrust aside, and the powers of people to retain or throw out leaders taken away from them by interventions from the outside, or tampering with the election process itself, they are unlikely to be called on to fulfill the promises made…. Whereas in its manifesto, and in the speeches made at its launch, party leaders of the PML-Q spoke of democracy within and outside the party, the reality is that during its five years in office, the party has done little to build such a culture". And commenting on the manifesto of PML N the News ("Restoration theme" 17th Dec) writes these words" Using the acronym ‘RESTORE’, the PML-N has joined the sudden flurry of manifesto announcements by political parties, with the stress laid on the return of deposed judges and an end to the military’s role in politics. The seven letters in the word ‘RESTORE’ stand for restoration of the judiciary, democracy and the 1973 constitution; elimination of the military role in politics; security of life and property; tolerance; overall reconciliation; relief for the poor and education and employment. Like the ones announced by the PPP and the PML-Q over the past month, the agenda of the PML-N is quite obviously an impossibly ambitious one".
Only lawyers are left to stick with their stand of boycott of elections. Rest of the main parties decided to take part in elections. Dawn ("Lawyers and boycott" 14th Dec) describe this situation as " MR Aitzaz Ahsan’s decision to finally withdraw from the election seems to be in keeping with the legal community’s boycott of the Jan 8 vote. The lawyers’ stand is that those who are taking part in the general election are legitimising the Musharraf government…. The politicians have not shown unanimity on boycott. Maulana Fazlur Rahman’s decision to go for election has divided the MMA, and the boycott camp collapsed when the PML-N virtually defected to the other side. The boycott is now confined to the Jamaat-i-Islami, besides some small parties. The legal community’s principled stand against the president’s March 9 decision and the promulgation of the PCO will go down in history as unprecedented in terms of the sacrifices rendered. However, one often feels uncomfortable about the danger of the legal community getting politicized". The News ("The middle path " 7th Dec) raises the issue of the new Judiciary role in lection in these words " It is a fact, and rightly pointed out by Mr Malik, that hundreds of district judges, additional district judges and civil judges throughout the country were transferred with immediate effect by the chief justices of provincial high courts just before the announcement of the election schedule. It is these lower court judges who will become returning officers and are crucial cogs in the electoral process. Appeals against their decisions will go to the high courts and the current Supreme Court, and all of these are now manned by judges who took a fresh oath under the PCO. Thus the entire election edifice has been constructed in such a manner that any unwanted political candidate can be excised from the process at any stage. That is where the system could be rigged as has been amply demonstrated by the rejection of nomination papers of both Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif". The News (" In the president's court" 13th Dec) puts some light on the promices of Musharaf " Thus the 2008 election is slowly moving to become what President Pervez Musharraf had once described as the 'mother of all elections'. It is also reassuring that the president has stated publicly that he will accept the results and will try to work with anyone who comes to power after the elections. Though his claim that "I interact with people quite well, I am not such a trouble creator" may sound like an oversimplification or slightly optimistic, at least he seems to be sounding the right notes to work with a genuinely elected parliament….While Ms Bhutto and Mr Sharif have to prove their strength in the polls, Mr Musharraf has a much more difficult task to accomplish. He has to prove his words, repeated frequently, that he is neutral and will not support any political party. This needs more than a few statements to establish, especially if one looks at the way state and government resources have been commandeered by the former Punjab chief minister as he and his party go about trying to gain an "upper hand" in the electorally-crucial province".
Ms Bhutto analysis that the ousted judges were doing politics before the promulgation of the Nov 3 Provisional Constitution Order which sent them packing, and her claim that elections will not be fair, the Dawn (Bhutto’s strange logic" 15th Dec) gives history of emergence of political leadership in Pakistan. "A sense of wonderment must also be felt by many over her caveat that the Jan 8 election will be rigged. Is she the only one to be trusted in the whole game plan devised by the devil himself, as it were? This acute sense of paranoia is indeed unsettling…Ms Bhutto surely has a good memory but it tends to fade rather selectively. There has been a historical pattern whereby assertion of independence by civilian players never went unpunished; and the list is long. Of late, it is worth recalling that Mr Zulfikar Ali Bhutto made his debut in politics under a martial law regime and assumed power after an election held under army rule. Mr Mohammed Khan Junejo was handpicked by Gen Ziaul Haq. Both asserted their independence in due course; Bhutto paid for it with his life, Junejo with his job only. Do not the ousted judges merit credit for their stand in 2007"? The News ("Principled step " 15th Dec) on the other hand supports Civil Society and Lawyers movement and praises Aitaza Ahsan boycott of elections " The decision taken by SCBA President Aitzaz Ahsan to withdraw nomination papers he had filed from a Lahore constituency as a candidate of the PPP, has immediately raised his status as a man of principle. Explaining his move, which deviates from the line of the party Aitzaz has been affiliated with for decades, he stated that he had decided to stand by the community of lawyers who had so bravely led the struggle for judicial independence".
