A manually transcribed transcript of this podcast episode is available here.

Welcome to Learn on the go, the podcast from Community Care Inform, where we discuss the issues affecting social workers and social care practitioners.

In this episode of Learn on the go, Dr Alice Loving and Azariah Hope come together to share professional and personal reflections about how best to support children, parents and carers navigating the social care system.

Dr Alice Loving has worked in child protection for 15 years. She delivers training on ‘Applying Attachment, Trauma and Mentalization-based principles in social work practice' to social care practitioners within the UK and Ireland. She is passionate about improving the teaching and training of social workers to better prepare them for practice that facilitates more positive outcomes for families. In this episode, Alice shares insights from her work with parents and carers and how to work with families to support the best outcomes.

Azariah Hope is the founding director and CEO of Futures Rerooted CIC. In this episode, she shares her lived experience of being in care as a child and navigating the care system as a parent. She bravely explores topics such as family proceedings, mental health and trauma.

Learning points:

By the end of the episode, listeners should:

1. Understand why lived experience matters in shaping social care.
2. Hear directly from a parent about what social care interactions felt like.
3. Understand how trauma, attachment and relationships influence family experiences.
4. Leave with practical reflections they can apply in their own work.

Additional resources

Nurturing Nature CIC | Mentalization based video intervention

FUTURES REROOTED CIC | trauma informed

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A manually transcribed transcript of this podcast is available here.

Welcome to Learn on the go, the podcast from Community Care Inform, where we discuss the issues affecting social workers and social care practitioners.

This is a special, one-off edition of Learn on the go, discussing the seismic Supreme Court ruling on 2 June 2026 which overruled its own decision in P v Cheshire West and Chester Council & Anor [2014] UKSC 19 (Cheshire West) on the meaning of deprivation of liberty. In doing so, the Supreme Court held that:

• There is no “acid test” when it comes to determining whether a person is deprived of their liberty, and instead a multifactorial assessment must be undertaken, and
• A person who lacks capacity within the meaning of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 can still give valid consent to their confinement for the purposes of the subjective element of the Article 5 test.

Discussing this issue is Alex Ruck Keene, an experienced barrister, writer and educator. His practice at 39 Essex Chambers is focused on mental capacity, mental health and healthcare law, in which he has appeared in cases at all levels up to and including The Supreme Court and the European Court of Human Rights. And indeed, Alex was one of the barristers on the Attorney General for Northern Ireland's legal team in this Supreme Court case.

Questions were asked by Natalie Valios, senior content editor, Community Care Inform Adults.

0:01:30 - How the case came about

0:04:08 – Why judges have been uneasy about the acid test

0:08:03 – The parties involved and their arguments to the court

0:14:24 – Who did the Supreme Court rule in favour of?

0:15:38 – Clarifying the correct approach to identifying a deprivation of liberty

0:21:08 – The meaning of multifactorial

0:23:22 – Reassuring anyone worried about removal of safeguards for disabled people

0:26:24 – Can the case be challenged?

0:29:42 – Is a statutory definition needed?

0:32:14 – What happens next?

0:37:01 – What does this mean for Liberty Protection Safeguards?

References

• The Supreme Court judgment
• Supreme Court summary
• Mental Capacity Law and Policy: Attorney General for Northern Ireland resources

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A manually transcribed transcript of this podcast is available here.

Welcome to Learn on the go, the podcast from Community Care Inform, where we discuss the issues affecting social workers and social care practitioners.

This episode looks at county lines and child criminal exploitation. Discussing this is Adam Elliott, founder of The Long Game, a youth-led intervention to reduce young people’s risk of exposure to these forms of modern slavery.

Adam uses his lived experience to highlight how children and young people are groomed, exploited and manipulated into county lines.

At about 1 hour and 20 minutes, this is an extended edition of Learn on the go but we feel it is justified. Adam’s story is hard-hitting and, at times, difficult to listen to but it is full of information and tangible red flags that have to be heard to be understood.

We realise that it’s a commitment on your part to sit with his story to the end but you will find learning points all the way through. If you’re finding it difficult to listen to, you may want to take a break and come back to it. We’d like to remind you to practise self-care and use supervision and peer support if you’ve been affected by this episode.

Questions were asked by Natalie Valios, senior content editor, Community Care Inform Adults.

00:01:45 – Life before county lines

00:03:44 – Stereotypes and vulnerabilities

00:06:52 – Being groomed

00:08:53 – Dropping off the first package

00:13:13 – Early warning signs

00:14:59 – How county lines operate

00:23:13 – A community problem

00:25:52 – Asking for help

00:27:52 – Trap houses

00:34:51 – Hope of escape

00:38:40 – Facing prison

00:42:57 – Knife and chemical attacks

00:48:53 – Victim of modern slavery

00:51:27 – Parents’ suspicions

00:54:39 – Arrest on 18th birthday

01:01:44 – Missing out on life

01:07:51 – Contextual safeguarding

01:10:07 – Family support

01:11:20 – Importance of knowing the slang

01:13:55 – Misconceptions

01:18:08 – Crime and Policing Bill

01:19:18 – Life now

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.