エピソード

  • Hampshire Hive #3: what transferable skills you can bring to fostering?

    Hampshire Hive #3: what transferable skills you can bring to fostering?
    2025/10/28
    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 used to be a mental health nurse. They both talk about being able to draw from their life experiences as young people, particularly Johnny who was care experienced.

    This podcast is the third and final episode in a three-part series called Hampshire Hive: Fostering Through a Community of Families.


    Fostering in Hampshire
    Hampshire Hive is a support network funded by Hampshire County Council, that assists fostering families across the county. To date, the network helps 27 Hampshire Hive groups with 23 foster care support workers and over 500 registered foster carers collectively.


    If you would like to find out more about fostering with Hampshire County Council, please visit hants.gov.uk/fostering to download their comprehensive information pack. You can also sign up for one of their upcoming virtual Q&A sessions attended by both a member of our recruitment team and a Hampshire County Council foster carer.

    Please find the transcript here.

    The 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 their challenges.

    Follow us on Instagram to keep up-to-date with the latest news and join the Social Work Community for all things social work.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    18 分
  • Using a relational approach to transform children's services

    Using a relational approach to transform children's services
    2025/10/21
    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. Frontline social workers are using systemic practice to support children and families.

    In this episode you will hear from Paul Shallcross, service director of children and families and Beccy Pullinger, a social worker in one of the children and family first teams.

    Most importantly you will hear from two ambassadors who are care-experienced and employed by GCC. The ambassadors have a number of roles within children's services to help improve polices, procedures and the support offered to young people in the county.

    Danteiye (19) and Shane (20) explain how their roles have helped in improving services for children and families in Gloucestershire. The ambassadors also mentor senior leaders so that they can tell them directly how to improve things across the service, and make sure they are listened to.

    This episode is in collaboration with GCC children's services.
    Read the transcript here.

    The 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 their challenges.

    Follow us on Instagram to keep up-to-date with the latest news and join the Social Work Community for all things social work.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    36 分
  • A social worker's view: benefits of working with pyschologists

    A social worker's view: benefits of working with pyschologists
    2025/10/17
    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 different cases. They explain how having that help and expertise in-house greatly benefits them as practitioners.

    You can listen to the first part of this podcast with Dr Emmanuella Vernon and a parent who explains how practitioners at Oxfordshire County Council children’s services have helped her move from crisis-point to the point of stability and safety.

    If you are interested in a career with Oxfordshire County Council take a look at its Employer Profile and check out any current vacancies.

    Produced by Sharmeen Ziauddin

    The 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 their challenges.

    Follow us on Instagram to keep up-to-date with the latest news and join the Social Work Community for all things social work.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    30 分
  • A mother's view: how psychologist support resolved child to parent abuse

    A mother's view: how psychologist support resolved child to parent abuse
    2025/10/15
    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 had similar experiences.

    The ‘Non Violent Resistance’ group is led by the clinical team at Oxfordshire County Council which is made up of therpautic practioners such as clinical psycologists and family practitioners.

    Dr Emmanuella Vernon, a highly specialist clinical psychologist, helps run the course and explains some of the reasoning behind the group and some of the techniques used.

    In part two of this episode you will hear from social workers from Oxfordshire County Council's children's services talking about the benefits of working side by side with a clinical team within social work practice. This episode drops on 17 October.

    Are you interested in a career with Oxfordshire County Council? If so take a look at its Employer Profile and check out any current vacancies.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    27 分
  • Social work around the world: Falkland Islands

    Social work around the world: Falkland Islands
    2025/10/01
    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 Lynn (team manager), who grew up there, tells us what it is like living and working in a BOT.

    For those who don't know much about BOTs this is an eye-opener and an opportunity to learn how social work is carried out in small and remote communities.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    30 分
  • Supporting social workers to flourish in their careers

    Supporting social workers to flourish in their careers
    2025/09/23
    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 strengths.

    The council’s grow your own approach contributes positively to the service’s succession planning and a focus on supporting social workers in their preferred continuous professional development pathway has resulted in highly motivated, enthusiastic and loyal workforce, the report says.

    In this episode on career progression, you’ll hear from two practitioners at different stages in their career. Rachel Smith, who started her career at North Lincolnshire over 20 years ago and is now director of children’s services, and Louise Stretten, who has worked across a number of teams including disability and child protection in her 13 years at the council and is now lead officer in Family Help. They talk about how they have been supported to grow in their careers.

    Please find the transcript here.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    26 分
  • Hampshire Hive: exploring myths around fostering with Andrea and Johnny

    Hampshire Hive: exploring myths around fostering with Andrea and Johnny
    2025/09/18
    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 nurse with fostering before deciding to commit full time to the role.


    Johnny, one of the first male foster carers in Hampshire County Council’s fostering service, explodes the myth that only women can be foster carers. He shares his experience of being the main foster carer in his household and why it was important to establish a support group for male foster carers.


    This podcast is the second episode in a three-part series called Hampshire Hive: Fostering Through a Community of Families.


    Fostering in Hampshire
    Hampshire Hive is a support network funded by Hampshire County Council, that assists fostering families across the county. To date, the network helps 27 Hampshire Hive groups with 23 foster care support workers and over 500 registered foster carers collectively.


    If you would like to find out more about fostering with Hampshire County Council, please visit hants.gov.uk/fostering to download their comprehensive information pack. You can also sign up for one of their upcoming virtual Q&A sessions attended by both a member of our recruitment team and a Hampshire County Council foster carer.

    Please find the transcript here.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    20 分
  • Social work around the world: Ghana

    Social work around the world: Ghana
    2025/09/04
    In the latest episode of The Social Work Community Podcast, we speak to two social workers with experience of working in both Ghana and the UK 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 family members to informally adopt children than them going into care and similarly, elderly family members are retained within the family network rather than being house in residential homes.

    Jemimah, who qualified in social work in Ghana over 20 years ago, and Emmanuel, who qualified in Ghana in 2021, share their unique experiences of supporting children and adults in both countries.

    In the discussion, Jemimah refers to an organisation called FIDA Ghana, which stands for The International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA-Ghana). https://www.fida-ghana.org/know-fida/

    About The Social Work Community Podcast The Social Work Community Podcast explores the issues that matter to social work practitioners in their working lives. Senior commercial editors Kirsty Ayakwah and fellow host Sharmeen Ziauddin, interview experienced and inspiring guests, including frontline social workers who speak from the heart about their jobs, the sector and society.

    It was nominated in the podcast category at the 2024 BASW Social Work Journalism Awards following its first season, which ran from October 2023 to April 2024. It can be found on all major podcasting platforms including:
    • Spotify
    • Apple Podcasts
    • Spreaker
    Click ‘follow’ or ‘subscribe’ on your podcast app so you know when a new episode is published. You can also listen to the episode here:

    Read the transcript.
    To whet your appetite for season three, check out our podcast page to listen to previous episodes from seasons one and two.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    44 分