“The truth is not a lot of governments are moving as proactively as the one in Thailand,” Suen Yiu-tung, Associate Professor of Gender Studies at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Above: Participants march during the Bangkok Pride Parade in Thailand’s capital on June 1, 2024.
Belief in academic ability key factor in academic success for low-income students
A strong belief in their own academic ability can help children from low-income families defy the odds and achieve academic success, according to new research from Trinity College Dublin.
Black church leaders brought religion to politics in the ‘60s – but it was dramatically different from today’s white Christian nationalism
Proponents of white Christian nationalism continue to seek a religiously run, white-dominated government. A recent PPRI study also found that white Christian nationalists were twice as likely to support political violence. Above: Supporters of Donald Trump attacking the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021.
JD Vance’s Blood-and-Soil Nationalism Finds Its Target
If Senator JD Vance of Ohio had a moral compass, a shred of decency or a belief in anything other than his own ambition and will-to-power, he would resign his Senate seat effective immediately, leave the presidential race and retire from public life, following a mournful apology for his ethical transgressions.
New Midwest Comics: Sewer Socialists and Police Snipers
MSPs urged to change public debt collection to tackle child poverty
Aberlour Children’s Charity joined with Govan Law Centre, urging politicians to make transformational changes to the way public debt is collected in Scotland to help end child poverty.
Children in Crisis: How the pandemic has affected children’s health in Bury
NHS Digital figures show 30,030 under-18s were in contact with mental health services at the NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board. This was up from 20,170 in June 2019, the latest comparable period before the pandemic, and means the number of children receiving mental health support in the area has risen by nearly half in the last five years.
USI Social Work Department celebrates major milestones in 2024
University of Southern Indiana social work faculty are thrilled to celebrate the remarkable milestones of the USI Social Work Program—50 years of social work at USI, 40 years of the Bachelor of Social Work degree and 30 years of Master of Social Work (MSW) degree.
Alleging ‘Negligence,’ Fordham files to cut ties with 2U
Fordham University has filed an objection to 2U’s bankruptcy restructuring, claiming the online program manager was “negligent” and cannot carry out its contract…. “2U’s repeated breaches and its inability to cure them, much less give adequate assurance of future performance, renders 2U unable to assume the agreement with Fordham,” the filing states.
Workers at social care charity balloted for strike action.
UNISON has written to the charity to say that if its workers back industrial action there could be mass walkouts by Enable Scotland’s social care staff later in the autumn. The union says this is the first strike ballot for over a decade in Scotland’s charitable social care sector and shows the deep dissatisfaction that exists over pay.
‘They’ve robbed us’: UK pensioners on losing the winter fuel payment
All but the poorest pensioners will no longer receive the winter fuel allowance after MPs voted to make cuts to the payments. After a Conservative motion to prevent the change was defeated by 348 votes to 228, only those in receipt of benefits such as pension credit, universal credit or income support will receive the £200-300 payment to help with their heating bills.
After the Laffer curve: taxing the rich, at last
It’s time finally to jettison the convenient claim that taxing the rich more would only reduce tax revenue. Above: The consumption patterns of the 1 per cent contribute disproportionately to greenhouse-gas emissions
Social services needs 55,000 professionals, says Minister Tolashe
Social Development Minister Sisisi Tolashe, has called for urgent employment of 55,000 social services professionals to tackle the ongoing problem of gender-based violence, poverty, and crime due to rising social services demands in the country.
The Urban Gardens Where Gender and Climate Justice Grow
In Ecuador, urban farms have long been a way to create sustainable access to food. But they’re also helping women flourish as gardeners and entrepreneurs. Above: Maria Achiña and Alegria Irua are part of a group of local women who till the land beside the neighborhood’s health clinic.
Stay mindful of alcohol’s adverse effects on health this fall
For college freshmen, the first 6 weeks of the school year are typically a vulnerable time for underage drinking due to social pressures, increased freedom, and other factors. Underage and binge drinking are both serious public health problems and are common on many college campuses and in the surrounding neighborhoods. Binge-drinking rates are higher among college students than their noncollege peers.
Most teens didn’t use a condom the last time they had sex. That worries health officials
During the pandemic, myths and misconceptions about sex flourished, said Jessica Wood, who conducts research about those aged 18 to 24 for the Sex Information and Education Council of Canada. Youth turned to each other for information, Wood said, when classes stopped, sexual and reproductive health clinics closed (new window) and school nurses or social workers weren’t available.
White House Announces New Rules Requiring Insurance Companies to *Actually* Cover Mental Health Care
Young says that’s an aim of the rules. “You can expect to see higher payment rates that may make it more attractive for providers to come in-network,” Young says, meaning therapists should be getting paid more for insurance-covered visits. “You can also expect to see insurers investing in networks for providers other than physicians,” Young says. That means insurance might cover more mental health providers than they did before, such as non-MD therapists, social workers, or telehealth services.