Predicting some facts about the next parliament Dawn ("Bhutto’s strange logic" 16th Dec) says" The amendments made in the Basic Law since Nov 3 cannot be undone, except by a two-thirds majority, and all indications are that the Jan 8 elections will give us a hung parliament in which the opposition will find it impossible to garner that many votes. In other words, the lower house that will come into being next month will be presented with a fait accompli. What position the PML (Q) will have in the assembly is difficult to say, but it should not be beyond the president’s power to manage a two-thirds majority with the help of the "king’s party" and those willing to go along. That the president chose not to do this, and the amendments have already become part of the Constitution show he has decided not to give the assembly even rubber-stamp status". Next day in its editorial (Pakistan in its labyrinth), Dawn suggests that this situation is very helpless for the people of Pakistan, " As far as the Jan 8 election is concerned, there was precious little in the president’s Saturday night speech to allay the opposition’s fears as to the polls’ transparency, even though Mr Musharraf has invited any number of foreign observers to witness the process. At the same time he made it amply clear that he will not allow any agitation or rejection of election results by anyone. Under the circumstances, poet Faiz’s prophetic lines come to mind: ‘Take a vow of fidelity or of separation, do as you please/ what do we control? What will you have us endorse?’ The people of Pakistan have never been this helpless in shaping their political destiny". And on the same day in another editorial " Voters' list" The expresses its concern over the female voters participation in elections" Here it may be pointed out that an issue that needs to be addressed by the Election Commission and also the NGOs working at the grassroots level and civil society is that of the participation of women in the election process. Over the years more and more women have been taking part in the polls, thanks to the efforts of advocacy groups that have conducted consciousness-raising campaigns to educate women politically. But the aspect that gives rise to major concern is the fact that in some constituencies the female turnout has actually been nil. This has been attributed to a patriarchal culture with male elders forbidding women from casting their ballots. This is reprehensible. The Election Commission must look into this matter and take measures to pre-empt the use of social pressure to stop women from exercising their right to vote".
Even Dawn criticism of the next hung parliament, it is in favor of taking part in elections." Participation by a majority of the mainstream political parties in the election is the right decision, though the PPP and the PML-N have said that they are taking part under protest. As the big two failed to agree on a charter of demands as a prerequisite for their participation, the hope that the polls could be held under a more even-handed dispensation is now all but dashed. It is clear that those who have chosen to stay away have left the field open to their opponents, which may achieve little else besides disappointing their committed voters. The JI is perhaps atoning for its sin of being a party to the 17th Amendment and now refuses to do anything that might be seen as approving Mr Musharraf’s tailor-made system yet again. Mr Imran Khan and the nationalists have no faith left in the current system because they believe the next parliament, like the outgoing one, will remain under the president’s thumb". While the News ("Role reversal" 11th Dec) after Nawaz decision to take part in in election, describe the next parliament in these words" In this situation, a dilemma also arises for the ruling group and indeed for President Musharraf. A two-third majority in the new assembly is essential for the presidential camp, so that the necessary parliamentary stamp of approval can be given to post-November 3 decisions. The decision by the PML-N to take part in polls makes this task harder -- at least if a free and fair election is organized".
