The child identified in a lawsuit as… who allegedly was killed while in custody of her parents after authorities failed to respond appropriately to signs of abuse
Why it takes humour to sustain a long-term relationship
The comedian Wanda Sykes put it less academically: “Till death do you part. That’s biblical times. Moses wrote that. That’s the Old Testament. They had no problem saying till death do you part back then because they didn’t live that long. They had good plagues. Soon as that guy got on your nerves, here come some locusts to eat his ass up for you.”
We All Live in Vegas Now
Perhaps the most concerning red flag came in a preprint posted this month from a team of researchers from U.C.L.A. and the University of Southern California. In states that legalized and enabled online sports gambling, the researchers found, the likelihood of bankruptcy rose by 28 percent — not just among gamblers, whether casual or compulsive, but statewide. Relatedly, average credit scores went down — three times as much in places that enabled online gambling as in places that legalized only in-person betting — and debt collections went up. The effects were larger in low-income communities, which is not surprising: Families with smaller savings will most likely spend a much larger share of those savings gambling than those with more cash to spare, and do so with much less of a buffer to protect against losses.
The Massachusetts Department of Children and Families receives new commissioner after nearly a year without a permanent leader
Staverne Miller (above), the acting commissioner, was promoted to the top job at the agency responsible for 38,000 children and young adults. Miller, a nearly 35-year DCF veteran, worked her way through the ranks at the agency, she said in a brief interview Monday, including serving as a social worker.
The Fight Continues Against Criminalization of Homelessness
The Supreme Court’s ruling in Grants Pass v. Johnson allows cities to criminalize those who are homeless.
BUSSW Researchers Assess Anxiety & Depression in People Receiving Rapid Rehousing Services
While recent research has highlighted the critical role housing plays in overall health, Rapid Rehousing (RRH) programs have emerged to help individuals and families move from homelessness to stable living situations. However, despite RRH’s growth as a solution to homelessness, its impact on mental health has remained largely unexplored until now.
The Irish Times view on special care services for children: a broken system
Minister for Children, Roderic O’Gorman, who has been told by officials that the special care system “may no longer be fit for purpose”. The underlying problem is a shortage of social workers who are qualified and willing to work in specialist care units
BASW honours Angi Naylor with Lifetime Achievement Award
Angi joined BASW as a student member in 1980 and is especially proud of her 10 years of work with the BASW Special Interest Group on Ageing (SIGA), including two terms as SIGA Chair. After SWU formed in 2011, Angi joined its Executive Committee, and has served as SWU Vice Chair for the past two years. Above: SWU General Secretary, John McGowan and Angi Naylor with her BASW Lifetime Achievement Award
Sussex report illustrates financial benefit of better supporting reunification of children
A study undertaken by Lisa Holmes, Professor of Applied Social Science in the School of Education and Social Work at the University of Sussex, has illustrated the stark contrast in cost to the public purse of supporting children back into their family units (reunification) versus the costs associated with children returning to care due to failed reunification – and it is over four times less.
‘A Human Position’s’ Anders Emblem Reunites with Amalie Ibsen Jensen for Haugesund-Bound ‘Also a Life’
Set in a care home for kids and youth with intellectual disabilities, the hybrid pic follows a team of social workers in their daily routines and interactions with the youths. When a young resident reveals she is pregnant and wants to keep the baby, the head therapist Eivor (Amalie Ibsen Jensen) has to take difficult decisions.
Armed and Underground: Inside the Turbulent, Secret World of an American Militia
Reporting Highlights
– Militias After Jan. 6: Internal messages reveal how AP3, one of the largest U.S. militias, rose even as prosecutors pursued other paramilitary groups after the assault on the Capitol.
– Organized Vigilantism: AP3 has already sought to shape American life through armed vigilante operations — at the Texas border, outside ballot boxes and during Black Lives Matter protests.
– Close Ties With Police: AP3 leaders have forged alliances with law enforcement around the U.S. Internal files reveal their strategies for building these ties and where they’ve claimed success.
Generative AI can not yet reliably read and extract information from clinical notes in medical records, finds study
“While we see potential efficiency gains in using the generative AI LLM for information extraction tasks, issues of reliability and hallucinations currently limit its utility,” said Andrew Rundle, DrPH, professor of Epidemiology at Columbia Mailman School and senior author.
