Latest news with #socialworker
BBC News
a day ago
- General
- BBC News
First black mayor of Dunstable receives delegation from Kenya
The first black mayor of a town has received a government delegation from her home country of official visit to Dunstable Town Council in Bedfordshire from the capital of Kenya took place on Friday, two weeks after Sally Kimondo was appointed 47, said it was a "privilege" to receive the phone call telling her the delegation would be visiting from Nairobi City said: "I am getting so many invites to go and speak at events in Kenya but my priority is the people of Dunstable." She said she did not realise the impact becoming mayor had made "back home in Kenya and even in Dunstable".Kimondo said she truly felt "honoured" to become the first black mayor of the town and said it "shows that multiculturalism is being celebrated in Dunstable". Kimondo, a Labour councillor, is a social worker in children's services and has lived in Bedfordshire for more than 20 years, and in Dunstable for five succeeded the first independent mayor of the town, Louise O' her inauguration, she said her message was "be kind to people as you do not know what they are going through".She thanked the people of Dunstable, as she said everyone had been very welcoming and she had not received any negative comments. "This moment is not just about me; it's about every child who now sees someone who looks like them in leadership. It's about a town that chooses unity, growth, and representation," she explained."Every charity and community group plays a crucial role in making our society better."She picked the CHUMS children's charity and Hospice at Home Volunteers as her chosen charities. Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
News.com.au
6 days ago
- General
- News.com.au
Primary school worker fired for vile Snapchat messages to two 12yo's
A child support worker has been struck off after calling a young girl a 'sl*g' and a 'stupid fat w***e' over vile messages on Snapchat. Gillian Sorbie, 41, who previously worked at a primary school in Fife, Scotland, was removed from her job after sending the disgusting texts to two 12-year-olds between March and October 2023. She also offered to buy vapes and 'dish them out' to kids at the school – having used pupils' details to find them and add them on Snapchat, The Sun reported. In one of the shocking messages sent to the young girl, she told the pupil to 'go to f*****g hell' and even threatened to 'hurt her'. The messages were published following a hearing by the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC), unveiling the vile behaviour of the former school support worker. Sorbie sent messages which read: 'Go suck a f**k, that's what w****s do, so anytime you feel like it.' She also verbally abused the pupil further, telling her to 'go to f**king hell' and 'just you wait till tomorrow you stupid fat w***e'. Sorbie also threatened to hurt the same young girl, saying: 'F**k you, you're gonna hurt when I see you tomorrow.' She then went on to shockingly ask: 'Are you dead yet?' In messages to another 12-year-old student, Sorbie arranged to buy them a vape, the Daily Record reported. She wrote: 'I'm going to get yours in the shop round from me before I head down. 'Any particular type or flavour you want?' Sorbie also instructed the young child to get into her car before exchanging the vapes for cash. Telling the pupil about her plans over Snapchat, she wrote: 'What to do is, all of you give all the money to one person, then that person can jump in my car and I'll hand over all of the vapes and they can dish them out after I've gone. 'Don't want to be seen selling you vapes in public so gotta be subtle. xx'. Shockingly, Sorbie then joked that she couldn't 'have folk know' she was 'selling vapes to 11-year-olds'. She told the pupil that it has 'to be kept quiet' and also asked them how many other students wanted vapes. Sorbie was convicted of selling a nicotine product to a person under the age of 18 at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court in September last year. During a hearing at the SSSC last week, a panel heard how the child support worker tried to delete the messages after the parent of one of the children attempted to save them. She ultimately failed in her bid to conceal any wrongdoing and was banned by the safety watchdog from working in social care indefinitely. 'Abusive and inappropriate content' The SSSC ruling on the case read: 'You provided two former pupils of the primary school where you worked with your contact details and then repeatedly contacted them both on a social media messaging application. 'This was further aggravated by the abusive and inappropriate content of the messages. 'You offered to sell nicotine vape devices to a child. This is an abuse of the trust placed in you by your employer and the parents of the children you were entrusted to care for.' It added: 'You attempted to delete messages as the parent of one of the children was trying to save them in an attempt to conceal your wrongdoing. 'A warning would not be appropriate as the behaviour is extremely serious and a warning would give no protection to service users or the public. 'A condition would not be appropriate because the type of behaviour at issue is not the type of behaviour which conditions would rectify.'
