Society daily 17.04.12

Sign up to Society daily email briefing Today's top SocietyGuardian stories • NHS chief clamps down on night-time hospital discharges • Tony Blair tells David Cameron to rethink charity tax cap • Government laxity on flu led to more deaths, says report • Legal aid bill puts thousands at risk, says Citizens Advice • Prostate cancer trial shows fewer side-effects • Blow to UK high street as more retailers move out of town • Ian Mearns: The north-east is being abandoned by the Coalition • Polly Toynbee: On charity George Osborne must stand up to the self-interested super-rich • George Monbiot: Daughter, my generation is squandering your birthright • Burning issues for female firefighters All today's SocietyGuardian stories In tomorrow's SocietyGuardian section • New Philanthropy Capital has created a tool that helps charities prove that the work they do is worth funding • Impoverishing parents will not help them to control their truanting children , warns Tom Clark • Psychiatrist Suman Fernando warns that the government has walked away from the vital issue of race in mental health treatment • As police support volunteers , special constables or community support officers, we can all play our part, writes Paul Rowlinson • The anniversary of the direct action that marked the beginning of the right-to-roam movement is still an occasion for celebration, says Eric Allison • Revenue & Customs brings cash into the government's coffers by investigating tax fraud, so why cull its staff, asks Graham Black • G4S among companies that will provide accommodation for people claiming refuge in Britain On the Guardian Professional Networks • Live Q&A from 1pm: Working for stereotyped and stigmatised groups • Dr Mohammad Al-Ubaydli explains how medical practitioners can make the most of online patient-to-patient networks • While many in the social enterprise sector remain unconvinced, commissioners and investors are increasingly seeing the benefits of social impact reporting , writes Claudia Calahane • Plans to develop new eco and energy efficient homes cut right to the heart of the debate over Scottish priorities , writes Huw Nesbitt On my radar ... • The Healthy Eating Lifestyle Programme (Help), a project based at Great Ormond Street hospital, which aims to help young people aged 12 to 19 to tackle obesity. The project is running a randomized controlled trial of its programme, but the trial is having trouble recruiting the 200 young people it needs and is appealing for volunteers. One of the team warns that the trial risks closure if it does not recruit more volunteers soon. • Recommended reading on the Kurtosis blog, which questions whether the storm over night-time hospital discharges might be due to poor NHS data : There are all sorts of reasons why this could be a storm in a teacup. But if it turns out that it's poor data quality — rather than stormtrooper-like managers frog-marching patients out of wards at two in the morning — that's the cause of the problem, then some good may come of this fuss. If NHS hospitals are still finding it difficult to accurately record the times that patients are admitted and discharged, then it's high time they got that problem fixed. • The minimum wage . A new report by Professor Alan Manning of the LSE for the Resolution Foundation, says the national minimum wage is now worth less than it was in 2004 and asks whether reforms could raise living standards in the years ahead. On the New Statesman blog, the foundation's Gavin Kelly examines the prospects of a rise : Since the NMW's inception in 1999 the ground has shifted in many ways – the rise and recent demise of tax credits being an obvious case in point. There has always been a crucial interaction between them: a NMW is supposed to provide a strong wage floor; tax credits top up household incomes to support those with children who will be unable to get by on a minimum wage which, on its own, will never be high enough to ensure a decent family life. Both need to be thought of in tandem. Looking back it's possible that the still chunky increases in tax credits in the mid 2000s outpaced the more incremental rises in the minimum wage. Today we face severe cuts to tax credits twinned with a falling minimum wage (in real terms). And looking forward prolonged fiscal austerity means that we may need the minimum wage to do some of the lifting that might have otherwise been undertaken via tax credits (a LPC study back in 2007 showed that a 10% increase in the minimum wage would generate gains to the exchequer of between £560 and £680 million per year via increased tax revenues and reduced spending on tax credits). More generally, given the underlying weakness of the labour market, there is of course a risk that a significant hike in the NMW could cost jobs – though