A new fentanyl vaccine looks promising – but treating drug addiction needs a more complex approach
The US and Canada are in the middle of an opioid epidemic. But opioid use is a growing problem in other countries too. Opioid-related deaths make up the largest proportion of drug-related fatalities across the UK, with an average of 40 a week. From patients who have become dependent on prescription painkillers to people addicted to newer, more potent synthetic opioids called nitazenes, new treatments for opioid abuse are desperately needed.
Conscientiousness, not willpower, is a reliable predictor of success
According to two psychologists, the field of psychological science has a problem with the concept of self-control. It has named self-control both a “trait” — a key facet of personality involving attributes like conscientiousness, grit and the ability to tolerate delayed gratification — and a “state,” a fleeting condition that can best be described as willpower. These two concepts are at odds with one another and are often confused, the authors report.
Everyone Talks About the Economy, But No One Does Anything About It!
Why is there so much job instability? For the most prosperous corporations, it’s not due to a lack of profits, technology, or foreign competition. Meta, Alphabet, and Microsoft laid off more than 40,000 workers in 2022-23 despite booking hundreds of billions of dollars in profits. These high-tech behemoths kill jobs because of what “the economy” means to their CEOs and to their major Wall Street investors. Their economy values higher stock prices, which translates into enormous incomes for investors and the company executives who are mostly paid through stock incentives.
Veterinary social workers are there for owners experiencing the loss of an animal
When it was time to say goodbye, a group gathered with Pagonis and Rosie for support, including Augusta O’Reilly the college’s veterinary social worker.
Revere teachers ask for more support after escalating school fights
Teachers described frequently breaking up hallway fights, handling classroom disruptions, and struggling from a lack of additional staffing support including paraprofessionals, social workers, and security guards.
“Last year, we saw more incidents of emotional distress, student dysregulation, and mental health crisis among students. But, we’ve been sounding the alarm for years,” Chapin said.
Scotland’s most vulnerable children wait years for placement in permanent homes
Dr. Helen Whincup, Senior Lecturer in Social Work at the University of Stirling, who led the study, said, “Despite the numbers of children and families involved, there have been gaps in what is known about children’s pathways through the care system, their route and time to living in permanent families, and what influences outcomes and well-being. Since 2014, the research team have been addressing these gaps by gathering and analyzing data.”
Council struggles to recruit after Arthur murder
Recruiting new social workers at a council criticised over the death of a six-year-old remains the biggest challenge to improving its children’s services, its director says. Widespread failings were identified at Solihull Council after the killing of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes in June 2020 at the hands of his father and his partner.
What the Grenfell report gets wrong – structural racism is evident in access to safe social housing
The damning final report from the Grenfell inquiry lays bare the failings that led to the deadly fire. It has been rightly praised for highlighting the “systematic dishonesty” of companies, decades of government failure and the tenant management organisation’s culture of hostility towards residents. Although broadly well received, there is a glaring omission in the report. It is yet another example of failure to address race and class in the discussion of housing.
How older adults navigate their health care needs in rural America
A rainstorm passes over Interstate 94 in Morton County, North Dakota… Inclement weather and long travel distances to medical providers present serious access barriers for seniors here, many of whom are not able to drive or are uncomfortable driving in low-visibility conditions.
There Is No Such Thing as Spontaneous Worker Organizing
Striking taxicab drivers wave strike notices in New York, on January 3, 1939.
“Hunger in America is getting worse, not better” according to an explosive new USDA report
As Americans all across the country report feeling increasingly pressed by inflated food prices, an explosive new report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture reveals that about 18 million families — or 13.5% of U.S. households — struggled to access enough food, marking the highest levels of food insecurity in nearly a decade.
Union withdraws support for National Care Service plan
GMB Scotland organiser Keir Greenaway said changes were not forthcoming from the Scottish government
Labour vows to continue Tory-initiated work to tackle social worker workloads
The NWAG is a group of sector leaders, established by the last government, to “consider drivers of unnecessary workload and to develop solutions so that social workers have enough time to spend working directly with children and families”. The initiative came out of the Conservatives’ Stable Homes, Built on Love children’s social care reform agenda and was based on a recommendation from the 2021-22 Independent Review of Children’s Social Care (the “care review”).
Social worker who protested Hong Kong gov’t overhaul of licensing body says name removed from committee
Veteran social worker Eddie Tse (above) said he had been a member of the Social Workers Registration Board’s disciplinary committee since 2020, but found his name was absent from the updated list.
On the streets of a Colorado city, pregnant migrants struggle to survive
Over the past two years, a record number of Venezuelans have come to the U.S. seeking a better life. Instead, they’ve found themselves in communities roiling over how much to help the newcomers — or whether to help at all. Unable to legally work without filing expensive and complicated paperwork, some have found themselves sleeping on the streets — even those who are pregnant.
Caring for the aging population of 9/11 responders
“We know from the research that people who were closest in physical proximity to the event itself were most affected by it,” says Dr. Mark Macgowan, an Associate Dean and Professor of Social Work in the Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work. His research, teaching, and clinical work focuses on survivors and responders to mass casualty events.
