In this episode, made to mark Human Rights Day, we’re examining a really fascinating subject—the Promote the Vote project. The project helps social workers support people with learning disabilities to make use of their right to vote.Despite the UK being a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons With Disabilities—Article 29 of which ensures the right for disabled people to vote—barriers remain which can prevent people from exercising this right.Joining Andy to discuss how Promote the Vote is helping people with a learning disability overcome these barriers are Hafsa Akhtar an expert by experience, Elaine James, Head of Service for Learning Disabilities and Preparation for Adulthood at Bradford Metropolitan District Council and Amani Ali, National Management Trainee also based at Bradford Metropolitan District Council. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode explores the findings of the Social Work with Older People research project led by the University of Birmingham and the University of Bristol. The project has sought to examine the role social workers play in supporting older people, carers, and families to transform situations. It looks at the barriers which can impede the delivery of high quality and effective services and outlines a series of recommendations concerning how social work can better meet the needs of older people.Joining host Andy McClenaghan are Dr Paul Willis, who at the time of recording worked for the University of Bristol and is now Professor of Adult Social Care at Cardiff University, Nargis Kapasi, a member of the project’s Expert Advisory Group, former social worker and someone who has lived experience as a carer, and Gerry Nosowska, Director at Effective Practice, Co-host of the Helpful Social Work podcast and former Chair of BASW UK. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode is a break from the norm. It doesn’t explore an area of practice, a social policy issue or a campaign. Rather, it is a discussion of a life in social work. The life in question is that of Patrick O’Dea who earlier this year published his memoir—I who had it figured out. The book charts Patrick’s upbringing in 1950s Dublin, his years as a social work student at Trinity College, his beginnings in youth and community work and a career in probation. It comes full circle to overview Patrick’s position as a social work educator in his alma mater and on to his work advising a Hedge Fund—a role the young 1970s utopian may have had questions about. You can purchase a copy of I who had it figured out here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does it look like when experts by experience are fully involved in shaping and informing social work education? What does the role entail? How can universities avoid tokenism and ensure meaningful engagement? What are the benefits for social work students, people who use services and the experts by experience themselves?To address these questions and many more, host, Andy McClenaghan is joined by Rebecca Regler who earlier this year wrote in the British Journal of Social Work about her journey from being a social worker, to a service user, to an expert by experience, and Cherie Carlton, Senior Lecturer and Programme Lead from the MA social work practice, Think Ahead, at Middlesex University.You can read Rebecca’s article, My Journey from being a Social Worker, to a service user, to an expert by experience here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Social work is a demanding role and even under the best of circumstances, as social workers support individuals to improve life opportunities, they will face difficulties and stresses associated with their work. Andy McClenaghan is joined by Dr Jennifer Simpson and Sam Pulman to explore the theme of resilience in social work. Jennifer is Senior Lecturer in Social Work and Course Leader for MA Advanced Social Work at Nottingham Trent University and Sam previously worked as a frontline social worker with children and families, and as a social work manager before embarking on her doctoral studies. Both are closely involved with the work of the Social Workers’ Educational Trust.First the conversation considers how social workers can withstand and recover from the pressures and stresses they face. Then the discussion moves on to examine whether a focus on resilience gives an easy out for organisations which overburden and stretch their social workers beyond what is manageable and ask if resilience as an individual quality is really what we should be focused on. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 66 of Let’s Talk Social Work examines a subject which previously hasn’t been explored on the podcast. The discussion focuses on self-neglect—what it is, the ways in which it affects people and how social workers can respond.We look at how the social work approach to supporting people who self-neglect has changed over the years, the duties placed on Local Authorities in relation to self-neglect by the Care Act and how these requirements must be balanced with each individual’s human rights.Joining Andy McClenaghan to explore the topic are Lizzie Furber, Principal Social Worker with responsibility for Social Justice, Diversity & Strategy at DCC Interactive Ltd and Independent Social Worker, Lisa Barrett. Lisa runs the consultancy Clutter Free Living and is a Trainer with, and former Board member of, the Association of Professional Declutterers & Organisers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode of Let’s Talk Social Work explores the incredibly important topic of the age assessment of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.Immigration policy is in the news almost daily at present and ensuring that the needs of children seeking asylum in the UK are met underscores the vital importance of the age assessment process. Andy McClenaghan is joined by Jo Schofield, Director of Immigration Social Work Services and BASW’s Public and Political Affairs Lead, Kerri Prince to discuss the role social workers play in age assessments and the implications of the recently passed Illegal Migration Act. