Humansolutions Bulletin - December 1st 2016

Neil has now produced a short video giving an overview of the programme. Neil will be happy to hear from you if you have any questions. Click here to view the video

There are many occasions when it is useful, if not essential, to have a record of our thoughts and/or the events to which they relate. Some people seem never to make notes; they simply rely on their memory, which, of course, is not a wise strategy, as it involves leaving to chance what is recalled and what is not. Other people, I’m aware, make copious notes, but never refer to them again – they just file them away as if having them somewhere to hand will be of value. Yet others have no filing system, so their chances of finding any notes they may have taken are relatively slim anyway. So, when it comes to making notes, there is no…

Brexiters spoke of ‘taking our country back’. But that was based on a false notion who we are as a people, and of our history of immigration Why has Britain’s response to the dismantling of the refugee camp in Calais been so lively – or ugly? Because it raises fundamental questions about who we are as a country. Migration is being discussed, but it’s a debate bedevilled by myth. There never was a time when Britain and the British identity was impervious to migration. Migration to Britain didn’t begin when we joined the EU. The more common but equally faulty story that Britain slowly developed organically from Anglo-Saxon roots, until the Windrush arrived from the Caribbean and changed everything, is an…

Stonewall's latest research into LGBT people's experiences of discrimination and public attitudes towards LGBT equality Click here to read more  

No official record exists of children of prisoners as neither the courts, governments, nor local services ask routinely about them. They are unlikely to reveal themselves for fear of social stigma and bullying and so remain hidden from local services. Children with a parent in prison are Twice as likely to experience conduct and mental health problems, and less likely to do well at school. Three times more likely to be involved in offending. Sixty five per cent of boys with a convicted father will go on to offend themselves. Although the above figures are for England and Wales the trends are likely to be very similar for Scotland and Northern Ireland. Click here to read more

When Ruth Ibegbuna looks back at her two years as a foster carer, one social worker’s visit stands out. “I had two young girls living with me, they both loved Disney. The social worker came round, sat down cross-legged on the carpet and had a really deep discussion with the six-year-old about the final sequence in Frozen for about 20 minutes,” she recalls. “She didn’t turn up with an agenda, she didn’t fill out any forms, or talk about LAC reviews. She just talked to the six-year-old about something the girl cared about. I was just watching it, thinking ‘this is brilliant work’. From that point on that girl adored that social worker completely. They had that bond.” ... Click…