Some political parties are expressing their concerns about rigging in election and making threats to launch agitation after election. Dawn ("Rigging and agitation" 21st Dec) recollects the history of Pakistani politics and gives direction for future "The government lifted the emergency on Dec 15, leaving only three weeks for campaigning. The business class is, of course, very happy with the government. The people might have remained poor, but the economic benefits to Pakistan in the aftermath of 9/11 have gone mostly to the business class, which has prospered at the people’s expense. For that reason, this class has no reasons to fund an anti-Musharraf (read anti-American) agitation. In fact, quite a few tycoons are contesting the elections and will most probably make it to parliament because of their power to buy votes. If, therefore, some parties are planning a popular agitation after the Jan 8 vote, they had better read the situation carefully. As the events since March 9 have shown, the lawyers’ and journalists’ agitation has failed to evoke a popular response, and it is unlikely that the people will respond zealously to an anti-government stir the way they did in 1977".
About the Author
2010 Refinement of Income & Rent Rule & Eff Implementation of the PIH EIV Sys Trng-Part 2
Progress That Social Work Practice Has Made In Supporting People With Learning Disabilities In Attaining And Enhancing Independence Through Receiving
Introduction
The essay will examine the implementation of direct payments within four States in the United Kingdom i.e. Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England. Direct payments were created with the intention of increasing the level of independence among needy members in society. The scheme was introduced so as to allow them to have an active form of utilising community services. However, there is considerable evidence that certain groups included in this scheme have been considerably sidelined. Persons with learning disabilities, ethnic minorities and persons with mental disabilities have not been prioritised. The essay will look at the progress of this scheme so far especially with regard to persons with learning disabilities. (Jolly, 2005)
Background
Disability Alliance (2005) claim that direct payments were established with the aim of providing a suitable alternative for people within the community who are in need of care. These cash payments enable persons with disabilities; including learning disabilities to enjoy care services without having to include the Local Authority directly. It helps them in attainment of independence. The Social Works 1968 Act gives a guide on how community care services can be conducted by local authorities including administration of direct payments. Furthermore, the 2001 Regulation of care Act amended some of the prior definitions of community services such that other vulnerable groups were to be included. All the above legislations form a backdrop against which local authorities, service users, social workers and other stakeholders can go about their activities as asserted by Clements (2006).
Scope (2004) affirms that there are certain parties that may be deemed needy and hence eligible for direct payments. These include anyone over the age of sixteen who may have physical, mental or learning disabilities and others may also have other forms of sensory impairments. However, for this particular essay, more emphasis will be placed on persons with learning disabilities. There are numerous alternatives for the latter mentioned groups. Disabilities Alliance (2005) gives a guide on some of these alternatives. Service users have the choice of using direct payments exclusively. Alternatively, they may decide to combine direct services from local authorities with direct payments. It is also possible to leave out direct payments completely and settle on community care services from the local authorities alone. All these choices are in the hands of both the local authority and the service user.
Evans (2000) explains that local authorities must first asses the situation and determine whether or not that particular applicant should or should not receive direct payments. Before consent is given, the service user must demonstrate the ability manage their own direct payments. This normally entails accountability in usage, ability to act as an employer for service providers and an ability to ensure that god quality services are received. After the person has demonstrated that they meet all the above criteria, then they are eligible to payments. (Clements, 2006)
How direct payments are offered
Statistics from Riddell et al (2005) indicate that between the years 2001 and 2005, there have been significant increases in the number of service users under the direct payments scheme. In Scotland, the numbers have increased by about seven times to 1400 persons. However, there are some worrying trends in those Statistics. This is because they indicated that more priority was given to people with physical disabilities rather than those with learning disabilities. Over forty percent of the direct payment scheme covered persons with physical disabilities. (Riddell et al, 2005). Although the amounts paid to individuals through this scheme have significantly increased; from two point one million to thirteen point seven million as of 2005, the specific amounts located to persons with learning disabilities still covers a small percentage of the total. Priestley et al (2006) goes on to add that the elderly are taking up a huge chunk of the direct payments. In Scotland, over a third of the members in the direct payment scheme incorporate members who fall in the over-sixty-five bracket. However, there are still worrying numbers within this mode of payment. More and more people need to be recruited into the direct payments scheme. Barnes and Mercer (2004) indicate that some countries like Scotland have lower numbers than others like England. It was found that England has double the number of users in Scotland. This means that Scotland has not utilised its potential and needs to do something to improve.