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode Andy McClenaghan and guests explore the therapeutic role artistic and musical creativity can play in improving mental health.Andy is joined by experts by experience Ash and Molly and Belfast Health and Social Care Trust Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service Social Worker, Sarah Ombler, who along with her colleague, Shauneen O’Connor, oversaw the incredibly exciting initiative, IMPACT CAMHS. They discuss the benefits which have come from the project, a service-user involvement group which supported a group of young people who use CAMHS services, to write and record music as part of a collective called Counterpart.The conversation examines the importance of meaningful coproduction by empowering service users to shape the projects and services they engage with. They discuss the benefits experienced by the young people in terms of increased confidence, improved social skills, reduced loneliness, and the realisation of creative potential. The episode also explores what social workers can learn from the creative, group-based approach to therapeutic service delivery.You can listen to the EP, Colour Theory, by Counterpart on Spotify and videos for the songs Hope and Break the Silence are available on Youtube:The project evaluation conducted by Queen’s University Belfast mentioned in the episode is available here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recorded just before the summer break, Andy McClenaghan and guests, Priya David and Duc Tran, discuss some of the many issues faced by overseas social workers who have come to the UK to practice. Priya and Duc are Co-Chairs of the BASW Diaspora Special Interest Group and offer insights into the challenges diaspora social workers can face when working in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and the steps employers can take to address the problems identified.In June 2023, the BASW Diaspora Special Interest Group published a framework providing guidance on best practice in the recruitment and induction processes for social workers who have qualified outside the UK. The International Recruitment and Induction Standards for International Social Workers coming to the UK can be accessed here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host, Andy McClenaghan, explains our plans to take a few weeks off, and that the podcast will return on 17 August to explore the experiences of overseas social workers working in the UK. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For the past year and a half, the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care Services has examined the challenges facing the delivery of children’s services across Northern Ireland. On 21 June, Lead Reviewer, Professor Ray Jones published his findings and recommendations for change.Host, Andy McClenaghan is joined by Professor Jones, Josephine Dowell, a student social worker and care experienced young person who has been closely involved in the Review process via the organisation Voice of Young People in Care (VOYPIC), and Carolyn Ewart, National Director of the British Association of Social Workers Northern Ireland. They discuss the challenges facing users of children and family services and the social workers who provide them. They also examine Professor Jones’s recommendations for reforming how services are organised, governed and delivered across the region.The Independent Review of Children’s Social Care Services report can be accessed here.During the discussion, Carolyn makes reference to the document Voices of Social Work Through the Troubles, it can be accessed here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This very special episode was recorded live in front of an audience on Monday 12 June, ahead of the BASW UK conference at Conference Aston in Birmingham. The theme of the discussion is exploring the role of podcasts as a learning resource. What do social workers gain from engaging in podcasts, what would they like done better, who is yet to be reached and what have the participants learned from making, studying and taking part in podcasts.Joining Andy McClenaghan to discuss all this and more are Patriche Bentick—Senior Practitioner in Camden Council and friend of and regular contributor to Let’s Talk Social Work, Joe Hanley—lecturer with the Open University and Dr Sylvia Smith—host of the wonderful Social Workers Matter podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode we return to the issue of poverty in the UK.  The country remains gripped by the cost-of-living crisis, and while we are all being affected, for some, rising prices represent an inconvenience. But, for those who prior to the crisis were experiencing poverty, and for many millions of households which were already struggling to make ends meet, the impacts have been devastating.  Andy McClenaghan is joined by social worker and founder of Food is Care, Dominic Watters, Dr Ciara Fitzpatrick, Lecturer in Law at Ulster University and anti-poverty campaigner, and Jonny Adamson, Communications and External Relations Officer at the British Association of Social Workers. They explore the impacts of the ongoing cost-of-living crisis and the BASW UK campaign, Social Work Stands Against Poverty. You can listen to this, and all other episodes of Let’s Talk Social Work, at Apple Podcasts https://apple.co/3g7YcE0 Spotify https://spoti.fi/2QjefE6 and everywhere else you get your podcasts, just search ‘Let’s Talk Social Work’.To book Dominic's ground-breaking Food Insecurity Training email - singledadsw@gmail.comFor information on BASW’s Social Work Stands Against Poverty campaign, click here. To read the Christian’s Against Poverty client report Taking on UK poverty, click here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Does media coverage reflect the public’s opinions of social work, or does it shape them? Has the tone of coverage changed over the years, and do pressures on journalists working in media outlets limit the extent to which coverage can address the complexities and nuances of social work related stories? Joining host Andy McClenaghan to answer these questions are Julia Ross, Chair of the British Association of Social Workers, Anoosh Chakelian, Britain Editor of the New Statesman, host of the New Statesman Podcast and co-host of the Westminster Reimagined podcast and Shahid Naqvi, Editor of Professional Social Work Magazine. Andy is later joined by John McGowan, General Secretary of the Social Workers Union to discuss the work the union has undertaken with media regulators regarding coverage of social work related issues.To register to attend the live recording of Let’s Talk Social Work in Birmingham on the evening of Monday 12 June, please visit https://www.basw.co.uk/events/talking-heads-social-work-and-podcastsTo find out more about Julia’s book, Call the Social, mentioned in the discussion, click here.To read the IMPRESS media reporting guidelines for cases involving social workers, click here and for further information on the work of the Social Workers Union in this area, click here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In February, Let’s Talk