The Latest Bulletin

With 2022 now well under way, employers and people teams—90% of them at that—are expanding their efforts to support the mental health of employees. Simultaneously at the individual level, Google’s Year in Search data for 2021 showed searches for mental health are similarly at an all-time high. With growing efforts come a growing number of articles, guides, and imagery of mental health, and it’s critical that employers and media alike make intentional choices when selecting visuals. An abundance of research shows that these choices will tangibly shape the way in which we come to understand mental health, others experiencing mental health challenges, and if, when, and what kinds of support people seek. Click here to read more

Domestic abuse survivors will find it easier to move away from perpetrators under proposals announced by ministers. The plans, which are being put out to consultation, would see the so-called local connection test scrapped. The test can stop victims from applying for social housing if they do not have a connection to a local area, potentially forcing an abuse survivor to live in the same community as their abuser. A second consultation will consider whether and how to change current rules that make it difficult for victims to remove their perpetrators from joint tenancies, which can mean victims either feel forced to stay in their home or are at risk of being made homeless by their abuser. Click here to…

What is the picture of poverty at the start of 2022, coming up to two years after a global pandemic struck? To an extent the picture is unclear: we don’t yet have official poverty data covering the pandemic period, and we know that the quality of the very surveys we rely on for this information were affected by the onset of the pandemic. But many sources make it clear that while some groups have been well supported and face better prospects as we enter 2022, others face deep and persistent poverty. In a way this is much better than might be expected given the economic and social shock the country has been through. We know poverty at any stage in…

Facebook page Facebook Social Work Focus group LinkedIn Twitter YouTube channel Neil’s Academy The humansolutions website

The ideal practice guide for every social worker and social work student. Based on Neil Thompson’s extensive experience of bringing theory to life in a practice context, this invaluable manual is an essential guide for all practitioners, from student on placement through newly qualified worker to old hand. Available from here or Amazon

Over the years I have come across many decisions that have proven after the event to have been unwise of misguided. There is no single reason for this, but a common theme has been people making decisions without having the information they need. Often what happens is that there is pressure to make a decision quickly and this can lead people into moving forward with their plans too soon because key elements of information were not available at the time the decision was made. So, in making any decision we have to be clear about which is wiser: deciding now without that information and risking getting it wrong, or take the time to find out – thereby making a much…

Procrastination can get to the best of us. Whether we’re avoiding going to bed, failing to study, or trying to avoid a hated task at work, sometimes it just feels easier to put something off than get it out of the way. For those waiting for chronic procrastinators to deliver, the dilemma is how best to encourage them to do so on time. A new study, published in Economic Inquiry, provides some suggestions. While shorter deadlines were, perhaps unsurprisingly, more likely to see results than longer deadlines, the most responses were delivered when there was no deadline at all. Click here to read more

That’s how culture perpetuates injustice and indignity. Because that’s just the way things are around here. But the status quo isn’t permanent. The world doesn’t stay the way it was. It changes. And it’s been changing faster than ever. It doesn’t change because the status quo sub-committee had a meeting and decided to change it. Click here to read more

You have just resumed at a new place of work, and you feel that saying "yes" to every request made to you will make your coworkers like you. You are scared that saying "no" will put you in their bad books. A few weeks down the line, you are questioning your decision. Everyone wants you to do things for them. As you try to please them, you are underperforming in your duties. Being that person who always says "yes" at work doesn't end well. Click here to read more

Facebook page Facebook Social Work Focus group LinkedIn Twitter YouTube channel Neil’s Academy The humansolutions website