Dolly + Betty + Ivor + Tiza + Naomi + Adebanji + Will + Heather + Caroline + Dale + Ban ECT +
The right to Land is a human right!
The garden as refuge: The restorative power of green spaces and nature
“There’s this misconception that anarchism means chaos
But the term means ‘without rulers.’
We don’t expect people to organize for us
We organize for ourselves.”
Jen Angel
STOP ELECTRO CONVULSIVE TREATMENT – PETITION – NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT !
We have made a petition – it has five supporters
The wording was not approved – so we have agreed amended wording – the UK petition is now published
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/633363
Electro convulsive treatment appears to be banned in some parts of Australia
https://www.madinamerica.com/2014/10/electro-convulsive-therapy-australian-children-banned/
There is an international petition which has got over 132 000 signatures
Our petition – original wording
Ban Electro convulsive treatment which is a sexist practice + causes great harm
FROM FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUESTS + OTHER SOURCES - EVIDENCE
https://e-voice.org.uk/friendship-group/
https://www.madinamerica.com/?s=electro+convulsive+treatment
https://www.madinamerica.com/2023/02/legal-protections-forced-ect/
Electro convulsive treatment is a human rights abuse + must stop now
Campaign Against ECT Gains Traction in UK
MPs call for ban on electric shocks as mental health treatment
Why are we stuck in hospital ?
Number of autistic people in mental health hospitals: latest data
'Barbaric': Hundreds with learning disabilities kept locked up for years
Problem linked to local councils + housing? - Wendy
Have your say – Barnes Hospital site
Dispatches : hospital undercover Are they safe?
https://www.channel4.com/programmes/hospital-undercover-are-they-safe-dispatches
NO THEY ARE NOT
We have published the latest data set showing human rights abuse within the Mental Health system – please see below + the website for further details
Revealed: Housing associations urged ministers to let them increase rents
Tax Haven Money in London Real Estate
community land trust – housing affordable
Healthy foundations: integrating housing as part of the mental health pathway
community powered NHS – animation
The real Tragedy of the Commons
We can reset the paradigm
We can move away from hyper-individualised accounts of people 'out for themselves' and work on creating the societal conditions for a community led approach
including Tolworth
A community-powered NHS: making prevention a reality
LBRUT should follow Hartlepool’s lead?
Camden Health + care citizen’s assembly
LBRUT should follow Camden’s lead?
Achieving food security through land reform
Learning from other countries – energy
NHS paying £2bn a year to private hospitals for mental health patients
We could do so much with that money – Wendy
Inquiry investigates deaths of 1,500 NHS mental health patients in Essex
Not just Essex? - Wendy
“Where we are born into privilege, we are charged with dismantling any myth of supremacy.
Where we are born into struggle, we are charged with reclaiming our dignity, joy and liberation.”
“Solidarity does not assume that our struggles are the same struggles, or that our pain is the same pain, or that our hope is for the same future.
Solidarity requires commitment, and work, as well as the recognition that even if we do not have the same feelings, or the same lives, or the same bodies, we do live on common ground”
Can randomly selected citizens govern better than elected officials
The law in 60 seconds – legal aid for inquests video
Hillsborough law – duty of candour - would this help with our Freedom of information requests
Cannabis, ketamine and speed to be decriminalised in London by Sadiq Khan
A shorter working week for Europe
Children imprisoned on remand – the stark reality of racial bias
Combatting Structural Racism and Classism in Psychiatry: An Interview with Helena Hansen
Suman Fernando’s book Institutional racism in psychiatry + clinical psychology
Mental Health Act reform: race and ethnic inequalities
How Western Psychology Can Rip Indigenous Families Apart: An Interview with Elisa Lacerda-Vandenborn
People deprived of liberty due to misapplication of Mental Health + Capacity Acts
As a result of the Bournewood case the Mental capacity act came into being
The mental capacity act
Assume capacity
Best interest
Least restrictive
People can make what others would consider unwise decisions
Supported decision making
Capacity can easily be assessed
Can someone make a decision
Can they communicate the decision (not necessarily verbally)
Can they remember the decision
-Wendy-
Restraint, segregation and seclusion review: progress report
Half of people with a learning disability and autistic people reluctant to provide feedback on care
The authority gap: why women still aren’t taken seriously
Women disproportionately affected by soaring Mental Health Act detentions
Pathologized Since Eve: Jessica Taylor on Women, Trauma, and “Sexy but Psycho”
Report Finds Monitoring of Electroshock Treatment Unsafe
New Study Finds ECT Ineffective for Reducing Suicide Risk
We can STOP ECT with lasting power of attorney
Provide Tapering Strips for People Who Want to Withdraw Safely from Psychotropic Drugs
NICE Guideline Update Acknowledges Severe Antidepressant Withdrawal
Withdraw antidepressants gradually, says NICE draft guidance
NHS statistics show continuing rise in antidepressant prescribing
Lost Connections: Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression – and the Unexpected Solutions
How universal basic income can tackle anxiety + depression
Long-term antipsychotic use linked to breast cancer
Government review finds 10% of drugs dispensed in England are pointless
Sedated, How Modern Capitalism Created our Mental Health Crisis - James Davies +
CRACKED – why psychiatry is doing more harm than good
Coronavirus and depression in adults, Great Britain: January to March 2021
“Almost 4 in 10 adults earning less than £10,000 a year experienced depressive symptom compared with around 1 in 10 earning £50,000 or more”
The data shows what we know to be true: struggling with your mental health doesn’t happen in a vacuum.
Why not Diagnose Social Conditions Instead of Individual Symptoms
Council of Europe Releases Report to Promote Voluntary Mental Health Treatment
The WHO Calls for Radical Change in Global Mental Health
Emotional CPR: Heart-Centered Peer Support
How do we pay for a basic income
Welsh basic income pilot has been published
In a statement from Jane Hutt, Minister for Social Justice
The pilot will be targeted at care leavers
All young people leaving care that turn 18 over a 12-month period starting this summer will be invited to participate
That is expected to be about 500 people
Participants will receive the payments for 24 months starting from the month after their 18th birthday
A £1,600 a month basic income will be paid each month
Extending Welsh Universal basic income pilot to heavy industrial workers
VOTE FOR THIS EVEN IF NOT IN WALES
Twickenham repair cafe – 3rd Saturday of each month 10:30 to 13:30
BBC radio 4 Is psychiatry working?
well-being courses at Kingston Adult Education
Join Us | Crossroads Care Richmond & Kingston (crossroadscarerk.org)
Senior Peer Support Worker | Age UK Richmond | | CharityJob
Peer Support Worker | Age UK Richmond | | CharityJob
Charity Peer support worker jobs near Richmond, Greater London | CharityJob.co.uk
£1 Concession Tickets for Kew Gardens
As part of their new 10-year strategy, Kew Gardens is committed to ensuring that cost is not a barrier to accessing their gardens in both Kew and Wakehurst.
They have introduced a new admission price of £1 for anyone on Universal Credit, Pension Credit or Employment and Support Allowance (ESA).
Visitors just need to present proof of their benefit on arrival to be eligible for the new concessionary ticket
All-in-one-hub
SPEAR – St.Mungo – CDARS – We are with you – MIND – CAB - DWP
every Thursday 11am-1pm
Richmond library annex
quadrant road
Richmond
TW9 1DH
FREE mental wellbeing support in nature for young people. LGBTQ+🌈 programmes available
How to sow, grow and plant for nature
Celebrate birdsong this Dawn Chorus Day
How to switch to a broadband social tariff
Get ready for the Summer Exhibition 2023
Nine megas: rare birds that stunned us
June Newsletter, Autumn Courses, Recipes and more
Your gardening update from the RHS
Wildfire alert: you can help nature recover
Think you know your art history?
Community based organisations + community recommended organisations
Create, Debate and Imagine a different local democracy
CITIZENS: Why the key to fixing everything is all of us
Bring your ideas to Notwestminster 2023
F.E.E.L. - Friends of East End Loonies
A Caring Mind | A blog for carers of mental health
Poverty eradication organisations + self-expression
Tell Government Benefit sanctions do not work
The Community Power Act in full
Joseph Rowntree foundation (JRF)
UK Poverty 2023: The essential guide to understanding poverty in the UK
Design out deep poverty, the luxury of imagination and more
including events
Stark rise in people living in very deep poverty
From disability to destitution
Social justice in a digital age
The Invidious Hand: Social justice in the age of control
Making a house a home: Why policy must focus on the ownership and distribution of housing
New project launch: Talking about housing
NICE Guideline Update Acknowledges Severe Antidepressant Withdrawal
Why the Chancellor shouldn't cut Universal Credit
Including Economic (in)justice explainer video – A redesigned economy
Why we need a new conversation about social security
A Minimum Income Standard for the United Kingdom in 2021
The biggest overnight cut to the basic rate of social security since the Second World War
People living in social housing claiming Universal Credit are struggling to afford the essentials
Why we must #KeepTheLifeline and what you can do to help
House prices see their biggest annual rise in decades, and rents are up too
New analysis exposes impact of planned Universal Credit cut
Rashford targets a win on Universal Credit
what's causing structural racism in housing
it's going to be a “very difficult winter” for low-income families
less than a week for the Government to #KeepTheLifeline
Biggest ever overnight cut to social security makes a mockery of levelling up
Invest in social housing for almost 1 million families paying private rents they can't afford
Millions of low-income households pulled under by arrears while living costs rise
A tale of two Budgets for low-income families
A just transition to net zero is necessary, and key for maintaining public support
Paving the way for good jobs through participatory co-design
Including Navigating power dynamics within participatory projects + Where next for social security after recent Universal Credit announcements
Winning hearts and minds for decent, affordable housing
Families furthest below the minimum income standard excluded from social security gains
Inflation is pushing people deeper into poverty
Including housing ideas
Elections Bill could disenfranchise millions of voters
600,000 people pulled into poverty by Spring Statement
JRF welcomes Chancellor's cost of living measures
Anxiety nation Economic insecurity and mental distress in 2020s Britain
Autumn Statement won't keep low-income households afloat as anxiety rises
Join JRF to support and grow economic and social futures that work for everyone
Going under and without: JRF's cost of living tracker, winter 2022/23
A framing toolkit: How to talk about homes
Reboot: building a housing market that works for all
JRF's Budget response, the importance of ill health to the UK's labour market and more
talking about homes:the foundation for a decent life
designing out the most severe forms of hardship in local areas
Register your interest for Next Frontiers in Funding for a priority invitation – 11 July
including events – Wendy
addressing poverty with lived experience (APLE)
Allow all people to work flexibly if they want to – PETITION
Sign the petition: We need an emergency budget that boosts Universal Credit now
Why the design of Universal Credit is driving the need for food banks
What drove Steve to use a food bank
“We are receiving an increasing number of referrals from people who are struggling after the unexpected happens, for example if someone’s car breaks down.
Living in a rural area such a Rutland means having a car is not a luxury, it's a necessity; so, you must pay out for the car to be fixed otherwise you can’t take the kids to school, or drive yourself to work, however this can mean there is just no money left for the food.
People are having to make very, very difficult decisions day in, day out – just to survive.
When people who are working full-time jobs still can't feed their families, it really highlights that income levels are not matching the rising cost of living.
It's not just price rises on fuel, or electricity and food but every which way you turn prices are going up, but if wages or benefits don’t increase accordingly how can people possibly be expected to cope”
Dee Burton – volunteer Rutland Foodbank
everyone should be able to afford the essentials – EMAIL MP
a letter to the Prime Minister
Food banks see busiest ever April to September
Autumn Statement: Benefits will increase, but April is too long to wait
Government debt drives people to food banks
Universal Credit doesn't add up
"Most days now I eat once a day. If there is not enough, I will have cereal or a slice of toast as my growing children are a priority. Last month they needed new coats that had to come first."
Paying your energy bills: help is at hand
A Marshall Plan for People and Planet Starts with Africa’s Green Recovery
Communities in Africa trek for weeks to survive drought
National Survivors User Network (NSUN)
NSUN is a great organisation with a great newsletter …
You can sign up to it here….
NSUN's strategic direction: redistributing power and resource in mental health
NSUN is now a Charitable Incorporated Organisation
NSUN also has a directory page here
Extracts from the newsletters …
12 June – 28 August
contact
TEA@selfinjurysupport.org.uk
legal workshop for user-led groups with Sistren – 23 June
Listening space at Burton library 3rd + 5th Wednesday of the month
queer crip of colour critique reading group
Solidarity knows no border March – June
The NHS as a site of structural violence
An interview byKavian Kulasabanathan with Annabel Sowemimo via Shado mag
Voice and Influence of People with Lived Experience
A special issue title via the British Journal of Social Work
Crisis creativity – is it essential for success?
An article by Steph Clark via Disability Arts Online
Realizing Human Rights and Social Justice in Mental Health
A webinar series via TCI Global
NSUN authors chapter in new report on alternative solutions to serious youth violence
NSUN statement on NHSE's failure to publish joint policy with StopSIM
we call on NHS England to publish the joint StopSIM policy in full immediately
Open letter on self-harm and the Online Safety Bill: A call for caution, nuance, and care
Justice Won't Be Found In The Coroner's Court
An article by Wren Aves via Psychiatry Is Driving Me Mad
Secret DWP reports link more deaths with systemic flaws
An article by John Pring via the Disability News Service
It’s not my sense of self that's unstable, it’s the world’s sense of me: the harms of the construct of ‘personality disorders’ towards transgender communities
An article by Hattie Porter PsyArXic Preprints
Inequality and suicide
A report via Samaritans and the Suicide Prevention Consortium
Whose camera is it anyway? The use of body-worn cameras in acute mental health wards
An article by Alison Faulkner via The Mental Elf
“being with “ not “doing to” violence + harm + police involvement in mental health services
An article by NSUN via the NSUN blog
Psychiatric Incarceration Isn’t Treatment — It’s Violence, Survivors Say
An article By Leah Harris, Liat Ben-Moshe and Vesper Moore, via truthout
An article by Cathy Wield via Mad in the UK.
Red Therapy collective – may day rooms
trans + non-binary peer support group – 2-4 pm third Monday
Single sex spaces: trans and non-binary service users’ experiences of single sex wards in mental health settings in England
peer support group for Punjabi women in Leeds age 55+ - 11 am forth Monday of each month in person
contact
sikhelders@touchstonesupport.org.uk
Approaching the question "What was madness before psychiatry?"
An article by Sasha Durakov Warren via Of Unsound Mind
We Are Not Weird “Others”: Lived-Experience Perspectives of Genital and Breast Self-Harm
An article by Wren Aves via Psychiatry is Driving Me Mad
Epistemic injustice and co-production
An article by Maddie via Co-Production Collective
Your Right to Protest As A Disabled Person
An article via Liberty
Healing Imaginations
A new digital library of healing imaginations
Book Review – The Muslim, State and Mind
A book review by Leila via the NSUN blog
“health is capitalism’s vulnerability”
An article by Megan Linton via briarpatch Magazine
A podcast by Voices Heard, Lives Empowered via Soundcloud
are women really more mentally ill than men? As a psychologist , I’m not so sure
An article by Sanah Ahsan via the Guardian
full-time feminist, part time madwoman ….and striker – when + how ?
An article by Marta Plaza via Pikara Magazine
how I should be cared for in a mental health hospital
Resources by the Restraint Reduction Network
we call on NHS England to publish the joint StopSIM policy in full immediately
Does my body count? Exploring the disordered eating experiences of the trans community
contact
Lesbian and gay adults’ experiences of completing Dialectical Behavioural Therapy
contact
amplify – understand – influence
surviving suicide peer to peer support art group
hand in hand peer travel buddy – mind Islington
A review by Colin Hambrook via Disability Arts Online
DWP’s link to suicide ‘should be examined by second inquest’, Court of Appeal is told
An article by John Pring via Disability News Service
Galop launches the UK’s first ever LGBT+ Rape and Sexual Abuse Helpline
Lothlorien Therapeutic Community
If you would like to review the book for NSUN just let NSUN know
Suicide & Self-Harm Research North-West's Annual Conference
16 June
contact
peter.taylor-2@manchester.ac.uk
caroline.v.clements@manchester.ac.uk
Awareness-Raising Workshops for Communities
Death of a Customer: Deaths by Welfare Podcast
A podcast via Healing Justice Ldn.
Do you know of any groups, networks or individuals who do hospital visits for people on mental health wards?
If you know of anyone, or have any thoughts on this as an idea, please contact Wendy at
wmicklewright@yahoo.co.uk with details (including whether the people you know of are region-/hospital-specific).
Please also copy in
if you wish.
