The Latest Bulletin

Now available! The Social Worker’s Practice Manual. Neil’s latest publication is not a textbook; it is a hands-on manual that distils his decades of experience in social work. Click here to order your copy now! Are you a social worker who uses Facebook? If so, why not join Neil’s Social Work Focus group? A group for discussion, support, learning and sharing. Just click here.

Fear of failure is a very powerful emotion that can do a lot of harm. It can prevent people from trying new things and therefore lead to them missing out on some potentially enriching and empowering experiences. In the same way that you can’t win a raffle if you don’t buy a ticket, you can’t benefit from an experience if you deny yourself the opportunity to have it. As is often the case in life, a vicious circle can easily arise: I am not confident enough to get involved in a particular activity because I am afraid that I will fail. I limit my opportunities for learning and development. I may feel I am letting myself down for not getting…

We live in the most technologically-connected age, yet the rates of loneliness continue to rise, according to Marcela Slepica, Director of Clinical Services at AccessEAP. “Chronic loneliness has a negative impact on both physical and mental health and this epidemic is hurting wellbeing and workplace performance,” said Slepica. “Chronic exhaustion, burnout and an unsupportive workplace culture are some of the common causes of loneliness in the workplace so it’s important that workplaces are doing what they can to combat these issues.” Indeed, a recent Australian survey found that 60 per cent of respondents often felt lonely and more than 80 per cent believing that the feeling of loneliness is on the increase in our society. Click here to read more

I’ll never forget the day myself and a team of volunteers decided to stand outside Ashton Under Lyne jobcentre on a weekly basis.It was 2014. My daughter, who was 19 at the time and heavily pregnant, had just attended her weekly appointment at the jobcentre. Her advisor sanctioned her for three years for attending a workfare appointment and telling the interviewer she was expecting a baby. In the week that followed, we encountered a further three pregnant women who left the jobcentre distraught because they too had been sanctioned for various reasons. Click here to read more  

A 24-hour helpline in the UK known as Samaritans helped Sophie Andrews become a survivor of abuse rather than a victim. Now she's paying the favour back as the founder of The Silver Line, a helpline that supports lonely and isolated older people. In a powerful, personal talk, she shares why the simple act of listening (instead of giving advice) is often the best way to help someone in need. Click here to read more

A terminally ill man is set to take on the government – and with it, the disastrous universal credit (UC) policy. Known only as TP, a 52-year-old ex-City worker – who has non-Hodgkin lymphoma and the lymph node condition Castleman disease – is launching a landmark challenge at the high court after becoming financially worse off under the new benefit system. This couldn’t come sooner. In October, I warned of the hidden cut within UC for disabled people: thanks to the abolition of both the severe disability premium (SDP) and enhanced disability premium (EDP). As a result, according to the disability charity Scope, the move to UC will see claimants lose as much as £395 a month. The outcome of the legal challenge could…