It is very difficult, if not impossible, to know exactly how many people with an intellectual disability are in sheltered work programs in Canada. (Shutterstock) According to the UN, Canadians with intellectual disabilities are being exploited
It is very difficult, if not impossible, to know exactly how many people with an intellectual disability are in sheltered work programs in Canada.
Scottish Government scraps plans for free bus travel for asylum seekers
The move has been slammed by charities, including the Maryhill Integration Network. They said in a statement: “This decision will have a significant negative impact for people seeking asylum in Scotland, for some, it was a last ray of hope under such difficult and hostile policies…. People in the asylum process cannot work, cannot access public funds and some live on as little as £1.36 per day.”
The Past is Not Always Our Guide
As far-right hate and violence sweep across Britain, exploiting the Southport murders as a pretext but especially targeting Muslim communities, anti-fascists of a certain vintage are taking to social media and posting defiant images of an Anti-Nazi League (ANL) badge. It’s a way of saying: “We have seen this before, and we will stand up to it again.” Above: A massive column of demonstrators occupying the full width of the Strand after the start of a procession from Trafalgar Square to Hackney’s Victoria Park in a “Carnival Against the Nazis” organised jointly by the Anti-Nazi League and Rock Against Racism, April 30, 1978
BASW welcomes Taiwan Social Work Supervision Association
Taiwan has a history of charitable services, particularly charitable relief to support the ‘poor’, founded on Western missionaries. Post the Second World War social work began to be developed, supported by resources provided by the United States and founded on the ‘American style’ of social work practice. Whilst the job title of ‘social worker’ was first mentioned in 1949 in the social services department in Taipei Hospital, government departments did not establish a social work employment system until 1972.
The Right’s Push to Whitewash History Is a Precursor to Fascism
Beneath this sweeping repression aimed at silencing dissent, free speech and critical inquiry lies a series of right-wing policies that threaten to undermine education’s role as a democratic public sphere and its commitment to fostering critical thinking. In this environment, we can expect a sustained assault on critical pedagogy, historical understanding, informed judgment, faculty job security, critical literacy, civic awareness, and any effort to connect learning with civic engagement and democratic values.
Allison Schmitt aiming to educate and empower young athletes
Allison Schmitt of the United States celebrates after winning gold in the Women’s 200m Freestyle final on Day 4 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Aquatics Centre…. She earned her Masters’ degree in social work from Arizona State University, which she said has given her the education she needs to not just rely on her own experiences to make a macro change.
Conservative attacks on free speech are coming to a campus near you
Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick speaks at a 2024 campaign rally for former President Donald Trump in Waco, Texas…. In Texas now, criticizing the lieutenant governor can get professors investigated and formally censured. That’s what happened to opioid expert and Texas A&M professor Joy Alonzo after she gave a speech where she remarked on Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s handling of the opioid crisis. Unsurprisingly, Patrick is also at the forefront of Texas’ attempt to eliminate tenure, which is another way red states seek to control public universities.
Two Brunel Social Work students shortlisted for prestigious national awards
Brunel University London’s Tienga Ngale and Vishal Udaya Kumar have both been shortlisted for the Social Work Student of the Year 2024.
Workers at major social housing and social service provider to strike for fair pay
“Social workers want to go above and beyond constantly. But people are saying they are permanently exhausted and it’s leeching into their personal lives. There’s no off-switch,” says PSA Delegate and Social Worker Jameela Diallo.
The Strange History of “Toxic” Masculinity
For some critics, the concept of toxic masculinity flattens the many layers of a complex social identity, including race, sexuality, class, and age. For this reason, some academics have come to prefer “hegemonic masculinity” or “machismo” or good old-fashioned “patriarchy.” And yet, according to social workers and educators on the ground, the divisiveness of toxic masculinity as a phrase can be an asset. “In my experience teaching violence prevention programs over the past decade, the tensions arising from the term’s popularity and infamy are an opportunity,” says Dr. Will McInerney, a researcher at the Centre for Women, Peace and Security at the London School of Economics. McInerney believes that when handled the right way, the reaction the term provokes can lead to engagement. “It’s an entry-point for men to think more critically about masculinity, the harms associated with some versions of it, and the possibilities of more equitable, less violent alternatives.”