Many thanks
NHS trusts are still using harmful mental health practices, secret reviews show
report – funding grassroots mental health work
Hold The Huntercombe Group/Active Care Group accountable for the harm of patients - PETITION
Call for a Statutory Public Inquiry into Psychiatric Units Throughout the Whole of the UK - PETITION
Fighting for Justice - Families calling for a Statutory Public Inquiry into MH Services – PETITION
Disabled Peoples' Organisations
MH reform must go further : MPS + Peers are told
Article by John Pring via Disability News Service
support for user-led plan to replace universal credit .. + treat all claimants with respect
Article by John Pring via Disability News Service
Can stigma help to eradicate poverty?
An article by Dr China Mills via the Joseph Rowntree Foundation
An article by Hattie Porter, Jay Watts and Jee Smith via PsyArXiv Preprints
free our people now new campaign + network
Simone Aspis - Free Our People Now Project Manager on
simone.aspis@inclusionlondon.org.uk
or 07749 892 843
over the Ting initiative
Please contact Chuks Agu for dates/times of meetings - chuks1111@yahoo.com or 07360149283
Video series by Decolonising Economics on racial hierarchies, collective healing, disability justice, and economics of queerness
Report on draft mental health bill by peers and MPs ‘is seriously flawed’
An article by John Pring via Disability News Service
state violence + distress – the false separation between migrant justice + mental health
Blog by Rose Ziaei via NSUN
why health inequalities need to be addressed for the specific community
Blog by Sukhjeen Kaur via Shaping Our Lives
trauma-informed care left me more traumatised than ever
Blog by Wren Aves via Psychiatry is Driving Me Mad
the police failed my cousin – Gaia Pope – 5 years on, others like her are still at risk
Article by Marienna Pope-Weidemann via The Guardian
DWP dismisses 300 pages of evidence linking its actions with countless deaths
Article by John Pring via Disability News Service
help us document evidence of welfare – related death
Barriers to Mental Health Support for People of Colour and Migrants
Article by Micha Frazer-Carroll via NSUN
Mental Health and the Politics of Exhaustion in the UK Asylum Process
Blog post by Tianne Haggar via University of Oxford's Border Criminologies
New podcast – lived experience work: anti-racism & mental health
E158 Rianna Walcott: The Colour of Madness
Podcast by Surviving Society
What it feels like inside the work – politicised somatics and racial justice
An article by Alex Augustin via Healing Justice Ldn
Peer Chat with Vikki Price: Developing Peer Roles
A podcast episode via Making Recovery Real
The politics of LGBT+ suicide and suicide prevention in the UK: risk, responsibility and rhetoric
An article by Hazel Marzetti,Amy Chandler,Ana Jordan and Alexander Oaten via Taylor & Francis Online
Planetary Dysregulation, Capitalism, & Healthcare
An audio series via Urban Health Council
Alternatives to mental health crisis support: are we asking the right questions?
An article by Akiko Hart via the NSUN blog.
Community accountability peer support hub (CASH)
Are you in groups that are trying to move away from punishment as a way of dealing with problems in society
Do you think that it’s important for your group to deal with harms that happen to people within the group
It can feel easier to hope for a neat solution, in the form of a person or people, who can parachute into a situation and 'fix' it for us.
While this might be understandable — this stuff is hard — this treats community accountability like a service that can be provided for us rather than community-led and community-created processes or a set of shared values and practices that we build together.
Join us to talk about the impetus to “outsource” community accountability work, why this should be resisted, and how we all can integrate community accountability into our everyday organising.
MIND should include side effects in their research surveys - PETITION
alternative support resource list – Asylum
rainbow of promise: Poetry book
Call to action – catalyst 4 change
Unpicking the complex dynamics of racism, anti-Blackness and class within mental health services
Article by Mental Health Today via LinkedIn ft. Mary Sadid from NSUN
The Communication and Restraint Reduction Study
Blog by Colin King via NSUN
Why don’t they ask us The role of communities in levelling up – Institute for Community Studies
Provide Tapering Strips for People Who Want to Withdraw Safely from Psychotropic Drugs
NICE Guideline Update Acknowledges Severe Antidepressant Withdrawal
Petition to Scrap Care Charges Inclusion London
Coronavirus and depression in adults, Great Britain: January to March 2021
“Almost 4 in 10 adults earning less than £10,000 a year experienced depressive symptom compared with around 1 in 10 earning £50,000 or more”
The data shows what we know to be true: struggling with your mental health doesn’t happen in a vacuum.
The state of disability benefit assessments and the urgent need for reform - #peoplebefore process
Guidance on community mental health services: Promoting person-centred and rights-based approaches
World Health Organisation (WHO) – NSUN’s response
Lived Experience Practioners Revolution - New Website
universal credit: what needs to change to make it fit for children and families
Mental Health Act: Call for "unequivocal commitment " to improve access to advocacy
Disability Benefits Research 2021 – Survey
Update on FOI Requests: Who's Ballin' & Who's Stallin
To Solve Britain’s Mental Health Crisis, We Must Fundamentally Change Society
Article by Mark Brown via Novara Media – Listen to the piece here
Blog by Akiko hart via Charity so White
Graceful resolve: Attitudes for navigating a psychological crisis
Article by Amy Pollard via Centre for Mental Health
Blog by MiserySquid via Mad Covid
Podcast with Rai Waddingham via Mad Tunes Podcast
Disability strategy is unlawful, court confirms… and denies DWP permission to appeal
Article by John Pring via Disability News Service
Sometimes I want to be unreasonable
Blog via Mad Covid
Free advice – for upholding adults' Health and Care Act rights
+ Jobs + Funding + MUCH MUCH MORE
Build Back Fairer in Greater Manchester: Health Equity and Dignified Lives
Survivor Researcher Network (SRN)
Tell your MP to restore Disabled people’s rights
Protect Everyone Bill – EMAIL MP
Take Action and abolish the tax on disability – EMAIL MP
Government rule changes on social care cap hits poorest hardest – EMAIL MP
UNCRDP Westminster Government civil society shadow report sign up
URGENT – Email your MP to help avoid catastrophic care costs
Help Disabled people survive the cost of living crisis – write to your MP
Take action to stop energy companies from imposing prepayment meters on disabled people – EMAIL MP
latest including why participatory budgeting works
Could you write for Disney or the BBC?
Campaigns, conferences, co-production, and more
Conference speaker notes, copro resources and more
Including EMAIL MP
Diverse City guest blog, Disability History Month, + more
Tips for organising inclusive events
New poetry, film reviews, funding for artists
We are not hard to reach - new articles from our conference, and more
Read our guest author blog by Lorna Collins
All things involvement, co-production, and inclusion
Fantastic opportunities for creatives
Culture clash or the perfect match?
Free online workshops for writers - 3 July
A briefing for Integrated Care System Leaders
Don't get angry, get politically active
including events
Z2K – fighting poverty – EMAIL MP
Z2K has caseworker to help people
We need your help
Nearly half of all people in poverty in the UK are either disabled themselves or live with someone who is disabled
EDM 19 disability benefits assessments – CONTACT MP
Homelessness + renter organisations
Awaab’s law - to prevent any more children dying from damp and mouldy social housing - PETITION
New guidance for housing management teams
Housing First England Newsletter – New Survey Alert
Housing First England Newsletter – Minister responds to funding request
Housing First England Newsletter – Join our call for a national Housing First programme
Housing First England Newsletter – Commissioning Housing First through RSI budgets
including setting out core milestones along someone’s Housing First journey
Housing First 2022 year-end update: A year of progress
Guidance on transferring Housing First providers
Housing First for Women: valuable lessons
Scotland's Housing First Pathfinder evaluation
Suicide Prevention and Postvention
Housing First for Youth (HF4Y) is a rights-based intervention for young people who are experiencing, or at risk of homelessness, adapted from the Housing First approach
It is already popular in Canada, Wales, Ireland and Scotland – where the Rock Trust is a good example
It has the potential to be extremely effective in England
We have published a new web page that collates important resources on this unique intervention, to support services or commissioners interested in or providing HF4Y
1 in 4 households were homeless or at risk of becoming homeless because of the loss of a private tenancy
3,405 households in the private rented sector were evicted by bailiffs between April and June – up 39% on the previous quarter
Here’s the statistics:
24% of private renters have had to borrow money to pay their rentpossible
18% have cut back on food or skipped meals to pay their rent
12% have cut back on heating their home to pay their rent
Our research shows the true scale of the problem.
That 3.2 million people from across the country have been forced to live in dangerous or unhealthy privately rented homes because they fear complaining will trigger a retaliatory eviction.
That's 39% of all private renters.
Too scared to complain for fear of losing their home, the effects of insecure tenancies and 'no-fault' Section 21 evictions hang over every renter's head
100,000 households in temporary homes
Amanda
The council moved Amanda and her children between 11 different temporary accommodations in the space of two months Many weren’t safe
Some didn’t have indoor locks or kitchens
And one was a 7 hour round trip just to get her son to school
Amanda was told if she didn’t move again and again then her and her family would lose their duty of care
It was an impossible situation
Amanda got in touch with Shelter and I saw first-hand how bad her family’s living conditions were
I offered practical advice and supported Amanda in launching a legal challenge against the council
Standing side by side with Amanda, we stood up for her family and won
The council finally offered her a permanent social home
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH: Demand better from renting – PETITION
Meet Krystalrose – she's fighting for change
Today, 1 in every 52 Londoners is living in temporary accommodation.
This is costing huge amounts of money and doesn’t provide the stability or security families need to thrive.
Let’s build a better future: Call on the government to build social housing - PETITION
What happened to ‘Everyone In’
23% left without any move on accommodation and may be at risk of returning to the streets or forced to turn to insecure arrangements like sofa surfing 22% remain in emergency accommodation
23% of those still in emergency accommodation have No Recourse to Public Funds and are stuck without access to homelessness assistance or housing benefit, meaning it is hard for them to move on to a secure home
45% of England’s private renting adults – that's 3.7 million people – have been the victim of illegal behaviour from a landlord or letting agent.
Michael Gove: New Housing Secretary of State – SIGN OPEN LETTER
Fix renting
Build social housing
Help people at risk of sleeping rough
Homelessness is spiralling
There are over 290,000 households facing homelessness in England
That’s a rise of 6% compared to the year before
Data for June 2023
Are letting agents refusing you for being on benefits
Next step contact the property ombudsman (TPO)
London Assembly Unanimously Passes Motion on Affordable Housing for Care and Support Workers
A good Home is a human right
Level Up Housing
On the 2nd Feb 2022, the government released its plans to ‘level up’ the country.
It included three very important announcements on housing:
Build more genuinely affordable social homes ✔
Give tenants of social homes more protection ✔
Bring forward a national landlord registry, improve standards in privately rented homes and strengthen the rights of renters ✔
Gove ‘ashamed’ of Social Housing conditions
send a letter to the press :renters stories are powerful
Cold weather advice: How to help someone sleeping rough
It isn’t always easy to know how to help if you meet someone sleeping on the streets. Here are four things you can do:
Say hello and ask if they'd like help
Sleeping rough can be a lonely experience, so a chat or a friendly 'hello' can make a real difference
Tell street link
https://www.streetlink.org.uk/
Ask if they'd like you to contact StreetLink to connect them to local services and emergency support
If they require urgent medical attention, call 999
Ask if they would like expert advice.
Visit
https://england.shelter.org.uk/get_help
to find advice on how they can get help from the council - or show them how to get in touch with our advisers
Ask if they need anything
You could offer warm clothing or some blankets, or to buy food and a hot drink
Just check they're happy to receive the items first
75,000 women and their families are homeless in England
March 2023
There are 271,000 people without a home in England. 123,000 of those are children.
March 2023
the eight biggest housebuilders in this country made over £7.7 billion in profit in 2021 and 2022 -PETITION
14 June - Grenfell Silent Walk
I’m being evicted – EMAIL MINISTER
octopi have three hearts and produce their own ink yet humans call octopi violent for throwing seashells underwater
humans also medicate confined creatures for 'zoochosis' - that antipsychotic medication first tested on animals gave us our 2 heart-attacks as 'side-effects'.
bleak humour is proven to aid survival. heartfelt is about reframing narratives & learning to grow. a game of competitive empathy will be played; psychiatry will be reduced to firewood; edible-love-poetry will be offered to all.
have a heart, & come watch this wildly inventive disability-led solo theatre show
Don't leave young people out on the streets – PETITION
If a rent freeze had been in place...I would have been able to stay in my home
We beat my landlord. Now let’s take on the system.
Be a part of challenging 'Right to Rent' in court
Contact rowan@leighday.co.uk
We're campaigning to make sure councils #SideWithRenters
increasing regulation of landlords, expanding landlord licensing and hiring more enforcement officers
reducing attempts to move people out of the borough and reducing use of “intentional homelessness” decisions
campaigning for rent controls
setting stronger targets on social housing and standing up to developers
Is your landlord trying to put your rent up You’re not alone
landlords and estate agents are using the cost of living crisis as an excuse to push up rents
members have been reporting rent rises of 30% or 40%
One member was even asked to pay 70% more rent
Some housing associations are talking about putting up service charges
It is a shameful attempt by people who already make huge profits from the housing crisis to squeeze renters and boost profits
Many of us now face eviction or being left without enough for basic essentials this winter
10 November 2022 – the average rent increase being reported by LRU members is £3300 per year
New data reveals Foxton's rent rises
We're resisting evictions in the streets and in Parliament
Evicted after 47 years – PETITION
Safe, secure and affordable homes for all: A renters’ blueprint for reform
It’s coming up to four years since a Conservative government first announced its plans to reform the private rented sector under Theresa May, and, four Prime Ministers later, renters are still waiting
households now rent across England and Wales - more than doubling since 2001
Yet, standards and regulation have not kept up, as:
people privately renting now struggle to pay their rent each month, as rents continue to rise at the
since records began
private rentals in England fail to meet decent home standards, forcing people to live in homes that pose a risk to their health and/or are in disrepair
people privately renting are currently under the threat of eviction, up 80% from last year
Such insecurity directly impacts people’s health and wellbeing, with private renters being
to suffer symptoms of anxiety
These shocking figures highlight why action on affordability, safety and security in the private rented sector is more important than ever
If you are affected by any of these issues, do get in touch and we can point you in the direction of where to access support.
The White Paper: Generation Rent's Verdict
CAMPAIGN UPDATE: National Register of Landlords
Ask your MP to back the Renters Reform Bill
Tell your MP to join the debate on renters reform
Private renters in nine London boroughs face paying half of their income or more on rent, analysis by campaign group Generation Rent has found.
Rent on the typical two-bedroom home costs 45% of a full-time salary in London.
Campaigners say this pushes families into poverty and financial stress, and makes it harder to save or to start a family.
Paying more than a third of your income in rent is considered unaffordable.
Generation Rent is calling on the next Mayor of London to lead a campaign to demand powers from the government to reduce rents.
Measures would include freezing rents within tenancies, to give tenants more certainty, a rent control system that aims to reduce rents overall, and tough penalties for landlords who break the rules, overseen by a city-wide Rent Control Board.
In March 2020, the rent on the median 2-bedroom home in London was £1450 and the median full-time salary was £38,592.
That would mean that a single-earner family with a baby would be spending 45% of their earnings on rent.
The situation is worst in inner London, Newham and Haringey where this figure is above 50% and reaches 76% in Westminster.
The most affordable borough is Bexley, with median rent worth 33% of the median full-time salary.
However, affordability has improved over the last five years, with just five boroughs – Camden, Greenwich, Havering, Redbridge, and Westminster – becoming less affordable since 2015.
Alicia Kennedy, Director of Generation Rent, said: “High rents force people into poverty and make it almost impossible to save towards the future.
No one should have to spend more than 30% of their income on rent, yet this is a reality for most Londoners who are stuck in the private rented sector.
“Londoners urgently need bold action to make renting more affordable. Investment in housebuilding is needed to make renting more affordable long-term, but rent controls would offer immediate protection and relief.”
Join our Day of Action - #RentersAreWaiting - PETITION
Since March 2020, 8% of private renters who responded to a Survation survey had received a Section 21 notice from their landlord, which would represent 694,000 private renters across England.
Nearly a third of those surveyed (32%) said they were concerned about the possibility of their landlord asking them to move out this year, which would represent 2.78m private renters across England.
The survey was commissioned by Generation Rent, with results published this week.
We need a COVID Rent debt fund - PETITION
Join us in preventing a homelessness crisis – PETITION
A new report, 'A safe place to call home: Ending unfair evictions for good'.
The report sets out the changes the Government must make to ensure every renter has access to a stable home where they can put down roots and thrive.
You can read all about the report here.
