News (1,683 posts)

Until recently, the student-absenteeism epidemic wasn’t a major focus of academic research. The good news is chronic absentees are now viewed through a much different lens than they were in the ’70s, thanks in part to groups like the Canadian School Attendance Partnership, established to correct the dearth of data in this country. We’re now aware that there are different types of absenteeism—skipping, social-anxiety avoidance, parent-excused absences and school-sanctioned absences. Some students are struggling with mental issues or juggling their studies with a part-time job to supplement their family’s income. Others simply exhibit what’s known as “school refusal behaviour”—or just not wanting to go.

Citing concerns about DEI, the U.S. Department of Education has halted funding for programs that support students with combined hearing and vision loss in eight states. “How low can you go?” one advocate asked. “How can you do this to children?”

The day the paper was published should have been a moment of pride. Instead, it felt like a quiet erasure. There it was: the data set I had helped shape, the computer scripts I had debugged and refined, the analytical framework I had spent months developing—all neatly embedded in a peer-reviewed journal article. But my name was absent. The feeling of exclusion was painful enough—but what stung more was that I had seen it coming, yet had felt powerless to stop it.

We also have a new generation of children who are increasingly reliant on AI to inform them about the world, but who controls AI? That is why I am calling on parliament to act now, by making it a criminal offence to create or distribute AI-generated content without clearly labelling it. What I am proposing is that all AI-generated content be clearly labelled; that AI-created content carry a permanent watermark; and that failure to comply should carry legal consequences.

Lucy Hayward has called for ongoing compensation for Australian authors whose work has been used to train AI models.

The first week following sweeping changes to anti-vaping laws has seen the authorities apprehend 32 people across Singapore for suspected abuse of etomidate. Above: E-vaporisers and related components were found in an alleged trafficker’s vehicle.

A new approach to economic organization is urgently needed, one that doesn’t rely on endless growth and that respects both human needs and the environment. Degrowth offers such an alternative: an economy grounded in sufficiency, where production focuses on fulfilling needs and promoting wellbeing in harmony with the natural world. Achieving this requires an equitable reduction in our material and energy consumption, bringing us back within the planet’s ecological limits. Under the logic of degrowth, harmful and less-necessary production (fast fashion, planned obsolescence, advertising, weaponry, private jets, luxury yachts, SUVs) is curtailed while necessary production (food, housing, health care services) occurs in alignment with ecology. Research has shown that a solid foundation for a good life for all is possible with a much smaller footprint.

The hearing had originally been scheduled for Kennedy to talk about the president’s health agenda, but in light of a gunman firing on the CDC last month, the FDA’s decision on COVID vaccines and Monarez’s ouster, several senators used it to excoriate Kennedy for weakening the American public health system. Many public officials and health-related organizations have called for Kennedy’s resignation.

They studied, honed their skills and opened practices, joining health insurance networks that put them within reach of people who couldn’t afford to pay for sessions out of pocket. So did more than 500 other psychologists, psychiatrists and therapists who shared their experiences with ProPublica. But one after another, they confronted a system set up to squeeze them out. Above: K aspired to serve people of color.

Update: Since we published this story… the Metropolitan Police has reported that a CS canister has been found at Heathrow T4. The supposition by the Metropolitan Police that it was a case of mass hysteria appears to have been inaccurate.

The program was addressed to students, teachers and practitioners in order to strengthen academic knowledge and develop professional skills in the field of social work.

The Kentucky Board of Social Work says a licensed counselor violated no laws when he wrote a social media post about the LGBTQ+ community in which he said “I personally (and professionally) never want to affirm rebellion against our Creator.”

JPMorgan did financial work for Epstein’s company that handled the affairs of his private island Little Saint James in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The bank later paid settlements to victims who were sexually abused there.

To understand the significance of the attack — and why the reactions to it have been so strong — it helps to know who Kirk was, what the organization he built stood for, and the role he and his allies have played in national debates.

I offer seven theses against viewpoint diversity in any of its guises. If its supporters are as open to competing perspectives as they claim, if viewpoint diversity means committing oneself to a robust debate about truth and values, then the movement should be open to responding to and refuting the following theses challenging its premises and fundamental arguments.

Council documents state the money pressure is coming from the authority’s Community Social Work and Therapy Services, saying it is “almost entirely attributable to long-term care”. Above: Nottinghamshire County Council’s County Hall in West Bridgford, Nottingham.

The haven that Britain once was is being dismantled. In its place a fortress rises.

The UN health agency stresses that mental health should be treated as a fundamental human right. Without urgent action, millions will continue to suffer without support, and societies will bear rising social and economic costs.

Amnesty International Hong Kong Overseas and 30 LGBTQ groups in Asia issued a joint letter on Monday, calling on the government to “fully comply” with a landmark ruling by the city’s Court of Final Appeal in 2023. The ruling mandates an “alternative framework” that recognises same-sex partnerships to be set up within two years.

