Archive for May 2025

It’s time to change the script on social work. We’re sharing real stories of social work, and campaigning for more accurate portrayals of the profession in the media.

The stakeholders made this declaration in a communique issued at the end of a strategic meeting convened by Nigeria Association of Social Workers (NASoW) with affiliate professional bodies such as Association of Social Work Educators in Nigeria (ASWEN), Association of Medical Social Workers of Nigeria (AMSWON) and Institute of Social Work in Nigeria (ISOWN).

The number of displaced by disasters has risen massively, climbing from 26.8 million last year to 45.8 million. “The number of disaster displacements in 2024 was nearly double the annual average of the past decade.”

Scientific research over the past 30 years has revealed a patchwork of potential causes of autism. Most of them are genetic—the condition is between 60 and 90 percent heritable—and some involve nongenetic risk factors that might impact development during pregnancy. “We’ve found a great deal of the underlying [causes],” says Helen Tager-Flusberg, an autism researcher and a professor emerita at Boston University. But how these different risk factors come together as the brain develops remains a challenge to piece together. “Autism is not a simple disorder,” she says. “There are no simple answers. There are no so-called smoking guns.”

The ASPCA is best known for its focus on animal welfare; however, the organization recognizes the mutually beneficial relationship between humans and animals and works to support both. Clinical Associate Professor Katherine Compitus recently received the ASPCA’s 2025 Heroes in Human Services Award for her efforts to make life better for people as well as their animal companions.

Even those who work closely on child welfare issues in the city often don’t know ACS’ algorithm exists: several lawyers, advocates, and parents learned about it for the first time from The Markup, and those who did know about it were unaware of the factors that contribute to a score. H likely will never get confirmation how she was scored, or whether she reached the threshold for additional scrutiny into her daughter’s case. ACS tells neither families, their attorneys nor its caseworkers when the algorithm flags a case.