We are calling for:
Open ended tenancies
More time to find a new home
Compensation for a blameless move
No excessive rent increases to force an eviction
No mandatory evictions for people in rent debt
Close the holiday let tax loophole – PETITION
Renters are being forced out of their homes to make way for more lucrative holidaymakers.
We have been able to get the research done to prove it
In the last two years rental listings in Wales and South West England have halved and rents have gone up by around 25%.
That's one of our findings that have been reported in today's i newspaper
In North Devon there are 2,591 short-term holiday lets but just 21 private rental listings on Rightmove and 30 on Zoopla.
In Gwynnedd, Wales, there are 4,007 holiday lets but just 99 homes for private tenants.
The collapse in the supply of homes to rent are pricing renters out of their local communities – away from their family and friends.
Renter reform coalition – EMAIL MP
Campaign win Government to require landlords to register
tell your MP to get renting done
Are you eligible for the Warmer Homes scheme
"It was like living in a sewer" - watch Kyron's video
Foxtons: ripping off renters with illegal fees. Help us stop them – PETITION
Helping rough sleepers – PETITION
Close the eviction loophole – PETITION
You can sign a petition without making a donation
Cardboard Citizens: Survey for Members
Cardboard Citizens' Inclusivity & Equality Agenda
In recent years movements such as Black Lives Matter and #metoo have prompted shifts in our society and highlighted the work that needs to be done to address social inequality.
As a result Cardboard Citizens Staff, Board of Trustees and Member Representatives have completed a course of training over the last six months with Fearless Futures
This focused on understanding and unpicking systems of inequity (the behaviours and processes which have a harmful or negative impacts on marginalised groups), reflecting on our own practices as individuals and an organisation.
Through these sessions we have explored:
Privilege
Intersectionality
where different categories overlap such as race and gender resulting in multiple forms of oppression
Gender-norms
Racism and Anti-Racism
Colonialism
Calling people in’
i.e., challenge prejudices or narratives that reproduce inequities
Social justice is at the heart to Cardboard Citizens’ work in the theatre and beyond.
We continue to learn, striving to create inclusive environments and challenge oppressions in society.
This is a key area of focus for the company and we would love to involve some more Members in these conversations.
If you’re interested being part of this and for more information, please email Bonny: Bonny@cardboardcitizens.org.uk
Access Free Energy Bill Support
Groundswell partnership | Chris speaks to Streetwise Opera | Resistance Theatre audio plays
Citz writers - 9 May – 11 July
theatre makers – 11 May – 13 July
We are sharing news of a Celebration of Carrie Rock's life, organised by her friends and family
Join together for a celebration of Carrie’s life and her contribution to theatre
We will be hearing from Carrie's family and friends and remembering her acting career
16 June
2pm-4pm
Royal Court Theatre, 50-51 Sloane Square, London SW1W 8AS, United Kingdom
4 + 5 + 7 + 14 + 21 + 26 July – community actor
contact community@almeida.co.uk
Actor call out
contact
community check in every Friday 11am
WATCH: Eight brand new short films about social housing
supporting rough sleepers in cold weather – what the public can do …
Severe Weather Emergency – Glass Door update
Creative + nature + advocacy
Dragon cafe have hosted laughing therapy + wire sculpture activities in the past
Groundwork is a federation of charities mobilising practical community action on poverty and the environment across the UK.
We’re passionate about creating a future where every neighbourhood is vibrant and green, every community is strong and able to shape its own destiny and no-one is held back by their background or circumstances.
START THE NEW YEAR WITH A WARMER HOME
Charities unite to urge for a green and resilient response to the gas crisis
Apply for a One Stop University Scholarship
From The Ground Up – Empowering communities through environmental action
Stop gambling suicides – publish the gambling act white paper – PETITION
No more Gambling Act whitepaper delays. Write to your MPs now
Everton FC: Don’t use our shirt to advertise gambling products
Me and You and a Global Pandemic
Medicating Me: Personal Impressions of Psychiatric Medication
reflections on advocacy during Covid
National Development Team for Inclusion
Leeds Autism AIM: #PowerOfPartnership
NAC – Guidance regarding emotional enrichment
Staying mentally well this winter
Audit of MH services – PLEASE COMPLETE
This resource helps mental health services think about how to provide a good service to autistic people and people with learning disabilities.
There’s more information about it at Green Light Toolkit – NDTi
People organised + information
Connected Kingston – including providing information about Legal drop-in clinic + welfare benefits information
Calling the police on someone in distress IS a threat of violence
"How Big Pharma & Psychiatry Gaslight Us"
Man Arrested in Mistaken Identity Case Locked in Hawaii Mental Health Hospital for Two Years
Open Letter Re: Shooting Death of Orlando Taylor
What We’re Still Getting Wrong About What Happened to Orlando Taylor III
Justice for Miguel Estrella: Event & Statements + More
Statement on the Tragic Shooting at Club Q in Colorado Springs
hearing voices family + friends group
The First LGBTQIA+ Peer Respite in the Country
The Hearing Voices Approach - Get Involved
LEGISLATIVE ALERT: New Bills Filed
Black Movement History Updates: Closing Party in New Bedford, MA & More
Advocacy Alert & Update: Peer Respite!
Mad in the Family Monthly Newsletter
Concern as Proportion of Children in England on Antipsychotics Doubles
Seattle Schools Sue Tech Giants Over Social Media Harm
Teen Arts Exhibition Now Live!
Chris Bullard—The Sound Mind Live Festival
A Revolution Wobbles: Will Norway’s “Medication-Free” Hospital Survive?
This week’s newsletter here
Changing Narratives: Reflecting on Mad in America’s Mission and Work
Ten Years of Rocking the Boat: Reflecting on Mad in America’s Mission and Work
Mad in America’s 10 Most Popular Articles in 2022
Should Everyone Be in Therapy?
Antidepressants Have Destroyed My Sexual Function and Range of Emotions
Social Mobility Causes Distress and So Does the Neoliberal Imperative to Pursue Wealth and Status
Why Isn’t There a Popular Hashtag for Involuntary Commitment
Martin Harrow: The Galileo of Modern Psychiatry (1933 – 2023)
In addition, global outcome for the group of patients with schizophrenia who were on antipsychotics was compared with the off- medication schizophrenia patients with similar prognostic status
Starting with the 4.5-year follow-up and extending to the 15- year follow-up
the off-medication subgroup tended to show better global outcomes at each follow up
I conclude that patients with schizophrenia not on antipsychotic medication for a long
period of time have significantly better global functioning than those on antipsychotics
Breaking Blind: Antipsychotic Drug Efficacy May Be Overestimated
Tim Wilson: It's Time for Soteria: An Australian Perspective
Systemic Racism Exacerbates Psychosis Risk for People of Color in the US
What Is the Risk of Permanent Sexual Dysfunction from Antidepressants?
Lithium in Drinking Water Linked to Autism
Alzheimer’s Drugs Cause Brain Shrinkage
Lancet Psychiatry: We Are Undervaluing the Placebo Effect
A New White Paper Presents the Case Against Forced Treatment
Mad Studies Needed to Decolonize Global Mental Health
What Psychosis Researchers can Learn from the Compassionate Approach to Psychedelic Experiences
Global Push for Human Rights in Mental Healthcare Gains Momentum
Study Under Fire for Harmful Language Targeting Transgender and Non-Binary Individuals
Unpaid Labor Takes a Toll on Women’s Mental Health, Study Reveals
The Hidden Injuries of Oppression
What Is Informed Consent, and What Should I Know to Help My Child?
Listen to the Victims: Senate Holds Hearing on Guardianship
Will Mather The State Power Triangle and My Spiritual Awakening
The Hidden Risks of School Mental Health Programs
Forced Opioid Tapering Leads to Worse Outcomes for Patients
Institutional Barriers and Tokenism in Participatory Mental Health Research
Campaign Against ECT Gains Traction in UK
MPs call for ban on electric shocks as mental health treatment
Mental Health Awareness Campaigns May Actually Lead to Increases in Mental Distress
Alarming Overprescription Patterns for Older Adults on Antidepressants
LGBTQIA+ Peer Respites: The Personal Is Political
Racial Justice and Lived Experience in Mental Health Advocacy: An Interview with Pata Suyemoto
Project LETS: Building Peer-Led Mental Health Alternatives on Campus
Physical Activity Improves Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety
Mental Health Care More System-Centered Than Person-Centered
New Guidance on Antidepressant Withdrawal for Doctors in the UK
Screening for Perinatal Depression: An Effective Intervention, or One That Does More Harm Than Good?
New York Can’t—or Won’t—Provide Data on New Forced Treatment Plan
Threatened for Telling the Truth: Polish Journalist Speaks Out
Beyond Labels and Meds—Closer Look: HoJin Kwak
Black Movement Leaders: Lost & Found
We’re Obsessed with Labelling Suffering, But Our Power to Think about it Matters More
ECT Does Not Seem to Prevent Suicide
Declining Youth Mental Health May Be Driven by Increased Abuse and Bullying
Most Psychopharmacology Textbooks Have Financial Conflicts of Interest
Stigma and Expected Retaliation Drive Suicide Among Military Sexual Trauma Survivors
Psychology’s Reckoning with Racism and Mass Incarceration
Chemicals Have Consequences—Antidepressants and Pregnancy: An Interview With Adam Urato, MD
One Flew Over the Scientific Consensus’ Nest—The Story of Dr. Ophir and ADHD
Overcoming Social Barriers as a Writer with a Disability
A New Paradigm for Testing Psychiatric Drugs Is Needed
Antidepressants Blunt Emotions and Cause Sexual Dysfunction
Breaking the Cycle: How I Overcame Intergenerational Trauma and Became a Peer Advocate
Fernando de Freitas: A “Dear Friend” Who Was a Warrior for Radical Change
We Must Not Remove Legal Protections for People at Risk of Forced ECT
Researchers Question the Foundational Assumptions of Neuropsychology
Becoming a Peer Support Worker can Improve Insight and Resilience, Study Finds
Governmental Climate Action Ignores Disability—Researchers Don’t Have To
How to do Inclusive Research When ‘Legal Capacity’ for Informed Consent is Questioned
Mental Health Peer Workers Support Recovery After Inpatient Hospitalization
New York’s Mayor: We’re out of Ideas, so It’s “Back to the Cuckoo’s Nest” for You!
FDA Approves Another Controversial Alzheimer’s Drug
With Psychiatry at a Crossroads, Scholars Nikolas and Diana Rose Review Alternatives
Disability Justice Goes Beyond the Social Model
Brain Changes Linked to Early Socioeconomic Status May Persist in Adulthood
Study Details How Listening to Music Alters Stress and Mood
Your Mental Health Information Is for Sale
Neighborhood Disadvantage Linked to Mental Health Issues Later in Life
Lived Experience Affects Mental Health Professionals’ Approach
The Case of EMDR in Cambodia Shows Pitfalls of Mental Health Humanitarian Aid
Data Erasure of Native American Communities Conceals Mortality Rates and Social Inequity
Leading Psychiatrists Unwittingly Acknowledge Psychiatry Is a Religion, Not a Science
I Can Barely Breathe: Personal Story by Lori Daniels
The Faulty Reasoning That Turned ADHD Into a Disease
UK Suicide Prevention Policies Prioritize Surveillance Over Social Change
Seriously Misleading Network Meta-analysis in Lancet of Acceptability of Depression Pills
Problem-Solving Through Skills-Building: Motivating Kids to Change
Researchers: ECT Study in Children Methodologically Flawed, Ethically Concerning
Consumer Advisory Board Chair: NYC Mayor Adams Did Not Consult With Us on New Mental Health Policy
The Bipolar Rollercoaster: Looking Beyond the Labels
disturbing references to ECT – Wendy
Dubious Science: Downplaying the Risks of Antidepressants in Pregnancy
Psychotherapy: Less Expensive and Better Than Pills, It’s What the Patients Want but Don’t Get
Pathologized Since Eve: Jessica Taylor on Women, Trauma, and “Sexy but Psycho”
Catherine’s Story: A Child Lost to Psychiatry
Psychiatry’s Cycle of Ignorance and Reinvention: An Interview with Owen Whooley
Author of On the Heels of Ignorance
Psychiatry and the Politics of Not Knowing
Call for Teen Art in All Media
Teen Arts Exhibition: Beyond Labels And Meds: What It Feels Like To Be Me
Summer Mad Camp 2023 – 20 – 24 July 2023
Living Together – With More Resilience and Less Medication
Art and Transformation: Creating Justice in Mental Health
Negatively Charged: ECT and the Truth I Could Never Forget
And Now They Are Coming for the Unhoused: The Long Push to Expand Involuntary Treatment in America
research in Manchester – UK – shows 80% of people on Mental health wards were homeless – Wendy
What Psychiatry Has Done for Me
Jim Flannery – sorry it is not funny
Is Service-User Research Possible in Mental Health An Interview with Diana Rose
David Healy – Polluting Our Internal Environments: The Perils of Polypharmacy
Lithium Use Leads to Chronic Kidney Disease
Mindfulness as Effective as Lexapro for Anxiety
Higher Psychosis Rates in Transgender Population Likely Due to Minority Stress and Clinician Bias
Voice-Hearers Unfairly Perceived as Unreliable Reporters of Their Own Experiences
Feel Hopeless About Reforming a Broken System Incremental Change Is Still Change
In Andrew’s Honor: Attorney Elizabeth Rich’s Fight Against Unjust Commitments
Meaningless Distractibility, or Meaningful Mind-Wandering
A Return to Dignity from Psychiatric and Childhood Abuse
Why We Urgently Need New Approaches to Mental Health
The Spravato Controversy: A Row Over the Drug’s Efficacy Compels a Reassessment of its Approval
Breaking Academia’s Silence on Inpatient Psychiatry: An Interview with Researcher Morgan Shields
The Serotonin Zombie: Authors of New Study Try to Breathe New Life into the Dead
Laura L: A Troubled Teen With a Pocket Full of Lithium and Nowhere to Go
Racism and Coercion in First Episode Psychosis Treatment Fuels Loneliness and Mistrust
Iva Paska: Are We Witnessing the Emergence of a New Paradigm
Charlotte Beale: 6 Good Things That Happened When I Stopped Believing in ‘Mental Health’
I Had No Idea That Gabapentin Could Do This…
do not worry – you will be fine
Top 10 Myths About the Critics of Psychiatry
Mad Parenting: On Becoming an Unlikely Family Man
The Mad in the World Network: A Global Voice for Change
A Therapist Tried to Explain CBT When I Was 11 Years Old, Ineffectively
Michael Scott: The Phobic Avoidance of Attending to Real World Mental Health Outcomes
No Better Outcomes After Testing for Antidepressant Drug-Gene Interactions
Reducing Involuntary Psychiatric Admissions in Norway
Study Contradicts Diathesis-Stress Model of Psychosis
Nobody Knows What “Serious Mental Illness” Means
Neoliberal Values Connected to Increased Stigma and Suicidal Ideation
How Diagnostic Interviews Translate Situational Behavior Into Pathology
State Sponsored Biomedical Psychiatry Impedes Movements of People with Psychosocial Disabilities
Trauma Survivors Speak Out Against Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)
Away From Psychiatrization: Towards Socio-Ecological Wellbeing in the Community
Loss, Grief, and Betrayal: Psychiatric Survivors Reflect on the Impact of New Serotonin Study
Psychiatry, Fraud, and the Case for a Class-Action Lawsuit
Inside A Forensic Psychiatry Unit: Where I’ve Come From and Where I’m Going
How Grief Became a Disorder and What This Means About Us: An Interview with Kaori Wada
Psychiatry Textbooks Are Filled with Errors and Propaganda
The Parts Within Us: An Interview with Richard Schwartz, Creator of Internal Family Systems
Andrew Scull—Desperate Remedies: Psychiatry’s Turbulent Quest to Cure Mental Illness
Exercise Associated with 25% Lower Risk for Depression, Researchers Say
The Powerful Allure of Psychedelics in Today’s Disenchanted World
Books Under Review: Summer 2022
Psychiatry’s Failure Crisis: Are You Moderately or Radically Enlightened
Response to Criticism of Our Serotonin Paper
No Evidence Low Serotonin Causes Depression
Are People with Psychosocial Disabilities Welcomed in Public Spaces
Addressing Racism-Related Stress and Trauma in Psychotherapy
Treatment Pathways for Psychosis Vary by Race
How Does Spiritual Voice Hearing Compare to Psychosis
The Transformative Potential of Psychosis
a diagnosis + it’s damage – Schizophrenia
Laura Van Tosh: The Life of a Psychiatric Survivor Activist
Pollution’s Mental Toll: A Talk with Journalist Kristina Marusic
Psychology’s “Winning Streak” Is a Failure of Science, Not Success
Industry Sponsorship of “Cost Effectiveness Analyses” Produces Biased Results
Pharma’s “Evergreening” Patent Tactics Mean High Costs and Low Benefits for Consumers
Nothing At All: How Antidepressants Failed Me
The UK’s IAPT Service Is an Abject Failure
Less Than a Quarter of Those with Depression Respond to Treatment in Real Life
Doctors Renew Campaign Against Overdiagnosis and Overmedication
Coercive Psychiatric Practice Goes Beyond Seclusion and Restraint
Researchers: Study of Schizophrenia Held Back by “Cult-Like” Belief System
Does Humanistic Psychology Support the Capitalist Status Quo
Psychiatric Drugs Do Not Improve Disease or Reduce Mortality
Pharmaceutical Industry and FDA Use Mob Tactics to Silence Whistleblowers
Peer Values Versus Violence: A View from Lived Experience
Treating Grief with Addiction Drug Jeopardizes Social Connections
Antidepressant-Induced Serotonin Syndrome a Danger for the Elderly
Social Interventions for “Serious Mental Illness” Show Promise But Face Resistance
Can Secure Attachment Reduce Death Anxiety and Obsessive Compulsions
Why Some Therapists Consistently See Better Results with LGBTQ Clients
Open Season on Mental Patients
Psychedelic Therapy Will Not Save Us
Grief, Intense Feelings, and Pathologization: Can We Conceive a Different Approach
The Answers Are in Our Weak Spots
Health Risks to Babies When Antidepressants Used During Pregnancy
Long Term Antidepressant Use Associated With Increased Morbidity and Mortality
Jock McLaren – The Biopsychosocial Model is a Mirage, Time for a Biocognitive Model
Psychiatry’s Nightmarish 2022 & Its Hysterical Defense Against Criticism
open season on mental patients
Industry Corruption in Systematic Review for Injectable Antipsychotics
Racism, Poverty, Inequality: Social Ingredients for Psychosis, Depression & More
Psychiatry’s Medical Model: How It Traumatizes, Retraumatizes & Perverts Healing
Behaviourists Must Confront Psychiatry’s Pseudoscience
Tara Thiagarajan: Mental Well-being Better in Venezuela than in United States: Why
The Shady World of Shock Treatment
A Different Psychiatry Is Needed for Discontinuing Antidepressants
The Failings of “Mental Health”: How a Seemingly Benign Concept Might be Dangerous
A Blood Test for Suicide Not When the Cases Overlap with Healthy Controls
A Hopelessly Flawed Seminar in “The Lancet” About Suicide
The New York Times Comments Section: A Literary Rorschach Test for the Masses
Depression Stigma May Be Decreasing; Psychosis Stigma Increasing
Mainstream Psychology Slow to View Police Brutality as Systemic Racism
Does Psychiatry’s Buzzword “Flourishing” Reflect the Real World
The Emperor’s New Clothes: The Upcoming NICE Depression Guidelines
New Tools to Support New Moms: An Interview with Jennifer Barkin, PhD
Peer Support Research: Is It Time Yet
Bringing Integrative Community Therapy to Pittsburgh: An Interview with Alice and Kenneth Thompson
Study Highlights Uptake of Voice Hearing Groups in Brazil
Social Media Influencers Now Marketing Drugs to Niche Audiences for Big Pharma
Conflict of Interest Policies in Europe May Hide Pharma Influence
How Concepts Like Trauma and Resilience Reinforce Neoliberalism in the Global South
Inner Fire Is the Only Place I Would Go for Emotional Distress
Thomas Insel makes a case for abolishing psychiatry
Antidepressants Do Not Improve Quality of Life
Did Psychiatry Ever Endorse the Chemical Imbalance Theory of Depression
Capitalism and the Biomedical Model of Mental Health
Mad by design: an ancient paradigm of psychiatric thought
Trans lifeline: naming trans-specific harm in Mental Health
Council of Europe Releases Report to Promote Voluntary Mental Health Treatment
Psychology “Incompatible with Hypothesis-Driven Theoretical Science”
Psychology: Flawed as a Science and as Evidence-Based Medicine
Patient Reports Reveal SSRI Antidepressants Often Lead to Emotional Blunting
Social Security and Asylum: How States Produce Negative Affect to Stigmatize and Deter
“From the Victorian workhouse to contemporary welfare reforms,
the provision of ‘welfare’ has long coexisted alongside policies and practices that mobilize negative affect to deter specific groups from claiming state support,
and to craft public affect (such as fear and disgust) about these target populations.”