Daily Mail
25-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
I cured my chronic pain with simple trick after doctors said I'd be disabled for life... here's how you can too
At just 19 years old, Nicole Sachs was told she would be wheelchair-bound by the time she was 40, unable to travel or have children. Sachs had been suffering from debilitating lower back pain for years and was told by her doctor it was caused by spondylolisthesis, a spinal condition where a vertebra slips out of place. Doctors insisted her pain was tied to the chronic spine condition, saying spinal fusion surgery was her best option, without guaranteeing it would put a stop to her pain for good. But before she went through with it, she discovered the practice of mind-body work and something clicked: her pain stemmed not from a physical malady but repressed trauma and emotion. Now, 30 years later not only is she pain-free, she's a globe-trotting mother of three, defying the limitations once imposed on her. In her book, Mind Your Body, Sachs, a social worker, reveals how she bridged the gap between traditional Western medicine and a radical new understanding of chronic pain: Her mind needed healing, not her spine. Her journey challenges everything she thought she knew about pain. Sachs writes it all started with a life-altering realization: doctors don't always have all the answers. Now, she's sharing the science behind the breakthrough that saved her, believing it could help millions trapped in unending pain. Pain can be all in your head, but not in the way you think. For thousands of years, ancient healers believed the mind and body were inextricably linked – that grief could weaken the heart, stress could turn the stomach, and emotional trauma could manifest as physical pain. The rise of Western medicine in the 17th century caused a seismic shift in the way people perceive pain and illness, seeing the body and mind as separate and to be treated as such. This has culminated in millions of doctors telling their patients that all of their tests came back normal and their pain is all in their heads, which comes off as a dismissal. That's exactly how Sachs felt,. Committing to the mind-body connection, however, reduced her suffering and sparked a quest to understand the brain's role in chronic pain. She pursued degrees in psychology and clinical social work and honed her approach, blending psychotherapy with mind-body science. Sachs wrote: 'The genesis of most chronic conditions can be explained when you understand the way a fight-or-flight-motivated nervous system sends signals of distress to divert us from the perceived 'predators' causing our suffering… I have discovered over years of practice that this is what's required to rewire your thinking.' By giving voice to her inner child and unprocessed trauma, her pain began to dissolve. In mind-body medicine, 'chronic condition' and 'chronic pain' cover a wide range of ongoing health issues, from autoimmune flare-ups and pain to GI problems, skin conditions, and anxiety. Sachs dealt with severe back pain for years and was in and out of doctors' offices, trying prescription painkillers and medications. Your brain is hardwired to save you from danger, but when trapped in endless 'fight-or-flight' mode, it can turn emotional pain into chronic illness. Stress floods your body with cortisol and adrenaline, preparing you to flee a predator or attempt to fight them off. In mind-body medicine, pain isn't random — it's the nervous system's way of distracting from repressed emotions like rage or heartbreak by converting them into physical symptoms. The fix, Sachs says, is to stop fighting one's feelings. She herself dealt with deep loneliness, rage and injustices as a child. As an adult, this triggered physical pain and she learned through mind-body science that her back pain was a response to that. By confronting repressed emotions, patients can 'switch off' the body's primal alarm system, stopping pain in its tracks. As part of her practice, she created JournalSpeak — a raw, unfiltered journaling practice to release buried emotions. JournalSpeak instructs people to choose a topic that is emotionally triggering to them and write about it for 20 minutes without worrying about spelling or grammar. When completed, the person can burn, discard or delete the writings as the purpose is to purge, not reflect. After writing, Sachs then instructs people to meditate or do grounding breathwork. She wrote: 'When the impolite, unthinkable truths are exhumed and safely felt, the nervous system no longer reacts by flying into protective mode and sending pain signals.' Scientists have been wrestling with the idea that chronic pain is connected to emotional turmoil, and could even be a response to it. A 2012 report in the journal Techniques in Regional Anesthesia and Pain Management concluded that chronic pain and emotional trauma are physiologically intertwined. Researchers found 35 percent of chronic pain patients meet the criteria of a PTSD diagnosis. Both conditions trigger hyperarousal in the amygdala and flood the body with stress hormones like cortisol. In 2022, researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles, posited in the journal Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews that repressed anger rewires the brain, activating the amygdala and flipping the 'pain switch' on to cause conditions like fibromyalgia and unexplained back pain. Pent-up rage, they found, disrupts key brain regions, turning emotional stress into physical pain. Unprocessed trauma and anger keep that pain switch turned on and continuously weaken the prefrontal cortex, which regulates emotions, decision-making, and pain signals. Sachs maintains the brain can learn to recognize that difficult emotions pose no real danger, reducing unnecessary pain signals, and techniques like JournalSpeak and mindfulness help recalibrate the nervous system, demonstrating that stress does not require a painful survival response.
