Helpful Social Work Podcast

In our final podcast of series 8, we do our annual review of the year in social work. We are joined by Sylvia and Shantel from the Anti-Racism Movement, who are taking over as hosts. We reflect on the way social workers have responded to events over the last year and share our hopes for the future.

In this final episode about sustaining yourself as a social worker, we explore the need for recognition and respect for social work. This enables good working conditions and supports social workers to offer trusted expertise to children, adults and families.

We continue our series on sustainable social work by looking at how social workers can practise authentic self-care. We discuss how self-care is really a shared endeavour with peers, and the importance of seeing it as activism for good social work. We are excited to be joined by Shantel Thomas and Sylvia Smith, who will be taking over as hosts in April.

We continue our series on sustainable social work by looking at how organisations provide relational support to enable social workers to thrive. We discuss how everyone can work together with a shared purpose. And we consider the importance of building a sense of belonging and equity within the organisation.

We continue our series on sustainable social work by discussing how good managerial support can help social workers to thrive. We look at how to build relationships of trust, including through the use of intersectionality.

We continue our series on sustainable social work by discussing the vital topic of supervision. We talk about why it matters, and how to secure sound professional supervision to enable you to practice well and to thrive.

We continue our series on sustainable social work by discussing the importance of wider support from the social work profession. We talk about how being part of a national and global community of social workers inspires us, encourages us and makes us think about what we stand for.

We continue our series on sustainable social work by discussing the importance of peer support. We look at how this helps social workers to manage stress, develop practice and be inspired.

We continue our series on sustainable social work by exploring how professional development helps us to thrive as social workers. We talk about how learning can bring joy and growth, and how to get the most out of continual professional development.

Heute ist der Podcast auf Deutsch. Ich spreche über die Soziale Arbeit in Großbritannien. Ich erkläre, wie sie funktioniert, und rede über die Schwierigkeiten und das Potenzial für die Zukunft. Ich hoffe, dass deutschsprachige Zuhörer diesen Podcast interessant finden.

The second podcast in our series on sustainable social work explores how we can empower ourselves as social workers. We look at the importance of taking control and influencing our working environment, and how we can ally with others in our profession to call for the support we need to be able to practise well.

In our first podcast of Series 8, we give an overview of how we look after ourselves, keep going and thrive in this vital work. We explore evidence of the pressures on social workers and consider a framework to help us maintain ourselves in this tricky context.

At the end of each series, we do a review of the year. We look back at the events and themes, and take stock of what is happening in social work.

Series 8 runs from 2023 to 2024. In this series we explore how we can keep doing social work in tricky contexts. In each podcast, we look at a difference aspect of the evidence about what helps social workers to thrive.

In this podcast we talk to Paul Bridgewater about the experience of being a social worker in a range of communities, including on small islands. Paul talks about how a social worker can get to know a context and people, and build a relationship that offers a way to help someone make sense of their experiences and uphold their rights.

We continue our exploration of the use of self in social work. In this final episode, we talk about the situations and moments when we need to be still and do nothing. We consider the importance of stillness, silence and waiting. And how we can create space for people when they need this.

In this podcast, we talk with John Scadden about what helpful social work means to him. John talks about how you can make a difference through being the person who doesn't give up and who inspires hope.

In this podcast, we talk with Gladys Mante-Nyadu about what helpful social work means to her. Gladys talks about meaningful relationships that allow people the space to be heard and to explore worries, and the importance of honest conversations.

We continue our exploration of the use of self in social work. In this episode we talk about neurodiversity in social work, and the importance of acknowledging and learning about diverse ways of experiencing the world. And, particularly, the importnace of hearing the growing voice of the neurodivergent community, including in social work.

We continue our exploration of the use of self in social work by looking at the entwined senses of taste and smell. Though often overlooked in practice, these strongly influence our perceptions and our emotions. In this podcast, we explore how social workers can notice and respond to taste and smell, and all that they evoke.