Barnet Council is considering a future operating model for Adult Social Care with the aim of reducing demand for Council funded Adult Social Care Services. People will be expected to rely more on family, friends and community resources. Barnet Council is also considering changes to its Children’s Services that would be run by a not-for-profit organisation as an alternative to keeping the service in-house. Elderly people will be encouraged

At Barnet Council’s Adult and Safeguarding Committee meeting on 19 March 2015 councillors discussed Your Choice Barnet, part of The Barnet Group, a company owned by Barnet Council.  In addition to the councillors who were members of the committee, senior council officers were present including the Adults and Health Commissioning Director. A director of the Barnet Group, which includes Your Choice Barnet was also present. The discussion focussed

Here is some background and explanations that everyone should know, copied from Barnet Unison's website: In the local press the YCB chief executive said “The rates of pay for Adult Social Care are a national issue”,  Yes we agree There is a national social care crisis AND Doncaster Care UK dispute is evidence of this BUT there is a local crisis in relation to how care workers are treated. To those who want to know what has driven care workers

It is outrageous that the dedicated and hard working Support Workers of YCB should be forced to take a 9.5% pay cut in addition to all the other changes in their terms and conditions of employment.  We thoroughly support their brave decision to strike against these harsh decisions of the board of YCB.  We condemn the irresponsibility of the London Borough of Barnet, who allowed YCB to be created with a flawed Business Plan that could only cause

Barnet UNISON has concluded a ballot of care workers based on a slightly improved “offer” from Your Choice Barnet (YCB) following the close of negotiations in mid-July. The offer still means our members would lose 8.31% from their wages rather than 9.5%. It still represents a swingeing cut to their wages at a time when other workers up and down the country have rejected a 1% per cent pay rise. On a 73% turnout 90% voted in favour of taking action

  At a recent Residents' Forum, Kate Kennally, Strategic Director for Communities in the Borough of Barnet, in referring to the 9.5 percent pay cut imposed by Your Choice Barnet on low-paid care workers, stated that they had had a "haircut"   LET'S ALL GET A HAIRCUT Let's all get a haircut, Let's all get a trim. Let's call it a fair cut, And then lop off a limb.   And if that makes them queasy, Let's start to sympathise. Just say "It

Join us at 7 pm in Hendon Town Hall to submit close to 1000 signatures of residents calling the Cabinet to bring Your Choice Barnet, services for adults with learning and other disabilities, back in-house. At that Cabinet meeting the Task & Finish Group's report about Your Choice Barnet will be submitted. The outsourced local authority trading company that provides day services and residential care for Barnet residents with learning and complex

If you want to get a flavour of one of the most enraging and frustrating council committees' meetings that active residents from CADDSS (the Campaign Against Destruction of Disabled Support Services) and BAPS, along with other disabled residents who use Your Choice services and their family carers had to endure – read Mrs Angry's Broken Barnet blog.         It was so frustrating because it became clearer than ever that Barnet's

‘Your Choice Barnet Ltd (YCB) began operating as a Local Authority Trading Company (LATC) in February 2012. Within months it incurred operating losses and failed to attract new service users and revenue. Analysis of Consultation Paper Your Choice Barnet Ltd Prof Dexter Whitfield's report (commissioned by CADDSS) 'Your Choice Barnet Ltd (YCB) began operating as a Local Authority Trading Company (LATC) in February 2012. Within months it incurred