The WHO Calls for Radical Change in Global Mental Health
The Transformational Qualities of Hearing Voices Groups
BMJ: 20% of Health Research Is Fraudulent
Pharmaceutical companies are no longer attempting to hide their financial influence
The face of commerce is visible at every stage of the process: the biased design of the trials, the spinning of the results, and the subsequent touting of the drugs to prescribers
Antipsychotics Linked to Increased Breast Cancer Risk
Coercion and Dehumanization in Mental Healthcare
Combatting Structural Racism and Classism in Psychiatry: An Interview with Helena Hansen
Responsibility Without Blame in Therapeutic Communities: Interview with Philosopher Hanna Pickard
Reason and Madness: How Psychiatry Marginalizes Those Who Contradict Western Norms
Art, Music, Exercise, and More: What Are the Recommended Doses for Improving Mental Health
How Western Psychology Can Rip Indigenous Families Apart: An Interview with Elisa Lacerda-Vandenborn
Research Reveals Mental Health Professionals’ Participation in Rape Culture
Emotional CPR: Heart-Centered Peer Support
Inside A Forensic Psychiatry Unit: Here’s How to Survive
Lithium No Better Than Placebo for Preventing Suicide Attempts
Lithium, Antidepressants, Esketamine—All No Better Than Placebo
Qualitative Evidence Supports the Ban on Conversion Therapy in Canada
What Role can the United Nations Play in Rights-Based Global Mental Health
When It Comes to Mental Health Problems, The Disability Framework Fails
Mental Health Care Must Support Consent and Basic Human Rights
The Psychiatric Hospital Is an Institution of Social Control
When Tapering Antidepressants, is Going Slow Always the Best Strategy
Ketamine Withdrawal Has Severe Consequences
Can Anything Good Come Out of Therapy
Critical Psychology for a Better Society: An Interview with Sebastienne Grant
De-Psychiatrization and the Promise of Open Dialogue
SSRI Antidepressants Do Not Improve Depression After a Stroke
Why We Need a Neurodiverse Philosophy of Autistic Happiness
Navigating the meaning of psychosis important for recovery
Guardianship Destroyed My Family
Fireside Project: Peer Support for Psychedelic Experiences
Understanding the Youth Mental Health Crisis: An Interview with Elia Abi-Jaoude
No Meaningful Brain Differences in Depression
New NICE Guidelines for ECT Are Dangerously Inadequate, Say 50 Patients and Professionals
How Socioeconomic Class Affects Therapy
Clinicians and Patients Often Disagree on Mental Health Outcomes
Psychiatry and Psychology Fail in Response to Farmer Suicides in India
Online Debates on Psychiatric Diagnosis Often Rely on Rhetoric Instead of Facts
Finding Connection During the Pandemic
Why Is Child Sexual Abuse So Common in Institutions
Why Is Psychiatry So Defensive About Criticism
Did Pharma Companies Hide Failed ADHD Drug Studies From Regulators
Study Discovers Extensive Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest in Medical Research
Shifting Away from ECT and Antidepressants for Depression
Put Psyche Back Into Psychiatry and Add Psychological Intimacy
The New DSM Is Coming and That Isn’t Good News
Michael Hengartner – Evidence-biased Antidepressant Prescription
Inside a Forensic Psychiatry Unit: Earning the Right to Sleep on the Floor
The Medicalization of Women’s Suffering: An Interview with Dana Becker
Can the Psychodynamic Manual Move Therapy Beyond the DSM
How Providers Can Support Psychiatric Drug Discontinuation
John Read: Fear and Loathing in the ECT Debate
James Knochel: Malignant Do-Gooderism: The Tragedies of Allopathic Psychiatry
Michael Hengartner: Regulators Are Approving Drugs Without Clear Evidence That They Work
Research News: Ketamine No Better Than Placebo for Reducing Suicidal Ideation in Depression
Medicating Preschoolers for ADHD: How “Evidence-Based” Psychiatry Has Led to a Tragic End
Addressing Cultural Bias in the Treatment of Personality Disorders
The Censors Are Coming for Mental Health
MIA’s Suicide Hotline Transparency Project
Robert Spitzer on DSM-III: A Recently Recovered Interview
Official Guidelines on Antidepressant Discontinuation Fail Practitioners and Patients
Sexual Assault at Any Age is a Risk Factor for Psychosis
Dying to Stay Alive: A Ketamine Disaster
For the Love and Care of the People: An Interview with Vanessa Green on Call BlackLine Organizing
Pharmaceutical Industry Corruption Goes Beyond Conflicts of Interest
Racism Evident in Patient Health Records
A “Mass Possession” Event in Nicaragua Exposes Inadequacy of Western Mental Health Approaches
UK Finds Success with Peer Supported Open Dialogue Program
Why Do People Self-Harm, and How Can We Stop It
Antipsychotics Worsen Cognitive Functioning in First-Episode Psychosis
Parenting Changed My Perspective on “ADHD”
Nature: Brain Imaging Studies Are Most Likely False
How Evidence Based Medicine Became an Illusion
Antipsychotics Often Prescribed Without Informed Consent
Police Killings and the Pseudoscience of “Excited Delirium”
The Functions of the Mental Health System Under Capitalism
Inside a Forensic Psychiatry Unit: Calling in AIR Strikes
Mental Wellbeing Poorest in English-Speaking Countries of the World
Trusting People as Experts of Themselves: Sera Davidow on the Wildflower Peer Support Line
The impact DSM has had on us all – podcast
Human rights should be central to Global Mental Health approaches
Council of Europe Releases Report to Promote Voluntary Mental Health Treatment
Results of the Inpatient Alternative Soteria Model in Israel
Apples and Oranges in Peer Support Research
Beverley Thomson–Antidepressed: Antidepressant Harm and Dependence
Antidepressants No Better Than Placebo for About 85% of People
Marian Kornicki: #RestoreTheirRights: An Update on Guardianship Action
Researchers Find No Brain Differences in Depression
The Psychiatrist’s Dilemma: In Defense of Placebo Psychiatry
How ADHD experts silence criticism
Despite More Treatments for Depression, Prevalence Doesn’t Decrease—Why
Facebook Negatively Impacted College Students’ Mental Health from the Start
Peer Interventions Show Promise for Recent Onset Psychosis
Capitalism is Destroying our Collective Mental Health
The Post-Lockdown Suicide Tsunami That Never Came
Social Belongingness Protects Against Anxiety and Depression for Ethnic Minorities
Gradual Tapering Recommended for Antidepressant Discontinuation
Anti-Discrimination Policies Reduce Binge Drinking for LGBTQ Youth
Talking With Voices” Therapeutic Approach Shows Promise
Ketamine for Depression Poses “Significant Risk to the Public”
Shedding the Limits of “Severe Mental Illness” Labels
The Mental Health Industry Speaks Volumes About Our Society’s Priorities
As you may know, we're a small charity that is run by volunteers and have little funding
That means it can take some time to respond, especially at times when we get a high volume of emails
Whilst you're waiting, here's some information that you may find helpful
It includes some answers to common questions we're asked and some sources of crisis/emergency support
If you need help quickly
Unfortunately we're not in a position to offer crisis support
Understanding Voices has a good page on finding support quickly
You can access it here:
https://understandingvoices.com/living-with-voices/in-crisis/
It includes calling 999, 111 or accessing supportive helplines (e.g. samaritans).
Our page on getting support also gives information on how you can get help from your GP and your rights:
http://www.hearing-voices.org/voices-visions/getting-help-support/
If you're wanting to find out the location of a Hearing Voices Group
If you're in England, there is a list of the Hearing Voices Groups we know about here:
http://www.hearing-voices.org/hearing-voices-groups/find-a-group/
It is organised by area
We do not run the groups ourselves, so are reliant on people telling us about changes
We always suggest that people contact the facilitators before attending the group - so they can check out that it suits them and to make sure the day/time is correct
If you're from the US, we have a sister organisation called Hearing Voices Network USA
They list all of the groups in their network here:
http://www.hearingvoicesusa.org/find-a-group
You can contact them if there isn't a group in your area
They also offer online groups (that can be accessed from anywhere in the world).
If you're from another country, please see Intervoice's National Networks page
http://www.intervoiceonline.org/about-intervoice/national-networks-2
Intervoice is a charity set up to support the international Hearing Voices Movement
There are networks in many countries of the world, so it's a good place to connect with.
Useful resources:
If you, or someone you care about, is struggling to cope you may find some of the following resources useful
We will get back to you individually when we can, but until then we hope that these resources give you a starting point
If you need support to get through a crisis - please read the info on getting support (above)
You don't need to go through this alone.
For anyone
Understanding Voices: Living with Voices section:
https://understandingvoices.com/living-with-voices/
Includes coping strategy toolkit, managing difficult voices at work/study and plenty of information written by people who hear voices for people who hear voices
The rest of the site has useful information as well
Our Multimedia section - with lots of info on voice-hearing and different ways of understanding and working with voices:
http://www.hearing-voices.org/resources/films-radio/
Our free downloads section - with coping strategies etc:
http://www.hearing-voices.org/resources/free-downloads/
Rufus May’s resources (Rufus was diagnosed with schizophrenia in his youth and is now a psychologist
I really like some of his resources):
http://rufusmay.com/category/resources/
A practical guide to coping with voices:
http://www.intervoiceonline.org/support-recovery/a-practical-guide
The British Psychological Society’s ‘Understanding Psychosis’ report:
https://shop.bps.org.uk/understanding-psychosis-and-schizophrenia.html
Our Getting help and support page:
http://www.hearing-voices.org/voices-visions/getting-help-support/
Our approach to Hearing Voices:
http://www.hearing-voices.org/about-us/hvn-values/
Engaging with Voices:
https://openmindedonline.com/portfolio/engaging-with-voices-videos/
A series of videos exploring ways of engaging with voices in a more compassionate way
Living with voices: 50 stories of recovery (book)
Find a Hearing Voices Group:
http://www.hearing-voices.org/hearing-voices-groups/find-a-group/
Hearing Voices Forum (in assoc. with Intervoice)
https://www.mentalhealthforum.net/forum/forums/hearing-voices-forum.36/
Samaritans: www.samaritans.org | 08457 90 90 90 | jo@samaritans.org. A 24-hour confidential helpline that is open 365 days a year
Rethink Advice Line: 0300 5000 927: Open Monday – Friday, 10.00am – 1.00pm, offers practical advice and information
For Young People
Voice Collective:
aimed at children and young people under the age of 25, but has a great range of strategies and ideas for all
They also run a support forum for people under 25 and their supporters - see their website for more info
For those able to get to London, they support a small network of peer support groups and can offer some individual support (email, phone and in person)
The Mix: Help, I’m Hearing Voices:
Listen Up! Youth Voice Hearing Exhibition in Durham (includes podcast and artwork from young people)
https://hearingvoicesdu.org/listen-up/
Breaking the Silence: a fresh approach to hearing voices in childhood and adolescence:
Young People Hearing Voices: What you need to know and what you can do; Dr Sandra Escher and Dr. Marius Romme (book)
Parents - don’t panic if your child is Hearing Voices, it’s actually quite common:
For family and friends
An article on how to talk with someone who is hearing voices:
We hope that these resources are useful to you
With warmth,
Rai Waddingham (Chair) on behalf of the National Hearing Voices Network
From Emily Jane Sharpe
I am a doctoral research student at the University of Roehampton
I am exploring the experience of loneliness in adults who have been given a diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder
Whilst research identifies a prevalence of loneliness in adults who have been given a diagnosis, which is cited as a key concern and a barrier to recovery, there is very little research which explores first-hand experiences to gain richer insight into experience across the life course
Participation involves taking part in an interview online
If are between the ages of 18–65 years and living in the United Kingdom
have been given the diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder and talked about personal experiences before for example in therapy or support group and would like to participate
please do email me on
London hearing voices network – update
Art Making, Nature and Spirituality Workshop
with events
Spiritual crisis Network (SCN)
London SCN
contact
including beyond the pill
Rapid scoping review on older people, poverty
including events
Self- development
happier – kinder – together
We can't change what happens, but we can choose our response
Happiness isn't about everything going well – it's about responding constructively, even in difficult times
10 keys to happier living groups
How to live mindfully, even in stressful times
How to feel part of something bigger every day
21 June – being your own therapist
by 15 June – free festival tickets
Making time to be mindful helps us reduce stress levels
by turning our focus to the here and now, rather than dwelling on the past or future
Canopy + stars – a life more wild – podcast
“The qualities of kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity are the attitudinal foundations and qualitative tone of mindfulness.
