December, 2022

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Social worker shortages making job ‘unsustainable’ for some, warns Ofsted

Community Care

Social worker shortages are making an already challenging job ‘unsustainable’ for some practitioners, Ofsted has warned in its annual report, published today. The inspectorate said problems recruiting and retaining staff were arguably the biggest challenges facing children’s social care and one that had got worse since the pandemic.

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Is Social Work a profession? Yes, but we argue about it a lot…

Social Work Futures

As part of writing that is happening in my world right now, I’ve been doing deep dive in this literature. We have a powerful history of taking this question VERY seriously in social work. Thanks to contributions from friends on Twitter (!!!). I promised to share my final working version. I think there are likely a few that aren’t on here…but I’m satisfied I gathered well.

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The Difficult Conversation Starter

Gary Direnfeld

If you are sensitive, you may be shying away from important conversations. In so doing, things left unsaid, unresolved, may fester. Those difficult conversations are important to have. You can start by acknowledging you have something difficult or awkward to talk about, but still need to do so. That is known as meta-communicating. You communicate about the need to communicate.

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3 Steps to Simplifying Your Referral Process - A Referral Process Makeover

Famcare

If you’re like most agencies, the people you serve have come to you through a referral process. Being able to track where you get your “clients” or “kids” or “students”, etc. (for this article let’s refer to them as clients) is vitally important to your business model. Clients may be referred to you through the schools, courts, hospitals, jails, DHS, and other organizations that provide complimentary services.

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5 Must Haves for Case Management

Thousands of nonprofits rely on case management software to help collect data, manage programs, coordinate with agencies, and provide life-changing health and human services. Adopting a cloud-based case management platform is essential for nonprofits and government agencies to operate more efficiently and make better use of their funding and budget.

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Debunking Myths About PTSD

Gateway Foundation

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a medical condition individuals can develop after traumatic experiences. People can develop PTSD from many experiences, including natural disasters, abuse or other life-altering events. Some people may turn to substances to cope with their symptoms and strong emotions. Some people develop misconceptions regarding PTSD, which creates a stigma within the mental health community that could prevent people from seeking the help they need to improve their healt

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Reflecting on 2022 on My Brain’s Not Broken

My Brains Not Broken

Every year, around this time, I like to take stock of the year I had. I wish I did this in a more formal way, but I don’t. It’s mostly thought and reflection, but it’s very important for me to think back on the year I’ve experienced. It helps me process things I might have otherwise missed, and I think it plays a big role in helping me move through certain things and prepare for the year ahead.

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Emerging Words for the Future (Winter 2022 Edition)

Social Work Futures

Over the last couple of years and through my own foresight journey (as a social worker and a human)…I’ve found emerging language regarding the future to be really interesting, illuminating, sometimes troubling, and valuable. Sometimes there are words that are more “pop culture” words that emerge from the mainstream (they are a little like popcorn…not much substance).

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Money and Marriage

Gary Direnfeld

I remember buying our son a chocolate bar when he was about 5. He reminded me to bring home the receipt for mom. He knew then we tracked our spending. All our spending. That he reminded me to bring home the receipt took me by surprise. It’s amazing what kids pick up on. There wasn’t her money and my money. There was just money. If we didn’t know what each other spent, we wouldn’t know what was left.

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Introducing The Anti-racist Listening Project podcast

Social Work With Adults

Lyn Romeo: I am delighted to once again host adult social workers Nimal Jude and Liz Howard as guest bloggers, this time introducing their latest exciting venture, the Anti-racist Listening Project podcast. Making sure social work practice always challenges discrimination and oppression is imperative if we are to truly promote a human rights and social justice based approach to working with individuals, families and the diverse communities we serve.

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Helping unpaid carers get vaccinated helps us all

Social Care

Unpaid carers are eligible for a COVID-19 autumn booster if they are caring for someone who is clinically vulnerable. They are similarly entitled to a free flu jab. [Image created by freepik.com ]. Protecting those who care for others. With the winter upon us, it’s more important than ever to protect ourselves and those we care for against COVID-19 and flu and get vaccinated.

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Get Connected: Using Social Media for Social Work Success

Speaker: Gary Direnfeld, MSW, RSW.

You may have the clinical skills to manage a private practice, but your success could actually hinge on marketing skills. For a thriving practice, you need to differentiate yourself from others and present yourself in a way that attracts referrals. These days, much of that happens online, including on social media. In this webinar, Gary Direnfeld will discuss how social media marketing can help you build your private practice and grow your client base.

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A Gentle Reminder To End The Year

My Brains Not Broken

My last post of the year is usually one of my shortest ones. It’s a simple message, but one I wish was spread more this time of year, so I try to reflect on it at least once during the month of December. I don’t know about you, but this year certainly had its share of ups and downs. There were a lot of good moments, but there was also a lot of times that were painful and sad.

