Karen Bulsara and I have summarised the findings of the CARERS Feasibility Trial in a brief blog. Please take a look! (It also has a fab animation which nicely summarises the findings) Thank you! blogs.york.ac.uk/sbs-spotligh...

New report highlighting the lack of supported housing for people with mental health problems which leads to delays in hospital discharges: www.rcpsych.ac.uk/docs/default...

If you are exploring a research career in social work and social care in the UK, this webinar recording provides information about pathways, support and funding from NIHR: www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAeS.... It's worth checking out!

'Is a career in research for me?' - social work and care

YouTube video by NIHRtv

youtube.com

Our scoping review of mental health policing has just been published: link.springer.com/article/10.1.... It provides an overview of existing research, a thematic review of findings and highlights some research gaps. Enjoy!

Mental health and routine police work: a systematic scoping review - Health & Justice

Health & Justice - There is increasing attention to the amount of contact between police and those experiencing mental health problems. This includes the amount of time and resource spent by...

link.springer.com

Great blog by Stephanie Tierney on our inclusive volunteering project on the Oxford Social Prescribing Research Network site for social prescribing day: socialprescribing.phc.ox.ac.uk/news-views/v...

Inclusive Volunteering: Building Healthier Communities this Social Prescribing Day

On 26 March 2026, Social Prescribing Day celebrates the power of community-based support in improving people’s health and wellbeing. Social prescribing connects people to activities, groups, and servi...

socialprescribing.phc.ox.ac.uk

The THRIVE Centre at the University of Worcester is offering 3 PhD studentships in mental health in rural contexts. Full information at www.worcester.ac.uk/research/res... or contact @lizhughesdd.bsky.social

Here's a little introduction to our new inclusive volunteering project which explores how best to support people to volunteer in heritage and nature-based organisations: www.york.ac.uk/news-and-eve...

National study aims to break down barriers to volunteering in heritage and nature sectors

The University of York has partnered with some of the country’s leading museums and heritage organisations to help people from diverse backgrounds access volunteering opportunities.

york.ac.uk

Two international social work conferences coming up that are worth checking out: -Social Work Congress, Australia, 18-20 November 2026 - socialworkcongress.com.au -International Conference on Social Work in Health and Mental Health, India, 5-8 January 2027 - icswhmh.com Abstracts open!

Blurred responsibilities between police, ambulance, and mental health services are hindering responses to mental health crises. Our study calls for better coordination. 🔗 vulnerabilitypolicing.org.uk/news/police-... @york.ac.uk @martinwebber.bsky.social @lizhughesdd.bsky.social

Police need better coordination on mental health emergencies, study shows - Vulnerability & Policing Futures Research Centre

A new study finds that a lack of coordination between agencies is hampering efforts to provide effective care.

vulnerabilitypolicing.org.uk

Summary findings of our study of mental health policing have just been published - full papers to follow shortly... @vp-centre.bsky.social @lizhughesdd.bsky.social vulnerabilitypolicing.org.uk/news/police-...

Police need better coordination on mental health emergencies, study shows - Vulnerability & Policing Futures Research Centre

A new study finds that a lack of coordination between agencies is hampering efforts to provide effective care.

vulnerabilitypolicing.org.uk

The social prescribing link workers involved in our @nihr.bsky.social funded feasibility study of community-enhanced social prescribing have spoken out! Here are some of their reflections: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Our review has just been published - Practitioner training and user experience of Seeking Safety for people with complex post-traumatic stress disorder and substance use disorder - peerj.com/articles/200... @peerj.bsky.social

I'm really looking forward to the online launch tomorrow of our Inclusive Volunteering Guide. Please join us if you can at 1pm BST: www.york.ac.uk/business-soc.... Thank you!

Our Umbrella Review of the conceptualisation and measurement of social frailty has just been published: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti.... This informs our current work in developing a screening tool for social frailty for health and social care professionals (sphr.nihr.ac.uk/prevention/d...).