Cultivating these qualities plays a central role in freeing the mind from patterns that create and recreate distress”
The richest human isn’t the one who has the most, but the one who needs less.
Wealth is a mindset.
Want less and appreciate more today.
Coalition for Personalised Care
including events + cycle of co-production
turn pain into power
Lauren
5 Quotes for Coping with Things You Can't Control
Today, use frustration and disappointment to motivate you rather than annoy you.
Breathe and be mindful.
You are in control of the way you respond to life.
It’s not what you broadcast to everyone else that determines the trajectory of your life;
it’s what you whisper to yourself behind closed doors that has the greatest power and influence.
Some people will never understand, and it’s not your job to teach or change them.
Prioritize your peace.
Learning to let go of certain expectations and detach from certain people, are two of the great paths to inner peace.
Your worth is not dependent on someone else’s ability to be kind and loving.
Accept this, and start acknowledging your own worth.
Stop waiting for others to tell you how important you are.
Tell yourself today, and believe it.
The goal this year is to gradually change your response to what you can't control.
To grow stronger on the inside, so that almost nothing on the outside can affect your inner peace and wellness without your conscious permission.
Our perspective on just about everything comes from the psychological cage we’ve been conditioned to live in.
A cage created by...
A difficult or disappointing experience
A privileged or sheltered life
Social influence
Pop-culture and mass-media stereotyping
And the list goes on.
Gradually, unbeknownst to us, our cage—our conditioning—drains our mental energy, leaving us vulnerable to bad decision making
When we were young, we saw the world through simple, hopeful eyes.
We knew what we wanted and we had no biases or concealed agendas.
We liked people who smiled.
We avoided people who frowned.
We ate when we were hungry, drank when we were thirsty, and slept when we were tired.
As we grew older our minds became gradually disillusioned by negative external influences
At some point we began to hesitate and question our instincts
Our minds are incredibly powerful
They can bring us down or lift us up at a moment’s notice
How we think about things literally changes everything we do on a daily basis
Whenever I’m coaching someone who’s struggling in the trenches, I gracefully shift their focus from what they don’t want to what they DO want
I remind them that what you focus on grows stronger in your life, and that the best time to focus on the positive and take responsibility for your happiness is when you don’t feel like it
Because that’s when doing so can make the biggest difference
Sometimes you simply have to let go and accept the feeling of not knowing exactly where you’re going next, and do your best to appreciate this freedom.
Because it is only when you are suspended in the air, with no destination in sight, that you force your wings to open fully so you can fly.
And as you soar around you still may not know exactly where you’re travelling to.
But that’s not what’s important.
What’s important is the opening of your wings.
You may not know where you’re headed, but you know that so long as your wings are spread, the winds will carry you forward.
4 More Relationship Truths for Tough Times
Resentment hurts you, not them
Sometimes walking away is the only path forward
Some relationships will be blessings, others will serve as lessons
Even the best relationships don’t last forever.
3 Hidden Behaviours that Harm Your Relationships
Using complaints and disagreements as an opportunity to condemn each other
Using hateful gestures as a substitute for honest communication
The silent treatment
Healing in Your Relationships
If you don’t allow yourself to move past what happened, what was said, what was felt, you will look at your present and future through that same dirty lens, and nothing will be able to focus your foggy judgment.
Always be kinder than necessary.
Forgive yourself for the bad decisions you made, for the times you lacked clarity, for the choices that hurt others and yourself.
Some chapters in our lives have to close without closure.
Be careful not to dehumanize people you disagree with.
Being kind to someone you dislike doesn’t mean you’re fake.
People tend to be more thoughtful and kinder when they have found a little happiness and peace of mind.
How can I respond from a place of clarity and strength, rather than continuing to react in anger and frustration to the painful experiences I've been forced to live through
Think about that question for a moment.
Read it again, and sit with it.
Every time you are tempted to react in the same old way, pause for a few seconds, take a few deep breaths, and make space for a healthy change of state—for something new to enter...
It's time to consciously redirect your focus by taking it away from something unchangeable that drags you down, and instead zero it in on something small and actionable that moves you forward in the present moment.
4 Hard Choices that Make You Happier in the Long Run
You can choose to be present when it would be easier to pick up your phone.
You can choose to do a workout when it would be more comfortable to sit around.
You can choose to create something special when it would be quicker to consume something mediocre.
You can choose to invest in yourself when it would take less effort to procrastinate.
‘New normal’ anxiety: A therapist’s guide
A therapist’s guide to self-care
Self-care is the practice of taking action to improve your health.
We can do this regularly or just from time to time, but it’s important to turn this abstract concept into a concrete goal.
I've written a blog on the ‘6 domains of self-care’, including my top tips on how to give yourself a little love.
Physical self-care
This is about taking care of our physical body and getting back to basics.
Eat regularly and in a way that nourishes your body
Exercise regularly
Boost your sleep
Psychological self-care
We all know it is important to take care of our mind.
This might include seeing mental health professionals or simply doing things to help us recharge.
Turn off phone notifications
Keep scheduled therapy appointments
Take time for reflection
Emotional self-care
This involves your relationship with yourself.
Check in with your feelings and see how you’re doing.
Keep a journal
Vent your frustrations
Engage in opportunities to create happiness
Physiotherapist – Working from home: 4 health hacks
Plump it up
Make your chair more ergonomic.
Add cushions and a foot rest to take care of your lower back.
Go for a raise
Try shaking up your desk design.
Raising your laptop will help to protect your posture.
Break it down
Take micro-breaks.
Regular movement helps prevent muscular pains.
Stretch yourself
That's it.
Stretch.
Stretching at your desk will reduce the risk of muscle strain.
3 simple techniques to help improve your breathing
Breathing control
This means just breathing easily, using the least effort.
It helps you to relax.
Place your hand on your tummy, below your ribs.
Feel your tummy rise and fall as you breathe gently through your nose.
Let go of any tension, just breathe as you need to
Deep breathing
This helps to fill the lower areas of your lungs.
Take a long, slow deep breath in.
At the end of the breath in, hold the air for 2 to 3 seconds before letting the air out gently.
Try to keep your shoulders relaxed.
Repeat for 3 or 4 deep breaths.
Huffing
This is a way of clearing mucus from your lungs.
Take a breath in and then breathe it out quickly through your mouth, as if trying to mist up a mirror.
Once any mucus has moved upwards, you should find it easier to cough it out. But there is no need to try and force up mucus.
Always finish with more relaxed breathing control (exercise 1) after the huffing exercise.
A to Zzz... our top tips for a good night's sleep
Be consistent
Try to go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day – and avoid napping throughout the day, if possible.
Create the right environment
When it is time for sleep, make sure your bedroom is quiet, dark and cool
(The NHS recommends 18-24C for adults and 16-20C for children).
Have a change of scene
If you find yourself unable to fall asleep, get out of bed and do something relaxing elsewhere.
Try reading or drinking some non-caffeinated herbal tea, and stay off social media and news sites, which can often be anxiety-inducing.
Let Your Inner Child Out
Sometimes the grown up in you needs a break.
So, every now and then, release your inner child and enjoy some carefree fun.
See the world with childlike wonder.
Ask lots of questions.
Revisit one of your favourite childhood books or movies.
How will you let your inner child come out to play
All You Need Is Less
If you're wanting more love, more peace, more meaning, more focus, you'll probably find that all you need is, less.
Less expectations, less talk, less buying, less thinking, less stuff, less stress….
Are you ready for less
Involving Others in Decisions
How often do you involve others in the decision-making process
It makes sense to include those who are impacted by the decisions,
or those who will implement those decisions.
It increases their engagement and responsibility,
and having various perspectives can only lead to better outcomes
But involving others in decision-making takes time and resources
How do you figure out when to Involve others in the decision making, and when not to
Nourish with Happiness
Apparently, there is no nourishment like happiness
So are you nourishing yourself with happiness
Here are 3 ways to nourish yourself with happiness, everyday:
1) Feed yourself a dose of laughter (a good joke or a funny video clip)
2) Engage in one activity that makes you happy (gardening or cooking)
3) Create space to feel happy (a dose of gratitude or meditation)
Be Present to Prevent Stress
Whenever you find yourself stressing about getting things done or what’s going to happen
try this: be present
Firstly, become present to your emotions
your stress
and then, become present to what you’re doing and where you are
Be present and you may find that it helps you to feel less stressed
more relaxed
and be more effective and productive
Be more present and in the long term, you'll increase your stress resilience, and may even prevent feeling stressed.
Growing through Life
Are you just going through life or are you growing through life
If you feel like you’re just going through the routine of life, nothing probably seems exciting
Why not grow through what you go through
Grow through life, and you'll most likely find learning and excitement even in the routine
Turn On Your Inner Light
No matter how dark a moment it is
choose to bring light
Light emanates from the core of our being
So, turn on your inner light and let your light radiate through your presence
Be the light and illuminate the moment and the world
Your Financial Well-being
Why do we as a society allow people to live in poverty ? - Wendy
Can you be happy on a budget
It’s not about missing out on things and experiences, or reducing your happiness
But it is about making smarter choices and increasing your financial well-being
This week
clarify your financial goals, what you value most and what brings you the most joy
rethink your spending habits
be happier with what you have
Dreams Need Courage
No matter how much you’ve achieved or accomplished,
there’s always much more to explore
So have the courage to dream
Have the courage to define your dream clearly,
to go beyond any obstacles and reach for your dream,
even when you can't see what lies ahead
Dream and have the courage to make life an adventure worth exploring
Sound of the Waves
When you can’t seem to quiet your noisy mind, try this meditation:
Imagine yourself sitting on a beach….
Allowing the sound of the waves to wash over your noisy thoughts…
Your thoughts begin to quieten down…
Watching the calm ebb and flow of the waves, your mind is in a deep state of relaxation and calm
Walk in Someone's Shoes
You know the saying about walking a mile in someone else’s shoes before judging them
Next time someone's being difficult, leave your opinions, assumptions and emotions aside for just a couple of minutes
Then, figuratively walk in their shoes, that is, try to see things from their perspective to understand where they're coming from
Even if we walk a mile in someone’s shoes,
we still can't judge them because we can never really know the reasoning behind someone's actions or what it’s like to be that person
So, just try to understand others as much as you can
The Three Questions
When you're confused and unsure about a decision, ask yourself three questions:
Who am I?
What is important to me?
What is my purpose?
The answers that arise will most probably lead you to clarity
Point of Light
If you're feeling low in energy, low in mood, try this simple meditation:
Bring your attention up through your body to a point in the middle of the forehead,
just above and behind the eyes, behind the mind....
Begin to experience yourself as a point of concentrated energy,
a spark of light, full of radiance and positive energy....
Feeling good, feeling re-energised, you’re ready to move on to whatever's next
Peace of Mind
Peace of mind comes not from wanting to change others, but by simply accepting them as they are
For your peace of mind, can you let go of what you want others to do or how you want them to be?
Can you accept everyone as they are?
Peace Takeaway
Sometimes it seems as if someone or something can so easily take away our peace.
But actually, no one and nothing can take away our peace because peace is our natural state of being
Next time it feels like someone or something has taken away your peace, understand that you just got pulled away from your peace
Then, pull your attention away from everything else and return back to your natural state of peace
Explore and Embrace
We often try to make impermanent things permanent
We often expect things to last forever
But no matter how tightly we hold onto things
we cannot change the fact that everything will eventually change
This week, explore and embrace the perspective of impermanence
whether it’s in your work, relationships or yourself.
Try it, and you may find that it helps you to avoid attaching happiness to things lasting forever,
appreciate things while you have them and deal with change effectively.
Impossible Possible
Anything is possible with the power of determination
Determination won’t let anything stop you
Determination will break through fear and self-doubt
And when things get rough, tough or even boring, determination will persevere and keep you going
It’s the key to success
How are you using the power of determination in your life to make the impossible possible?
The Seed of Life
We are like a tree
the seed is the essence of who we are
our life-force
and our branches represent work, family, friends, health, dreams, ambitions.....
When the seed is vibrant, our life-force pulses through each branch to every single leaf
So, extend your branches in a joyful gesture and celebrate life
And when you feel overwhelmed by it all, concentrate on the seed and you’ll revitalise everything
What Are You Focusing On?
If you’re feeling anxious, ask yourself how much you are focusing on things that are outside your control
Every time you start focusing on what’s outside your control
gently bring your focus back to what is within your control
Do this and you'll start to feel less anxiety and more peace, and increase your capacity to deal with things.
Pandemic: Changes in Professional's Attitudes & Practice
Including investing in relationships
Research: Consuming fruit and veg and exercising can make you happier
Too much free time may be almost as bad as too little
including community pharmacists can refer patients for scan + checks
including
Tackling inequalities in healthcare access, experience, and outcomes
including resources for younger people's
Culture, Health & Wellbeing Alliance
Economics of happiness – local futures
Beyond Conspiracy: Framing Meaningful Activism
Gabor Maté supports the localization movement
Why are we running harder and faster just to keep a roof over our heads
Why does our food get flown around the world and back again
Why is the gap between rich and poor widening to obscene levels
Because nation states are allowing global corporations to run the show.
There is nothing evolutionary or inevitable about our current system; it’s man-made.
And if enough of us come together, we can change it.
Values are shifting. Culture is turning
Increasingly, people are seeing through the false promises of the global consumer culture.
They are recognizing the limitations of the rat-race, and the emptiness of conventional ideas about “success” and “progress”.
Not surprisingly, there is a corresponding surge of interest in indigenous knowledge to guide the creation of healthier, more localized futures.
"But what can I do" Introducing the Localization Action Guide
The Radical Roots of Community Supported Agriculture
Interrelation -SCOOP the sustainable cooperative
The economics of happiness – film
Planet local – a quiet revolution – film
Dr. Gabor Maté on Mental Health and Localization
Putting technology in its place
From Australia to Zimbabwe, Mexico to the UK – we are celebrating localization!