Inside Project 2025’s Secret Training Videos
Project 2025’s plan to train an army of political appointees who could fight the so-called deep state on behalf of a future Trump administration remains on track…. Dozens of never-before-published videos created for Project 2025 were provided to ProPublica and Documented by a person who had access to them.
SCDSS announces new Lowcountry regional director for child welfare
The South Carolina Department of Social Services (SCDSS) has named Robin “Holly” Morris as the new Child Welfare Services Lowcountry Regional Director. Morris, a 28-year veteran of working with children and families, began her new role on August 2.
CEOs Inflated Their Paychecks — and Our Prices
The AFL-CIO, the country’s major labor union federation, has put forward a much clearer and more compelling message, placing the blame for crippling price increases squarely on rapacious CEOs and their outlandish compensation. In its annual Executive Paywatch report, it finds that CEO pay at S&P 500 companies has actually increased 6 percent over the last year to an average of $17.7 million.
Families ‘devastated’ as Oranga Tamariki cuts off funding to 190 social service providers
Auckland social service providers say they have been cut off at the knees by abrupt ends to their Oranga Tamariki funding, which they say will put vulnerable families at risk. Oranga Tamariki has discontinued funding to 190 providers, saying they are underperforming or are operating at surplus. A further 142 have had their funding reduced to align with service need.
Are young Hongkongers choosing to pursue public rental flats over their dreams?
Social worker Sze Lai-shan said most young people she encountered applying for public housing had a genuine need, either due to their family background or earning ability.
Enhancing social work in school setting
The North East Institute of Social Sciences and Research (NEISSR) conducted the 2nd day of National Social Work Week on August 16.
Inside Conservative Activist Leonard Leo’s Long Campaign to Gut Planned Parenthood
The lawsuit builds on efforts over years by the religious right and politicians who oppose abortion to deliver blows to Planned Parenthood — which provides sexual and reproductive health care at nearly 600 sites nationwide — now bolstered by Leo’s work reshaping the American judiciary. Anti-abortion groups and their allies secured a generational victory in 2022 when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, which ended the constitutional right to abortion and paved the way for bans or severe restrictions in 20 states. The court challenge in Texas demonstrates how the forces behind the end of Roe threaten access to other health and family planning services.
Sodium Reduction Is A Proven Strategy That Saves Lives—More Work Is Needed to Hold Industry Accountable
Americans eat too much sodium—about 70 percent more than is recommended by the World Health Organization. Sodium intake above recommended levels accounts for nearly 10 percent of deaths from heart disease and stroke in this country. The science is clear: For most Americans, reducing sodium intake will substantially improve heart health. But most sodium in our diets comes from packaged and restaurant food, making dietary changes virtually impossible without changes to the food supply.
Harris Applauded for Proposing First-Ever Ban on Corporate Price Gouging
“It’s hard to get down an aisle in the grocery store without finding an example of price gouging or price fixing, and it’s costing us dearly,” Lindsay Owens, executive director of the think tank Groundwork Collaborative, told The Washington Post. “It’s wonderful to see the vice president unleash a suite of policy proposals to crack down on these cheaters and protect Americans’ pocketbooks.”
High crime levels and court system put “significant demands” on Dumfries and Galloway social workers
As criminal cases go through the courts in Scotland, sheriffs frequently request reports from the local council’s social work justice department so that they have plenty of information on the offender before passing sentence. However, in Dumfries and Galloway sheriffs have been demanding 50 per cent more reports than the Scottish average.
UK Government announcement on public sector pay | Joint response from BASW Cymru and Social Worker Union
We acknowledge the recent positive announcement from the UK Chancellor regarding public sector pay increases in England, including for social workers employed in the NHS. Whilst we await a Welsh Government announcement, we also urge them to pay attention to public sector workers employed and paid by local authorities, including the majority of the social worker workforce, who have suffered the worst pay growth compared to other public sector professions since 2010-11.
Taiwan jails kindergarten teacher over ‘vicious’ abuse of children
According to court documents, Mao committed the crimes while working at a private kindergarten in the capital, Taipei. The 30-year-old, who holds a college degree in social work, had been working at the pre-school since September 2021.
