Social Work Links and Learning #196
1 February 2026
Introduction
Thanks all for your messages and responses. Here goes for another week, have a good one
Quote of the Week
Blogs and Articles
Bereaved families 'disrespected' as learning disabled deaths recorded in error - ITV News Bereaved families demand answers after avoidable learning disability deaths were misrecorded in an official review
Five priorities for fixing community mental health services - Think Ahead A sharp, readable diagnosis of what’s broken in community mental health — and what would actually help
More than 12,000 reports of sexual assaults in NHS hospitals since 2020, LBC investigation finds - LBC Questions of safety and accountability in hospitals.
Risk as a Human Right - Sentinal of the Ward The dignity of risk in a hospital
Social Care Is Not Broken — It’s Being Used for the Wrong Job - Mike Barker An argument that social care isn’t “failing” — it’s propping up gaps in housing, health and poverty policy.
'Why so few men feel they belong in children's social work' - Community Care Is there a need to promote the profession to men?
UK must ‘move now’ to ban social media for under-16s, says Brianna Ghey’s mother - The Guardian
Why national standards of care matter – and why this feels different - SCIE Response to SCIE report (below) about developing national standards of care
Policy, Reports and Resources
Monitoring the Mental Health Act 2024/5 - Care Quality Commission The 2024/25 Mental Health Act annual report—key themes on detention, restraint, and whether safeguards are working.
‘Towards a National Care Service: raising national standards of care’ - SCIE A framework for national care standards—rights-based, co-produced, and focused on outcomes people actually feel
Bringing young people's voices into multi-agency meetings through reflective workshops - Contextual Safeguarding Workshop tools to bring young people’s voices into professional meetings without tokenism
Unmet Needs, Unplanned Admissions The critical link between social care and hospitalisations in later life - National Centre for Social Research New evidence linking unmet social care needs to avoidable emergency admissions for older people in England.
Autism Central - Resources for Professionals and Individuals and Families Accessible and useful resources to use and pass on
UK Poverty 2026 - Joseph Rowntree Foundation JRF’s annual poverty snapshot—clear stats, who’s most affected, and what action would actually shift the dial.
Audio and Video
The Blackpool Way: Co-Production Driving Social Care Reform - North West Social Work Conversations Link to spotify directly
Events and Training
Emerging Insights Series: AI and Children's Social Work - CELCIS - Various webinars in February/March Fascinating series of webinars with recording available useful beyond children’s social work
Launching the Lonely Parents Hub - evidence informed approaches to tackling perinatal loneliness through policy and practice - Mental Health Social Care Research Centre - 14 April Link to registration
Government AI Skills Hub Training for everyone is available for free in this area
Pot Luck
A read
Would You Love Me If I Was a Worm? - Think On the nature of love
A listen
In Our Time - On Liberty - BBC Sounds First in new series