Articles

Citizen Network members share ideas, stories and writings on how to advance citizenship for real.

Article: 04.05.16 Next Steps on Inclusion Simon Duffy wonders why progress to inclusion seems to have stalled and sets out the case for personalised support.
Article: 02.05.16 Personal Budgets and Health Economics Simon Duffy, in the fifth of his blogs from Finland, explores the relationship of personal budgets to health economics…
Article: 07.04.16 Report on the Centre for Welfare Reform Connie Faith took time to research and review the Centre for Welfare Reform - its mission and its approach and reflected…
Article: 22.03.16 Open Letter to Stephen Crabb Ekklesia and the Centre for Welfare Reform have published a letter to Stephen Crabb calling for an end to policies…
Article: 22.03.16 The Problem with Mandatory Reconsideration Eri Mountbatten outlines the worrying results from a recent survey of it's members by the National Association of…
Article: 22.03.16 Why I Keep Banging on About Citizenship Simon Duffy summarises the conclusion of his philosophical essay Citizenship and the Welfare State and what it means…
Article: 13.03.16 The Difference Between Choice and Control The fourth in a series of blogs from Finland, Simon Duffy explores the different meanings of choice and the options…
Article: 09.03.16 Rights and the Welfare State Simon Duffy describes how the welfare state has been organised around a model of state-paternalism - not human rights…
Article: 25.02.16 Personal Budgets Just Mean Freedom In the third of a series of essays from Finland Simon Duffy explains that a personal budget is fundamentally a way of…
Article: 15.02.16 Caring for Older People is Not a Wicked Problem Sarah Taylor explains why ageing and the 'problems' associated with care for older people are not so much 'wicked…
Article: 15.02.16 Ending Tendering in Social Care Simon Duffy, in the second of a series of blogs from Finland, explores the problems created by tendering for social care…
Article: 02.02.16 Politics & Economics of Personal Budgets In the first of a short series of essays Simon Duffy explores the political and economic challenges of moving towards…
Article: 02.02.16 The Search for Suitable Housing The hurdles Jane Gregory, her family and her daughter had to overcome in order to get a home to live in despite official…
Article: 01.02.16 Words Matter Stephen Craig Coulson reflects on the words that are used in human services and why it matters to use words…
Article: 28.01.16 Welfare: The Leadership Challenge Susan Harrison reflects on the challenge of being critical about the welfare state from within the welfare state and…
Article: 24.11.15 Example of Flexible Support Contract This is a real but anonymised contract between a local authority and a service provider enabling the service provider…
Article: 23.11.15 A Response to Robin Jackson Leading learning disability academic Jan Walmsley responds to Robin Jackson's critical report on the failure of…
Article: 06.10.15 A Citizen with Learning Difficulties Wendy Perez writes about what it means to be a citizen with learning difficulties.
Article: 03.10.15 Learning Difficulty or Learning Disability Wendy Perez explains why she prefers the term 'learning difficulty' to 'learning disability'.
Article: 02.10.15 Equality and the Governance of Welfare Dr Henry Tam believes that the governance of welfare has to be conducted transparently and inclusively. Here he sets…
Article: 28.09.15 Citizenship in an Ageing Society In the short essay Simon Duffy summarises the argument of his Sir Keith Wilson Oration at the 2014 Australian…
Article: 23.09.15 Why I Was Worried by the Assisted Dying Bill Wendy Perez explains why she was worried by the Assisted Dying Bill and the problems people face in the hospital system.
Article: 16.09.15 Power and Love Simon Duffy explores what we can learn from intentional communities such as L'Arche and Camphill.
Article: 13.09.15 Lessons from Intentional Communities John O'Brien reflects on what social care can learn from communities such as L'Arche and Camphill.
Article: 24.08.15 From Basic Income to Social Dividend Rajesh Makwana argues that it’s time to broaden the debate on how to fund a universal basic income to protect the…
Article: 24.08.15 Learning Disability is Not a Mental Disorder Robin Jackson asks why in Scottish law people with learning disabilities are treated as if they have a mental disorder.
Article: 21.07.15 Localism: As If People Mattered Laird Ryan calls for localism to be brought back to the grassroots where it truly belongs.
Article: 15.07.15 Supporting Staff in Person-Centred Work Sam Sly explores how to support staff in person-centred services when money is tight.
Article: 06.07.15 Assuming Capacity Sam Sly underlines the importance of assuming capacity to ensure people with learning disabilities get the best…
Article: 02.07.15 Open Letter to Iain Duncan Smith An Open Letter to Iain Duncan Smith from prominent Catholics concerned at welfare reform.
Article: 25.05.15 Private Good, Public Bad The prevailing fiction of our times is that the private sector is better at running things than the public sector,…
Article: 12.05.15 History of Keys to Citizenship Sam Sly describes where the Keys to Citizenship came from and how they've changed over time.
Article: 08.04.15 Poverty UK Simon Duffy explores the politics behind poverty in the UK today.
Article: 31.03.15 Taxing a Tax - The Impact of Secret Tory Cuts Jim Elder-Woodward reflects on the way in which the further targeting of disabled people also impacts the Care or…
Article: 25.03.15 The Threat of Micro-Institutionalisation Robin Jackson explains why people with learning disabilities are threatened by a growing trend to…
Article: 04.03.15 Inside Supported Living Melanie O'Neil describes her time as a support worker for people with learning disabilities in a 'supported living'…
Article: 24.02.15 Stop Worrying About Risk Stephen Finlayson argues it is time to use ordinary language that creates ordinary responses, to stop worrying about…
Article: 23.02.15 LDA England Survey A breakdown of the results from the recent Quality Checking Government survey carried out by Learning Disability…
Article: 16.02.15 Is Work Good? Simon Duffy reflects on the nature of work and whether it is always a good thing.
Article: 09.02.15 Rethinking National Security Henry Tam asks why, if we are so interested in security, do we define it so narrowly.
Article: 05.01.15 Accessible Banking Meike Beckford sets out how Dosh are using their experience to improve access to banking and thereby make a real…
Article: 14.10.14 Open Letter on Regulation An Open Letter to David Behan (Head of Regulation) and Norman Lamb (lead politician) on the danger of relying on…
Article: 22.09.14 Just Not Fair Jane Young, the author of Dignity and Opportunity for All gives an overview of this critical report, published by Just…
Article: 19.09.14 Travels in Human-Based Development Pete Richmond sets out what we can learn from Manavodaya a development organisation based in India and the UK, in…
Article: 18.09.14 The Economic Necessity of Basic Income Economist Geoff Crocker argues that the current economic system is based on flawed thinking and that a new system…
Article: 15.09.14 Person Centred Planning 'Tools' Peter Kinsella reviews his time working in human services and examines the negative role of jargon, complexity and…
Article: 25.08.14 The Problem with Dawkins' Intolerance on Down Syndrome Mariana Cervantes-Burchell explains why the intolerant prejudice of scientists like Richard Dawkins is based on…
Article: 20.08.14 Assessment and Treatment Units Sam Sly shares her learning through helping people to leave ATUs and return to a real life and a home of their own in the…
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