Gerontologist who studied how support systems for older people in rural areas adapt as aspects of society changeThe gerontologist Clare Wenger, who has died aged 84, conducted the Bangor Longitudinal Study of Ageing, the first of its kind in the UK, wh…
UK councils urged to offer housing and support to fleeing Afghans
Government calls on two-thirds of local authorities yet to come forward to make firm offers of helpAfghanistan: live updatesBritain’s councils have been urged to come forward and provide accommodation and other help for Afghans fleeing the Taliban afte…
We all play the status game, but who are the real winners?
Whether we’re yam growers, tech wizards or conspiracy theorists, we’re hardwired to play the status game. But success is not always what it seemsLife is a game. To understand this is to understand why the human world can be so maddening, angry and irr…
Lack of psychologists hits pupils with special educational needs
Councils are struggling to complete children’s education and care plans before the new school year because of a shortage of specialistsCouncils in England are struggling to assess the level of support children with special educational needs require bec…
I was a therapist to killers in Broadmoor – and felt ‘radical empathy’ for them
A forensic psychiatrist recalls her attempts to connect with some of society’s most damaged and dangerous peopleDuring my first week as a newly qualified forensic psychiatrist at Broadmoor, I had to visit one of the wards. At the foot of a staircase, I…
Vulnerable children at risk as England faces shortfall of 25,000 foster families
No support, a broken system and increasing poverty are hampering the recruitment of carers, charities warnEngland faces a 25,000 shortfall in foster families over the next five years, amid complaints of a lack of support for existing carers and a broke…
Greenham Common at 40: We came to fight war, and stayed for the feminism
In 1982, Julie Bindel joined 30,000 women ‘embracing the base’ in protest over nuclear arms. Here she recounts the pivotal role the protest played in their livesIn September 1981, 32 women, four men and several children marched from Cardiff to Berkshir…
Housing association L&Q is still failing residents years after exposé
London & Quadrant tenants say problems with damp, mould and vermin in their homes are being ignoredSocial housing tenants claim their health is being affected by damp, mould and vermin because their complaints have been ignored by one of Britain’s …
A thin-stretched welcome for Britain’s new Afghan arrivals
At a volunteer association near Heathrow, hundreds of refugees are arriving daily needing provisions and supportRefugee charities and Afghan community organisations are struggling to cope with the demand for their services, with thousands of refugees a…
‘I’m utterly sick of it’: UK workers on returning to the commute
Seven people talk about how the Covid pandemic has affected their perspective on travelling to workOffices and schools about to reopen – but will commuters return?Six ways to improve your train journey to workAs September approaches, employers are incr…