FOURTH ANNIVERSARY - MURDER OF ANNE MARIE FOY

THIS week marks the fourth anniversary of the murder of 46 year old mother of four Anne Marie Foy and detectives are renewing their appeal for members of the public who may have information to come forward.

It has been a difficult time for Anne Marie's family who are finding it difficult to come to terms with their loss. And they are appealing to anyone who can help the police with their inquiries to contact the police so that they can have a chance to rebuild their shattered lives.

Anne Marie was murdered in a wooded area off Crown Street near to the Royal Liverpool University Hospital, on Thursday, 15 September, 2005.

Anne Marie's daughters Carly and Suzanne Wall , said:- "We would ask people to look beyond what our Mum was doing and remember her for being our Mum, who we loved dearly, a grandmother and someone who cared about and loved the people around her. It is now four years since her murder and the pain we have felt has not diminished in that time - we cannot rest until the person, or people, responsible for our mum's death are caught. We would appeal to anyone who has any information , no matter how small to contact the police. We are finding it so hard to cope and continue our lives with any normality. Catching the person responsible will help us to at least bring some form of closure to our Mum's death."

Detective Superintendent Ian Kemble, said:- "I would urge anyone who has information which could lead to the arrest of the person responsible for Anne Marie's murder to come forward. Someone out there could have information which could prove vital to our inquiry, it may seem irrelevant to them but could be the piece of infomation we need to bring the offender to justice. It's now four years since Anne Marie was killed and her family are still struggling with coming to terms with their loss. Finding the person, or persons responsible, may not take away the hurt they are feeling, but it would help to bring some closure for a family that has been devastated. It is known that Anne Marie worked as a sex worker, and while I understand that people in that industry may be reluctant to talk to the police, I am keen to stress that their information will be treated in confidence."

People with information are urged to contact detectives from the Force Major Incident Team on:- 0151 777 8660 or Crimestoppers on:- 0800 555 111.

Missing Man – Have you Seen Him?

BEDFORDSHIRE Police have asked us to say that they are concerned for the welfare of Luton man Colin Rawlinson, from Cavalier Close, Luton.  Colin was last heard of when speaking to his partner on the phone on Sunday, but has not been seen since. He failed to arrive for work on Monday and his parents, who also live locally, have not heard from him. His mobile phone has not been used since the weekend.  Colin, aged 45, has recently received some bad news and coupled with the fact he has not contacted his family at all, makes police increasingly concerned for his welfare.  It may be the Colin has simply left his home to give himself some time to think, however Police would like to hear from him, anyone who knows him, or has seen him, to ensure he is safe and well.  Colin is described as white, chubby, about 5ft 9ins tall with blond hair, cleanshaven with a tattoo on his left forearm and one on his right upper arm.

If you have seen Colin, or know where he is, please contact the Police on:- 01234 841212.

UNISON jobless figures reaction

COMMENTING on the latest unemployment figures Social workers are facing burnout due to their heavy workloads and the extreme pressure they are under, says UNISON. The union is the UK’s leading public sector trade union. The union has reiterated its call for more social workers, and for changes to their working lives, following figures released about their sickness absence. The sickness rates, say the union, highlight the intolerable pressure being put on social workers.

Earlier this year, FOI requests by the union revealed that many council’s had high vacancy rates for social workers*, and it is no surprise that this is impacting on stress and absence levels. The union is campaigning for a ten-point programme of reform, designed to help make sure children and vulnerable adults who depend on social services get the care and attention they need.

Helga Pile, UNISON National Officer for Social Services, said:- “It is not surprising that councils with high sickness rates also have high vacancy rates for social workers. Heavy caseloads, an unwieldy computer system, and an average 25% jump in referrals following the tragic case of Baby P, is making their heavy workloads intolerable. Child protection cases are very complex, and we are also seeing many more adult safeguarding cases. Overtime for social workers across all services is averaging an additional 25 days worked each year**. But for some in child protection and other high intensity teams it is much, much higher. Members tell us they regularly have to work weekends and don’t take holiday just to try and keep afloat in a sea of paperwork. The pressure on social workers is intense. The changes highlighted in UNISON’s ten-point programme must urgently be addressed to make sure children and vulnerable people are protected. Councils across the country need to get started on filing vacant posts, cutting paperwork and increasing support for social workers, as many are facing burnout. Unless this vital work starts, we run the risk of another tragedy.”

A social worker in the Midlands said:- “I have 30 cases - all of which are child protection, I have been working in social work for 22 years, but it has never been as bad as it has in the last year. One third of our qualified posts are vacant and our admin staff have been cut. I have built up over 100 hours of TOIL but I can’t take it because of the amount of cases I have been allocated.”

A social worker emailed UNISON’s social work mailbox to say:- “The complexity of the cases makes them difficult to manage and juggle especially when they turn into care proceedings and we all find that we simply do not have the time we need to write the detailed court reports and to visit the children and hold meetings and do the paperwork generated. The court reports get done at home.”

Dave Prentis, General Secretary of UNISON said:- “These 2.47 million unemployed aren’t just statistics, they are individuals and families whose hopes and dreams are being shattered. It is crucial that the government act quickly to help people back into work, particularly the 1m young people who must not be allowed to become the new lost generation. With such devastating figures it would be ludicrous to add public sector workers to the dole queues by cutting back on public services. During the recession people turn to their public services for help. For every pound a nursery nurse or cleaner earns they spend 64p in their local economy. To deny this to local businesses would lead to a double dip and prolong the recession further.”

UNISON SOCIAL WORK REFORM PROGRAMME

1. Planned programme of investment: covering safeguarding and preventative services, so that more staff can be employed, with the right tools to do the job.

2. Urgent action plan to fill vacancies: revival of on-the-job training schemes, caseload guarantees and staffing pools, providing reliable, cost effective relief.

3. The right staffing numbers and skill mix of social workers and support staff.

4. Cull of bureaucracy and performance targets: reverse the 80:20 paperwork:contact ratio, overhaul of the defective integrated children’s IT system.

5. National standards on acceptable caseloads: enforced through the inspection process and regularly audited.

6. Better support and more reflective practice: consistent, high quality supervision that is supportive and challenging.

7. Better pay and career structures: reward expertise and practice to retain quality workers and redress the balance with pay in comparable professions.

8. Re-establish homecare for children and families: homecare workers as eyes and ears of social services, observing closely and providing practical support for struggling families

9. Clear political commitment to strengthen the role of social work in adult services to halt the move to ‘social work on the cheap’

10. Change of management culture: root out bullying, supportive culture of respect and involvement in policy and decisions, rebuild morale and status

Figure information:-

* FOI request responses sent to UNISON earlier this year revealed the following vacancy rates - Somerset 8.5%, Coventry 12%, Bournemouth 18%.

** These figures come form UNISON’s Local Government Survey, which showed average overtime for social workers was 4 hours per week, which, when multiplied by the average 46 working weeks, makes it up to 184 hours or 25 days overtime a year.