It is quite a daunting task to try and asses the effectiveness of the direct payments scheme to persons with disabilities. This is because different service users have different perceptions about it and different levels of satisfaction. Pearson et al (2006) expected that direct payments would fall in line with earlier perceptions about community welfare. Barnes (2005) asserts that direct payments are supposed to be users focused and personalised in nature. Besides this, direct payments were also introduced so as to increase cost effectiveness for the local authorities (Person et al, 2006).
But these new concepts to community care have posed certain serious problems among members of the community. There is a difficulty among service users in viewing community services as ‘commodities' that can be purchased rather than passively receiving community care from local authorities. There is a need for consumers to acclimatise to the idea of direct payment. Barnes (2005) asserts that Persons with learning disabilities are among the most vulnerable group with regard to acclimatisation since most of them had not been fully embraced into the direct payment scheme until recently. Consequently, social work practice is hampered because of the users' attitudes.
Pearson et al (2006) highlights some significant differences between the conditions and terms of practise offered by personal care providers as opposed to agency staff or council workers. This means that persons with learning disabilities are now settling for uneconomical service provision that they used before the introduction of direct payments. Pearson et al (2005) explains that Service users who have discovered that defect rarely use the direct scheme again. They usually go back to dependency on the local authorities which undermine the very reason why the scheme was introduced in the first place.
A survey conducted by the Health Committee for the Elderly Inquiry (2008) highlighted some of the problems that have cropped up concerning the mode of offering direct payments. Local authorities are expected to charge for services to be received by persons with learning disabilities. (Disability Alliance, 2005) However, there is a list of discrepancies about their charging criteria. This is because some service users have complained that Local Authorities interpret social and personal care differently. There is a very different understanding of what constitute personal and social tasks. This is because Local authorities do not have a suitable guideline especially from the 2001 Regulation of care Act. Some of the definitions in this piece of legislation are quite ambiguous thus implying that different parties can interpret them in different ways. Consequently, the Health Committee for the Elderly Inquiry (2008) made suggestions that there should be some explicit definitions of tasks constituting personal or social care. For example, food preparation for persons with disabilities is something that should not be charged but this is what is happening currently. (Evans, 2000)
The Health Committee for the Elderly Inquiry (2008) also highlighted some other problems in the way direct payment are offered. For example, if the person with a disability is working, then they may not receive benefits of Income Support levels on the charges made for community care services bought through direct payments. Consequently, such people are discouraged from working since the incentives are minimal.
Clements (2006) affirms that local authorities have the option of seeking help from other bodies in the process of administration of their direct payments. However complaints have arisen among recipients that there may be duplication of services by the local authorities themselves and other groups such as care commission yet at the same time, these latter two parties have different standards for assessing service user conditions. Consequently, this has created a lot of confusion among members of the population. On top of this, the Care Commission are supposed to finance their own expenses. This implies that they will look for other alternatives to keep them above the tide. Therefore, this translates to higher charges for service users on the ground. These fees are always increasing and reduce the choices available to the persons with disabilities. This is because they may prefer purchasing only few services since direct payments are usually given for essential services. (Pearson et al, 2006)
The registration system is sometimes too complex. People who may want to use direct payments may be prevented from doing so by having to deal with all the bureaucracy involved in the process. Consequently, most of them end up using care services directly from local authorities rather than making use of the direct payment scheme. This implies that the persons with learning disabilities will be so dependent on the local authority and little if any independence will be attained.(Riddell, 2006)
There is a lot that needs to be done to improve the level of satisfaction with direct payments. For example, when service users have problems or complaints about how the scheme is offered, there should be a hotline or whistle blowing mechanisms. The problem is made worse by the lack of advocacy services. This will go a long way in supporting persons with learning disabilities who may be dissatisfied with the scheme. Instead, the system has instituted a complaint procedure that may take too long before anything is done about the problem at hand. As a result, consumers may be so disgruntled about the direct payments scheme that they choose to terminate it. In the end, what this means is that the person with learning disabilities will still be dependent on the local authority and they will have very little choice in administration, monitoring and using community care. (Barnes and Mercer, 2006)