Intersectionality
♿ The benefits system in this country is a disgrace
get support with your living costs♿
will you sign the open letter♿
If we were getting proper care and support, there wouldn’t be premature deaths happening
Dame Carolyn Fairbairn + Vanessa on learning disability mortality review – from personal experience – on women’s hour
'Barbaric': Hundreds with learning disabilities kept locked up for years
I don’t have to worry about my brother being locked away this Christmas
Mencap – Tell councils: Count Disabled Children In
Social care charging has left us with little to live on – EMAIL MP
" I’m non-verbal - it doesn’t mean I don’t understand." 💬
No freedom, no dignity, no life. 🔒
No freedom, no dignity, no life - take action now ❤
12 years since Winterbourne View - EMAIL MP
Together, we made change happen
email campaigns@mencap.org.uk
♿ What the budget means for disabled people
end sky high energy bills for disabled + older people
Lauren’s bills are too high. 📈 - OPEN LETTER
Spring Budget: What it means for disabled people. ♿
Create a fair future for disabled people. ♿
📢 Breaking: £975 price tag for disabled households – EMAIL MP
MIND – Cost of living crisis – PETITION
It's time to fix Access to Work
"Upset and disgusted" at Travelodge – PETITION
Office for National Statistics – Outcomes for disabled people in the UK
How increases in housing costs impact households
Beyond GDP: what matters to national well-being
National Development Team for Inclusion (NDTi)
Small Supports – Thinking Differently About How We Support People
Join the NHS Sounding Board for Ageing & Older People
Review into advocacy for people with a learning disability and or autistic people who are inpatients in mental health settings
contact
The Training Hub has launched…
Seni’s Law – Mental Health Units (Use of Force) Act 2018
New supported internships programme
New case law – highlight for Care Act advocates
strength based approaches training
Challenging behaviour foundation
Disability Right UK has helplines
The EHRC Outlines Nine Principles for Social Care Equality
DR UK oppose Illegal Migration Bill
New research shows huge rise in extra costs for Disabled households
Profound lack of trust in the benefit health assessment system still a constant theme, say MPs
Missing out: £19 billion of benefits support goes unclaimed each year
Local Housing Allowance legal challenge
Contact
Turn2Us seek stories from those who have successfully claimed PIP
contact communications@turn2us.org.uk
Scottish Government announces rent freeze
Report shows millions of Disabled people living in cold homes
Radical reform of benefits assessments for those with mental health problems essential, says Mind
Make things right: social housing campaign
Culture of othering found at Rochdale Boroughwide Housing
Customers not paying by direct debit pay vastly more for energy
Data reveals extent of the prepayment meter scandal
Improved protections against forced fitting of pre-payment meters
Government launches social housing rent cap consultation
Disability Hate Crime rises but only 1% see prosecutions
Clear majority agree that benefits must be uprated by inflation, finds JRF polling
BBC Panorama exposes alleged abuse of patients
Citizens Advice survey shows millions will be in energy bills debt
Cross Party MPs call for public inquiry into benefit related deaths
The health assessments system lets down those who rely on it
MPs launch inquiry asking if working-age benefit levels in the UK are adequate to meet need
DWP admits Access to Work is overwhelmed by workload but rejects meeting
Disabled people urged to check on eligibility for social tariffs on broadband
Mental Health Bill - Easy read survey
Benefit sanctions harming claimants, lawyers warn
Disabled UC claimants underpaid by over £350 per month due to DWP failure to start WCA process
Disabled woman wins legal challenge against DWP over automatic benefit deductions
7 in 10 PIP appeals won on the same evidence DWP already held
DWP makes few concessions on improving engagement with Disabled people
Secret reviews into DWP deaths have more than doubled in three years
Government plans to move Disabled people from institutions don’t go far enough
Report highlights issue of negativity towards Disabled people
Disabled people make up nearly half of the most deprived working-age adults in the country
PIP delays leave Disabled people hundreds of millions of pounds out of pocket
590 suicides between 2010 and 2013 linked to welfare reform – Deaths by Welfare
9 in 10 of all reports about disability benefit fraud to the DWP hotline turn out to be false
100 people held more than 20 years in ‘institutions’
Police officer fired for taking photos of people being sectioned
Press coverage for autistic man in isolation prompts Council action
Severely ill inpatient died after DWP forced him to leave hospital to make benefit claim
Disabled woman left begging a bus driver to let her travel home safely
The Mayor's Entrepreneur competition & training
Government White Paper fails to re-build the care system
Law Commission recommends adding disability to list of hate crimes
DWP refuses to publish report that found Disabled claimants had “unmet needs”
Councils waste £253 million fighting parents at SEND tribunals since 2014
Mental health impact of leaseholder cladding scandal
All PIP claimants to be offered apply online option
End Fuel Poverty Coalition – PETITION
People deprived of liberty due to misapplication of Mental Health + Capacity Acts
Sickle cell patients ‘face racism in NHS’
Share your experiences of seeing or posting online content about suicide or self-harm
Ground-breaking inquiry questions ‘Whose social care is it anyway’
DWP failures mean dying people are being rejected for PIP
DWP ignoring concerns about Disabled benefit claimants’ deaths
"Sharp rise" in DWP benefit death reviews "deeply concerning"
DWP to stop ‘cold-calling’ Disabled people to make low benefit ‘offers’
Our work capability assessment factsheet
Health and Disability Green Paper – a cause for concern
New body to tackle health disparities set to launch
Lords: Government failing to implement Equality Act
I would have closed Cawston Hall – Norfolk Council care boss – Jeesal group
A fifth of housing not fit for good health – Good Home Inquiry
Elections Bill bad news for Disabled voters
Austerity cuts killed tens of thousands from 2010 onwards
Over two thirds of Universal Credit claimants currently in arrears while living costs rise
Disabled claimant died underweight, ‘unkempt and dirty’ after ESA and PIP wrongly stopped
Disability Benefits Without the Fight – PETITION
Excluded children put in ‘unsafe’ institutions
Disability Horizons launches new online wellbeing community
Social care plans expose rich vs poor divide in terms of home loss
DWP urged to reveal algorithm that ‘targets’ Disabled people for benefit fraud
Almost £3bn to be awarded to private sector to assess disability benefits
Inquiry sought into deaths of 369 mental distress patients in Sussex Trust’s care
DWP blocks publication of research on effectiveness of benefit sanctions
Disability strategy ruled unlawful, DWP denied permission to appeal
Disabled people five times more likely to experience food poverty, says Food Foundation
DWP admits wrongly refusing PIP to record number of Disabled people
Two-thirds of NHS Trusts failing to support equal access to care for Disabled patients
Nearly half of people referred to Trussell Trust food banks are in debt to the DWP
Tip of the Iceberg: Deaths and Serious Harm in the Benefit System
Pushed to the Edge: Poverty, food banks and mental health
DWP failing to make reasonable adjustments for UC claimants with mental health problems
Extension of terminal illness ‘Special Rules’ for ESA and Universal Credit from April 2022
DWP work coaches “bullied” into forcing distressed claimants to attend work-related meetings
How bare bones benefits don’t add up
Two in five Universal Credit claimants forced into debt, finds the Trussell Trust
Pushed to the Edge: Poverty, food banks and mental health
Ofcom: telecomms and broadband providers must do more to help vulnerable customers
DWP: deaths, cover-up, and a toxic 30-year legacy
Fast-tracked access to benefits extended to those likely to be in final year of life
Benefits rise does little to ease cost of living crisis
Disabled employees paid £3.5k less than non-Disabled employees – ONS
EHRC presses DWP to improve treatment of Disabled benefit claimants
EHRC failing Disabled people on DWP actions, claim families
Elections Bill will make it harder for Disabled people to vote
Government must halt ‘managed migration’ to universal credit – DR UK
Report shows that smart home technology can assist independent living
People with learning disabilities in ‘mental health crisis’ – Mencap
Austerity Kills campaign – WRITE TO YOUR MP
Disability Rights UK challenges the Bill of Rights on a parliamentary panel
Call for DWP to compensate up to 50,000 claimants unlawfully short changed on moving to UC
Benefit rates remain “close to destitution levels”, says JRF
Claimant deaths still linked to systemic flaws in benefits system, DWP document shows
Disabled energy user forced onto meter
nothing about us without us – 6 November – 16 October 2023
Disability Poverty Campaign Group update
If you are a representative of a local or national DPO group, or charity, and are interested in getting involved with the DPCG, email dan.white@disabilityrightsuk.org
DWP watered down plan to prevent claimant suicides
George - DWP discrimination led claimant to suicidal thoughts
Government pledges national action following Doncaster abuse inquiry
BBC highlights unfair PIP cut for disabled people in hospital
CQC concerns around autism and learning disability services in damning annual care review
Over 460% rise in PIP claims stopped due to failure to return review form
DR UK joins public call for Michael Gove to freeze rents
1.6 million children live in mouldy and damp homes
PPM ban temporary as Ofgem prepares report on energy suppliers
DWP failings linked to death of claimant whose body lay undiscovered for years
+ lots more
Holyrood Committee report into a ban on Conversion Practices
You can watch parliament in action here
You can become a member of any NHS foundation trust – just look on their website
Court upholds Census guidance – trans men and women can self-identify their lived sex
The call for evidence on the Gender Recognition Reform Bill
New intersex resources created by our partners Reprofutures
A new way to support our campaigning work
Ukraine president backs civil partnerships for same-sex couples
Gender Recognition Reform Blocked by UK Government
Our community faces a difficult and uncertain time right now
The Bi+ survey results are in!
Scottish Trans Conference June 17 @ the DCA
Care and Support Alliance – An appeal for your story
Contact csa@nas.org.uk
Act now for safer homes for people with MND
Joint Committee publishes report on the Draft Mental Health Bill
Number of autistic people in mental health hospitals: latest data
Why campaigning is so important
Report uncovers urgent changes needed in English schools
action-attainment – beyond autism
Land + other views
Working to ensure a fairer, kinder, and better society
2021 Census | Christianity’s decline should end its claim to institutional power
Humanists at work in the community ❤️
including Salman
Religion vs Women’s Rights – Write to your MP
French Citizens' Assembly backs assisted dying
Big education win for humanists at High Court
Punishing children for ‘blasphemy’?! - PETITION
Assisted dying: now is the time to voice your support
The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? ⚖️
Educate together, end faith selection – PETITION
Religion in schools | a guide for non-religious parents and young people in England
The humanist approach to death and celebrating a life well lived ❤️
The Little Book of Humanist Funerals 📚💐
South West London Humanists – AGM – 10 July – 8pm
Richmond library annex
TW9 1DH
Land justice UK – Land and Food
New land report out on land reform in Scotland
police, crime, sentencing and courts bill
You can find a Member of the House of Lords and write to them asking them to review this dangerous bill
A win in the fight for land rights – PETITION
Human rights
Change The Covid Guidance In Psychiatric Wards
women's rights are at risk in Parliament – EMAIL MP
Write to your MP to ask them to save the Worker Protection Bill tackling sexual harassment
Homes For Britain: Planning for Growth Report
including Housing First + community land trusts
The British Institute of Human Rights
Explaining laws passed end April 2022
What the Rights Removal Bill means for you
Human Rights Day: Community Mobilisation
People, Communities, Public Bodies & Policymakers
Human rights issues in plain language
Our work with Council of Europe
including idea of human rights ombudsman
Equality + human rights commission
Stop The #AntiRefugeeBill petition
Heartbreaking deaths in the Channel: tell your MP enough is enough – EMAIL MP
What exactly is the hostile environment
Thank you for seeing the human not the label
EMAIL MP: Ukrainian refugees need all the help we can give
TELL YOUR MP: vote to lift the ban
Hostile Accommodation - our new report
❤️💛🧡💙💜💚
You know the facts
People seeking asylum are banned from working, unable to support themselves and expected to live on just £5.84 a day
It's always been an absurd policy, and soon MPs will have the chance to reassert common sense and lift the ban
Polling from this week shows that an enormous 81% of members of the public surveyed agree that the ban should be lifted
Fight the anti-refugee laws: ask your MP to sign the pledge
The Rwanda plan: a punishment for asking for help
One year on: 9,000 Afghan refugees still stuck in hotels
The consequences of punishing refugees
Lift the Ban: does Jeremy Hunt want £300 million
Price rises + government hostility = asylum seeker poverty
The cost of a hostile environment
Not just “immigrants” , “low income” people too ? Costility in terms of people + money? - Wendy
The Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants
Add your name to the open letter: safety for Afghan climate activists
Windrush Heroes: Stories you need to hear
I tried this + got some answers wrong – Wendy
The truth about the net migration numbers
Migrants Organise is taking the Home Office to Court
New Plan for Immigration is same old Hostile Environment
This Refugee Week we want to share our New Dreams
Share our message of dignity and welcome
2 minute action: The COVID inquiry must not forget migrants
What is happening with the anti-refugee Borders Bill
Dismantling the hostile environment – podcasts
Solidarity is what connects us – EMAIL MP
Patients not passports – A toddler charged £70k for life saving NHS care – ACTION
will you call on the Government to welcome climate activists as refugees
Freedom from Torture – close the barracks
Holocaust survivor confronted Suella Braverman to say: your hateful language has consequences
UK government links to torture in Xinjiang – PETITION
Urgent: Stop the UK Decriminalising Torture
New Plan for Immigration – Consultation Guidance
URGENT: Act now to protect refugees from Priti Patel's New Plan
Urgent: shocking news – EMAIL MP
write to your local newspaper against the anti refugee bill
Clause 11 of the anti-refugee bill, which would punish Ukranians and other refugees for the way that they travel to safety – was removed by the Lords
A Holocaust survivor just sent this message to Boris Johnson – on the cliffs of Dover
22nd March
MPs voted to punish refugees who make their own way to safety in the UK as part of the Nationality and Borders Bill
The bill has now entered a stage called ‘ping pong’, where it bounces back and forth between the House of Lords & the House of Commons
TELL AIRLINES: DON'T REMOVE REFUGEES TO RWANDA
Tell PM candidates: do not send refugees to Rwanda
end UK links to torture – PETITION
Safe passage – We need your help – write to a Peer today
EMAIL MP – fix our broken asylum system
Afghan families must be reunited – EMAIL MP
Inspiring interview with Joel on Channel 5 News
📺 Watch Beth break down the devastating refugee law
This is a humanitarian disaster. Close the detention camps now
we oppose unjust deportations – PETITION
urgent: no offshore detention – EMAIL MP
Survivors of Napier Barracks beat the Home Office in court
Six men who Priti Patel detained at Napier Barracks have proved in court that she violated their human rights
Stop union busting in Morocco – PETITION
Tell Denmark: Syria is not safe for refugees to return. Reverse your shameful decision
A message from the White Helmets to Ukrainians under attack
As Ukrainians come under brutal attack by Putin, it is chilling to see Russia using the same strategy and playbook in Ukraine as they use in Syria – attacking fleeing civilians, controlling humanitarian corridors, bombing hospitals and spreading disinformation
Our volunteer first responders have saved more than 125,000 civilian lives in Syria since 2014, many from direct Russian attacks, and it’s heartbreaking to witness the same tragedies being repeated over and over again
We know the scale of horror that Russian bombings can inflict: no one and nothing is off limits
In Syria, a concerted Russian disinformation campaign spreads fabricated claims attacking White Helmets volunteers to cover up war crimes
Now Russia is using the same methods to legitimize its attack on the Ukrainian people – using social media to sow doubt about atrocities committed against civilians
When I saw the aftermath of Russian airstrikes on the maternity hospital in Mariupol last week, including Russia’s immediate disinformation efforts online, it was as if history was repeating itself
We have witnessed these same horrific scenes and lies during attacks on Syrian hospitals
It angers me to see companies such as Twitter continue to allow accounts to spread falsehoods – and
A few days ago I spoke to the Washington Post and shared what we have learnt from our experience in case it can be of any help to our brothers and sisters in Ukraine
I told them that the GoPro camera is the best way to fight Russian disinformation and report the reality on the ground
I also warned against sharing GPS locations of medical facilities with the United Nations
In Syria the Russians used that information to target hospitals
Ukrainians should also establish small medical and civil defense outposts in secret locations around the city to take the pressure off larger hospitals and mitigate the risk of targeting first responders
There is no doubt Putin has been emboldened by the impunity he enjoyed in Syria
If Putin is not held accountable for his invasion of Ukraine the whole story will repeat itself again
Today, we need actions not words from the international community
They must pursue justice relentlessly so no dictator can feel able to shamelessly commit such atrocities
For the last seven years, the Syrian people have stood up to Russia and have yet to be defeated – so we believe Ukrainians can do so as well
At the end of the day, it is the will of the citizens that is the strongest weapon, even against the mightiest militaries in the world
In solidarity,
Raed Al Saleh
PETITION TO UN regarding earthquake
Third sector + campaigning
Third Sector – Governance bulletin
Give communities more power over local assets and a £2bn support fund, report urges
Giving by the super-rich could be perpetuating social inequality, academics conclude
Charities lost almost £8.6m to fraud last year, latest figures show
Top earners at Wellcome Trust paid almost £8m each after investments boomed
Adeela Warley: In 2022 let’s make social media a place for hope, not hate
Care charity lost more than 150 staff last year because of vaccination rules
This is a charity – Wendy
Fifth former Oxfam GB staffer sanctioned after DRC sexual misconduct investigation
Why aren’t more charities supporting community building initiatives
Does the voluntary sector have a class problem
Giving pains: the cost of grant-making
National Trust hits back at 'paid-for' campaign to influence its governance
Charity investigated over ‘teacher with sword’ and ‘child eating dead rat’
Reproductive healthcare charity boss paid £229,000 annual bonus
Academies trust run by major charity breached the law, review finds
Cash-for-honours: two men questioned over allegations linked to King Charles’ charity
Are charities too ‘respectable’ to achieve change
Cash-for-honours file linked to King Charles charity passed to CPS
King Charles's charity warned over working in Bahrain
Church of England announces £100m fund after slavery links
Charity 'won't be silenced' by Israel blacklisting
Damning antisemitism report urges NUS to rethink relationship with its charity arm
Regulator looking into foundation set up by UK’s richest man
Charity bosses bugged rivals and spent money for homeless on luxury gifts
Has AI solved the poverty porn dilemma?