CBS News
23-05-2025
- CBS News
West Michigan social worker accused of having inappropriate communications with students
A social worker who works with middle school students in the Kentwood Public Schools district is accused of having inappropriate communications with several students. Dequindre Malik Wiggins, 26, of Grand Rapids, Michigan, is charged with accosting a minor for immoral purposes and using a computer to commit a crime. The Kent County Sheriff's Office says Wiggins is a licensed master social worker and was employed at Valleywood Middle School in Kentwood. Detectives began investigating Wiggins on May 9 when a parent reported inappropriate contact between her child and Wiggins to a sheriff's office road patrol. An investigation revealed that Wiggins had contact with other students on online platforms. Following an investigation, the Kent County Prosecutor's Office issued a nationwide, extraditable arrest warrant on May 21. Wiggins was located in Lexington, Kentucky, on May 21 and arrested by the Lexington Police Department. He is awaiting extradition at the Fayette County Detention Center. "The Kent County Sheriff's Office continues to prioritize the safety of children and holds accountable those who violate positions of trust. We urge parents to stay involved in their children's online and gaming activity and to report any suspicious interactions," said Sgt. Scott Dietrich, Kent County Sheriff's Office public information officer. Anyone with information on the incident or concerns related to the case is asked to call the Kent County Sheriff's Office at 616-632-6100 or Silent Observer at 616-774-2345.
Daily Mail
21-05-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Shocking moment grinning female police officer is caught on camera saying 'let her rot' about vulnerable teenager - then leaving without checking on her
A police officer was caught on camera saying 'let her rot' about a vulnerable teenager who wouldn't answer the door. The female PC made the disparaging remark after the 19-year-old, who has a history of mental health issues, failed to open the door when she and three colleagues called round. She has now been removed from frontline duties while Hertfordshire Police look into her use of language which they have described as 'not representative of the constabulary's ethos'. The case came to light when footage of her remark was widely shared on social media. A friend of the woman, who made the initial formal complaint, told MailOnline the officers had called round after she had dialled 999 fearing her friend was having a breakdown and was about to take her life. She further claims that after the offensive remark that officers then left without making the proper checks. The friend – who has asked not to be named – said the teenager was rushed to hospital the following day after being found unconscious in her flat by her social worker having taken an overdose of pills. Hertfordshire Police confirmed their officers were called to the property in Watford during the early hours of April 12 but dispute that it was in response to an emergency call, insisting it was related to a court matter and not a welfare check. What's not disputed is that the minute-long doorbell footage - since obtained by MailOnline - shows a female officer knocking at the door at 1.33am while her male colleagues stand behind her. As the officers grow increasingly frustrated by the lack of a response to the knock, one of them jokes: 'She's going to stay in there forever isn't she?' The female officer, who had gazed down at her mobile phone for a split second, looks back up and tells him 'let her rot' before turning away to talk to other colleagues. She said her friend does not remember hearing the police knock and said the officers left without checking with neighbours to see if any of them had access to the flat. The woman said: 'My friend lives alone and is only 19 years old and suffers with severe mental health and addiction. 'I called the police as she sent me some concerning texts and I knew her mental state. Unfortunately I was away from home so police was my only option. 'The officers arrived about an hour and a half later. At this point my friend wasn't in any fit state to even stand let alone want any help, which is why she didn't answer her door. 'But the police just left without checking on her. My friend had taken a serious overdose and was admitted to hospital the next day after her addiction worker found her unconscious. 'When she was out of hospital the following day, she showed me the doorbell footage of the police officers, I couldn't believe it. One of them is heard clearly saying 'let her rot' after a colleague made a joke about her staying in the flat forever and not answering the door. 'I think it's disgusting, she was clearly distressed and had made an attempt on her life. They didn't do their job, as far as I'm aware they need to lay eyes on someone during a welfare check which they didn't do, they just left her. 'What if it was something more serious? It's not even worth thinking about! 'Reviewing the footage made my friend feel ten times worse, making her believe that what she thinks about herself is true. It's as if the police basically confirmed it for her to hear. 'Also, I made the call just after midnight on April 12 and it wasn't until 1.33am that the police got there. When they did, there was four of them, which I think could be quite intimidating. 'I believe the police have a duty of care which they absolutely failed to abide by in this case. I'm appalled.' The woman has suffered mental health and addiction issues most of her life but the problems have grown worse over the last three years meaning she has been unable to find work. Police have been called to her flat several times in the past and are aware of her struggles, the friend said. She added: 'There's a massive misunderstanding about Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder (EUPD), especially within the public service. 'There'll no doubt be those who have snarky comments and excuse the police saying they are probably fed up dealing with her. 'But my friend suffered abuse and a very traumatic childhood and is extremely vulnerable. She needs help and care – not an officer turning to another and saying 'let her rot' before leaving without even checking on her.' Hertfordshire Police have now referred the matter to its Professional Standards Department. A spokesman said: 'We have received a complaint from a third party with regards to comments made by an officer in Watford on 12 April. 'These comments were made while officers were making enquiries at the address in relation to a court matter. These comments have since been shared on social media and a complaint received on Friday (16 May). 'The language used is not representative of the constabulary's ethos and the matter has been reviewed urgently. 'It has been referred to our Professional Standards Department for further assessment and the officer concerned has been removed from frontline duties while this takes place.'
