The Social Work Community Podcast
Community Care 62 episodes Nov 9, 2026
The Social Work Community Podcast is a space for social workers to discuss the key issues affecting their profession. It is aimed at students and experienced practitioners, including frontline and management staff. Episodes feature direct conversations with social workers about their successes and challenges. Listeners can also follow the community on Instagram for news and updates.
Episodes
Unison's Andrea Egan on preparing for social work and why she misses being a social worker
General secretary of UNISON, Andrea Egan, and Community Care head of content Ruth Hardy-Mullings discuss Preparing for social work, a free digital guide for practitioners in the early stages of their career. Andrea, who was a social worker for more than 15 years and is still social work registered, discusses her path into the profession, what she misses about being a social worker and why the guid
Local practice, lasting change: the family drug and alcohol court (FDAC) model
This Social Work Community Podcast episode, in collaboration with Gloucestershire County Council's children services, discusses the family drug and alcohol court (FDAC) model. FDAC supports parents with substance misuse, mental health, and domestic abuse issues, which make up the majority of referrals to children's services, and provides an alternative to traditional care proceedings. Service mana
'Spiritual attacks': Two practitioners on the unexplained incidents that drove them out of their roles
Two practitioners discuss cases that led to them facing intimidation and verbal abuse, undermining their mental health and ultimately causing them to leave their previous roles Separately, Anne, who was a frontline children’s social worker, decided to leave the profession because she felt unprotected after dealing with a safeguarding case where she experienced verbal abuse, intimidation from
Adult social care: the difference that matters (part two)
How do you measure contentment? This is one of the many questions practitioners from Gloucester County Council's (GCC) adult social care team sought to answer in part two of the podcast episode Adult social care - the difference that matters. The conversation continues after the first episode, where Jo Sutherland, the principal social worker, Merryn Tate, assistant director and strategic lead for
Adult social care: the difference that matters (part one)
This episode discusses the challenges faced by adult social care in Gloucestershire County Council (GCC), including increasing demand, complex needs, and pressure on health and social care services. In response to these challenges, the team at GCC have developed a new strategy called the Target Operating Model (TOM). You will hear Jo Sutherland, the principal social worker, Merryn Tate, assistant
Achieving transformation (part 3) - equipping young people to make the transition into adulthood
In the final in a three-part series from North East Lincolnshire Council, social workers from children's services explore some of the changes that contributed to a significant improvement in the authority's Ofsted rating. In this episode Emily, who recently turned 18, explains how she has been supported and equipped to make the transition into adulthood. And Ben highlights how through North
Making the transition: Three social workers discuss the unexpected benefits of moving from agency to permanent
Moving from agency to permanent was not initially part of the not initially part of the plan for three social workers at South Gloucestershire, when rules limiting English councils’ use of locums came into force. But when the rules were implemented in October 2025, the option to go permanent revealed a range of opportunities that they may not otherwise have known existed. Tom, Jariatu and Ch
Supported to thrive: adult social care in Wokingham
In collaboration with Wokingham Borough Council adult social care, social workers from the hospital discharge team team tell us why they love working there. Josh, Noku and principal social worker Vicky describe what it is like working in this market town west of London. Hospital discharge teams aren't often spoken about but the work social workers do is of immense importance to adults who require
Neurodiversity belongs in social work (part 3): dyslexia
In the final instalment of the Neurodiversity belongs in social work campaign podcast miniseries, Sharmeen speaks to 26-year-old Elizabeth Glandfield about being dyslexic. Elizabeth, diagnosed in primary school, talks about growing up with dyslexia and how she navigated the world around her. Having been told by a teacher at school that social work may not be the best career for her, sh
Neurodiversity belongs in social work (part 2): autism and ADHD