Social Work examined the Government’s strategy for children’s social care in England, Stable Homes Built on Love, and we’re returning to an important issue discussed in that episode—kinship care.Andy McClenaghan is joined by kinship carer, Natalie Boyes, Sam Turner, Head of Policy and Public Affairs at the charity Kinship, and Dr Paul Shuttleworth, Postdoctoral Fellow in the School of Education and Social Work at Sussex University. Their conversation explores what kinship care is, the challenges kinship carers face, what social workers need to know about it, and what needs to change to ensure children in kinship care, and their carers receive the support they need.During the conversation Sam references the document Practising in kinship care: The perspectives of specialist social workers. Paul’s podcast, Do Do Social Work, co-hosted with Sarah Flagg, can be accessed on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and everywhere else you get your podcasts. Some of Paul’s research can be accessed below: Shuttleworth, P.D. (2023) 'What matters for child participation - The role of valuation-based dialogical participation for children living in kinship care in England' Child and Youth Service Review (149) Available at :https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2023.106959Shuttleworth, P.D. (2022) ‘Recognition of Family Life by Children Living in Kinship Care Arrangements in England’, The British Journal of Social Work, p. bcac114. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcac114  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this very special episode, Andy McClenaghan interviews Nana Akwasi Yabbey-Hagan and Robert Dyer, the hosts of The Social Worker and the Mentor podcast.They discuss the importance of promoting Black excellence in social work and wider society, the importance of building rapport with young people, and speaking up for social work. The conversation also explores why there are so few men in social work, and what the education sector can learn from social work and vice versa. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, commonly shorted to M.E. and also referred to as chronic fatigue is an illness many people will be aware of. However, the illness is often misunderstood, which can lead to very damaging consequences for people with M.E. Andy McClenaghan is joined by Sonya Chowdhury, Chief Executive of Action for M.E. and Tony Crouch, Social work advisor to the 25% ME Group and The Young ME Sufferers Trust. They consider the impacts M.E. has on the lives of those affected and what social workers need to know to support and advocate for service users with the illness.Several resources are referred to during the episode, they can be accessed via the following links:Action for M.E.: M.E./CFS in children and young people Action for M.E.: Newly diagnosed with M.E./CFSNational Institute for Health and Care Excellence: Myalgic encephalomyelitis (or encephalopathy)/chronic fatigue syndrome: diagnosis and managementBASW: Fabricated and Induced Illness Practice Guide Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode, made to mark World Social Work Day 2023, explores the role of social work in deeply divided societies. Social work is practiced under situations of armed conflict and in deeply divided post conflict societies in many regions and countries across the world. Taking the examples of Bosnia Herzegovina and Northern Ireland, Andy McClenaghan and guests examine how social workers have adapted to deliver services amidst situations of political violence, and discuss the role of social work in post-conflict societies.With Andy to discuss these issues, are Dr Reima Ana Maglajlic, Reader in Social Work at the University of Sussex, Jim Campbell, Emeritus Full Professor of Social Work at University College Dublin and Janet Walker, Professor of International Social Work at the University of Lincoln and Chair of the British Association of Social Workers International Committee.As ever, the views expressed are those of the participants and not necessarily the views of BASW.To buy a copy of International Perspectives on Social Work and Political Conflict, please visit https://www.routledge.com/International-Perspectives-on-Social-Work-and-Political-Conflict/Duffy-Campbell-Tosone/p/book/9781032087283Milkman, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Ulysses, and the works of William Faulkner, are available from all good libraries and bookshops. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of the podcast we’ve the fantastic opportunity to be back focusing on social work in Wales—more specifically, anti-racist social work practice in Wales. Andy is joined by Abyd Quinn Aziz, Social Work Programme Director at Cardiff University, Jade Forbes, Senior Social Worker and Approved Mental Health Professional based in South East Wales, and Gaynor Legall, former social worker, Chairperson of the community organisation the Heritage & Cultural Exchange and member of the governance group of the Welsh Government’s Anti-racist Wales Action Plan. The conversation starts with the big picture—exploring the Welsh Government’s Anti-Racist Wales Action Plan and whether political leaders have gone far enough in their efforts to achieve an anti-racist society.The group then moves on to discuss experiences of racism in the context of practice, how incidents were addressed by employers, and what needs to change to ensure anti-racist practice is embedded in social work in Wales.If you’d like to find out more about the BASW Cymru Anti-racism group, please email BASW Cymru Professional Officer Narinder Sidhu – narinder.sidhu@basw.co.ukTo read the Welsh Government’s Anti-racist Wales Action Plan click here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On 2 February the Government launched its strategy for children's social care reform in England—Stable Homes, Built on Love.  In this episode we we look at what the Strategy means for children and young people in care, those who care for them and for social workers working in children’s services. To discuss the strategy, host, Andy McClenaghan is joined by social workers Bekah Pierre and Joe Hanley—Bekah is a care experienced adult and BASW England Professional Officer, and Joe is a lecturer with the Open University and a member of the BASW Policy, Ethics and Human Rights Committee—and Sam Turner, Head of Policy and Public Affairs at the charity Kinship. To read the Government’s strategy, click here. To visit BASW’s review of children’s social care web hub, which includes BASW’s response to the publication of the strategy click here.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.