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I have often encountered situations on training courses about report writing and record keeping where people say things like: ‘We can’t do that; the form won’t let us’. Of course, forms are a way of recording and collating information and therefore have an important part to play. However, recognizing the value of forms and allowing them to dictate our work practice are two different things. If the forms help, that’s great, but if they are framed in such a way that they are unhelpful, shouldn’t we be changing the forms, rather than changing our practice to suit the form? So, an important question to ask is: How do we get a form changed? What are the feedback mechanisms we can…

The idea that touch, when it's wanted, can boost both physical and mental health is well-established. But the wealth of studies in this area has produced such an array of findings that it can be tricky to draw clear conclusions about just how beneficial touch can be, and which types of touch are most effective. In a new report, published recently in Nature Human Behaviour, Julian Packheiser and colleagues make a major attempt to address this. The team conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of more than 217 touch studies on a total of almost 13,000 people, mostly involving skin-to-skin 'kangaroo care' interventions for babies, and massage sessions for adults. The many notable results from their analysis could be used…

Runnymede Trust analysis of new Home Office strip search data shows that Black people are disproportionately strip searched by nearly all police forces in England and Wales. Black children are 6.5 times more likely than white children, and Black adults 4.7 times more likely than white adults, to be strip searched by police. This new data comes alongside a Home Office consultation on the use of strip search against minors. This follows the abhorrent strip search of Child Q, a Black girl who was strip searched while on her period in her school in Hackney, east London, without an appropriate adult present, after being wrongly accused of smelling of cannabis. ‍Click here to read more

In today's rapidly evolving work environment, the mental health of employees shapes the core of organizational success. The pandemic served as a powerful catalyst, propelling the movement for workplace mental health into the spotlight and companies are experimenting with innovative, exciting programs. These initiatives are not just about reducing stress or preventing burnout; they represent a transformative opportunity to fundamentally alter the culture of workplaces. However, as vital as these efforts are, they face the complex challenge of intertwining work dynamics with mental health strategies to create effective programs. A public health approach can help guide employers as it emphasizes comprehensive strategies that operate on multiple levels: individual, interpersonal, and organizational. It involves implementing individual wellness programs, fostering a supportive…

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The Avenue Subscription Service gives access to 60 online courses for up to 300 people, but is now available to individual subscribers at just £118.80 per annum, less than £2 per course. Visit www.NeilThompson.info/subscription-service/ to find out more

‘I don’t have enough time’ is a commonly heard claim in busy workplaces, and there is certainly a great deal of evidence to show that time pressures are very significant for a high proportion of people these days. However, what we have to recognize is that everybody has the same amount of time – 24 hours in each day, seven days in each week and so on. It is not the amount of time available that distinguishes some people from others in terms of work pressures; rather, it is what we try to do with that time. If we try to do too much, we can end up spreading ourselves too thinly and end up being far less productive than…