Press Statement

15 August 2007

NCA’s Initial Response to the Houses of Parliament Committee on Human Rights Report

NCA has today confirmed its commitment to the eradication of abuse within the social care sector. This confirmation followed the publication of the Joint Committee on Human Rights report.

NCA has gone on to stress that the Human Rights legislation is intended to protect people from the State (whether Government or other statutory agency).

In NCA’s opinion it would be quite inappropriate to suggest that every private care home should be designated a public authority within the Human Rights legislation.

NCA’s Chief Executive Sheila Scott OBE said today: “Care homes are regulated by the Care Standards Act. This Act and its associated regulations gives robust powers to the regulators and inspectors of social care to protect those frail and vulnerable people in receipt of social care.

It is NCA’s opinion that the Commission for Social Care Inspection and the sector itself continues to drive forward the modernising agenda within social care and an important element of that agenda is the awareness raising, training and exposing of abuse to ensure that any one who perpetrates abuse on older people can never again work in the sector.

NCA believes that there would no benefit in designating small private care homes as public authorities. A more appropriate way forward NCA believes would be to ensure that all possible support is given to providers of care, purchasers of care and the regulators of care to ensure that older people have equal access to all aspects of care that are freely available to younger people.”

ENDS

For further information please contact Sheila Scott on 0207 831 7090