The Latest Bulletin

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

It is important not to feel under pressure to dance to someone else’s tune. For example, something seen as urgent by someone else does not necessarily mean you have to change your own priorities to accommodate it. This does not mean that we should not help people who need something doing urgently, but it does mean that the fact that something is urgent for somebody else should not be allowed to distort your own priorities. Sadly I have come across many situations where Person A has something urgent (but not especially important) that they want Person B to do and, when Person B does it, the result is that something much more important from Person B’s own to do list…

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…

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