MDHHS partners with WMU on program to bring students into social work field
Due to a nationwide need for social workers, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has partnered with five universities in the state for a program that aims to bring people into the field and keep them there.
Belief-based care denial: Let’s change the terms of the debate
In medicine, so-called “conscientious objection” occurs when a healthcare professional refuses to provide a legal medical service based on their personal or religious beliefs. This happens mostly for abortion and contraceptive care. I propose a more accurate term: Belief-based care denial.
Chair of mental health board resigns after regulators question oversight at his own practice
The chairman of the New Hampshire Board of Mental Health Practice resigned Tuesday, amid an inquiry into how he responded when one of his own employees allegedly had an improper relationship with a client.
Social Work Sector Statement | Support for social workers and practitioners
The recent acts of racism and violent disorder in parts of the UK is of huge concern to us all. It is shocking, distressing and abhorrent to see hate-driven, racist crime being planned and targeted against citizens from migrants and ethnic minority communities, including social workers and practitioners. While incidents have thankfully subsided in recent days, we are acutely aware that many people will still be worried and concerned about possible future attacks, and risk to their own safety.
Raising the retirement age won’t defuse China’s demographic time bomb – but mass immigration might
With a fertility rate of 1.1 children per woman – way below the 2.1 births per woman needed to maintain a native population – and more deaths each year than births, China’s future is one of declining population, with an enormous increase in the numbers of elderly. Compounding the problem, China has long been hostile to the idea of supplementing its native population through immigration; just 0.1% of its population is foreign-born – that’s the smallest percentage of any major country in the world.
UN delegation visits Al Noor Centre for the Blind
Al Noor Centre for the Blind is one of the Ministry of Social Development and Family (MSDF)’s Qatar Foundation for Social Work’s centers.
Dealing with election anxiety? A psychiatrist explains how to channel your fears and break out of tribal thinking
Instead of excitement about the upcoming election, many of my patients and friends – regardless of political affiliation – report they’re terrified at the thought of the “other side” winning. Democrats tell me they fear Donald Trump will end our democracy; Republicans are afraid Kamala Harris will turn the United States into a socialist society without family values. Watching the news leaves people from both parties exhausted, sad and scared about the future.
A Photographer’s Prairie Odyssey
A new book chronicles the decay of a small, rural Alberta town—and the community that persists
Leading AI models struggle to identify genetic conditions from patient-written descriptions
“These technologies are already rolling out in clinical settings,” Dr. Solomon added. “The biggest questions are no longer about whether clinicians will use AI, but where and how clinicians should use AI, and where should we not use AI to take the best possible care of our patients.”
UNICEF and social services build better lives for children in Ukraine
Tamara Vasyliuk, a social work specialist and case manager
WHO declares mpox outbreak a global health emergency
Mpox is caused by a virus in the same family as smallpox, a virus that was declared eradicated in 1980. The virus, which is believed to be carried by small rodents in some countries in Africa, causes painful scarring rashes when contracted by people. People with mpox can also experience fever, muscle aches, headaches, and respiratory symptoms. The infection is especially dangerous in young children — most mpox deaths occur in young children — and people with compromised immune systems.
Research Impact Accelerator launches to drive social impact in 2024
Honors research social work student, Domina Augustine, interviewing PhD candidate Kyle Langjie for the Access All Areas Podcast
76% of Hong Kong firms have never hired young people with special needs, survey finds
But companies say they are open to such hirings and call for more support measures such as internships with social worker support. Above: Hong Kong’s Central is home to some of the city’s biggest companies.
Social Security Has Protected the Nation’s Families for 89 Years
Social Security is one of the most successful anti-poverty programs in the history of our country. For 89 years, our benefits have provided financial security to countless families. Today more than 71 million Americans receive about $1.5 trillion in benefits during the year.
Increase in Human Parvovirus B19 Activity in the United States
Parvovirus B19 is a seasonal respiratory virus that is transmitted through respiratory droplets by people with symptomatic or asymptomatic infection. In the first quarter of 2024, public health authorities in 14 European countries observed unusually high numbers of cases of parvovirus B19.
Indiana Argues Professors Lack First Amendment Rights in Public Classrooms
“The curriculum used in state universities and instruction offered by state employees” is “state speech,” the attorney general’s office wrote, and “plaintiffs”— the professors—”have no right to control how the State speaks.”