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“Where there are people, there will be problems, but there will also be potential” is a key part of Neil’s work. And that is precisely what this manual is all about – equipping practitioners from various professional disciplines to help people address their problems and realise their potential. Part One provides an extended essay on the nature and significance of problem solving to lay solid foundations of understanding. Part Two then offers guidance on using 101 problem-solving tools that can be used in a wide variety of circumstances.

Available from https://neilthompson.info/shop/ or Amazon

A Career in Social Work: Part biography, part overview of social work careers

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The term ‘trauma’ is often used in a very loose and ‘watered down’ way to refer to any difficult or distressing situation. However, in its technical sense, trauma refers to a wound (physical or psychological) that has lasting effects. We are now realizing more fully that so many of the mental health problems that people encounter are linked to earlier experiences of one or more traumas. Indeed, difficulties in life more broadly will often have their roots in trauma. So, if we are working with people in any sort of supportive or supervisory way, we would do well to ask ourselves whether trauma is playing any part in the situation – particularly those situations that are proving problematic or challenging in some way.

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The Authentic Leader A new approach to leadership in Neil’s important book.

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The Covid-19 pandemic has fundamentally shifted the way in which people work, with a rise in remote and hybrid working. While many workers, businesses and sectors have benefited from changing working practices during the pandemic, disabled people bore the brunt of the pandemic’s economic consequences and experienced higher rates of unemployment and redundancies than non-disabled people.

Just 52.7% of disabled people are in employment, compared with 81% of non-disabled people. A key driver of the disability employment gap is workplace inflexibility. Pre-pandemic, many employers were reluctant to allow remote or hybrid working, even as a reasonable adjustment for disabled workers. However, as the pandemic led to compulsory remote working for most desk-based workers, we are now seeing employer plans change.

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LinkedIn: Connect online & join Neil Thompson’s HUMANSOLUTIONS discussion group

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As society’s understanding of gender and sex evolves, our use of language evolves, too. Maternity wards and pregnancy care have, traditionally, largely used language oriented around women: the word ‘maternity’ itself, for one, but also ‘midwife’, ‘matron’, or ‘sister’. And while cisgender women remain the primary patients in such services, a rising number of trans and non-binary people, who may not identify as women, are also engaging with pregnancy planning and birth-related services,

Being excluded by the language used in birthing settings could lead to these parents feeling othered by the experience of bringing a child into the world, and potentially plant the seed for further-reaching mental health impacts. With giving birth being as stressful as it is, plus the risk of post-partum mental health struggles, efforts should be made to give all patients the best standard of care available. A new study by a UK-based research team explored the experiences, opinions, and educational needs of perinatal staff as related to the needs of trans and non-binary service users

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A fresh look at social work theory and methods

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Childlike involves wonder. It’s the ability to see the world with fresh eyes and create magic.

Childish, on the other hand, is living as if there are no consequences.

Over time, we’ve gotten very good at measuring the long and short-term consequences of our actions. And good at ignoring them.

Adults do well when they seek to be childlike, and that’s possible without being childish.

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

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Effective Teamwork: The importance of working together

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