Analysis of NHS primary care dementia figures released last week reveals startling regional variation in diagnosis rates, with a 45 percentage point difference between the top and bottom performers.
‘Digital inclusion’ and closing the gap: how First Nations leadership is key to getting remote communities online
Mapping the Digital Gap Co-researcher Guruwuy Ganambarr using her mobile phone to connect to wifi in Gäṉgaṉ homeland, East Arnhem Land, NT.
Kids’ mental health care faces ‘perfect storm’
Idaho is facing a crisis. With a lack of mental and behavioral health providers for children that reflects the population size, a problem growing prior to the pandemic has snowballed into a larger problem.
OPINION: Extra paid parental leave is welcome, but it’s still missing one thing
As we laud the progress we’ve made on parental leave, I believe there has been a massive oversight that the government should address.
How WA’s mental health labyrinth claimed a life
AA was at yet another crossroads. He had been homeless and dealing with severe mental illness and substance use disorders for years, ricocheting between emergency rooms and jails but never finding stability. Finally in 2022, he was sent to Western State Hospital, the largest psychiatric facility in Washington. He spent nearly a year there in treatment.
Legislator of the Year named by Indiana School Social Work Association
Indiana State Rep. Sheila Klinker (left) was recognized for her years of legislative work supporting students and families when last week she was deemed the Legislator of the Year by the Indiana School Social Work Association.
BASW insists time for Treasury to tackle poverty & address workforce under-investment
As the cost-of-living crisis continues to put pressure on households UK-wide, deepening poverty is an everyday reality for those needing to use social work services. Austerity policies have made the lives of many families and communities harsher and harder and social workers routinely observe the detrimental impact of reduced income, welfare, and state support on people needing services.
Libraries Are the New Front Line in America’s Mental-Health Crisis
One of the few indoor public spaces open to all comers, libraries are now the scene for all that ails a public scarred by the pandemic and an opioid epidemic. For staff, that means reversing overdoses in bathrooms; confronting patrons watching pornography; or defending against people brandishing guns, or a snake in a jar. Some people come to the library to sleep, get warm or use the bathroom. Others are looking for jobs, housing or just somewhere safe to read.
Calls for strategy on ‘social prescribing’ in England amid youth mental health crisis
Social prescribing is particularly important for families who feel socially excluded, said Becky Rice, who authored the Barnardo’s report, as well as to combat high levels of anxiety and school absence among children.
Funding to residential drug treatment should increase as alternative to custody, says assembly
Citizens’ Assembly on drug use recommends end to State’s criminal justice approach to people possessing drugs for personal use
DSWD inks deals with private groups on social work
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has signed two partnership agreements with private organizations to strengthen the country’s mandate of social work practice.
Some kids with reading difficulties can also have reading anxiety – what can parents do?
Australian children are facing some big challenges. NAPLAN data shows about one in three students in years 3 to 9 are behind in reading-related skills. It is also estimated about one in seven children have poor mental health. Until recently, most people assumed these were separate problems. However, there is growing evidence difficulties with reading and mental health may be related in some children.
Homelessness won’t simply go away; here are three possible approaches for Santa Cruz
The Benchlands during last fall’s clearing of the homeless encampment along the San Lorenzo River.
Academic freedom comes first, not institutional autonomy
The problem is with university autonomy itself, as it has come to be understood, regulated and defended by the academic community in Latin America since the 1920s. It is an autonomy that is strong in corporate prerogatives for the university as an organisation but weak at its core: academic freedom.
The Fate of Your Rent May Be in the Supreme Court’s Hands
The nation’s highest court is weighing whether to hear two rent-regulation cases that could gut renter protection laws.
2 Ivies Will Up Their Municipal Payments. Is It Enough?
Nonprofit universities often pay the towns that host them in lieu of property tax. Students say selective institutions with big endowments should do more.
Scottish Covid Inquiry: What have we learned so far?