It’s getting tougher for immigrant communities to believe they still have rights as renters—even if they are living in the country legally. Here’s how tenant organizers are helping these communities push back against ICE and the landlords who are weaponizing the current political environment.

We are contributing to Scotland’s wider effort to reduce loneliness, strengthen the resilience and capacity of individuals and communities, and ultimately, prevent suicide. At Shared Parenting Scotland we are doing what we can, one caller at a time, but Scotland needs to do more at all levels of policy and practice, to support parents make better decisions in the long term interests of their children at the time they may feel least able to.

Healthcare professionals are concerned by CMS’ preauthorization program. In mid-July, the American Medical Association (AMA) wrote to CMS:

“While the stated goal of the model is to curb wasteful spending and protect the Medicare Trust Fund, the mechanisms employed raise several significant issues that must be addressed prior to implementation. The AMA strongly urges CMS to pause the January 1, 2026 implementation of the WISeR Model to allow additional stakeholder input, full analysis of the model’s operational impacts, and development of clear guidance for physicians. Physicians should not be forced to adapt to such substantial administrative requirements without sufficient time to understand the implications and prepare. Absent this opportunity for meaningful physician and stakeholder engagement, the model risks creating confusion, administrative burden, and unintended consequences that could ultimately undermine CMS’ own goals to reduce waste, fraud, and abuse.”

But when MacAlister highlights on the campaign trail that the Tory government has “brought our public services to the brink of collapse”, voters need to realise that he had a role in this. It also has to be acknowledged that he avoided strong condemnations of the Conservative government when given the reins of the “once in a generation” review of children’s social care. Instead, during that time MacAlister actually dismissed the importance of poverty and funding cuts as “an old pattern of dialogue that I think we’re all tired of”, a comment reminiscent of Gove’s justification for backing Frontline and MacAlister almost a decade earlier. While campaigning, MacAlister has urged people to “beware false promises from the Tories… and judge them on what they’ve done over the last 14 years”. So too should MacAlister, and anyone else who facilitated the Conservatives over the last 14 years, similarly be judged.

SASW response to the SSSC consultation

In Niagara Health’s Emergency Department (ED), Andrea DiToro shifts tirelessly through roles, from crisis counsellor to support person, even occasional wedding planner – often in the same day. It was the chance to walk alongside people during some of the most difficult moments of their lives that drew her to the ED.

What I found is a pattern of government and mainstream right-wing sources laundering the work of Canary Mission, and even Betar—an organization whose militant Zionism is so radical that the Israel apologists at the Anti-Defamation League designated it extremist. Often without evidence, these groups have smeared their perceived ideological opponents as neo-Nazis, terrorists, and threats to national security. Congresspeople and right-wing think tanks now regularly cite Canary Mission, whose staff lives in Israel, as an authoritative source on alleged antisemitism at American universities. Lawyers and supporters of Palestinian rights have described Canary Mission and Betar as conduits for harassment and threats of violence, including rape.

At the directive of the federal administration, federal surveys will no longer collect data about gender identity. Questions that aim to identify transgender respondents will be removed, while binary sex questions with only “male” or “female” response options will remain. Though data sources are being erased, the transgender population will not be. And yet it will likely be at least a decade before we can publish updated figures on the estimated number of people living in the U.S. who identify as transgender.

7-OH is more formally known as 7-hydroxymitragynine and is sometimes called 7-hydroxy, 7-OHMG, 7-HMG, or 7. It’s a naturally occurring component in kratom, a plant whose leaves are sold in various forms for medicinal and recreational purposes. Kratom gained popularity in the US during the 2000s, particularly within the past decade, while 7-OH products appeared around 2023, according to Kaitlyn Brown, PharmD, clinical managing director at America’s Poison Centers. +The relationship between kratom and 7-OH is analogous to that of coca leaves and powdered cocaine or of a poppy flower and morphine.

“We were notified in July that the Ministry of Education would not be renewing our funding for the 2025-2026 fiscal year, so they gave us virtually no advance notice,” said Burns. “We were completely blindsided by this. It’s left us in a very tough spot given that we do not have a lot of alternative funding sources.”

MacAlister: Apparently . . . no social work education required. . . such a ‘high-flyer’

Governor Newsom knows what I know about adverse childhood experiences and crime.

How should faculty candidates who buy services like this be treated in hiring, tenure and promotion decisions?

Whether the AI hype deflates or investment keeps pouring in, capital is committed to forcing AI into the workplace, reshaping jobs and lowering labor standards…. the core questions for labor, mass politics, and consumers are: To what ends will AI be deployed, to whose benefit, and under whose control? As things stand, there are plenty of reasons to believe the answer to each question is oligarchs and oligopolists under, perhaps, some nominal control of a technocratic ruling class that will act as, at best, a regulatory rubber stamp — and institutional investor or underwriter. And with the state itself backing the broader AI rollout, that is, as they say, the ball game.