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1,000 social workers deregistered after paying £90 fee and meeting CPD requirements

Community Care

Just over 1,000 social workers have been removed from the register despite paying the £90 fee and meeting continuing professional development (CPD) requirements in this year’s renewal round. Social Work England released the figure after several social workers reported being inadvertently barred from practice by what they described as flaws in the regulator’s online registration system that meant they did not complete the renewal application form.

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International scientific conference “Social Work and Social Policy in times of crises”

The International Association Of Schools Of Social

International scientific conference “Social Work and Social Policy in times of crises” The Institute of Social Work and Social Policy at the Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje celebrates 65 years of education of Social Workers in North Macedonia. They will organize the International scientific conference “ Social Work and Social Policy in times of crises” which will be held in Ohrid from 19 until 21 September 2023.They are School Member of International Assoc

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Hey, Tough Guy…

Gary Direnfeld

He thought his dad was strong. With that, the thought of counseling was an embarrassment. Never would his father ever consider it. But here he was now, under an ultimatum from his parter. Join her in counseling, or leave. He bit the bullet and agreed to go. He was open with the counselor about how his dad would frown on this. The counselor wondered about other values and biases his dad had.

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How to Keep a Pulse on Your Team and Retention with Stay Interviews

CAPC

A palliative care program administrator shares the ins and outs of stay interviews, including how and when to conduct them for team retention.

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Getting vaccinated saves lives (and helps the health and care system too)

Social Care

"The first time I had the virus, I was put in a medically induced coma. I was told by the doctors that if I hadn’t had the vaccine, I would have died." Think Local Act Personal 's Clenton Farquharson. A personal journey. I’ve caught COVID-19 three times. If I hadn’t had the vaccine, I wouldn’t be here writing this now. Back in January 2021, you might remember me talking in this blog about the vaccine discussions we were having in my family: “We’ve had many heated debates about it - particularly

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It’s the Most Busiest Time of the Year

My Brains Not Broken

Does the title of this post sound a bit off? Well, that’s because it’s a play on the song “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” a classic Christmas song that has more covers and iterations than I could care to count. And even though this time of year actually is one of my favorite times of the year, it’s also incredibly busy.

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Older people unlawfully detained in mental health hospitals because of poor DoLS practice, warns CQC

Community Care

Older people are being unlawfully detained in mental health hospitals “in very many cases” because of poor practice around the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS), the Care Quality Commission has warned. The CQC said that, in some older people’s wards, staff were applying for a DoLS authorisation after the expiry of a patient’s stay for admission under section 2 of the Mental Health Act 1983, in cases where the person needed ongoing hospital care. “In very many

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I Never Stop Crying — Depression

Nnatasha Tracy

I never stop crying. I can understand why you might think this isn't true. After all, my cheeks are dry right now. But, believe me, I never stop crying, whether it's external or suppressed enough to be internal. I have found depression can be like that. No matter what is happening — good or bad — the tears are always there. The depression is always there.

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Looking to Separate? You Likely Have a Head Start.

Gary Direnfeld

While some decisions to separate may be reached jointly at or near the same time, this is a less common scenario. The decision to separate is more often the outcome of one reaching a conclusion where being apart is better than being together. That decision doesn’t typically come easy or fast. Most often it several years in the making. With that, the one coming to the decision to separate has had a chance to come to terms with their feelings about it.

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New York Giants’ football player, Nick Gates, dons National CASA/GAL logo on gameday cleats

National Casa Gal

"I want to pay-it-forward and spotlight the huge need for CASA volunteers to advocate for abused and neglected kids." --Nick Gates. Read More. The post New York Giants’ football player, Nick Gates, dons National CASA/GAL logo on gameday cleats appeared first on National CASA/GAL Association for Children.

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Improving outcomes through Shared Lives

Social Care

The Shared Lives care model is growing again and it's a great way to care - and live. [Image created by freepik.com ]. Going for growth. The word ‘growth’ has attracted a bit of negative press in recent months. We have seen growth in bad things: cost of living, instability at home and abroad, and care worker turnover. But I want to talk about good growth, in this case, the growth of Shared Lives.

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Not Seasonal, Just Depression

My Brains Not Broken

The more experience I’ve gained on my mental health journey, the better I’ve gotten at recognizing my depression and the reasons behind it. That being said, depression can still be tricky. There are times where I feel like I know exactly why I feel depressed; other times, it’s like a feeling or emotion comes out of nowhere. The wintertime is actually one of the trickiest times to recognize my feelings.

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One in five children’s social work posts vacant in wake of rising stress and workloads, finds research

Community Care

One in five children’s social work posts lay vacant in English councils this summer in the wake of practitioners reporting rising stress and workloads and reduced job satisfaction and support from employers. Those were among the findings of research released this week from the Department for Education and Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS), illustrating the scale of the workforce pressures engulfing local authorities.

