This is the third in a three-part series investigating North Carolina’s psychiatric residential treatment facilities where children with complex behavioral needs are sent for care. Above: A bathroom in a patient room of the UNC Youth Behavioral Hospital in Butner, North Carolina.
Social Work Stands Against Poverty
BASW is campaigning for a more socially just context. We want to reduce poverty and inequality, and challenge austerity policies.
More than one billion people around the globe are facing obesity
Obesity is now the most common form of malnutrition in most countries, with the rates rising in all categories of men, women, children and adolescents since 1990. Obesity rates in adult men have nearly tripled since 1990, with obesity rates in woman doubling in that time. The rates of obesity in children and adolescents quadrupled in that time frame, as well. As of 2022, nearly 880 million adults and nearly 160 million children were living with obesity.
Crackdown on illicit drugs detects rise in ‘designer’ drug substitutes
In a new study as part of the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission’s National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Program, researchers identified 20 different novel psychoactive substances (NPS) in wastewater treatment plants across Australia (between Feb 22-23) with pentylone detected at every collection site. Other NPS, eutylone and phenibut were also commonly detected.
A 32-Hour Workweek Is Ours for the Taking
The fight for shorter hours can unify workers everywhere.
Age as an overlooked factor in higher education DEI initiatives
“Age as an identity factor is not given much attention in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in higher education,” said Dr. Nancy Morrow-Howell, the Betty Bofinger Brown Distinguished Professor of Social Policy and lead author of the study Age as a Factor in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Initiatives in Higher Education
Bernie Sanders sits down with ‘Seven Days’ to talk about aging Vermont
“We have fallen far behind in what we owe, as a democratic and humane society, to the people who raised us.”
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS
Upon taking office, Burlington Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak pledges to prioritize community safety
In her remarks Monday night, Mulvaney-Stanak said she was “eager to rebuild a police department that is right-sized for Burlington” and which includes officers, social workers and first-responders. Above: Mulvaney-Stanak is the first woman and the first openly LGTBQ+ person to be elected mayor.
I spent a day at the UK’s first mental health crisis cafe – this is what I learned
The Circle, is the UK’s first mental health crisis cafe for young people and children. It’s run by the charity Mind for Hammersmith and Fulham, Ealing and Hounslow (HFEH), and one of the 10 existing early support hubs for young people in England. Above: Sadhbh O’Sullivan outside Circle in Ealing
Vietnam’s efforts to protect women, girls against gender-based violence
Representatives from different organisations in HCM City sign commitments to eliminate violence against women and girls.
In Montana, an avalanche of wealth is displacing workers
The people who feed, clothe and clean up after the West’s rich newcomers can’t afford to live alongside them. Above: RV stands on a street in Bozeman, Montana, in December 2022, a housing “fix” many locals are turning to as rents rise.
Capitalist welfare under AMLO: a critical analysis of Mexico’s cash transfer and minimum wage policies
As the six-year term of Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) draws to a close and the country prepares for the upcoming presidential election, plenty of attention has been given by the pseudo-left press to the cash transfer programs as well as to the raises to the minimum wage that have been implemented under his administration. Above: Artisan in Capácuaro, Michoacán
Can Chicago manage its migrant crisis
Dr. Aimee Hilado, at the University of Chicago’s Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice, and chair of the Coalition for Immigrant Mental Health, has worked with frontline staff on helping migrants feel settled in communities… Before they arrived in the United States, these migrants had already endured a hard journey, Hilado told me. “They witnessed so much loss of life. They take pictures of people that are floating in the rivers, and they see people that can’t make it or who will die by suicide on the path to come to the United States.”
In Memoriam: UConn School of Social Work Professor Emerita Ruth R. Martin
Martin ’70 MSW, ’80 Ph.D., was a former Associate Dean and Professor Emerita at the UConn School of Social Work.
