The Latest Bulletin

September 12, 2022

Spotlight – The Values-based Practice Manual

Values are at the heart of best practice. This important manual offers a successful blend of theoretical understanding with very helpful practice guidance to enable readers to make sense of the complex but vitally important issues. This is an ideal resource for anyone involved in types of work where success depends on effective engagement with people.

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A fresh look at social work theory and methods

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September 12, 2022

Neil Thompson’s Lessons for Living – Projects are gardens not buildings

A common way of thinking about projects is to conceive of them as buildings, something you construct and then have in place to serve you in whatever way the project was intended to. Despite this being a normal way of understanding projects, it is actually a misleading oversimplification. This is because whatever project you work on will not remain static or unchanging. A more accurate and helpful way of understanding projects is to see them as gardens – that is, as things that need to be tended, nurtured, pruned from time to time and not allowed to get overgrown. So, whatever projects you are involved in, you need to ask yourself: am I treating it as a building or as a garden?

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A practical guide to supervision of students & other forms of workplace learning

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September 12, 2022

Go ahead and contact that old friend – they’ll probably appreciate it more than you think

Amidst our busy lives, it’s not always easy to stay in touch with friends. During the pandemic in particular, many people found their social circle shrinking. And even though friendship has clear benefits for wellbeing, mental health, and personal growth, getting in touch with friends sometimes falls down our list of priorities.

A new study, published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, suggests we should probably be making more of an effort to keep in touch. It finds that reaching out can have a surprisingly big impact, with people appreciating it much more than we expect.

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If you’re a social worker come join us in the Social Work Focus Facebook group!

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September 12, 2022

‘Warm banks’ in Birmingham to try to save people abandoned by government

Come to my ward in east Birmingham and you’ll find no shortage of pride or ambition. Our city has one of the youngest populations in Europe. It’s powered by huge creative talent and home to vibrant, diverse communities. But, as I spent a sunny Saturday morning holding my regular councillor’s surgery at Glebe Farm library, my constituents told me troubling stories. They spoke of rocketing food prices and rising household bills; of overstretched family budgets that won’t keep pace with the cost of living. They feared the coming colder days. “We just don’t have that kind of money,” a pensioner couple said of impending rises in their energy bill. One young family told me they worried about having to choose between eating or heating this winter.

Birmingham is now taking the extraordinary step of mapping out places in our city where people can keep warm and safe this winter, because they can’t afford to switch on the heating at home. We’re looking at whether we can open up council buildings, and working with community, voluntary and faith groups to find places where people can be welcomed, find warmth and access help and support. These “warm banks” would be unprecedented.

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Effective Teamwork: The importance of working together

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September 12, 2022

Seth Godin’s blog – And when we disagree…

The hallmark of a resilient, productive and sustainable culture is that disagreements aren’t risky.

When someone cares enough to make an assertion and show their work, a healthy organization or society takes a look.

The alternative is the brittle, closed culture of talking points, loyalty oaths and unquestioned status quo. It might be a neighborhood social club, a large corporation or a nation, but the principle remains.

What happens when we disagree? Because when the world changes (and it always does) we’ll probably end up disagreeing sooner or later. Being good at it is a skill.

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Learn with Neil Thompson: Sign up to Neil’s YouTube channel

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August 30, 2022

Spotlight – The Spirituality and Religion Practice Manual

Spirituality, whether or not rooted in religion, is a core feature of what it means to be human. In this important practice manual, two very experienced writers and educators explain  why spirituality and religion should be a fundamental consideration for the people professions, broadly defined – that is, professions based on helping people tackle their problems and fulfil their potential.

Available from here or Amazon

How to Do Social Work: A basic guide from one of social work’s leading authors

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August 30, 2022

Neil Thompson’s Lessons for Living – Hear the silence

The importance of listening is well established, but what is often not realized that the most effective for of listening involves paying attention to what someone is not saying, as well as what they are saying. Just as silence is an important part of music, working out what is not being said is a key part of genuinely connecting with people, of forming an effective rapport. To hear what is not being said involves tuning in to the situation, considering the context, the emotions involved, where the conversation is coming from and where it is going. These are quite advanced skills, but they can be developed over time.

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Facebook: Connect with Neil Thompson on Facebook

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August 30, 2022

A transformative mental health approach

Esenam lives in Ghana, and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Fearing COVID-19 infection, she waited almost a year before going to the clinic for therapy. Unemployed at the time, Esenam did not have enough funds for treatment. Her parents, thanks to their pension, ensured she could get her medications, but many others cannot.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been an unprecedented stressor to the mental health of many individuals. According to WHO, in 2020, COVID-19 had disrupted or, in some cases, halted critical mental health services in 93% of countries worldwide, while the demand for mental health support increased.

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Sociological insights to help understand people’s lives and their challenges

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August 30, 2022

Don’t walk on by: How to confront bias and bigotry aimed at others

When Sunita Nandihalli was a psychology graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, they and an undergraduate intern found themselves in an lift with a man who seemed fascinated with the intern. She was multiracial, and he repeatedly quizzed her about her hair.

Nandihalli, a queer person of colour, had experienced similar obnoxious comments and stepped between the two of them, asking the stranger about his day and where he was going. “I had to take the intern’s safety into account,” they recall. Nandihalli knew what to do because of ADVANCEGeo, a project that trains researchers in how to intervene when they see bias and harassment in the geosciences. Nandihalli had lent their expertise to the project to adapt ‘bystander-intervention training’ programmes designed for office workplaces and make them relevant to research and academic settings.

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The Professional Social Worker: An essential text for all social workers

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