Institution to independence I started university at the age of 23 after spending 10 years in care homes and psychiatric hospitals. Throughout those years one of the things that kept me hopeful was my dream to...
In this excerpt from his new book, academic Danny Dorling exposes a new geography of inequality and social fissures across the country. Read more.
Podcast where Donald O’Neal discusses the lack of Care in the Care Act 2014. Click here.
As a former family support worker working within social work teams, the news around the introduction of the fast track social work programmes undoubtedly caught my attention and filled me with concern for the direction...
I quit my job working for a homelessness charity to live abroad for six years. Since my return in 2015 I have been doing agency work for a housing association as a floating support worker, and I’m shocked by how much...
These words have stayed with me since I left my role working within residential homes, supporting children and young people who are looked after by the Local Authority. The reason I have never been able to forget these...
There has been a lot of coverage in the media concerning Ken Loach’s new film I Daniel Blake and so I was keen to see it. I have worked for many years in environments where people struggle to make ends meet and I’m...
The recent public debate over the decision to drop some American novels from the English GCSE syllabus has failed to pick up on something that lies at the heart of the books in question – both have powerful and...
In the last twelve months there have been a number of developments in the review of legislation for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).The much-awaited Children and Families Bill has become...
Libraries work. They make people literate. Here is some evidence. Please note few government ministers or local councillors use genuine evidence to support their decisions. “Enjoyment of reading has a greater impact on...
In a recent blog the executive director of Oxfam predicted that if current trends in global wealth continue then by next year the combined wealth of the richest 1% of the world’s population will overtake that of the...
Have you noticed the remarkable increase in charity appeals for a whole range of ‘good causes’ – medical, social and environmental? It would be hard to miss them I guess given that the BBC seems to have become the State...
I was struck by the irony behind three different news stories all reported on Monday July 20th 2015 and a common thread of children’s rights that implicitly linked them. Firstly, key messages to be delivered in...