The direct payments scheme may not be properly understood by some of the service users. This is especially in relation to persons with learning disabilities. Consequently, there is need to ensure that such person are aware of what is available for them, what alternatives they have and what they can do when unhappy with the situation. As it is today, local authorities simply offer the information directly to the service user prior to their assessment. If there were training schemes, in place even for those who have not approached their local authorities, then community members would be aware of what is out there and they can therefore maximise their options. (Jolly, 2005)
Sometimes some groups may feel isolate when they receive care from home. Jolly and Priestley (2006) indicate that the mode of offering direct payments is itself is quite personal. Although this may have certain advantages, one must not under look the fact that persons with disabilities improve greatly when placed in the company of others, i.e. when there is social interaction. Social interaction is minimised greatly when an individual has enrolled in the direct payments scheme. Some of these persons with learning disabilities were able to learn from others when they were accessing community care directly from local authorities. But with the introduction of direct payments, those persons may feel alone. This was a fear that was highlighted by a number of social workers interviewed by Glasgow (2006)
Edgel et al (1996) highlighted the fact that there would be more problems if direct payments were still to be treated as separate entities from other community services. Presently, there is a separate budget for direct payments. This hampers the treatment of direct payments as part of the mainstream policy option within any local authority. This could probably be the reason why some of the local authorities still have a negative attitude towards direct payments calling it ‘privatisation of social care' (Clement, 2006)
Some local authorities have not been engaging in active campaigns or direct payments. When Barnes and Mercer (2006) sought to investigate the reason why; they found that most local authorities felt that there were already a lot of budgetary constraints when trying to cope with direct payments that they did need not nay more users. This should be a serious warning to all the stakeholders in the scheme. These range from the executive who allocate funds, the administrators and recipients. Local authorities should be given more funds such that most of them can cope with the load. Edgel et al (1996) also claimed that this is the reason why some of the applicants for direct payments have to wait for very long periods of time in order to gain some access to the funds.
How direct payments are monitored
Local authorities have been given the duty of monitoring the direct payments scheme as stipulated by the 2002 Community care and Health Act. However, there are certain inefficiencies reported by Barnes and Mercer (2004) about the manner in which direct payments are monitored. They claim that there are only about fifty percent of all local authorities that have designated specific posts for the direct scheme payments. This is a very worrying trend because all the persons with learning disabilities within those local authorities would receive direct payment services that fall below standard. Also, the local authorities without designate posts will not confirm that service users are administering their community care services properly. (Leece & Bornat, 2002)
However, there is some good news in relation to this; there are about fifty percent of all the local authorities within the UK that have selected a budget for the administration and operation of direct payments. This goes a long way in ensuring that vulnerable groups including persons with disabilities have the right levels of support from their authorities. (Davey et al, 2006) Similarly, Pearson and Williams (2006) report that there are a large majority of local authorities that have set aside some room for support organisations led by users. Therefore, such local authorities have seen the need to involve more users in the direct payments process. When Davey et al (2006) asked some of the local authorities why they adopted a user led approach, some of the local authorities indicated that they wanted to find out what users felt about their experience. This also covers persons with learning disabilities. On the other hand, other local authorities claimed that they did this in order to share information.
Leece and Bornat (2002) reported that most service users who shared their information within support groups did not represent the views of majority of the service users. Other complaints made by local authorities included the issue of extremely high expectations. Most of the members of the support groups wanted much more than local authorities could ever hope to deliver. All in all, the idea of monitoring service delivery by getting information first hand from its recipients is quite a good one since most of the consumers can air out their grievances. (Riddell et al, 2005)
From those support group meetings, local authorities are able to identify what are the inhibiting factors in their delivery of services. Pearson and Williams (2006) reported that about half the number of local authorities saw those suggestions in a positive light while the other half felt that those factors were important but they were not enough to be prioritised into their daily operations. In these surveys there were certain factors that were identified as promoting service provision. Some of them include;
policy and guidance
national legislation
positive attitudes towards payments
On the other hand, there were also factors that were identified as hindering service provision like; availability of carers to provide personal assistant services and difficulties in the management of direct payments. Davey et al (2006) reported that there were certain advantages that those individuals utilising direct payments experienced i.e;
-control
-flexibility
-choice
These same consumers felt that there were disadvantages to the direct payments scheme that include Management problems and recruitment of personal assistants; that is being an employer. Consequently, such consumers did not fully utilise the services that ere supposed to be provided by local authorities.