Report reveals three in 10 large charities have all-white boards
including kindness in public services
Lots of interesting events
kick it – stop smoking – kingston
well-being courses at Kingston Adult Education
contact
communitylearningkae@kingston.gov.uk
for more information
Self-Compassion
Kingston council would like feedback on Cambridge House advocacy service by 19 June
contact
christina.paschalinou@kingston.gov.uk
Kingston Voluntary Action (KVA)
4 in 10 children in London live in poverty
Developing a 2040 Community Vision for Kingston
1 in 4 are living in poverty after housing costs
Source: London’s poverty profile 2021
Updated nomination link for free SIM-cards
Health and Inequalities - Bitesize Training- information sharing and learning
update including holistic health
Come Rhyme with Us - the video
Accessible Support and Mental Health Resources
Many of us may be feeling under increased financial pressure right now
The worry about money may impact sleep, concentration, productivity and our stress levels
If you are worried about money or need free, impartial advice, the Kingston Citizens Advice free toolkit is here to help
To help, watch an NHS wellbeing webinar on Managing Financial Anxiety
You can access the Worrying About Money leaflet here
Find Mental Health resources on Connected Kingston here
For advice on how to look after your mental health, visit the Mental Health Foundation here
For St John Ambulance's mental health training and resources, please click here
For Mind Mental Health Charity, visit their website here
For Samaritans, visit their website here
Their phone number is 116 123
Opening up a Kingston Town Warm Space for Community Groups
As part of our commitment to share our space, we have opened up part of the ground floor of the council office building (Guildhall 2) as a shared space from Monday - Friday, 10am to 4pm
This space will have free tea and coffee and will be offered as a general use warm space
There will be children’s toys and games available, and we are keen that our voluntary and community sector partners feel able to use this space to support residents
This space is now open
If you would like to volunteer to support this shared space one morning or afternoon a week (or more), or if your organisation would like to regularly use this shared space, please make contact with kate.leyland@kingston.gov.uk for a chat on 0771 4772559
Ask the Expert is back! Book your FREE advice session now
We believe that anyone can be a force for change
Together we explore change, share knowledge and learn from change-makers
Transforming power for social change
Can get places for free email
Worried about the - Policing Bill Wondering what you can do - Find out how to get involved
The Power Project: transform power, build solidarity, make change
Why a voice inside Whitehall matters for campaigners
what can art teach us about social change
Social power – 12 habits of successful change makers
Support + more ideas
Mental illness is a lie which causes untold damage
hospital safety for diabetes patients, institutional misogyny, climate change, and more…
Whistleblowing, patient feedback, visiting restrictions + events…
Latest hub highlights: Misogyny, crosswords, Ockenden…
Mind the implementation gap, vaccination programmes, mesh removal
Patients died after catalogue of errors by Priory mental health chain
Listening to families, safety management systems
including more events for example
Huntercombe group : a mental health scandal
Systemic failures, PSIRF, surviving scrubs, and more…
including ombudsman raising concerns about human rights in Mental Health
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/human-rights-mental-health-care-crisis-b2234510.html
Bed shortages, painful hysteroscopy, revised NatSSIPs, and more…
Prescribing antidepressants for chronic pain lacks evidence, experts say
Trust must pay £200k to whistleblower it subjected to ‘campaign of harassment’
Women’s healthcare in Britain ‘worse than in China and Saudi Arabia’
Three-quarters of children detained under mental health act are girls, new report warns
Trust spent £680k in failed attempt to fight whistleblower
Eight resources on eating disorders
Mothers and babies being put at risk due to unsafe NHS maternity services
Forgotten heroes, whistleblowing, thrombosis misdiagnosis
including anxiety
Published guidance for Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) teams
the plan for health + care services to work with people + communities
Start engagement early
Provide clear and accessible public information
Build relationships with excluded groups
Co-produce and redesign services and tackle system priorities in partnership with people and communities
The NHS Constitution for England
Call for Welsh Government apology after failings at Ysbyty Gwynedd mental health unit
Vulnerable man Clive Treacey 'failed in life and death'
Why asylum seekers deserve better healthcare, and how we can give it to them
To contact our helpline team, call 0800 3457115 between 9.30am and 5pm on weekdays or email helpline@patients-association.org.uk
See our website for more ways to get in touch
And remember, we have a range of information on our website from our very popular nutrition checklist right through to understanding your medicines
Collaboration must be at the heart of the future of health and care
Review highlights stark ethnic healthcare inequalities in the UK
Maternity Scandal: Fighting for the Truth
Mental health problems cost UK economy at least £118 billion a year – new research
The illusion of evidence-based medicine
'Words will not be enough' say grieving families of Shropshire's maternity scandal
Ockenden report: the refusal of our healthcare service to take patient experience seriously
call for evidence for people living with Down’s syndrome
Shared decision making – NHS England
end of life care for trans, intersex + gender diverse people – SURVEY
starting a campaign – here’s some help
putting community + cooperation into care + support
Getting in touch with the Patient Safety Commissioner for England
contact commissioner@patientsafetycommissioner.org.uk
rapid response team
contact
weeklynews@patients-association.org.uk
Sharing experiences of life as a trans person
CQC recruiting patients and carers
contact expertsbyexperience@choicesupport.org.uk
Maternity + neonatal services in East Kent report makes grim reading
the scandal that shook the NHS
HIV testing: Free DIY home kit offered in England
Royal College of Anaesthetists launchs patient group
Increase partnership with patients in primary care
New tool to assess risks of taking sodium valproate
Listening, learning, responding to concerns
Upholding rights and equality in health and social care
Men’s health + internet - “toxic” communities -13 June
Welsh Community Health Councils will be replaced with a new national body, the Citizen Voice Body, and the Welsh Government wants your views on how the new organisation should work
The aims of the new body are to:
Strengthen the citizen voice in Wales in matters related to both health and social services, ensuring that citizens have an effective mechanism for ensuring that their views are heard
Ensure that individuals are supported with advice and assistance when making a complaint in relation to their care
Use the experience of people who have used services to make improvements
Just Treatment – Rich countries protecting pharma monopolies
A £2 medicine charged at over £2900…
put lives before pharma profits – PETITION
We found that 51% of beds in inpatient mental health services are provided by private companies like Priory Group, Cygnet, and Huntercombe Group who make the majority of their revenue from NHS funding
As laid out in
this important article by clinical psychologist Sanah Ahsan
our current approach to mental health care is centred on purely medical responses to "individual" conditions
But we know that issues such as poverty, debt and housing play a huge role – in fact, 73% of Just Treatment supporters who filled out our recent survey on mental health cited material conditions as a key cause of poor mental health
if you would like to share your story click
Close links between big pharma & government
Cheri + Alexey + Rodrigo + Vishal
While the NHS crumbles, big pharma is demanding billions more!
Making the country work for all of us
ZERO SUICIDE ALLIANCE – FREE TRAINING
suicide awareness training for university students
ZSA and Help for Heroes launch suicide awareness training to support veterans
Opportunity for free suicide prevention awareness sessions
contact HAdil@bwwmind.org.uk
Living Wage for care workers – EMAIL MP
Make every contact count - RESOURCES
Putting a spotlight on women’s health – 19 September
Community-led approaches to health and wellbeing – 18 – 19 July
The hidden problems behind delayed discharges and their costs
The preventative state: rebuilding our local, social and civic foundations
Tackling obesity: improving policy making on food and health
Struggling to be heard: understanding the experience of disabled people in England
Better housing for better health
Three surprising trends in adult social care
Working with the VCSE as system partners – from warm words to actions
Gen Z mental health: The impact of tech and social media
How can we reduce health inequalities for people living with sickle cell disorder?
Supporting digital inclusion in health care
New podcast: health inequalities and climate change
Has the Women’s Health Strategy listened to what women really need
Odds stacked against it: how social care struggles to compete with supermarkets on pay
New horizons: what can England learn from the professionalisation of care workers in other countries
poverty and the health and care system
There’s no such thing as a new public policy idea, just a new name
What does it take to ensure partnerships succeed
Poverty, poor-quality housing and health inequalities
The Health and Care Act 2022 – what does it mean for trusts and foundation trusts
A community-powered NHS: making prevention a reality
Working in partnership with people + communities: statutory guidance
What should partnering with disabled people look like
Women in prison + mental health + poverty + strokes +
What is a population health approach
How should the health and care system act on poverty
NHS wants to stop ‘reinventing the wheel’ and involve public in digitisation
New podcast: Supporting refugee and migrant health care in England
Health Management and Policy Alert: 26 July 2022
including human rights concerns regarding people in care
Putting patients first: championing good practice in combatting digital health inequalities
The Health and Care Act 2022: the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead
What can be done to tackle LGBTQ+ health inequalities
Acting on the evidence: ensuring the NHS meets the needs of trans people
The cost of poor housing by tenure in England
Health Management and Policy Alert: 20 July 2021
Including reforming the MHA: government response to consultation
Not listening to us – Wendy
Understanding integration: how to listen to and learn from people and communities
Including poor health + housing + obesity + bad roads
Health Management and Policy Alert: 10 September 2021
Including Home for all
What is needed to reduce ethnic minority health inequalities
How much longer and further are health inequalities set to rise
How will integrated care systems work under the Health and Care Bill
Including details of a free course “an introduction to leading with kindness and compassion in health + social care
The power of those small acts of kindness
The WHO Prison Health Framework: a framework for assessment of prison health system performance
How does the UK's health care performance compare internationally
The cost of poor housing in England
Left behind: a decade of intergenerational unfairness
Invisible women: understanding women’s experiences of long-term imprisonment
Listen: Tackling health inequalities head on through integrated care
Your health and care explained update
New podcast: What is the Health and Care Bill and why does it matter
Restraint, segregation and seclusion review: progress report
From harm to hope: a 10-year drugs plan to cut crime and save lives
Integrated care systems and social care: the opportunities and challenges
If integrated care cannot tackle inclusion health, we should all be worried
New explainer: How does the system hear from communities
Robot performs first laparoscopic surgery without human help
Local government public health funding: putting the jigsaw together without the picture on the box
What could provider collaboratives look like
Not really outcome-based commissioning? Certainly not people commissioning? – Wendy
Local health systems: relationships not structures
How does the NHS in England work and how is it changing
Mental Health Act reform: race and ethnic inequalities
NICE recommends offering app-based treatment for people with insomnia instead of sleeping pills
Cancer screening: the urgent shouldn’t crowd out the important
ADPH highlights link between gambling and suicide
Nature-based physical activity as an early intervention for teenagers
Introducing integrated care systems: joining up local services to improve health outcomes
Interoperability is more than technology
New podcast: Stafford Scott on community activism
Poverty and the health and care system: The role of data and partnership in bringing change
Global report on health equity for persons with disabilities
What can data tell us about the health of the nation?
Making retirement living affordable: the role of shared ownership housing for older people
Home is at the heart of inclusion health – here's why
LGBTQ+ staff and patients deserve better from the NHS
Tech transformation disrupts leadership styles
Joint Committee on the Draft Mental Health Bill +
This report states the reform process needs to continue beyond the draft Bill in the direction of more rights-led legislation that respects patient choice
Standing back from The Hewitt Review: six key take-aways
suggesting more power to the people ? - Wendy
Ask for a free place ? - our voices matter – Wendy
Westminster Health Forum (WHF) policy conference – PROVIDE FREE SPACES – JUST APPLY
A relaxation technique to help you
People’s theatre
£6 Mondays are back
Justice
Haldane society of socialist lawyers
UBI gives people the chance to make their own choices, to make decisions for themselves, their communities, their households, their lives and their futures
UBI does everything from sharing out problems, to delivering a feminist vision to tackling the climate emergency, to stopping benefit traps
It does all those things, but ultimately UBI is democracy
Baroness Natalie Bennett
Every step we take towards a Basic Income will liberate power in the hands of the citizen
Paddy Ashdown
Andy Burnham joins call for basic income trial
Report from Manchester University
How universal basic income can tackle anxiety + depression
Extending Welsh Universal basic income pilot to heavy industrial workers
VOTE FOR THIS EVEN IF NOT IN WALES
Welsh basic income pilot have been published
In a statement from Jane Hutt, Minister for Social Justice
The pilot will be targeted at care leavers
All young people leaving care that turn 18 over a 12 month period starting this summer will be invited to participate
That is expected to be about 500 people
Participants will receive the payments for 24 months starting from the month after their 18th birthday
A £1,600 a month basic income will be paid each month
Universal basic income motion passed by Richmond Council
69% of people in Wales support basic income pilots
Stockton, California who released incredible results from the experiment there
Start your own Basic Income Conversation today – TOOLKIT
We've urged ministers to back basic income for mental health – Peace of mind project
Let's make Basic Income a reality – PETITION
The Basic Income Conversation is growing... here's how
Universal Credit cut: now is the time for basic income
Last week the £20 Universal Credit uplift was cut.
5.8 million people claim Universal Credit in England, Scotland and Wales. Overnight, their incomes fell by £1,000 a year.
If they’d had a basic income, they wouldn’t have been plunged into precarity.
Now is the time for a basic income.
There are thousands of people across the UK working to make that clear.
How do we pay for a basic income
Email mp asking them to join CPPLG
NEW REPORT: Results of our Basic Income Month
Understanding the impacts of a basic income
Can you help get candidates across the UK to support UBI trials
Tackling Poverty: The power of a universal basic income
Record low poverty at no net cost
The most common question that we get asked in the Basic Income Conversation is “How would we pay for this”
As of today we can say, “You don’t. It doesn’t have to cost the public purse anything.”
Our new paper lays out a fiscally neutral scheme that involves no additional calls on the public finances and no net increase in taxation: the cost of the extra payments would be exactly offset by the extra revenue from internal changes in tax rates and National Insurance Contributions
The gains of this modest scheme are concentrated among the poorest income groups, and the gains are incredible:
Child poverty falls by more than a half taking
it to below the historic level achieved in 1977
Working-age poverty falls by just over a quarter
Pensioner poverty falls by 54%
This takes the level of pensioner poverty to well below the lowest post-1961 rate of 14% in the early 1980s.
The Gini coefficient – a measure of inequality – falls by 12.5%, taking it back towards the peak equality achieved in the 1970s.
Despite the scale of the current crises, we keep being told that our problems are too big, too complex, there are too many obstacles, and it’s just too expensive to take care of people
The human cost of our problems is unfathomably and heartbreakingly big.
The cost of transforming people’s lives is not.
Thanks to this paper, we’re laying out exactly why and how implementing a basic income is eminently doable.
How can a modest basic income cut poverty by half
Is basic income a vote winner
Listen Now: A Basic Income Special
Winning the vote with a universal basic income: Evidence from the 'red wall
ask for universal basic income with Sadiq Khan + Andy Burnham +
“Back to work” budget – March 2023
does not describe conditions to help people live fruitful, productive, and dignified lives
It describes expanding and strengthening punitive work search requirements and sanctions
This budget chooses to double down on sanctions despite the vast majority of evidence showing they do not help people find work and instead damages our health
Indeed we expect the DWP's own research shows this to be true
but ministers have blocked the release of this "sensitive" information
We know our social security system is leading people to early graves with over 300,000 excess deaths from 2012-19
largely attributable to UK Government austerity measures
Despite that harrowing truth
this government is making people more vulnerable when claiming benefits, not less
We don’t need tinkering around the edges, we need a new economic settlement
One that guarantees financial stability to all of our citizens
One that treats us fairly
One that uses evidence to build a system that makes the people that use it more secure, happier and healthier
An unconditional basic income would reverse the brutal culture of sanctions that has gripped our social security system for too long
How do we get there?
We explore the alternatives and make sure we are heard
We bring people together, convene and converse, on how different things can be
We are the experts on what our communities need and should be a key part of the decision making process about policies designed to support us
We published a report with Deputy Leader of the Green Party and London Assembly Member, Zack Polanski
This report outlines how communities can build their own basic income pilots, together
How they can design projects to produce evidence on basic income that can be used to build a social security system that's the best it can be
Involving Londoners in a basic income pilot
Our proposal for a community led basic income pilot in Jarrow and Grange, East Finchley
universal basic income discussion
Basic income + our mental health
Newsletter of the European Network for the Fair Sharing of Working Time
Invite your MP to the #FlexforAll briefing
Parents against child exploitation
Watch our new film about spotting the signs of child exploitation
Safeguarding training – perhaps ask for a free space
Believe in yourself and your children: one parents story
Read a mother shares her story, "PS I Love You"
Child Exploitation Awareness Day 2023
Prosecuting mental health – accountability or criminalisation
A different understanding How the CJS discriminates against those with autism
When should a family dispute end up in court
Barely legal - The experience of remote tribunal hearings
The forgotten people - Prisoners on remand in the pandemic
Does L&D stop the revolving door of police custody
Does diversion from court have an image problem
Computer says yes – you will pay a fine and get a criminal record
Children imprisoned on remand – the stark reality of racial bias
Only by radically shrinking the magistrates’ court can the Crown Court backlog be reduced
Is justice for victims always criminal justice
Does the defendant in the magistrates’ court get a fair hearing
Making child remand a last resort
Do people who get in trouble with the law deserve double punishment
Independent domestic violence advocates in specialist courts – a backfire effect
Is imprisonment before trial the result of poor risk assessment
Keeping the wheels of justice turning – magistrates’ views on justice in the pandemic
This single justice procedure affects women more than men
Will harsher sanctions reduce assaults on police and NHS workers
out of sight, out of mind – defendant’s experience of video court hearings
Can assaults on police and NHS workers be avoided in the first place
A recipe for confused policing New drug strategy laced with problems
The Transform Justice Podcast – Episode Recap
Should lawyers pay more attention to client feedback
The myth that tough sanctions deter crime – revealed by the Sentencing Council
Judicial bias – opening pandora’s box
“Tis but a scratch” – bravado, policing and assaults
False imprisonment: do we over-use police custody
Should school non-attendance be treated as a crime
Should victims prosecute crimes against them?
