The Latest Bulletin

While there is some dispute about how far inequality in Britain has risen or fallen in the past decade, there is increasing recognition that it has significant economic, social and political costs. The Colour of Money, released 27 April 2020, focuses on how these economic and wider social inequalities affect BME people in Britain. Importantly, it also considers whether and how a range of policy changes could address the issues, within a wider context of how the economy might tackle inequality more broadly. Click here to read more

Renters across the country are being confronted with an economic struggle like nothing they have ever faced. While we welcome the government’s decisions to temporarily ban evictions and restore Local Housing Allowance (LHA) to cover the bottom third of rents, these just do not go far enough. Our analysis shows that collectively, renters could still face a £55 million a month gap in their rents as people aren’t able to work. This adds up to a £660 million black hole in renters’ finances over the next 12 months if no further action is taken. This puts a squeeze on people’s finances, causing debt and rent arrears – and unless something is done, it will also lead to huge numbers of…

Brenda Madden, 94, sits in an armchair in a care home in Abertillery in south Wales, holding a baby doll that appears to breathe and have a heartbeat. She has advanced dementia and can no longer speak, but looks peaceful as she cradles the doll and bends down to kiss it as if it were one of her own children. “At first it was a bit of a shock,” says her daughter, Sandra. “It was a bit upsetting because she’s gone back in time to when we were kids.” Her brother Barry agrees but can now see the benefits of doll therapy for his mother. “She’s always loved kids. She’s got four children, 11 grandchildren and four or five great-grandchildren.…

Facebook page Facebook Social Work Focus group LinkedIn Twitter YouTube channel Neil’s website The humansolutions website Information about Neil’s online learning community, the Avenue Professional Development Programme

This important new book emphasises the sociological aspects of resilience. It challenges the idea that resilience is purely a psychological phenomenon by exploring the wide range of social factors involved. Available for purchase here

This is not literally about fighting. It is about recognizing when it is not appropriate to deal with a situation here and now. When there are concerns that need to be addressed or conflicts that need to be worked through, it is often helpful to be responsive to those demands at the time, rather than miss the opportunity to nip the problem in the bud. However, in some circumstances it is wiser not to react at the time – for example, situations where an immediate response may inflame the situation or encourage a defensive reaction. In such situations it can be more effective to arrange a more suitable time and place to raise your concerns or deal with the issues…

Crossing the digital divide is essential to ensuring that the response to COVID-19 includes us all, say the Addressing Poverty with Lived Experience (APLE) Collective. For the APLE Collective, digital exclusion means exclusion from voice, from an ability to participate in the everyday. It means being silenced. It means our knowledge is ignored, which exacerbates economic and social divides. As a result, a digital divide opens. The digital divide doesn't just mean having access to wifi, but the ability to pay for it. Our communities who live on a low income or social security benefits are unable to pay for this access. The digital divide also incurs expenses when paying for hardware (computers and devices) and finally people may not…

When people stand at their door to clap every Thursday evening, they might be applauding NHS staff or social care workers. But how many are thinking about the country’s army of unpaid carers? For the past eight years, my brother and I have been caring for my mother, who has early onset dementia, diabetes and other health issues. My brother bears most of the burden, but most days I make the two-bus, six-mile journey to visit. My brother and I wash, dress and feed Mum. I wash her hair and do her nails once a week. We administer eye drops every day, as she’s had cataracts. She has incontinence issues and we administer a weekly enema. We have little to…

Join The Equality Trust for this interactive conference, bringing together a range of speakers to share their insights and explore how we can get organised to finally win equal pay during this challenging period. Women, particularly those in low-paid work and the gig economy, are already some of the hardest hit economically by the COVID-19 crisis. Winning equal pay is more important now than ever before. Join us on Friday 29th May to mark the 50th anniversary of the Equal Pay Act 1970, the landmark legislation which made equal pay for equal work a legal right for all. This conference will give participants the opportunity to explore the challenges of winning equal pay from a range of perspectives and begin…

Facebook page Facebook Social Work Focus group LinkedIn Twitter YouTube channel Neil’s website The humansolutions website Information about Neil’s online learning community, the Avenue Professional Development Programme