Barnes (2005) asserts that there are also numerous problems encountered by local authorities in the monitoring process. It is important to examine these problems because they affect the way services are implemented by those local authorities. For example, some of them had no way of controlling the administration of these funds. This is because the scheme required some complex forms of arrangements and see of these local authorities were not as well prepared for it as they should be. Consequently, this severely undermined the quality of service provision. (Barnes, 2006)
Similarly, some local authorities have difficulties leaving out enough time for direct payments as explained by Jolly and Priestley (2006). Consequently, such groups had difficulty in dealing with all the large numbers that present themselves before the councils. This will also mean that those local authorities need to outsource some of their activities. If offering direct payments in general has becoming a serious problem for some of these local authorities, then it implies that it is even worse for certain vulnerable groups like persons with learning disabilities. Barnes (2005) indicates that whenever there are general problem in the monitoring process of direct payments, then there are even more severe ones among sidelined groups who are further ignored. We can therefore say that if the problems among local authorities are not resolved as soon as possible, then there will be great difficulties in service delivery for those persons with disabilities especially learning disabilities.
Some local authorities have also complained that there are problems with the way cost are administered in this scheme (Jolly and Priestley, 2005). These local authorities claim that finances allocated towards payments of this scheme are not adequate enough to deal with all the numerous cases of persons with disabilities. What this means is that priority will be given to certain vulnerable groups while others will be left hanging. Such is the case for persons with learning disabilities. On top of that, those persons with learning disabilities who do get consent from the local authorities may be given minimal funds. Barnes (2006) explains that when local authorities consider certain services less important even when the service users disagree, then this will come in the way of obtaining satisfaction from the service. Most of the service users who are restricted from accessing certain aspects of personal care will develop a negative attitude towards the scheme and may shift to more dependency rather than independence.
Barnes (2005) insists that most of the service users within Scotland, Northern Ireland and England were not content with the monitoring process. They felt that local authorities were not doing enough and more improvements were needed. This also applied to those who were providing personal services. They were also dissatisfied with the monitoring process. Perhaps local authorities could hire outside help to assist them with certain tasks so as to improve on the service delivery rates. Barnes (2006) further adds that personal care providers should be given the responsibility of monitoring the financial assets of the scheme as this does not fall under their jurisdiction. Yet this was something that is not going on in most local authorities. Perhaps the blame can be placed on local authorities as they have not efficiently managed their responsibilities. If they would take up all their full responsibilities then personal care providers can be left only with the duty of dealing with personal care and they can perform this to their best. Financial monitoring comes in the way of execution of their original tasks. (Jolly and Priestley, 2005)
It was found by Barnes and Mercer (206) that most practitioners had discrepancies with how to process direct payments. Although most practitioners were given a lot of material relating to case studies and other issues relating to direct payments, it was found that most of these practitioners had little if any training in the direct scheme payments. This could probably the reason why it takes so long for the scheme to be processed. Some senior managers who were asked about this claimed that they provide training to team leaders. But as it can be seen from the practical aspects, training is necessary for al practitioners whether or not they are team leaders. Blakemore (2002) also highlight that practitioners felt that most of them had very unreliable sources of information. This implies that their decisions were also not that reliable. Some of the problems they highlighted about the information received form personal assistant advisers and others were
inaccuracy
partiality
lack of clarity
According to Blakemore (2002) most practitioners felt that there is too much paperwork that needs to be done in the processing of a direct payment. Consequently, most of these practitioners had to make applicants (persons with learning disabilities) wait for too long and this undermined their efficiency. Some of the paperwork involved was not necessary and should be trimmed down. Or alternatively, the paperwork could be substantially reduced by the introduction of other parties who could manage it.
There are also certain concerns that have been raised by care mangers. Before the introduction of direct payments, care managers had the opportunity to interact directly with their service users. They could asses the level of satisfaction by their consumers and ensure that most of them were happy with the service provided. According to Person et al (2005) it was found that most of the care manages are now feeling sidelined by the policy. They no longer have direct access to their service users and are now a distant third in the user's priorities.
Sometimes some practitioners were not as confident as they should be when tackling direct payment cases. This was mentioned by Pearson and Williams (2006). Most practitioners complained about this claiming that there was some preferential treatment when it came to this issue as most members of staff were not taken through the training process. It was only a few who were selected.