It was the beginning of a rollercoaster of stress and uncertainty as families were cut off from loved ones in care homes, schools were closed, businesses went under, and frontline health and social workers found themselves grappling with a potentially deadly new pathogen with – initially – no known effective treatments and, at times, substandard PPE.
Walter Reed Social Worker Restores Resilience One Patient at a Time
Paul R. Jones, the Chief for Inpatient Medical Social Work at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center proudly displays the medals his father earned during World War II, and a photo of his beloved mother, Willena.
Oregon’s mental health workforce ‘crisis’ exacerbates challenges finding care
A poster advertising the Mt. Hood Community College addiction counseling, mental health and social services degree hangs in a classroom at the Gresham campus.
Dean resignation calls relaunched for B.C. foster care failures
Child and Family Development Minister Mitzi Dean faced renewed calls for her resignation following reports about a new audit with BC Green Adam Olsen accusing her ministry of lacking ‘honour’
Inducting Gerald Bostock, Donald Zarda and Aimee Stephens into the Labor Hall of Honor
To Combat the Opioid Epidemic, Cities Ponder Facilities for Drug Use
A drug user preparing a syringe of cocaine mixed with xylazine, or “tranq,” in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia
After saving gunshot victims, Baystate Medical offers second cure (Editorial)
Dr. Kristina Kramer is a trauma and acute care surgeon at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield. A program instituted last year by Kramer, the first of its kind in western Massachusetts, sends a social worker to speak with patients injured due to violence and seeks to prevent future violence, with a focus on discouraging retaliation
Deadly drug overdoses are dropping in some places. Not in Tampa Bay.
Hundreds attend a candlelight vigil hosted by the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office and Narcotics Overdose Prevention & Education of Pinellas on Thursday in Largo. The vigil was to remember community members who have died due to drug or alcohol abuse.
BU academics supporting domestic violence capacity in the region
Dr Orlanda Harvey, a Senior Lecturer in Social Work at BU and one of the academics leading the programme in Bournemouth said, “The programme has been designed to be interactive, inclusive and educational. We cover safety planning, the tactics used in an abusive relationship, the warning signs as well as personal boundaries and building healthy relationships in a way that is engaging and promotes self-care.”
I Live in My Car
One of the first places to open up its parking lot to the “mobile homeless” was this Methodist church in Kirkland, Washington
Co-design lab helps tackle social problems in Athabasca
The Social Impact Lab Alberta brings a human-centred design approach to solving social issues.
VCU to offer Virginia’s first specialized training for social workers on addiction in child welfare
Dr. Karen Chartier in the School of Social Work and her team are developing a two-year fellowship program to help assess and address substance use disorders in the setting of caregivers and children.
UConn program is ‘tuned in’ to the LGBTQ+ youth mental health crisis
Dr. Gio Iacono, an Assistant Professor at UConn’s School of Social Work, said with the mental health crisis in America at an all-time high, the program tries to use a trauma-informed approach. A national survey conducted by the Trevor Project in 2021 found that 70% of LGBTQ+ youth and young adults in the United States reported having poor mental health.
UNISON announces more strikes as other unions accept local government pay offer in Scotland
Biggest union says it will carry out rolling programme of walkouts in schools and warns COSLA against imposing offer accepted by GMB and Unite
Anti Skimming Unit Created To Combat Rise in EBT Thefts
According to Solis, thieves steal benefits through a “highly sophisticated process” in which they place a device on a card swiping machine to copy EBT card information.
New ‘healing’ prison in Ireland points to long history of progressive penal reform
Commentary: How to talk to your kids about mental health and suicide
As a clinical social worker in Austin, I have worked with dozens of kids and teens who are struggling with their mental health and even experiencing suicidal ideation. Unfortunately, my experience as a clinician matches the hard data nationally.
Bounced From Home to Home in Foster Care, Student Finds Stability and Success at Rutgers
AS found the connection she needed as a Fellow supported by the Institute for Families (IFF) at the Rutgers School of Social Work.