Dr. Ateev Mehrotra, a professor at Brown University’s school of public health, and co-author of a study on how popular artificial intelligence chatbots respond to questions about suicide

As a Family Destination Library, the Hardin branch aims to offer a variety of resources for parents, children, and families.

His grades improved, and he was looking forward to returning to school for his junior year, said his mother, Maria Raine, a social worker and therapist. In family pictures taken weeks before his death, he stands with his arms folded, a big smile on his face. Seeking answers, his father, Matt Raine, a hotel executive, turned to Adam’s iPhone, thinking his text messages or social media apps might hold clues about what had happened.

Dudley Council is paying up to £160,000 a year to place a single pupil in a private special needs school. Special educational needs and disability (SEND) pupils are placed in independent schools by tribunals which handle appeals against local authority decisions on special educational needs.

“Today’s issues are increasingly complex, and the challenges people face are often manifestations of intractable as well as intertwined problems,” said Mr Lee, who is also Minister-in-charge of Social Services Integration. He was speaking at the launch of Singapore University of Social Sciences’ (SUSS) new School of Social Work and Social Development at the campus in Clementi.

The Parow Regional Court heard gripping details from the social worker who explained that during their first counselling session, the victim, who was a minor at the time, aged 10, was pregnant.

Psychiatrist Dr. Karen Norberg’s brain has steered her to study such heavy duty subjects as the daycare effect, the rise in youth suicide, and the risk of prescribing selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors as a treatment for depression. On a lighter note, it also told her to devote nine months to knitting an anatomically correct replica of the human brain (twelve, if you count three months of research before casting on).

Until recently… there has been little good data about the effect budget cuts and economic uncertainty are having on local nonprofit organizations. But three North Texas community foundations recently collaborated on a survey that helps fill the information void. Survey responses revealed a worrisome, but complicated, funding landscape. Donors, volunteers, elected officials and local governments should be alert to how the changes could affect programs and agencies they value.

As a social work supervisor in a public school, I spend a lot of time talking about students, whether during individualized education program (IEP) meetings, support team discussions, behavior consultations, or family conferences.

On 28 August, PEN America and PEN International published its joint submission, “Rights to education, free expression, opinion, and non-discrimination” (Rights to Education), which was highly critical of the United States, to the United Nations Universal Periodic Review. But within hours the US State Department informed the UN Human Rights Council that America was withdrawing from the audit of its human rights record.

A woman fails to board a migrant dinghy into the English Channel on August 25, 2025 in Gravelines, France.

Germany has recently taken a landmark step by introducing compassionate access to psilocybin for patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD), marking the first such programme in the European Union. This initiative allows eligible patients to receive psilocybin treatment outside of clinical trials under a legal framework designed for compassionate use.

“These results will help shape the next phase of work: defining core services and exploring options to improve sustainability and efficiency while protecting access to essential care,” stated Toyeke Adidepe, communications manager with the Department of Executive and Indigenous Affairs. “The HCSS Unit will continue to collaborate with the Department of Health and Social Services and the three Health and Social Services Authorities, and work with frontline staff, leadership teams, and partners to guide this process.

The trip was part of a continuing dialogue initiated more than two years ago when Dae Hee Lee, vice president for external affairs at Inje, visited Columbus to propose a global exchange program—something CSW already practices in other countries.

Zohran Mamdani, center left, and Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, center right, joined a Labor Day parade in Manhattan on Saturday. Union support has almost exclusively lined up behind Mr. Mamdani.

UConn School of Social Work Ph.D. student, Laura Moynihan’s research builds on her earlier work with advance care planning tools for adolescents and young adults facing life-limiting conditions. In January 2025, she and a multi-institutional team led by Lori Wiener, Ph.D., at the National Institutes of Health, published findings in the Journal of Palliative Medicine evaluating a revised version of Voicing My CHOiCES (VMC), a widely used guide to help young patients express their wishes about medical care and quality of life.

Over the past few months, RFK Jr. has brought the internationally renowned agency to its knees. He has proposed cutting the agency’s budget by close to 50 percent, destroyed programs responsible for monitoring maternal health and lead poisoning of children in the US at CDC, disbanded the Center for Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics and the Division of Environmental Health Science and Practice within the National Center for Environmental Health, which is meant to keep our water safe to drink and address environmental causes of childhood asthma. In an article in April, reporters at Wired documented the thousands of CDC employees who had been laid off, endangering these programs and others serving millions of Americans. But all of this was a mere prologue to the Wednesday Night Massacre at CDC last week, in which RFK Jr. tried to fire the new CDC director, Dr. Susan Monarez, whom he had selected to run the agency and had just been confirmed by the Senate earlier this summer.