In this episode of the Social Work Community Podcast, part of the Neurodiversity belongs in social work campaign miniseries, Sharmeen speaks to 'Stacey' (not her real name) talking about her experience of being diagnosed with autism and ADHD (AuADHD) in her forties. Stacey, a social worker, has not yet disclosed her diagnosis to her colleagues. She explains why she feels unsafe to do this in
Neurodiversity belongs in social work (part 1): Black, dyslexic & female
In this special miniseries tied to Community Care's 'Neurodiversity belongs in social work' campaign, Sharmeen Ziauddin interviews Dr Arlene Weekes, social work professor and academic. Dr Weekes has over 35 years experience in the sector and was diagnosed with dyslexia later on in life, while writing her PhD. She has recently completed research which will form part of a new book coming out this ye
Social work, burnout and racism: one practitioner’s experience
Welcome to the first episode of Season five of the Social Work Community Podcast! This podcast episode, especially recorded for World Social Work month/week/day, features an interview with Nadine KL Boyne, an experienced social worker and author of the book Social Work is Not Self-Harm. Trigger warning: in this episode there are references to self-harm when discussing Nadine’s book &ls
Showing kindness takes minutes: social workers in adult social care champion ways to be more trauma aware
The foundations of trauma awareness are rooted in kindness and compassion and over the last two years, adult social care practitioners at Essex County Council have been on a journey to embed values like these into their direct work, supervision and in shaping Essex’s practice model. Listen as practitioners Danni, Melanie Noel, Kayleigh Johnson and Claire McDermid, explain how trauma awarenes
A pathway home: how one council is helping children return safely to their families
At the end of 2025, Hampshire County Council’s children’s services introduced a new pathway plan designed to safely support the process of children safely going home to their parents. The Going Home Pathway uses pre-screening tools that are child centred, family focussed and backed by evidence to guide the journey in getting children back home to their families. In this episode,
Achieving transformation (part 2): how digitising work in the integrated front door team has improved workforce efficiencies
Introduced initially as a pilot in January 2025, the Council’s Integrated Front Door team tracks contacts and referrals using digital whiteboards that share live data.The new technology means an end to time-consuming manual recording, freeing up more hours for practitioners to focus on their work and greater opportunities for the service to invest in the workforce.In this episode, Laura Snell, ser
How one local authority uses a community social work approach to shape support for families and children
North Lincolnshire Council's children and families service is committed to working collaboratively with families through its One Family Approach practice model - an approach that uses co-production to shape support for families and practitioners.In the final segment of this three-part mini-series in collaboration with North Lincolnshire Council, practitioners Steve and Shabnam explore the Council'
Achieving transformation (part 1) - how direct work is shaping support for children
In the first in a three-part series from North East Lincolnshire Council, social workers from children's services explore some of the changes that contributed to a significant improvement in the authority's Ofsted rating.Earlier this year, the council, previously graded inadequate, was rated good overall and outstanding for leadership by inspectors, who found its children's services were "largely
Prioritising workforce wellbeing – one council’s approach
Ensuring that practitioners have access to wellbeing support, flexible working arrangements and the chance to network with peers are all areas that North Lincolnshire Council is committed to.In this the second instalment of our three-part miniseries with North Lincolnshire's children and families service, we speak to Heidi Blakey, senior workforce, engagement and development officer in children’s
Hampshire Hive #3: what transferable skills you can bring to fostering?
Hampshire Hive is a support network funded by Hampshire County Council, that assists fostering families across the county.In this podcast episode Hampshire Hive foster carers Andrea, and Johnny and Hampshire Hive manager Amy discuss the transferable skills that foster carers can bring from previous professions into supporting children and young people.Johnny used to do youth work, while Andrea use
Using a relational approach to transform children's services
Improving services for children and young people in a large rural county is no easy feat. In the summer of 2025, Gloucestershire County Council (GCC) children's services received a 'good' from Ofsted in three areas and 'outstanding' in two areas. Read the report here.With a strong relational approach senior leaders have led the children social care workforce with strong and empathetic leadership.