Should we imprison people for being a pain in the neck?
HMCTS was forewarned about the risk of digital courts
Behind close doors – is justice ‘seen to be done’?
Sign the petition and tell President Biden to fulfill his promise to clear the federal death row.
How This Minneapolis Man Is Healing Collective Trauma Through Creative Counseling and Mentoring
Trauma informed training attempts to bridge gap between Newark residents + cops
A model for police + community relations
An up-close portrait of the people doing violence intervention work
New nonprofit uses yoga to address Black men’s mental health
Community-based violence prevention works, but it needs sustained support
The Future of Public Safety is Now
Alternatives to Police and Prisons: Activists Share How to Better Address Violence
Truth, justice + accountability
Progress on the legal aid for inquests campaign
Leon – Nadia – Sam – Matthew -Zoe – Marshall – Jane – Sammy – Coco – Trevor – Shane – Abdul – Lamont – Andrew – Steven – Gavin – Jason – Micheal – Jack – Alex
including connection cafes
Deaths of racialised people in prison 2015 – 2022: Challenging racism and discrimination
Black men seven times more likely to die following police restraint but racism not being addressed
INQUEST News ⚖️ on challenging state violence & justice campaigns
Less crime, safer communities, fewer people in prison
The hidden crisis that isn't making the headlines
Punished when they should have been helped
Stop building women's prisons – EMAIL MP
focussed on reducing the unnecessary arrests of women reducing child arrests and ending the criminalisation of children in care
Changing outcomes for Black people in the criminal justice system
"Nobody really cares about prisons"
Arrests of children have been reduced by 74% over the last decade, in another major step forward for our successful campaign.
Since 2010, the Howard League for Penal Reform has been working with police forces across England and Wales to reduce child arrests, helping to ensure that hundreds of thousands of boys and girls do not have their lives blighted by a criminal record.
We campaign on a wide range of issues including children in the criminal justice system, change inside prisons, community sentencing + policing
We have an in-house expert legal team who represent children in custody.
We strive to minimise the human suffering and social harms that are both causes of crime and consequences of punishment.
We stand for constructive forms of justice that contribute to building a safer, fairer society.
We stand against abuse and mistreatment and all forms of discrimination in the criminal justice system.
Prisons create conflict, put a strain on the police and hospitals and thwart human potential – they simply do not work.
Sadly, the government are planning on expanding our already over-crowded prison population.
The recently published Prisons strategy white paper has dedicated £4 billion to new prions places, with the Ministry of Justice’s own projections predicting the population to reach almost 99,000 over the next five years.
International Women’s Day
A day in the community where we celebrate and empower women.
Unfortunately, for women in prison, today won’t be a day for celebrations.
There were almost 5,000 receptions of women into prison last year, and more than half of them were for women on remand.
Too many women are being swept up into the justice system when it is not necessary or appropriate.
Most women in prison have a history of childhood abuse or trauma, they need a safe space and support.
Prison life during the pandemic
International Women's Day and other news
Commission on Crime and Gambling Related Harms
In the last year, prisoners self-harmed at a rate of once every 10 minutes
17 August 2022
report on young people's well-being in prison
“Being creative has helped me survive my prison sentence”
Businesses back criminal records reform
You can email + sign petitions without donating to anything
distracting the world with its money + sportswashing – PETITION
Stop executing child defendants - PETITION
Help save Hussein: Email the new Chair of the Saudi Arabian Human Rights Commission
No torturers at the Coronation
Share this video to help Ban Conversion Therapy
Stand with LGBTQ+ people in Qatar – PETITION
Help fill a virtual stadium with pride
Stop the attack on trans rights – EMAIL MP
ban conversion therapy – EMAIL MP
stand up for the equality act – EMAIL MP
My queer brothers and sisters need your help – PETITION
ban conversion therapy in India – PETITION
ban conversion therapy Bangladesh - PETITION
Take this simple step to fight FIFA's hypocrisy – PETITION
Tunisia: Trans woman Maya arrested – PETITION
SIGN NOW: Call for the recognition of same-sex partnerships and marriage equality in Poland!
Sign now for same-sex partnerships in Ukraine
Gay Chechen refugee in danger – PETITION
Sign to ban "conversion therapy" in Sri Lanka
Petition: Indonesia needs your voice to ban “conversion therapies”
how well do you know your rights - FREE BOOKLET
why the ECHR matters – video + campaign
Demand real alternatives to policing – ACTION
speak up for human rights – PETITION
protest rights at risk – again – PETITION
The Asylum Seeker Memorial Project
New protest laws - what you need to know
You do not have to donate when signing a petition – petitions are free to sign
On Thursday 22 February 1934,
Liberty was founded to defend “the whole spirit of British freedom”
Now, on our 88th anniversary, our fight is more important than ever as the Government attempts to shut down the ways people can hold it to account.
We won’t let the Government become untouchable
Democratic crisis
In a democratic society, people must be able to hold the powerful to account – but the Government is trying to rewrite the rules.
It wants to ‘overhaul’ the Human Rights Act. The HRA forces public authorities to respect rights and enables people to enforce their rights in court if they fall short.
But the Government wants to remove this obligation on public authorities and make it near-impossible for anyone to get to court and see justice.
Similarly, its Judicial Review Bill will change judges’ powers so challenging the Government’s action in court won’t be worthwhile.
Plans for mandatory voter ID which could prevent millions of people having their say in elections.
And the Government is side lining MPs when making laws, giving them little time to scrutinise proposals.
Alongside these attacks, the anti-protest Policing Bill is back in Parliament next week.
Last month the House of Lords dealt a major blow to the Government’s plans by ripping out some of the worst proposals.
But ministers are now trying to get some back in – including criminalising noisy protests.
Noise is at the very heart of protest.
It is literally how we make our voices heard.
Liberty was founded following the oppressive treatment of protesters on the National Hunger March, and we will always work to protect this key pillar of democracy.
Together we can stop this democratic crisis in its tracks.
Email MP to protect our rights
URGENT PETITION: save the Human Rights Act
tell the government to stop the attacks on our democratic rights
In many respects the Government’s plans laid out in the Queen’s Speech are even worse than anticipated
They include:
A so-called ‘Bill of Rights’
which would scrap the Human Rights Act and remove obligations on public bodies like local councils and government departments to treat people fairly
A Public Order Bill
which would force through the anti-protest measures that our mass public resistance defeated just a few months ago, such as criminalising ‘lock-on’ protests
A National Security Bill
handing state security services even more power and potentially threatening the work of journalists who uncover dark truths
Even after it suffered stinging defeats in the last Parliament, the Government is returning to force through unwanted and unpopular policies
Revealed: Alarming rise in deaths of asylum seekers
new met boss must be spark for real change – PETITION
3 things new Met Chief must do right now
I have the right to protest – PETITION
I have the right to protest – EMAIL MP
Infant deaths in Home Office care
URGENT EMAIL MP - Government is bringing back the Rights Removal Bill
WIN: Gangs Matrix to be overhauled
Stop Raab from wrecking your rights
I have the right to protest – PETITION
The truth about protest – OUR STORIES
Abusing human rights without consequences
Shocking new data on racism in policing
Coastguard ‘ignored' small boats reports before tragedy struck
this is not who we are – PETITION
Fighting NHS Charging – What can you do now
Why is PayPal trying to silence activists
Secret units SPYING on your speech
🎥 Whistleblower: 'army spied on UK citizens'
The police are after our biometric data again
Documenting the rise of facial recognition in the UK
Edward +Annie + David + Jeffrey + Thomas
NETPOL – the network for police monitoring
Black Lives Matter protest – VIDEO
new report condemns "revenge policing" and calls for scrapping new police powers
Spycops in CND: Request for information
They want to silence criticism
Boris Johnson misled Parliament
They want to block public interest
This is not the Britain we should be
REVEALED: The names of those who referred Covid testing firms into the “VIP” lane
5 billion pounds tax payers money ? - Wendy
Other information sources
‘We need urgent action on Black mental health’
Mozilla – internet health 2022 – reclaiming power over AI
the tech we won’t build – podcast
including weaponisation of social media + GOOGLE involvement with military
when an algorithm is your boss – podcast
gig economy – if you are a minute late with a delivery you are banned from working for 2 days with some deliver apps
alternatives
using
for workers collectives
The truth is out there – podcast
about misinformation industry – which affects elections + dark social media
Does This Button Work? Investigating YouTube's ineffective user controls
Is Instagram fueling eating disorders in teenagers
Does TikTok harm your mental health
Are Facebook groups encouraging people to take part in offline violence
The answer is… we don’t know for sure. And that’s a serious problem
Brave, independent researchers and whistleblowers are trying to study the impact and harms of social media companies on society - but they face constant threats and roadblocks
especially from the companies whose products they are trying to scrutinize
We know because Mozilla works with many of these journalists and academics to expose companies like YouTube, Twitter and TikTok
Delete Delete Can your boss read your Dms
The worst mental health apps for privacy
Discrimination lurks throughout our digital world
TRUTH Challenges, Changes Algorithmic Bias Against Black Women
MozFest House – Live In Amsterdam – 19 -21 June
No evidence for Rishi Sunak’s claim about ‘record’ number of new homes built
Immigration claims repeatedly being made based on unpublished data
Claims that London and Manchester are ‘minority white’ cities are not true
Lowest paid nurses aren’t getting a 9% pay increase
PETITION – I want my MP to stand up for honesty
not just MP all public servants ? - Wendy
Misinformation about the earthquake in Turkey
Why the Liberal Democrats’ sums don’t add up
There is no data to suggest 100 million displaced people are ‘coming to the UK’
Youth unemployment no longer at historic low
2022 was a damaging year for standards in public debate
Rishi Sunak’s claims about falls in crime fail to account for fraud
The WHO has not declared the Covid-19 pandemic over
Home secretary must correct misleading claim
Sanders and McDonnell on community wealth
Land banks and community land trusts
Community wealth building as health building
Scotland’s guide to community wealth building
Community wealth building comes to Scotland
How to Make a Democracy Economy
South Korea explores community wealth building
How NY can enter ‘a new era of public power’
‘A global beacon’ for community wealth
North Ayrshire Council in Scotland
Technology
Innovation is not designed to create happiness
It's designed a lot of the time to facilitate one's needs and desires, to stimulate desire and all of those kinds of things
It's certainly about doing all of that, but it's not about making the world better for people
And it's not about improving their lives in any way
It's about trying to actually create a world in which more profit is to be had
Military
The one sector of government that doesn’t experience austerity is the military budget
To what degree is competition between states somehow rather related, tightly related, to the competition between capitalists
Ask Prof Wolff: Is Nordic Socialism a Progressive Step
How Capitalism Shapes our Food
Ask Prof Wolff: Taxing Billionaires
Wolff Responds: Capitalism's False Defenses
All Things Co-op: Cuba's New Cooperative Legislation
Global Capitalism: The Problems with China's Economy
we learn about the psychology of control and domination
understand our personal connections to capitalism’s structure
All Things Co-op: Lessons from Venezuela’s Social Economy
Ask Prof Wolff: From Capitalism to Co-op
All Things Co-op: Blockchain and Cryptocurrency
Economic Update: Unaffordable Housing
The popular movement for peace needs to be rekindled
All Things Co-op: There Is An Alternative To Capitalism
Global Capitalism: The Socialism That Focuses Too Much on Government
Ask Prof Wolff: Capitalism Doesn’t Care About You
Coping with (and Resisting) Capitalism
The Whiteness of Wealth: podcast with Prof Dorothy Brown
Podcast: The capture of Malta and the fight for justice
"You need to be very strong
To do the job that she did you really have to be your own person
You couldn’t be the kind of person who worries what people might think of you, and you really have to say, no, I’m not going to adapt, I’m not going to fall into that mould
I’m going to break it and keep breaking.”
Paul Caruana Galizia
Pandora Papers shows transparency failure is an accountability failure
Jersey’s Pandora’s Boxes: The Tax Justice Network podcast
The Swiss banking clean-up is a mirage
10 measures to expose sanctioned Russian oligarchs’ hidden assets
Podcast: Financial Secrecy Index 2022
Podcast: Amazon's tax challenge
Podcast: Tax and racial justice
UN Secretary General signals support for UN tax convention
education rights and tax justice
PODCAST: Uncommon Wealth and the ‘boomerang effect’
UN adopts historic decision to take on new tax leadership
📡PODCAST: The day global power shifted📡
2022: developments, successes and looking forward to 2023
The Santiago Declaration on Public Services
Open call for activity proposals for ‘Tax Justice for Women’s Rights 2023’ campaign
📡PODCAST: organised crime and financial secrecy📡
One year on, Russian oligarchs can more easily evade EU sanctions thanks to EU court ruling
Here’s how Humza Yousaf can deliver a fairer, greener Scotland
The global tax rate is now a tax haven rewards programme, and Switzerland wants in first
Tax Justice Network letter to King Charles III
Tax the mega rich now – PETITION
📡Podcast: monopolies and market power📡
Our tax system is broken – EMAIL MP
Support President Biden’s proposal to stop global tax dodging – PETITION
Pandora Papers shows transparency failure is an accountability failure
Women disproportionately affected by soaring Mental Health Act detentions
NHS failures contributed to death of trans activist Sophie Williams, coroner finds
How Britain’s Covid support for big business entrenched inequality
George Floyd three years on: So many anti-racism pledges, so little progress
Management consultants raking in £3,000 a day from NHS
Private firm that left asylum seekers to sleep on street made £28m profit
Council that vetoed cash for food banks to spend £50,000 on coronation
Labour MP Nadia Whittome: Public Order Act is threat to democracy
Minister snubbed warning from elections watchdog over foreign donations
King Charles must rise above impotent talk of ‘sorrow’ for slavery
King Charles wants to appear progressive on race. He’s not
Revealed: How ‘unfit’ PPE helped former playboy buy two mansions
‘We just got left’: How children of prisoners are abandoned by the state
UK human rights being ‘eroded’, warn dozens of groups in landmark letter
Gold mining firm accused of ‘espionage’ against UK activist
The Home Office says you don’t need to know about its ‘spying’ on lawyers
Outcry over policing is overdue, say groups targeted by cops for decades
Will US support for Ukraine and Putin’s spin at home keep both sides fighting?
Forget GDP growth, it’s sustainable wellbeing we need to aim for
Who is Elly Schlein, the first woman and LGBTIQ+ leader of Italy’s left?
Hungary’s latest target: Trans people
LGBTIQ people face life in prison under Uganda’s new bill
Calls for US anti-rights groups to face action over Uganda anti-gay law
Americans are rejecting religion as the Christian right becomes more extreme
Afghan refugees fear homelessness as landlords ‘refuse to rent’ to them
9 ways the NHS could be improved for trans people
Whenever capitalism gets into crisis, it's women's bodies on the line
‘It left a scar on me’: Locked up in the UK’s women-only immigration centre
How the UK government is undermining the Freedom of Information Act
90% of Met officers disciplined for racism still work for force
Met Police officers kept jobs after sending racist and sexist messages
Revealed: Police began monitoring ‘social justice’ activity after BLM protests
Racism in UK maternal care: ‘Why aren’t we being listened to’
Revealed: Taxpayers fork out £8m to subsidise Lords’ food and drink
The post-Roe v Wade crisis can only end if Democrats restore our rights
The US Christian Right groups actively involved in voter suppression
Andalucían feminists resist pressure from Spanish far-right
Revealed: UK private tenants hit by record annual rent hikes
How Boris Johnson rigged British politics for the Tories
Landlords urged to ‘take advantage’ of soaring rents in ‘grotesque’ email
Private renters will face ‘winter of hardship’ after autumn statement
Revealed: Housing associations urged ministers to let them increase rents
Landlords of hundreds of thousands of vulnerable tenants secretly lobbied the government to let them charge more rent – while paying their executives nearly £300,000 a year each
Delay in ‘no fault’ evictions ban leaves 48,000 households facing homelessness
‘Destitution’ warning as DWP rejects calls to pause benefit deductions
Religious liberty’ is being weaponised by the American Right
Even police doubted my arrest was legal, claims anti-royal protester
Britain treats republicanism as a bit of a joke. Time to take it seriously