National Self-Care Week (17-23 November 2025) is a campaign designed to inspire and empower people to take charge of their own physical and mental wellbeing. Led by the Self Care Forum, it’s an awareness week that everyone can get involved in.
"There is still some way to go before strengths-based working becomes the norm in our services and communities. Leadership is vital if we are to achieve this aspiration", believes Robin Miller, Professor of Collaborative Learning in Health and Social Care at the University of Birmingham.
Making sure the voices of staff from all ethnic backgrounds are heard are central to the objectives of the Workplace Race Equality Standard (WRES). In our first in a dedicated series of blogs, Brighton & Hove City Council’s Principal Social Workers Richard Cattell and Tom Stibbs reflect on challenges within their organisation, how the WRES …
"At the start of lockdown, there was a great deal of uncertainty for young adult carers about the rules, how we can keep loved ones safe and the impact restrictions would have on our everyday lives. In April 2020, the Department for Health and Social Care asked us to join a consultation process to help …
"March has been the month when women’s contribution to the health, wealth and prosperity of our world has been emphatically celebrated. We want to tap into this rich resource of skills, empathy and lived experience" says Deborah Sturdy, Chief Nurse for Adult Social Care. "Earlier this month, we launched a consultation to inform a new …
"Today, on Young Carers Action Day, it's more important than ever to acknowledge how difficult the last year has been. It’s not in doubt everyone has had their life altered by the events of recent months, but some have been affected more than others." The Children's Society's Melissa Moody reflects on the past 12 months …
"This last year has been incredibly challenging. The top priorities have been to save lives, protect the most vulnerable people in our society and safeguard the NHS but it has meant our contact with family and friends has been significantly limited - something that many of us, myself included, have found difficult. "Older care home …
"A year on from the last International Women’s Day and the mantra of ‘trying to have it all’ has truly taken on a whole new meaning" for Fatima Khan Shah Programme Director of Unpaid Carers and Personalised Care in West Yorkshire and Harrogate Health and Care Partnership. In this searingly honest blog, Fatima reflects on …
"When the pandemic first hit... everyone’s lives changed. It felt scary, especially so for staff in our care homes who provide 24 hour support to people with learning disabilities. In an effort to help everyone understand what coronavirus was, we got creative. Using arts and crafts we made signs to remind everyone to wash their …
While the pandemic has reminded care staff how capable and resourceful they are in a crisis, the traumatic nature of their experiences over the last year has also meant learning to accept help from others. As a regional manager with Cygnet Health Care, Vicky Bradshaw was struck by how many of her colleagues have bonded …
Across the UK, Lifeways employs almost 11,000 colleagues supporting nearly 5,000 adults with diverse and complex needs, across a variety of community settings, including our supported living services and residential homes. The COVID-19 pandemic means getting things right has never been more important for many thousands of people.