📣 Heritage Volunteering Group Conference 2025 🗓 25–26 Nov | ⏰ 9.30am–1.15pm | 💻 Zoom Join @martinwebber.bsky.social, @heritagevols.bsky.social and amazing volunteer engagement pros as they explore how volunteering transforms lives and communities: linktr.ee/heritagevolu... #Heritagevolunteering25

Final call for papers for special issue of Social Work in Health Care on the role of social workers in addressing social and health inequalities: think.taylorandfrancis.com/special_issu... Please take a look and share with anyone interested. Thank you!

I’m looking forward to speaking at the Heritage Volunteering Group Conference: 🗓25–26 Nov ⏰ 9:30–13:15 💻 Zoom It's a great opportunity to explore how volunteering transforms lives & communities 🎟 Info:https://linktr.ee/heritagevolunteeringgroup #Heritagevolunteering25 #Volunteering #Heritage

Worrying. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Reform UK puts teenagers in charge of vital public services

Concerns raised about council appointments, including 19-year-old overseeing children and family services

theguardian.com

World Health Organization flagship report on social connections has just been published - worth a read: www.who.int/publications...

From loneliness to social connection: charting a path to healthier societies – Report of the WHO Commission on Social Connection

This landmark report from the WHO Commission on Social Connection highlights that social isolation and loneliness are widespread, with serious but under-recognized impacts on health, well-being, and s...

who.int

New International Handbook of Social Work just published - with chapters about social work in 30 countries. It's a tad pricey, so one for libraries to stock up on I think! editorial.tirant.com/es/libro/int...

editorial.tirant.com/es/libro/int... Handbook of Social Work with our chapter @martinwebber.bsky.social

Illustrations of the effects of poverty and health inequality in the UK - www.theguardian.com/society/2025.... Worth a read.

Britain in 2025: sick man of Europe battling untreated illness crisis

As poverty deepens across Britain, the Guardian visited some of the hardest-hit places where leaders are aiming to shift healthcare from hospitals to communities

theguardian.com

The increasing prevalence of mental health problems found in the National Psychiatric Morbidity Society is, unfortunately, not surprising, but very worrying. Tackling causes, including social determinants of mental health, is now as important as ever. www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

One in four young people in England have mental health condition, NHS survey finds

Rates are three times as high in young women as in young men and mental ill health up across age groups, study says

theguardian.com

We are exploring good responses to mental health emergencies so that we can evaluate (and hopefully scale up) good practice from the perspective of people with lived experience. If you know of UK examples that you can share, please do get in touch - www.nsun.org.uk/a-place-of-s.... Thanks.

A Place of Safety: identifying good practice in mental health emergencies

We are developing a research project with people who have experienced mental health emergencies to show what good care looks like.

nsun.org.uk

NIHR Research Programme for Social Care has a special call out for research in Children's Social Care - www.nihr.ac.uk/funding/rpsc.... It's worth checking out!

NIHR School for Social Care Research Career Development Awards are now open for applications - sscr.nihr.ac.uk/career-devel.... This is an excellent opportunity for social work practitioners who want to get some research training or experience.

The Mental Health Social Care Research Centre has just joined Bluesky! We'll be posting news here about our work - new studies, publications, conferences, impact, findings - and engaging with discussions about policy and practice relevant to our work. Please follow us at @mhscrc.bsky.social. Thanks!

If you're looking for a place to publish research on social workers addressing structural or social determinants of health, please take a look at this call for papers for a special issue of Social Work in Health Care: think.taylorandfrancis.com/special_issu.... Thank you!

Next Monday from 11am-12pm for Mental Health Awareness Week, I'll be giving a webinar on Connecting People and how we can support people to connect with others. Please do come along: www.bespokementalhealth.co.uk/live-events/.... Thank you @bespokemh.bsky.social!

Connecting People: an evidence-informed approach to developing social connections

bespokementalhealth.co.uk

📢 New project alert: @martinwebber.bsky.social has been awarded funding from @nihrsphr.bsky.social, to undertake a major follow-on study to develop and validate a new screening tool for social frailty among older adults. Read more: sphr.nihr.ac.uk/news-and-eve... #YorkResearch