The Latest Bulletin

Right now, there is no major memorial in England to commemorate the victims of the Transatlantic Slave trade. These are millions of people who were brought over from Africa in ships and kept as slaves. Many of them built Britain, but were subjected to cruelty and forced into inhumane conditions. I’m part of Memorial 2007, a charity that is campaigning for an Enslaved Africans Memorial in London’s Hyde Park. We’ve secured planning permission for a space in the Rose Gardens and commissioned designs. But we need the Government to fund this. Time is running out as planning permission will expire on the 7th November. That’s why we’re calling on the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to fund the first dedicated…

The 2020 Death, Grief and Bereavement Conference will be taking place at the University of Wisconsin La Crosse, USA, between May 31st and June 3rd. The conference theme will be ambiguous loss. There is no great urgency for registration as an attendee but, if you would like to have the opportunity to make a presentation on this theme at one of the concurrent sessions, or poster/roundtable sessions, please note that the deadline for submission is fast approaching – only a few weeks left now. Click here to read more  

Today, half of workers say they engage in unhealthy behaviors to cope with workplace stress. Two-thirds report that workplace issues negatively affect their sleep. Two-thirds also feel it is safer to remain silent about workplace stress than to speak openly to their employers about it. And when they need a day off to deal with their mental health, more than half say that they are afraid to take it. These are some of the findings from Mental Health America’s (MHA’s) 2019 Mind the Workplace survey and report. MHA is the nation’s largest national organization dedicated to mental health, with affiliates throughout the country. Our mission is to promote prevention, early intervention, and integrated services and supports because these lead people with mental…

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 book, by highly respected author, educator and adviser, Neil Thompson, offers a much more grounded approach to the complex issues involved. Part One provides a clear and helpful overview of key issues relating to promoting well-being – our own and other people’s, while Part Two offers 101 practical tips. This book will be ideal for anyone wanting to make a positive difference, whether in the caring professions, in a management or human resources context or just in their own personal lives.This is not a book that gives you instructions. The main aim is to give you food for thought, to support you in thinking through a number or key issues, warning you of pitfalls to avoid and helping you…

We don’t get a second chance when it comes to first impressions, and yet sadly many organizations pay relatively little attention to how people are greeted when they have their first contact with the organization concerned. If we want to make a positive difference, then it is important that we get off to a good start by giving a positive, welcoming message, letting people know that they are valued and respected. Much of ‘customer care’ is basic communication skills, but there can sometimes be additional challenges involved (for example, where someone is irate or threatening). Of course, however difficult such situations may be, we need to remain focused and respectful – even if we feel very uncomfortable. This will help…

Every 40 seconds, someone loses their life to suicide. Join us, on 10 October, in “40 seconds of action” to raise awareness of the scale of suicide around the world and the role that each of us can play to help prevent it. Click here to read more

Homelessness is a “major issue'' employers must get to grips with, experts have warned, as government figures revealed that more than a quarter of those who are homeless or facing homelessness are in work. Of 263,720 households in England given support from local authorities because they were homeless or under threat of homelessness in the year to April, some 71,210 (27 per cent) had one or more individuals in work. The figures, from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, also showed that more than half of these households had a member in full-time employment. This equated to 14 per cent of all homeless households. Homelessness is a hugely complex issue, with the majority of cases the result of relationship…

When we sat down to discuss the long list of potential themes and issues we could consider as part of this year’s magazine. We soon realised that for some time now since Black History Month started in the UK in 1987, a dedicated feature on the role and contributions of Black Women was long overdue and should be the focus for this year. Hopefully, we have achieved that aim and objective and that, You, the reader and wider public agree as well. Click here to read more

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