A social worker's view: benefits of working with pyschologists
This episode is part two of Oxfordshire County Council’s children’s service’s podcast talking about the benefits of having an in-house clinical team.Clinical pyschologist Dr Emmanuella Vernon is back, talking with Anthony Sayles and Beccy Hawes who are both part of children and families first teams within Oxfordshire.Anthony and Beccy talk about how they lean on the clinical team for advice on dif
A mother's view: how psychologist support resolved child to parent abuse
In this special two-part podcast you can listen to ‘Carrie’ (not her real name) explain how practitioners at Oxfordshire County Council children’s services have helped her move from crisis-point to the point of stability and safety.Carrie experienced physical abuse from her 10-year-old son. As a result she was invited to take part in a special ‘Non Violent Resistance’ course aimed at parents who h
Social work around the world: Falkland Islands
In this episode Sharmeen Ziauddin, senior commercial editor, speaks to Nikki Murphy and Lynn Roberts all the way in the Falkland Islands - that's 8,000 miles away. As a British Overseas Territory (BOT), the Falklands' social services is considerably different to local authorities in the UK.Nikki being the head of social services explains the kind of issues that are prevalent in the Falklands and L
Supporting social workers to flourish in their careers
This new three-part series, is created in collaboration with North Lincolnshire’s Children and Families Service and explores career progression, well-being and social work practice. In its most recent 2022 Ofsted inspection, North Lincolnshire Council's Children and Families was rated outstanding in all areas by Ofsted, with inspectors citing an “exemplary” commitment to children as one of its str
Hampshire Hive #2: exploring myths around fostering with Andrea and Johnny
Hampshire Hive is a support network funded by Hampshire County Council, that assists fostering families across the county.In this podcast episode Hampshire Hive foster carers Andrea and Johnny, explore some of the myths often associated with choosing fostering as a career.Andrea highlights the flexibility fostering offers and talks about how she initially combined her career as a mental health nur
Social work around the world: Ghana
As part of the ‘Social work around the world’ series, this episode features two social workers who have practised in Ghana and England.Although social work practice in Ghana mirrors much of what is taught in the UK, a lack of government funding and an emphasis on cultural values that promote community mean that social work in practice is quite different in both countries.It is commonplace for fami
What to expect from your first job in social work
This is a special episode of our live webinar which was recorded in June 2025.Guests include Curtis Powell, podcaster and deputy team leader and two newly qualified social workers, Kai Tutton (adults) and Lashonte Royal (childrens) and was chaired by Sharmeen Ziauddin, an editor at Community Care.They talk about their respective jobs on the ASYE programme, how they prepared for their roles and how
Hampshire Hive #1: a fostering support network - a conversation with Amy and Johnny
Welcome to a new three-part series, in collaboration with Hampshire County Council’s Fostering Service, called Hampshire Hive: Fostering Through a Community of Families.Hampshire Hive is a network established by Hampshire County Council to provide support to foster carers in the county. We speak to Hampshire Hive manager Amy and foster carer Johnny about how the Hive worksHampshire Hive is a uniqu
#9 Ask The Experts: I am scared to go back into frontline work
In this episode, Dame Lorna Boreland-Kelly, Claire Barcham and Kayleigh Rose Evans offer advice to an experienced social worker who is looking for a role that offers career progression opportunities after going through some challenging experiences in practice.Read the transcript hereSend us an email at: careersadvice@markallengroup.comYou can catch up on all the Ask The Experts episodes on The So
Social work around the world: Zimbabwe
This is another episode from the Social work around the world series!This month the focus is on Zimbabwe. Sharmeen Ziauddin speaks to Theresa Kambani and Weston Mudimu about their careers as social workers in Zimbabwe to working in local authorities in England.What are the key differences in practice in the two countries? What challenges did both practitioners face when they moved to England? What
Career Transitions: From considering a career with the police to children's social worker
Senior social worker Faisa Abdirahman initially had her sights set on entering the police after gaining a BSC in criminology. However, she pivoted to social work after learning that looked after children were at more risk of being criminalised in the criminal justice system compared to those that are not care experienced. In this episode of the Social Work Community Podcast with senior careers edi
#8 Ask The Experts: 'Help! I am struggling with my ASYE'
In this episode, Dame Lorna Boreland-Kelly, Claire Barcham and Kayleigh Rose Evans offer advice to an international student social worker who is struggling with aligning her expectations about social work with the reality of securing a role for her ASYE. Read the transcript here.Send us an email at: careersadvice@markallengroup.com You can follow all the Ask The Experts questions and responses on
#7 Ask The Experts: How do I transition from adults' to children's services?
