Stress management

... Uncosted social work plan welcomed 'Great is the Truth and it will Prevail' Uncosted social work plan welcomed Hans J Marter 28 March, 2006 RADICAL changes are needed to make Shetland Islands Council's social work department fit for the future so it can cope with an ever growing clientele, councillors were told yesterday (Monday).

Members accepted deliberations from a nine strong task force, which had looked into all aspects of the islands' social work needs during the last 14 months.

They heard that while the local service was still "first class" when compared with the state of social work nationally, urgent investment and change was needed now to prevent the service from slipping backwards.

They were also told that staff morale was at an all time low and staff sickness at a record level of 15 per cent, due to stress, poor recruitment and retention, inadequate training and the lack of clear managerial leadership.

The service has seen many waves of restructuring and changes in senior management.

Former head Fiona Waddington left in autumn last year after only a few months in the job.

She was replaced by temporary head of social services Brian Doughty who will leave the service in May.

Social work in Shetland has a budget of �27 million, financed by �7 million from service charges, almost �4 million from the Shetland Charitable Trust, with the rest financed through the council's general fund.

Around 660 full time equivalent staff provide care for 1,800 client...

... Garden State Business Briefs SEARCH Pick Newspaper Star-Ledger Times, Trenton Jersey Journal Gloucester Times Express-Times Bridgeton News Today's Sunbeam Hunterdon Democrat Reporter, Somerset The Warren Reporter Independent Press Suburban News Cranford Chronicle Record-Press FIND A BUSINESS More Long-Term Archives (Paid) Garden State Business Briefs Tuesday, March 28, 2006 Honeywell buys business Sempra Generation, a unit of Sempra Energy, has agreed to sell its energy services group to Honeywell Building Solutions, a unit of Honeywell International in Morris Township.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The Sempra unit provides energy-performance contracting services for federal, state and local government facilities, hospitals and health-care facilities, colleges and universities.

The services allow customers to lower their energy and operating expenses by improving efficiencies or generating alternative power.

The group also designs, develops and manages construction of energy efficient facilities.

The Sempra unit has offices in Albany, N.Y., Los Angeles and Houston.

Honeywell Building Solutions provides building management and control systems to help companies save energy and improve security.

- Joseph R.

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In the United States, Lyrica is ap...

... Sunday News HomeNewsSportBusinessEntertainmentOpinion & AnalysisForeignComment Sunday, March 26, 2006 Business Make this your home page Related Stories Kingdom brings innovationHomelink clients push property prices In This Section IDC set to take over National BlanketsSeedco, Quton merger boosts seed productionCBI on small grains seed multiplication researchConsultations on winter wheat in progressContinental subsidiaries sustain ABC HoldingsTABS Avon clinch US$400 000 dealZimTrade to sponsor selected SMEs for ZITF Red Star eyes regional marketKingdom brings innovationHomelink clients push property pricesInvestors need protectionZimbabwe, Norway in talks over fertiliserTaxi operators forced to buy new fleetTaskforce set up to look into Vic Falls conservatiMurray and Roberts streamlines operationsCompanies fail to utilise trade protocols RBZ to effect supervision to avert blameBusiness ReporterTHE Reserve Bank is finalising some pre-emptive strategies for market stabilisation to avert a liquidity crunch similar to that which hit the financial sector during 2004/2005.

Sources told Sunday Business that the central bank was finalising the new system despite encountering problems on the methodology and the human resources needed to spearhead the project.

“I understand they are now finalising on how to implement the system and the in-house skills development needed to evolve the early warning system,” said a source within the RBZ.

The corrective programme’s p...