‘Part of history.’ Cherokee dispensary starts first recreational cannabis sales in Southeast
The Eastern Band of Cherokee’s main revenue comes from two casinos: Harrah’s Cherokee Casino and Valley River Casino. The casinos bring in the majority of the tribe’s revenue and employ over 4,000 people in Western North Carolina. In recent years, the tribe has focused on diversifying its income – especially after having to briefly close the casinos during the 2020 pandemic.
Is Vermont’s motel program a ‘magnet’ for out-of-staters experiencing homelessness?
I was brought on by Vermont Public and VTDigger last year to report on Vermont’s housing crisis. I’ve spent hundreds of hours talking to researchers, politicians, government officials and housing advocates to understand the situation here. And I’ve spent a lot of time with people who don’t have a permanent home right now.
Bye, bye holiday hunger, hello hefty bills: Life for Ireland’s poor
Have we reached an acceptable level of poverty where programmes such as hot meals in schools tinker around the edges of the crisis but still leave families disempowered and struggling? This was among questions raised during End Child Poverty Week — questions given heightened urgency by new ESRI findings showing 250,000 young children and their parents live below the poverty line.
Funding helping Headway Essex change the lives of those with acquired brain injuries
Colchester-based charity Headway Essex provides advice and practical assistance to adults with an acquired brain injury (ABI), as well as their families and carers.
“I Don’t Want to Die”: Needing Mental Health Care, He Got Trapped in His Insurer’s Ghost Network
RC bought a health insurance plan thinking it would deliver on its promise of access to mental health providers. But even after 21 phone calls and multiple hospitalizations, no one could find him a therapist.
Customers in the Classroom
Students increasingly treat college as a transaction. Who — or what — is to blame?
Meet the crisis liaison supporting mental health with Cedar Rapids police
“For about 10 years, I’ve been in social work in a mental health capacity, in some sense. So, it felt natural when I did transition over to being with the police department,” Shannon said. “When people don’t know what to do, or they’re at a loss, or don’t know where to turn, they call law enforcement for help and to figure it out. Really, I’m just a problem solver.”
The Left Needs a Real Strategy for a Harris Presidency
wWile many on the Left — myself included — miss the exciting vision of his 2020 campaign, Sanders’s new program has a compelling logic to it. If Trump is beaten, Harris will be president, and the Left and labor will need a set of winnable demands to organize around.
Cognitive behavioral therapy enhances brain circuits to relieve depression
The findings add to evidence that choosing treatments based on the neurological underpinnings of a patient’s depression — which vary among people — increases the odds of success.
Why fascists hate universities
Viktor Orbán, started a political campaign with an attack on Central European University in Budapest, with demagogic rhetoric directed against its supposed spreading of “gender ideology”…. The situation is structurally the same in the United States – would-be authoritarians and one-party states centrally target universities with the aim of restricting dissent.
‘My son’s death was part of a cull of the most vulnerable’
The Lampard Inquiry will examine the deaths of people who had received inpatient care for mental health in Essex between 2000 and 2023.
Hong Kong social worker code of conduct to include national security provisions: watchdog
Herman Hui Chung-shing, chairman of the Social Workers Registration Board, which oversees 27,000 professionals in the sector, said on Saturday that the code of conduct would include the provisions to bolster the mechanism for dealing with anyone involved in national security and other serious criminal cases…. Asked whether social workers convicted in a subversion trial over an unofficial Legislative Council election primary in 2020 would be struck off, Hui said they would be “disqualified from continuing to practise” but the details of each case would be handled individually.
What to know about getting addiction treatment for kids in Washington
Amanda Kerstetter, REACH Harm Reduction Specialist for South King County, holds a box of narcan in 2023. Narcan can rapidly reverse an opioid overdose.
Project 2025 Could Erase More Than 1.7 Million Jobs and Hike Electricity Prices By $32 Billion
The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 booth at the National Conservative Conference in Washington D.C., July 8, 2024.
Who’s to Blame for White Poverty?
Sixty years ago, Life photographer John Dominis traveled to eastern Kentucky, where he captured shocking and raw photographs of deprivation—the target of President Lyndon Johnson’s recently announced “unconditional war on poverty.” Published in a feature photo-essay, the images humanized those who stood to gain the most from new federal aid programs.
Chronic illness shattered this teen’s life. Her service dog helped get it back
Lilla, 14, and her service dog, Lopez, outside their family’s home in Michigan. This year’s middle school winner of the NPR Student Podcast Challenge tells how her golden retriever, Lopez, helped restore her independence.
Cyberboss: Here’s how AI is reorganising the lines of class struggle
There is a growing sense that the future of work might not unfold in our favour. People are expected to work longer, for less, with less security and fewer protections. Rather than making work easier or more rewarding, we expect the development and application of new technologies, particularly in the areas of automation, computation and artificial intelligence, to disempower us.