How do you report on a sprawling child welfare system? This reporter offers a path.
Reporting on child welfare often follows a predictable pattern…. So, what might a more impactful model of reporting on child welfare look like?
Telehealth supports retention in treatment for opioid use disorder
Starting buprenorphine treatment for opioid use disorder through telehealth was associated with an increased likelihood of staying in treatment longer compared to starting treatment in a non-telehealth setting, according to a new study analyzing Medicaid data from 2019-2020 in Kentucky and Ohio.
U.K. government vow to end ‘woke’ science draws rebuke from researchers
Michelle Donelan, the United Kingdom’s science minister, vowed to “kick woke ideology out of science” at a 3 October Conservative Party conference.
Annette Boaz announced as new Director of the NIHR Health and Social Care Workforce Research Unit
We are delighted to announce that the new Director of the NIHR Health and Social Care Workforce Research Unit is Professor Annette Boaz. Annette, who will be Professor of Health and Social Care at King’s, takes up her role at the end of October 2023.
The Revival of Grimy Drugs
Are mcat and speed back? Plus, meet their glam new cousin once removed, 3-MMC.
Share the Wealth vs. Waste the Wealth
But even if we had an IRS with the auditing capacity to take on our super rich, those rich would have little real cause for concern. Yes, many rich do currently cheat on their taxes. But most rich don’t have to cheat or even cut corners. Our deepest pockets can legally sidestep any significant tax bill, thanks to a wide constellation of loopholes their lobbyists have managed to shoehorn into federal tax laws. Above: The Squid that ate Wall Street.
Filmmaker Jeremy Pion-Berlin on child welfare system dysfunction in ‘Failure to Protect’
State reaches $200M settlement with Kaiser in mental health care overhaul
Kaiser Permanente must overhaul behavioral health care services and pay a $50 million fine under a settlement agreement announced recently by the California Department of Managed Health Care.
Unity of New Orleans social worker Clarence White has housed more than 1,000 people
Clarence White, 70, performs outreach as a social worker for Unity of Greater New Orleans.
Film therapy may help people process difficult emotions. Zoran Zeremski/ Shutterstock Watching movies could be good for your mental health
Because of the effect that films can have, there’s growing interest in using them as a therapeutic tool. Although this field is still very new, my review of the research so far shows that film therapy can be effective at helping people process difficult emotions – which may help improve mental health.
Aged and veteran pensions income threshold boost to be introduced to parliament
Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth is set to introduce the work bonus’ permanent extension to parliament.
A Beacon of Hope: Bor’s Center for Social Work Announces Single-State Aid
The single-state aid program is one of the many social welfare programs instituted by the government to address the economic struggles faced by its citizens. These programs aim to provide not just immediate relief but also long-term solutions by improving access to education, healthcare, and employment opportunities.
Research in Context: Obesity and metabolic health
Obesity has been a growing problem in the U.S. More than 40% of adults and 19% of children now have obesity. Some people may think of obesity as a consequence of lifestyle choices. But there are many factors affecting body weight that are beyond our conscious control. Researchers are only beginning to understand them.
Immigrating legally means navigating a system both political parties say is broken. Here’s why it’s so difficult.
Carmen Ramirez’s notes in her Baytown home. Ramirez, originally from Colombia, takes weekly English classes and studies the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services guides in preparation for the naturalization test.
City to boost clubhouse services as better mental health treatment
The first clubhouse was the Fountain House in Manhattan which was established in 1948, when former patients of a mental institution decided to meet informally and discuss their conditions, according to Vasan. Through the years, the clubhouse model kept getting refined as psychiatrists, social workers and mental health experts added more expertise and methods to the meetings.
VCU social work doctoral student Katie Kim selected for national Minority Fellowship Program
Her research, centered on the childhood impact of parental alcohol misuse, aims to address health disparities.