The Latest Bulletin

You are the first person to really listen and not criticise me” This is a comment a social worker halfway through a motivational interviewing programme received from a young person in Merton. Motivational interviewing (MI) is a structured approach to direct work that can help individuals to want to change behaviour. It is shaped by an understanding of what triggers change and is designed to be a non-confrontational way of helping someone to recognise and do something about their present or potential behaviour concerns. Click here to read more

The House of Lords has voted to keep targets aimed at reducing child poverty, forcing the government to reconsider its plan to abolish them. The bishop of Durham, supported by Labour and the Liberal Democrats, led the effort to retain the targets, which measure material poverty, and were set to be scrapped under the welfare reform and work bill. Iain Duncan Smith, the work and pensions secretary, announced the proposals in July, prompting dismay among child poverty charities. He said the government would scrap its measurement of child poverty and the aim to eradicate it by 2020, while replacing it with a new duty to report levels of educational attainment, worklessness and addiction. Click here to read more

“You can never get over it if you truly love someone,” says Kathleen, 86. “I am old fashioned and I think you can only truly love one person in your life.” With Valentine’s Day around the corner, Kathleen is one of 14 Londoners aged between 75 and 95 who have revealed when they fell in love and the difference it made to their lives. The group is featured in Love Lived, a collaborative exhibition combining video and photographs capturing their stories and thoughts about love. The project, currently on display at Broadgate Tower in central London, was created after photographer Holly Wren was inspired “to show that experiences of love are universal and transcend the boundaries of age”. Click here…

The following courses by Neil Thompson are now available for just £1 each, but you will have to be quick. The offer closes on Friday 5th February. Once enrolled you will have lifetime access to the course materials. To purchase a place on any of the courses, you will need to click the relevant special link: Time and Workload Management https://www.udemy.com/time-and-workload-management/… Dealing with Stress https://www.udemy.com/dealing-with-stress/… Managing Stress (for managers) https://www.udemy.com/managing-stress/… Emotional Competence: Developing Emotional Intelligence and Resilience https://www.udemy.com/emotional-competence/… Handling Aggression https://www.udemy.com/handling-aggression/… Plus Positive Mental Health by Carolyn Barber https://www.udemy.com/positive-mental-health/… Customer Care: Getting it Right by Bernard Moss https://www.udemy.com/customer-care-getting-it-right/… Safer Sex and Relationships by Mark Kendrick https://www.udemy.com/safer-sex-education-relationships/… Sign up now and don’t miss out on this incredible offer! Ends Friday,

Consumerist messages are all around us: buy, spend, consume. Underpinning these is the powerful message that success in life is defined by your spending power. But it’s more than that; there is a strong message too that we should be constantly striving for more: spending more, which means earning more, constantly wanting more. We should never be satisfied with what we have got, because that will mean we will desire less and therefore spend less. This sort of materialism is problematic at a number of levels. In particular, it has the unfortunate effect of making it less likely that people will count their blessings and appreciate what they already have ....

A newly released Runnymede Trust report reveals differing public attitudes amongst ethnic minority Britons on immigration and Europe. In the coming EU referendum, addressing the prevailing concerns of BME voters would substantially shape the debate. Click here to read more

Unacceptably short 15-minute home care visits to elderly and disabled people are still plaguing the care system in England, a report suggests. Research by Unison found "distressing" cases of care being compromised after surveying councils and care workers. Councils are not meant to schedule 15-minute visits for personal care, like help with washing, dressing or eating. But the union said its findings showed many were still doing just that despite repeated calls for longer visits. Click here to read more

One in every eight UK employees– some 4 million people - are working with a mental health condition ... we take a moment to look at some of the numbers around mental health and work, and the provision of workplace support to help people to stay in their jobs. In 2014 NatCen and The Work Foundation undertook a large survey for the Department for Work and Pensions on employee health and wellbeing. This was to update and expand upon a similar exploration of employee health from 2011. So, what did this teach us about mental health at work? Click here to read more

"If I should have a daughter, instead of Mom, she's gonna call me Point B ... " began spoken word poet Sarah Kay, in a talk that inspired two standing ovations at TED2011. She tells the story of her metamorphosis — from a wide-eyed teenager soaking in verse at New York's Bowery Poetry Club to a teacher connecting kids with the power of self-expression through Project V.O.I.C.E. — and gives two breathtaking performances of "B" and "Hiroshima." Click here to read more