there is little solid evidence as to where exactly this pinch point lies (currently the minimum wage in the UK is around the international average when measured as a percentage of the median wage, and there is an absence of hard data confirming that those countries with a higher wage floor have paid a price in employment). • A really lovely piece from the Guardian social care network, in which social work student Rebecca Joy Novell explains the impact of her practice teacher Andy Thompson: There are many people throughout history who have inspired me: Rosa Parks, Betty Friedan, Colm O'Gorman. It never fails to take my breath away, however, how lucky I am, not only to have met Thompson, but to have watched him work and learned from him. Here is a man who, for me, represents those special people you occasionally meet in social work. Those who dedicate their lives, tirelessly, intelligently, passionately and cheerfully, to the ultimate end of helping other people. You may not read about them in history books, but they have changed the world; and for the better. • Oxfam's new See For Yourself fundraising campaign, which highlights the impact of regular donations from the public on the lives of people living in poverty worldwide. Donor Jodie Sandford, an IT manager and mum-of-two from Yorkshire, travelled to Zimbabwe to see how her monthly donations to the charity are spent. • Thea Stein , who has been named as chief executive of the newly-formed charity Carers Trust , created by the merger of the Princess Royal Trust for Carers and Crossroads Care at the start of the month. Stein, who is chief executive of regional development agency Yorkshire Forward, started her career as a clinical psychologist and family therapist and has spent more than 20 years working for health authorities, health boards and local authorities in England and Scotland. She was one of the first joint directors for adult social care and health care commissioning in the UK and went on to be chief executive of Leeds North primary care trust. Stein is to join Carers Trust in September. Other news • BBC: Prison drugs problem 'troubling' • Children & Young People Now: NYA issues guidance on involving young people in commissioning • Community Care: Social workers to receive more supervision and support • Independent: Minimum wage now worth less • Inside Housing: Fed urges mayoral candidates to tackle housing • LocalGov.co.uk: Social housing system a 'scandal', PM's poverty adviser claims • Telegraph: Cameron to announce 'friendly face' nursing overhaul • Third Sector: FRSB upholds telephone fundraising complaint against Unicef UK Events and seminars Digital communications and campaigning for charities Thursday 19 April, Kings Cross, London This half-day seminar will enable you plan, implement and manage your online campaign to maximum effect. It will give you practical advise on how to get the most out of popular social media websites as well as help you define your target audience. This event is a must for anyone needing to plan a campaign to create relationships with supporters to champion your long-term aims. Making the most of social media for social housing Friday 4 May, Kings Cross, London This overview of social media channels will show you how to use them to maximum effect, with clear, practical examples of ways to save money, improve your communications and form a social media campaign Managing volunteers Tuesday 15 May, Kings Cross, London Engaging with volunteers is an increasingly challenging task. This half-day seminar will help you explore what 21st century volunteers want and what you need to do to involve them effectively. Delivered by leading expert Rob Jackson, this session is a must for anyone building a long-term volunteer engagement strategy. Successful bid writing Friday 18 May, Kings Cross, London Bid writing is an essential skill in voluntary sector organisations. This interactive seminar will help you create applications and bids that demonstrate your organisation's strengths and priorities, how you differ from other projects, what the benefits are for your clients and the community and how you'll be able to measure them. SocietyGuardian blogs Patrick Butler's cuts blog Sarah Boseley's global health blog SocietyGuardian on social media Follow SocietyGuardian on Twitter Follow Patrick Butler on Twitter Follow Clare Horton on Twitter Follow Alison Benjamin on Twitter SocietyGuardian's Facebook page SocietyGuardian links SocietyGuardian.co.uk Guardian cutswatch - tell us about the cuts in your area Public Leaders - the Guardian's website for senior managers of public services The Guardian's public and voluntary sector careers page Hundreds of public and voluntary sector jobs SocietyGuardian editor: Alison Benjamin Email the SocietyGuardian editor: [email protected]