Fostering North Yorkshire conference is opportunity to thank more than 60 foster carers in the region for their service.  Foster carers help turn young lives around. To achieve this, they receive full training and support from local authorities, as well as tax-free payments and allowances. In North Yorkshire, there are also short break fostering or planned regular sleepovers, which enable adults working full-time to foster at weekends in a flexible way. But the Fostering North Yorkshire has also become a fixture in the year, a chance for fosterers, their children and those working in ..read more

The leading specialist social care provider have launched their new ‘Fulfilling Lives for All’ manifesto, which sets out three fundamental factors that could transform the sector. Voyage Care, who support 3,500 people across the UK with learning disabilities, brain injuries, physical disabilities and autism, launched the call for action at an event in Westminster chaired by Sir Robert Buckland, MP for South Swindon and chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Autism. Jayne Davey and Sir Robert Buckland At the event, Jayne Davey introduced the manifesto, and detailed how Voyage Care’s ex ..read more

Paper published in BMJ Mental Health looks at effectiveness of online programmes to tackle sleeplessness among those with blurred boundaries between work and non-work.  Working from home has been in the news a lot recently. Just this week, our sister site Infotec reported on Kent County Council’s new initiative to provide 9,000 Microsoft Surface devices to its staff to aid them in working from home more effectively.   Photo by cottonbro studio As the new study in medical journal BMJ Mental Health says, working from home can offer greater flexibility and autonomy to staff. But there ..read more

New research from money.co.uk has revealed the industries that have suffered from the least amount of redundancies and the health & social care sector are surprisingly high on the list. Following the news that the UK is slowly recovering from the economic turmoil caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, experts, who examined government data, have found the health and social sector made the second-fewest redundancies within the last year. According to the research, the human health and social work activities sector had a rate of 2.7% redundancies, although it had ..read more

Institute of Health Equity demonstrates markedly different life expectancy depending where we live and makes link to cuts in local authority spending power.  Since 2011, life expectancy at birth – an estimate of how many years someone can expect to be in good health – has increased at a much slower rate than in previous decades. This is alarming but there are also noticeable differences depending on where you are in the country. As many as 17 local authorities saw significant increases in health inequalities before the Covid pandemic made things worse.  Photo by Lingchor These are ..read more

According to new research people aged in their 20s and 30s are more likely to receive management or leadership training and those aged 55 and over. Growing older in England seems to become less appealing by the day. With the age to retire due to increase to 67 between May 2026 and March 2028 and the rules constantly changing around UK state pension rates, it’s safe to say people are struggling. What’s more, opportunities are being taken away from older people at work, meaning their experience isn’t even worthwhile. New findings from Corndel’s WorkPlace Training Report 2024 have highlighted th ..read more

Metropolitan Borough Council offers new social worker degree apprenticeships to students at Barnsley College.  A local authority in South Yorkshire is being proactive about the shortage in children’s social workers by offering apprenticeship degrees to students at the local further education college, free of tuition fees.   Photo by StockSnap The apprenticeships will be available from later this year, combining on-the-job experience with more formal learning and development delivered by Sheffield Hallam University. Those taking part will be supported in their development acros ..read more

As exam season just around the corner, Malcolm Trotter, global education and training professional, discusses the pros and cons of progressing onto higher education. Pursuing higher education offers numerous benefits, including career prospects, personal growth opportunities and academic disciplines. However, where benefits are included, there must be some negatives. According to the latest research from The Wave Clinic, a leading mental health organisation, 71% of students feel anxious about their classes and coursework and 64% recorded having difficulty sleeping. In addition, going to unive ..read more

The resource was created to remove barriers faced by LGBTQ+ people in accessing palliative and end of life care. Individuals who are part of the LGBTQ+ community tend to avoid palliative care, ‘or hide their sexually when accessing services’, said Sam Royston, executive director of policy and research at Marie Curie, who claims everyone should be entitled to the appropriate care when it comes to end of life. Developed by The Mary Stevens Hospice and funded by Marie Curie – the UK’s leading end of life charity – a new educational resource has been created to equip healthcare staff, whether&nbs ..read more

We speak to the team behind four short films commissioned by University of Bristol’s TRUUD research programme.  ‘It’s important to recognise the impact of our urban environment and housing on health, mental health and well-being,’ Dr Andy Gibson, Associate Professor in Patient and Public Involvement, tells Social Care Today. ‘These films are part of our research to reach key decision makers, especially in government and industry, and illustrate the impact and costs to services. They’ve had 10,000 views so far and are a useful tool for anyone who works with families or individuals to under ..read more