Find out why Isle of Wight social work team are considering possible strike action
UNISON Isle of Wight’s local government branch secretary, Mark Chiverton said he was non-plussed with the council’s stance. “This is an award-winning social work team that’s always worked extremely hard to ensure Isle of Wight residents are provided with an excellent service, seven days a week, 24 hours a day,” Chiverton said.
Social workers’ concerns about welfare not dealt with by authorities
In the last 18 months two-fifths (40%) of social workers have raised concerns about cases where they don’t believe appropriate action was taken. Of these, almost a third 29% have highlighted more than 5 cases in that time. The findings come in an exclusive report in The Independent which commissioned research among members of the Social Workers Union (SWU).
Oranga Tamariki IT overhaul leaves social workers without access to some information
A multimillion-dollar IT platform vital to safeguarding children at risk of abuse has lurched into the danger zone and had to be reset. Oranga Tamariki is trying to overhaul technology so old its frontline social workers and analysts cannot get the information they need.
Arab Fund for Social Work launches new bank accounts for public donations to Gaza
Minister of Social Solidarity Nevine El-Qabbaj announced that the Arab Fund for Social Work has opened special bank accounts for the public to donate for aid and relief to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
The achievement society is burning us out, we need more play
This is about more than a self-help switch – we need structural changes that reject capitalism’s productivity obsession
Child Welfare in Montana: The Kolstad Family (Part 1)
Without an initial understanding of their family unit — it’s hard to comprehend the complicated nature of child welfare cases.
Two GOP bills putting restrictions on SNAP are headed to Hobbs’ desk
Republicans in the Arizona Legislature have voted to pass two bills that would make it more difficult for Arizonans to receive or keep government benefits to help them buy food. The bills passed through both the House of Representatives and Senate on a party-line vote but are likely to get a veto from Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs, MSW
Key Bridge Collapse Shipowner Could Legally Skirt Liability
The opaque shipping company that owns the ship that crashed into the bridge, Grace Ocean Private Limited, filed an action in federal court using the Limitation of Liability Act, an antiquated law from 1851, to argue that the damages it owes for the crash should be capped at $43 million — the remaining value of the ship and its cargo. This is despite the fact that by some estimates, it may cost hundreds of millions of dollars to rebuild the bridge. Justice in America?
Comparing Side Effects of Prostate Cancer Treatments
“Given the similar survival rates, the choice of treatment for patients may be influenced by the adverse effects of the treatments,” says Dr. Bashir Al Hussein Al Awamlh, of Vanderbilt University, who helped lead the study.
Editorial: We know what needs to be done to tackle the housing crisis, we just need the will to do it
Despite warnings, we seem to be drifting towards some kind of tolerance of the notion that homelessness is an issue which we can not solve. Any acceptance of such an insidious idea renders it all the easier to treat the men, women and children who have no roof over their heads, as invisible.
Vulnerable children suffering as social workers ‘busted’ by budget and workload stress
Social worker Damien Maguire (above) is a Nipsa representative in Belfast. “This isn’t just something that’s happened over the last six months, children’s social work is really suffering from the effects of the pandemic,” he told The Irish News. “The number of children coming into care across Northern Ireland over the last three years has really shot up significantly.”
Social workers the unsung heroes of Da Nang’s hospitals
Apart from doctors and nurses, social workers who work at many hospitals in Da Nang City, central Vietnam are the glue that holds the lives of underprivileged patients together.
IFSW Europe implements sustainable small-scale farming initiative in the new renovated social centres in Ukraine
In its commitment to promoting eco-wisdom and bolstering sustainability and community engagement, IFSW Europe has introduced a initiative within social centers across Ukraine: small-scale farming. Acknowledging the significance of offering nutritious food while nurturing a sense of community, these centers have set out on a path toward self-sufficiency. After the completion of essential repairs and renovations under the project implemented by IFSW Europe, social centers like the one in Zhvanchyk turned their attention to long-term sustainability. With a significant proportion of the local population comprising older people, the center aims to extend its services beyond its walls to support the wider community.
