Skip to main content

The Latest Bulletin

Characteristics and drivers of disability discrimination claims

Characteristics and drivers of disability discrimination claims

In recent years there has been an increase in the number of disability discrimination claims brought before employment tribunals. This report presents the findings from qualitative research exploring the characteristics and drivers of disability discrimination claims, to understand what might be driving this trend and why some of these claims are not being settled through Acas conciliation. As part of its duty to try to bring about a settlement in employment disputes, Acas offers 2 stages of conciliation: early conciliation, which takes place before the tribunal claim has started, and conciliation in any subsequent tribunal application, that is after the claim has been submitted but before the case has gone before the tribunal hearing. Click here to read more
Dr Neil Thompson
October 10, 2024
Disability Price Tag 2024

Disability Price Tag 2024

Life costs more if you’re disabled. This report by Scope uses data from the Family Resources Survey to calculate the extra costs faced by disabled households. We call this the ‘Disability Price Tag’.  For this report, 31 members of disabled households took part in interviews. They told how managing household finances alongside extra costs impacted them and their families' lives. Click here to read more
Dr Neil Thompson
October 10, 2024
‘I’m scared of owning too much in case I’m moved’

‘I’m scared of owning too much in case I’m moved’

More than 4,000 young care leavers in England were facing homelessness by April 2024, government data shows - a jump of 54% in five years. The increase in the figure, which covers 18, 19 and 20-year-olds, is 15 times greater than the rise in homelessness among all young people in England. Care charity Become described the high number of young care leavers facing homelessness as a "failure of society". The government called the figures "shocking" and said it was taking steps to "reverse the worst housing crisis in living history". Click here to read more
Dr Neil Thompson
October 10, 2024
Spotlight – The Loss and Grief Practice Manual

Spotlight – The Loss and Grief Practice Manual

Coping with a significant loss is one of the most demanding experiences each of us will ever have. Supporting people who are in the throes of grief can also be a highly challenging experience. This manual, with its exemplary blend of theory and practice provides a solid foundation of understanding alongside helpful practice guidance that will be of immense value to members of the caring professions, managers and supervisors and, indeed, anyone called upon to support people on their grief journey. Available from Amazon
Dr Neil Thompson
September 26, 2024
Neil Thompson’s Lessons for Living – Choose the right communication method

Neil Thompson’s Lessons for Living – Choose the right communication method

Email has proven to be a very effective communication tool, saving a great deal of time, money and effort compared with the pre-email days. However, email has also brought problems, not least the well-documented ‘flame wars’ where miscommunication upon miscommunication has produced a series of heated interchanges that would probably have never happened in face-to-face circumstances. One problem that has received far less attention is the tendency to overuse email, to use it as the tool of communication, rather than one amongst many. For example, some matters can be much better dealt with by a telephone conversation or even a face-to-face meeting. And, while email has replaced letters in many situations, there remain many circumstances where a letter is a…
Dr Neil Thompson
September 26, 2024
Seven ways to benefit from solitude

Seven ways to benefit from solitude

No end of studies show that loneliness is bad for us, and the BPS has urged action from the government to tackle this 'scourge' in the UK population. But while loneliness entails feeling that a need for social connection is going unmet, solitude is different. Most of us are able to spend periods of time alone, and not feel lonely or unhappy at all. In fact, research is showing that time in solitude can even be beneficial. Time alone can calm us down. This is the message from studies by Thuy-Vy T Nguyen, now at the University of Durham, and colleagues. In one study, published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, the team found that just 15 minutes of…
Dr Neil Thompson
September 26, 2024
Seth Godin’s blog – A possible AI future?

Seth Godin’s blog – A possible AI future?

Most visions of the internet in 1995 were about individuals interacting with content online. It turns out that the internet (inter plus net) is actually about connection. The apps and businesses that were most successful connected people–to ideas, to things or mostly, to each other. The current range of AI feels like content creation. You can have an AI write your high school essay, draw you a picture or invent a recipe. But perhaps history will repeat itself. Perhaps developers will realize that persistent knowledge of what came before and who needs help and connection is the next frontier. Click here to read more
Dr Neil Thompson
September 26, 2024
The future of care needs: A whole systems approach

The future of care needs: A whole systems approach

The country’s health is changing. We are living longer and more of us will need care in the future.  This will lead to an increase in the need for paid care services but will also require an increase in informal care because not all people who need care receive paid care, and some of those who do receive both formal and informal care. Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) analysis found that over the period 2016–2022, over half of people aged 65 and over who were being cared for only accessed informal care, around a quarter accessed both formal and informal care and just under a fifth only accessed formal care. Informal care is an inevitable part of how care needs are…
Dr Neil Thompson
September 26, 2024