Are you an adults’ social worker who is considering moving into children’s social work but don’t know how to make the transition?In this episode, hear from Dame Lorna Boreland-Kelly, Claire Barcham and Kayleigh Rose Evans as they respond to this question and highlight the invaluable skills that adult social workers can bring to children’s services. They also highlight how you can find that relevan
'War is all they've known': working with unaccompanied children
This special episode was recorded for Refugee Week 2025. Sharmeen Ziauddin, careers editor at Community Care, speaks to Zahraa Adam and Aimee Hinton about their work with unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC). They have worked with UASC for 10 years and have a wealth of experience.Both Zahraa and Aimee are national social work award winners and Aimee holds a British Empire Medal for her con
Social work around the world: West Bank & Gaza
In this episode of the miniseries Social work around the world, Community Care's careers editor Sharmeen Ziauddin, speaks to Riad Arar, a social worker from Hebron, a city south of Jerusalem, in the occupied West Bank, Palestine.He describes what life is like for him since 7 October 2023. Increased military checkpoints make delivering services incredibly hard for social workers and healthcare prof
#6 Ask The Experts: How do you go about recovering confidence after a placement breakdown?
In this episode, hear from Dame Lorna Boreland-Kelly, Claire Barcham and Kayleigh Rose Evans respond to a question we received asking how to secure a new job after receiving a negative reference, and where to access help.Read the transcript here.This episode is hosted by Kirsty Ayakwah, senior careers editor at Community Care.If you have a question you’d like our experts to answer or if you felt t
A day at Fatima Whitbread's One Voice Summit
Listen to Sharmeen Ziauddin's (career editor at Community Care) report from the One Voice Summit which was held at the London Guildhall on 24 & 25 April 2025.The summit, was organised by Olympian Fatima Whitbread’s charitable organisation Fatima’s UK Campaign. The main aim of the charity is to ‘create a safer, happier, and healthier environment for children, ensuring they can read their full p
Career transitions: from independent domestic violence advocate to social work
In this episode of the Social Work Community Podcast, senior careers editor Kirsty Ayakwah speaks to specialist domestic abuse social worker Jenifer Lamadrid who started her career as an Independent Domestic Violence Advocate.We find out why she made the move, what core skills she's been able to take from her former profession into social work and what keeps her in the sector.Read the transcript o
Social work around the world: Australia
As part of the 'Social work around the world' series, this episode, hosted by careers editor Sharmeen Ziauddin, features two Australian social workers, who have practised in Australia and in England.Kristin, worked in Queensland, Australia before moving to London 12 years ago. Tina similarly moved to London from Queensland but moved back and found herself stuck in Western Australia during the covi
#5 Ask The Experts: How do I secure a role working with refugees or co-ordinating disaster relief?
In this episode, hear from Dame Lorna Boreland-Kelly, Claire Barcham and Kayleigh Rose Evans respond to a question we received asking how an adults' social worker can secure a role working with refugees or co-ordinating disaster relief. This episode is hosted by Kirsty Ayakwah, senior careers editor at Community Care. If you have a question you’d like our experts to answer or if you felt the advic
Social work around the world: Israel
This is the second part of our conversation with Yohai Hakak, senior social work lecturer and MSc lead at Brunel University, London. If you haven't listened to the previous episode then do go back and have a listen!The episode begins with Yohai talking about his PhD subject, going on to share his experience working as a mental health social worker back in Israel where he was born and raised. He sh
Social work around the world: Exploring migration to the UK
Welcome to the first episode of the new miniseries "Social Work Around The World" from the The Social Work Community Podcast.In the first episode, social work senior lecturer and MSc lead from Brunel University Yohai Hakak, talks to Sharmeen Ziauddin, careers editor at Community Care, about the research he is leading with his social work students.The research looks into the migration of social wor
#4 Ask The Experts: What are the pros and cons of working in a local authority versus a trust?