“We are in times that require us to listen”: Tessa Thompson’s lessons from playing a helpline worker
Tessa Thompson gives a lovely, thoughtful and empathetic performance as Beth, the title character in “The Listener,” director Steve Buscemi’s eloquent film about callers to an all-night helpline called Softline.
UMN and Malaysian colleagues create virtual therapy curriculum for refugees
Partnering with Malaysian providers and the Center for Practice Transformation, the University of Minnesota researchers developed a 33-hour virtual curriculum that spans 10 weeks for practitioners to help refugees experiencing trauma, according to School of Social Work Associate Professor Dr. Patricia Shannon.
Study on fall prevention in older adults who use ASL receives NIH R15 grant
Dr. Janis Cole, a Deaf researcher/translator with a background in social work, Deaf/Cultural Studies, and linguistics, hopes to find strategies that will improve balance among older Deaf adults.
Welcome to a Brave New World of Price Gouging
If you weren’t already convinced the future of capitalism will involve an endless optimization of extractive capacity and the ensuing enshitification of every last bit of consumer life, well, get ready for a new frontier in “dynamic pricing”…. Algorithms should be immediately auditable. Price gouging must be met with sanction. (emphasis added)
Teachers’ mental health ‘crisis’ prompts call for suicide prevention strategy
A workforce survey of members of the NASUWT teaching union found that some teachers had been driven to the point of suicide by the stress of the job. Among 12,000 responses, 23% reported drinking more alcohol, 12% the use of or increased use of antidepressants, and 3% said they had self-harmed as a result of their work.
Melbourne youth worker Les Twentyman dies
Tributes are flowing for “larger than life” Melbourne youth and social justice campaigner Les Twentyman, who has died at the age of 76. Above: Twentyman with the Street Kids Xmas Rap Choir in 2020.
The world pretends the pandemic is over because of who it affects
Changes in how data was being collected and conveniently dropping Covid-safety measures forced us into a cycle of infection, disability and eugenics to uphold capitalism. This continues harming those working in precarious gig economies, low paid workers, essential workers, minoritised people and homeless people. Many of us are already living paycheck to paycheck, and can lose everything due to a worsening cost of living crisis. Above: The National Covid Memorial Wall in London, commemorating victims of the COVID-19 pandemic
Doug Cuthand: Prison system in Saskatchewan has replaced residential schools
The prison system has become the new residential school system. People are warehoused in these crime colleges as a method of control with no positive outcome. We need reform, not more spending on a remand centre.
School of Social Work participates in Pride parade in Ybor
Amid the sea of rainbows and jubilant atmosphere of Tampa Pride, the USF School of Social Work made its mark, marching proudly alongside thousands in the 2024 Tampa Pride Parade.
Accused Subway Shover Found Little Help in New York’s Chaotic Shelters
As New York has struggled to provide services for homeless mentally ill people across the city, its mental health shelters were supposed to help fill a crucial need, with on-call psychiatrists and social workers on staff to ensure that the thousands of people like Mr. McPherson were connected to treatment, and did not harm themselves or someone else. Above: The mental health shelter on Jerome Avenue in the Bronx has been the site of frequent violence and disorder, records and interviews show.
‘If you want to abuse your workers, that’s fine’: UK modern slavery watchdog’s funding cut
Britain’s labour abuse watchdog has had its funding cut by the Home Office despite a dramatic surge in exploitation in the care sector. The budget of the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) has been set at £6.25m for 2024-25 compared with £7.7m last year, official figures show.
UK child poverty at highest level in 30 years, with schools providing basic living necessities
The terrible social crisis tearing apart the lives of children will only worsen with the expected election of a pro-austerity Labour government this year. Labour is committed to retaining the two-child limit on welfare benefits and benefit cap. The Financial Times noted when party leader Sir Keir Starmer announced the policy last June that he was sticking to “its pledge of responsible spending”