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Can we help a leader of the “child welfare” establishment master one of the grand challenges for social work?

NCCPR Child Welfare Blog

Yesterday, in a post about “child welfare” and the moral bankruptcy of social work, I noted that Alan Detlaff of the University of Houston, who has dedicated his career to fighting racism in family policing (a more accurate term than “child welfare”) had been ousted as the Dean of the university’s Graduate College of Social Work. I wrote that I have no doubt he could have kept that deanship if he’d simply used the playbook perfected by another social work dean, Richard Barth at the University of

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Train That Puppy!

Gary Direnfeld

Fridays we babysit the grandkids. There are three; ages five, three and three months. Arlene and I couldn’t go together for a few months because of Sidney. He needed all his vaccines to be with our kids’ dog and he needed to work on his manners and control. We were taking turns going. We have been going together now the past three Fridays.

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Dementia patients in England facing ‘national crisis’ in care safety

The Guardian

Exclusive: Nearly one in 10 care homes that offer dementia support reported on by inspectors in 2022 were given worst rating ‘Very grim’: daughter criticises Surrey care home over father’s death Families of people with dementia have said there is a national crisis in care safety as it emerged that more than half of residential homes reported on by inspectors this year were rated “inadequate” or requiring improvement – up from less than a third pre-pandemic.

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Beth Angell Appointed the Phillip Fellin Collegiate Professor of Social Work

Michigan Social Work

Dean Beth Angell has been appointed the Phillip Fellin Collegiate Professor of Social Work. Angell’s research focuses on behavioral health, particularly on serious mental illness and its intersection with substance abuse and criminal justice involvement. Some of the topics of her research studies have related to treatment seeking, treatment engagement and adherence; consumer-provider interactions and relationships; sources and consequences of stigma; and mandated or involuntary treatment.

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Ten Ways to Try and Get Out Of Your Head

My Brains Not Broken

Earlier this week, I wrote a post about getting stuck in my head. Some days, I really wish I could get out of my head. I have so much going on in my brain, it can be exhausting trying to engage with it on a daily basis. This is easier said than done, of course, but I’d still like to have that option when possible. But even when we want to get out of our own heads, where do we start?

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Adoption workforce must become more diverse to help tackle racial disparities, says Lords report

Community Care

The government must set up a task force to tackle longstanding racial disparities in the adoption system, including by making the workforce more diverse. That was one of the conclusions of a House of Lords committee examining 2014 children’s social care law reforms that, among other things, sought to make it easier for black and ethnic minority children to be adopted.

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NCCPR news and commentary year in review, 2022

NCCPR Child Welfare Blog

Among the year's highlights: This ad campaign from JMACforFamilies Instead of the usual highlights of the week, we look back at some of the best family preservation journalism and scholarship of 2022 – and a little from late 2021. We start with three important books: ● First, Prof. Dorothy Roberts’ definitive dissection of racism in family policing: Torn Apart: How the Child Welfare System Destroys Black Families--and How Abolition Can Build a Safer World.

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When the Narcissist Influences the Child

Gary Direnfeld

Good luck keeping that narcissist from messing with your kid’s head. Just like locks don’t really keep out burglars, Judge’s orders not to badmouth a parent don’t really stop the narcissist either. The way to help your kid manage is by your actions as a role model. That means remaining calm under duress and your learning not to be dragged down rabbit holes be it by the ex or your kid.

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Teachers and social workers suffer most from ‘lost decade’ for pay growth in UK

The Guardian

Research shows public sector salaries have fallen significantly behind those in the private sector Teachers and social workers have experienced the worst pay growth in the UK in the past decade, while public sector salaries have fallen significantly behind those in the private sector, according to research. The years between 2010-11 and 2020-21 have been a “lost decade” for pay growth in the UK labour market, but new analysis tracking workers in different sectors over the period reveals that som

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Behavioral interventions in community settings for Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Meta-analysis

Society of Clinical Psychology

Early behavioral interventions (BI) such as applied behavior analysis (ABA) and early intensive behavioral intervention (EIBI) are the main established therapeutic interventions for autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The current study examined the effect of early BI when delivered in routine clinical care. We included studies that examined the effectiveness of empirically supported early BI treatment programs for children with ASD, delivered by practicing clinicians in routine clinical care, to pa

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Calling Out for Change

My Brains Not Broken

TW: this post discusses suicide and suicidal ideation. Before I write about a post that discusses suicide, I breathe a big sigh. I try to hold back my own personal emotions because I need to focus, but the shadow of depression hangs its head over me. Because this thing is so hard. It’s so hard to sift through all the feelings and emotions that come with learning the news that someone has died by suicide.