In this episode, hear from Dame Lorna Boreland-Kelly, Claire Barcham and Kayleigh Rose Evans respond to a question we received asking: what are the pros and cons of working in a local authority versus a trust?This episode is hosted by Kirsty Ayakwah, senior careers editor at Community Care. If you have a question you’d like our experts to answer or if you felt the advice has helped you secure your
Career transitions: From law to social work – the experiences of two practitioners
Welcome to Season Three. In this episode of the Social Work Community Podcast, senior careers editor Kirsty Ayakwah speaks to two social workers that started their careers in a different profession altogether.Monisola Osibogun and Pam Shodeinde are both social workers in children’s services who both started their careers in law.We find out why they transitioned from law to social work, what core s
#3 Ask The Experts: How to secure a new job after receiving a negative reference
Welcome to our new mini-series : ‘Ask The Experts’ where we put your career questions to three social work expertsIn this episode, hear from Dame Lorna Boreland-Kelly, Claire Barcham and Kayleigh Rose Evans respond to a question we received asking how to secure a new job after receiving a negative reference, navigating the profession as an international social worker and where to access help.Click
From Community Care Live: How to co-create inclusive environments in adult social care
We are back with another live episode – this time from adult social care at Wiltshire Council. The session took place at Community Care Live 2024.This is a really special episode where you will hear direct from an adult who not only works within Wiltshire through Wiltshire Centre for Independent Living but also uses services that Wiltshire Council provide. This session is about how service users a
Workforce Insights: Helping older adults avoid unnecessary journeys to the hospital
A collaboration between Hampshire County Council and South Central Ambulance Service is helping to improve the quality of care for adult social workers that would otherwise be transported to hospital.Hampshire County Council works to ensure that older adults avoid unnecessary journeys to the hospital thanks to a collaboration the council has formed with the South Central Ambulance Service or SCAS.
#2 Ask the Experts: I've lost motivation for my job in child exploitation, what can I do?
Welcome to the second episode of the new mini-series, 'Ask the Experts'. In this series our panel of experts will be answering questions sent in by readers. Our experts are Dame Lorna Boreland-Kelly, Claire Barcham and Kayleigh Rose Evans, and the session is hosted by Ruth Hardy-Mullings, head of content at Community Care.The dilema in this epsidoe is two-fold. How to keep motivated working in a c
Christmas special🎄: A peek inside Community Care
It's that time of year🎄! And to celebrate we recorded a Christmas special for The Social Work Community Podcast!The social work sector and face of Community Care, have both changed a lot over the last 50 years. As it is Community Care's 50th birthday year it made sense to discuss all this and more with some of the longest-standing members of the Community Care team.In this episode Sharmeen Ziauddi
From Community Care Live: The legacy and impact of life story from a parent’s perspective
This is a special episode which was recorded live at Community Care Live 2024.In this thought-provoking and session, you will hear about the importance of a parent’s journey while considering their own child’s life story.You will hear first-hand the experiences some parents have had and how practitioners can gain a better understanding of the impact positive life stories can have on both parents a
Bonus Episode: My day at the Anti-Racist Movement conference
The Anti-Racist Movement (ARM) - a collective of Black female social workers, academics and allied professionals got together for its second annual conference in London in November 2024 - it was ARM's second anniversary.It was my first time at an ARM event and the day was filled with learning, sadness, frustration but also filled with laughter, celebration and most importantly, hope. And a lot of
1# Ask the Experts: Why don’t I get invited for interviews?
Welcome to our new mini-series : ‘Ask The Experts’ where we put your career questions to three social work experts. In this episode, hear from Dame Lorna Boreland-Kelly, Claire Barcham and Kayleigh Rose Evans respond to a question we received asking how to tailor a job application to get the best results and secure that new role.This episode is hosted by Ruth Hardy-Mullings, head of content at Com
Returning to social work after becoming a new parent
Two social workers share their experience of returning to social work from maternity leave and highlight how Essex County Council has supported their transition.How much support did you have when you returned to social work after becoming a first-time parent?In three episodes of the Social Work Community Podcast, social workers at Essex County Council discuss the various ways the local authority s
Locum v Perm - what works for you?