Social workers are also not happy with the fact that management responsibilities for care have been handed down to service users. Davey et al (2006) explains that most of these social workers feel that it is very difficult to ensure that service users are able to access care. Similarly, concerns were expressed by stakeholders about what would happen to some community care services like day centres. (Glasgow, 2006) it was found that as direct payments grew in demand and more and more people enrolled into the program, there would be cases of diminishing community care generally.
Research conducted by Riddell (2005) found that most service users felt that local authorities exercise too much control in the administration of the funds. This means that service users could display some creativity during implementation of scheme. Most of these users claimed that it would have been better if they ere allowed to exercise more discretion in the management and use of the direct payments given.
Jolly and Priestley (2006) report that some social workers were worried about the direction direct payments were heading. They were concerned that some of these payments may sometimes be used by the needy persons to access social activities. These were not issues that were previously included in well know care packages. Consequently there is cause for concern in this regard.
How direct payment are supported
Given some of the problem reported by service users and local authorities, there is need to introduce more devolution within the process. Jolly (2006) claimed that most of the local authorities that had adopted a devolved system of management were more efficient than those ones that did not.
Devolution in this sense means spot contracting. This can apply to various aspects of service provision; some of which include the process of assessment and giving out information about care packages. Spot contracts go a long way in supporting the direct payment scheme because it introduces other parties into the situation. When the local authorities are left alone to deal with all aspects of the scheme, then there may be problems in completing all the tasks stipulated n relevant legislations. (Jolly 2006)
Caerphilly (2006) indicated that one of the major sources of support for the direct payments schemes are the support organisations. These were a very reliable source of information for local authorities. They were able to learn what is needed to improve their service provision as they could hear from concerned parties directly. (Jolly 2005) It was also found by Caerphilly (2006) that it was not only the local authorities that were benefiting from the establishment of support groups. There were also several practitioners who were content with the service. This trickles down to the consumer who may be a person with a learning disability. Their options are improved and they may have better options.
However, just because there are certain support groups presently that may be receiving attention from stakeholders, it does not mean that all is said and done in the practice. Jolly (2005) reported that most service users especially sidelined groups like persons with learning disabilities felt the need for introduction of more support for the direct payments scheme. Jolly (2005) further claims that initially, service management and administration by persons with disabilities may be too strenuous if they try to go at it alone. However, whenever there is provision of more support service, service users are better at it and practitioners are also satisfied in the end. (Caerphilly, 2005)
Support organisations are sometimes given the task of conducting financial monitoring as explained by Glasgow (2006). However, there are certain indications that this may hamper the process of service delivery since it presents a conflict of interest for the group. It should be noted that this issue received approval from both the service users and also social workers.
Riddell (2006) also indicates that there is a serious problem in the management of direct payments by service users especially persons with learning disabilities. This is evident in the fact that most of the persons with disabilities had to leave the administration of funds in other people's hands in order to efficiently manage the scheme. This was also topped up by the fact that those who tried to manage the scheme by themselves had to get support from other parties in order to be completely efficient at it.
Some persons with learning disabilities may not have the ability to cope with stresses of managing or administering the funds. Consequently, they require assistance from their family members. Riddell (2006) exported that most of the family members who provided support seemed to think that they had full control of the scheme. They were seen controlling everything and acting as if the direct payments were theirs instead of the person with learning disabilities. As a result, those persons were now dependent on their family members. Jolly and Priestley (2006) assert that the foundational principles behind the direct scheme payment was independence. However, this is seriously undermined when family members want to control everything.
However, when Glasgow (2006) asked some of these family members what they thought about the scheme, they were very positive about it. They felt that direct payments gave them the independence and autonomy to decide which services were appropriate for their needy family member. They also enjoyed the fact that they had more control in this regard. This is a view that is not just held by family members; it is something that many other stakeholders feel. However, Jolly and Priestley (2006) claimed that those same groups expressed serious doubts about the ability of the direct payment scheme to achieve this sort of independence. These groups were found in almost all levels of the scheme- from administrators, recipients, providers and support groups.