Podcast: locum v perm – what works for you?We ask two social workers from each side of the agency-permanent divide what has driven their career choices and if they would ever change their minds.In this episode of the Social Work Community Podcast, senior careers editor Kirsty Ayakwah asks two social workers (Le'Siran Edwards and Kayleigh Rose Evans) from either side of the divide about what has dr
Workforce Insights: Would you work for an inadequate-rated service?
Would you work for an inadequate-rated children's services?This episode is in collaboration with Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council (BCP).In this episode Sharmeen Ziauddin, careers editor at Community Care, speaks to a number of social workers at BCP Council about its improvement journey and why working for an inadequate-rated children's services is not all bad!Sharmeen speaks to Steph, R
Celebrating a longstanding career in social work
As Community Care marks its 50th anniversary this year, we wanted to find out what the social work landscape was like through those decades and how that shaped the career of a social worker.Community Care’s senior careers editor Kirsty Ayakwah, spoke to Gretchen Precey, an independent social worker, who celebrates 47 years in children’s services this year - almost as long as Community Care has bee
Do we need more men in social work?
Welcome to Season Two of The Social Work Community Podcast!In this episode we'll be discussing whether we need more male social workers. The social work profession is female dominated – recent figures show women make up about 80-85% of the workforce in the United Kingdom. Why is this and what can be done to change this? Does it need changing?Sharmeen Ziauddin, careers editor at Community Care, spe
Season 1: Which episode was your favourite?
In this episode of The Social Work Community Podcast, Kirsty Ayakwah catches up with Sharmeen Ziauddin about the episodes that launched the podcast in October 2023.The first season included discussions on racism in the profession, the impact of negative media coverage on social workers, the pros and cons of being a young social and if social workers should be on social media.We also shared a movi
The refugee who became social worker of the year
In this episode of the Social Work Community podcast, Sharmeen speaks to Omaid Badar, winner of not one but two Social Worker of the Year awards in 2023.Omaid tells his incredible story of coming to England as a teenage refugee. He recalls the night he spent in a Bradford police station and what happened when he met a social worker the next morning.He explains why he became a social worker and how
Should social workers be on social media?
In this episode we ask whether social workers should be on social media? Sharmeen speaks to two social workers, Yewande and Kayleigh, who are also YouTubers.Yewande’s an experienced social worker and manager in child protection. Her YouTube channel Young Black Social Worker focuses on social work content for students, newly qualified and experienced social workers.Joining her is Kayleigh a social
Racism in social work
This episode is about racism within social work. Sharmeen Ziauddin, assistant careers editor at Community Care, speaks to Nana and Ash, both children and family social workers, about their experiences of racism.There is discussion about racism from families they have worked with but also from within the organisations they have worked for. What should a team manager do if a family asks for a differ
The pros and cons of being a young social worker
TW: Please note there is mention of self-harm and suicidal thoughts in this episode which some listeners may find upsetting.In the second episode of the Social Work Community Podcast, by Community Care, Sharmeen Ziauddin speaks to Elizabeth Glandfield, 23, and Omar Mohamed, 22, who are both children and family social workers.They discuss how people they work with don’t always take them seriously a
The Social Work Community Podcast Trailer
Here's the trailer!Follow us on @thesocialworkcommunity on InstagramThe Social Work Community podcast is where social workers come to discuss the key issues affecting their profession. Whether you are a student or an experienced social worker - whether you are frontline or management, this podcast is for you. You will hear direct from social workers in your community about their successes and thei
What is the impact of negative media coverage on social workers?
This is the first episode of the Social Work Community Podcast!What is the impact of negative media coverage of social work?As part of the #ChooseSocialWork campaign Sharmeen Ziauddin, assistant careers editor at Community Care, speaks to social workers Alasdair Kennedy and Becky Salter. They discuss how high-profile cases, where children have died, has affected their practice, how TV soaps get it