More support was also needed form Scotland's executive especially in terms of payments. This was a view held by senior managers. (Riddell, 2006) Consequently, there was a need for more fund allocation. The suggestion stemmed from the fact that there was an alarming increase in demand for the service. Such senior mangers predicted that form the Statistics of previous years, direct payment recipients have been growing, consequently, there was a need to ensure that all the funds allocated to local authorities matched this demand otherwise the present allocations were not sustainable. (Blakemore, 2002)
There are certain concerns that were also raised by important stakeholders within the direct payments scheme. First of all, some of them feel that the scheme itself would encourage a lot of trust being placed on secondary parties. There was a possibility of abuse for vulnerable adults and this would consequently undermine those persons ability to gain independence. Secondly, Barnes (2006) suggests that there may be lack of experience among family members when trying to hire personal assistants. Since some of these family members may not be aware of the best personal care providers out there, they may hire individuals who may inflict harm to the person with learning disabilities and also to other members of his or her family.
Leaving the choice of service providers up to the service users could also pose other serious problems as explained by Riddell (2006). He claims that these groups may not have the ability to treat some of these personal assistants well. Since there is no liability to other third parties, the cases of mistreatment are quite likely. On top of this, there have also been concerns by stakeholders that some of the services given to persons with disabilities may fall below standard since service providers deal directly with certain companies or groups. Consequently, it may become very difficult to keep up. (Leece and Borant, 2002)
Conclusion
Direct payments were introduced with the intention of personalising community care for persons with disabilities. However, the process of implementation has brought about certain problem among members of the community. Perhaps one of the major obstacles to direct payments especially among social workers and employees in local authorities is the fact that most of these groups view direct payments as a sort of privatisation of public services. They were used to the communal welfare perspectives that had become common when dealing with persons with disabilities. This sort of ‘traditional' thinking could be the reason why some of the local authorities have been slow in the processing and implementation of direct payments. Such a mentality adversely affects persons with learning disabilities because they are part of the vulnerable groups. (Disability Alliance, 2005)
Social work practise has a long way to go when it comes to the implementation of direct payments. This is because there is preferential treatment of vulnerable persons during dispensation of the scheme. Persons with physical disabilities have dominated most of these schemes while persons with learning disabilities have been pushed to the periphery. Part of the reason for this observation could be the fact that most if not all the social workers may not know how to interpret relevant legislations. Some these legislations may be ambiguous hence bringing about these differences. For example the clause ‘willing and able' that is found in the 2001 Act may leave a lot of room for misinterpretation. The government should clarify exactly which groups are willing and able to handle direct payments because persons with disabilities should be included. (Barnes and Mercer, 2006)
Some of the other reasons that have brought about poor implementation of direct payments to persons with learning disabilities could be because some of them do not have support groups. It was found that support groups that worked hand in hand with local authorities were quite effective as compared to those who did not. This is because local authorities can find out information about service users that they would not have accessed before. However, concerns have been raised about the level of involvement of some of these support groups. Certain social workers believe that support groups should not be too close to local authorities so that they can serve as watchdogs. There is also a lack of consensus about whether or not support groups should offer assistance to some of the local authorities they are working with. Some support groups offer financial services while other feel that this would cause interference in the watchfulness and objectivity of the support group. (Riddell et al, 2005)
Certain senior managers have voiced concerns that there aren't enough funds allocated towards the implementation of direct payments. Consequently, some of these practitioners have been less enthusiastic about informing the public about direct payments; more so, persons with learning disabilities. They feel that the more the people they enrol, the higher their budgetary constraints. This is also why some local authorities deliberately delay payments so as to discourage consumers. (Pearson et al, 2006)
Direct payments are normally paid to family members especially with regard to persons with learning disabilities. This implies that the service user himself is not directly responsible for their payments. Consequently, family members treat the direct payment package as if it belongs to them and this has brought about some friction between practitioners and family members.
All in all, social work practise is heading towards the right direction by advocating for direct payments. However much has to be done for persons with learning disabilities because they are dominated by other vulnerable groups. (Jolly, 2005)
Reference:
Clements, L. (2006): Direct Payments training notes; London: Carers UK training unit
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Evans, J. (2000): Compromise and corruption: moving ahead on the road to citizenship; A presentation at the International Conference on Self- determination and individualised funding, Seattle, Taken from training notes Direct Payments Luke Clements, Carers UK 2006
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