Episodes

  • How one local authority uses community social work approach to shape support for families and children

    How one local authority uses community social work approach to shape support for families and children
    Dec 17 2025
    In the final segment in this three-part mini-series in collaboration with North Lincolnshire Council's Children and Families Service that explores career progression, well-being and social work practice.

    In this episode, two practitioners talk about North Lincolnshire's community social work approach and how it embeds into the statutory service.

    The local authority is committed to working collaboratively with families through its One Family Approach practice model which uses co-production to shape support for families and works collaboratively with other practitioners. Practitioners Steve and Shabnam kick off the conversation with some introductions.

    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.
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    17 mins
  • How direct work is transforming how children are supported

    How direct work is transforming how children are supported
    Nov 27 2025
    North East Lincolnshire's children's services received an overall good judgement in its recent Ofsted inspection with one outstanding judgement on the impact leaders have had on social work practise and supporting children and families.

    According to Ofsted inspectors, North East Lincolnshire's whole service transformation has left children's services "largely unrecognisable" from where it was in 2021.

    Recently, North Lincolnshire Council launched a direct work toolkit aimed at children to make sense of living in conflict in families.

    In this episode, listen to Ann-Marie Matson, director of children's services, and Hayley Smith, advanced social worker in the children's assessment and safeguarding service, as they reflect on the impact the introduction of the direct toolkit and other practice approaches have had on children and families.



    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.
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    21 mins
  • Prioritising workforce wellbeing – one council’s approach

    Prioritising workforce wellbeing – one council’s approach
    Nov 18 2025
    Heidi and Marco from North Lincolnshire Council highlight how they ensure well-being is prioritised in the workforce and integrated into practice.

    Ensuring that practitioners have access to wellbeing support, and flexible working arrangements and the chance to network with the wider workforce through staff engagement events are areas that North Lincolnshire remain committed to.

    In this the second instalment in our three-part miniseries in collaboration with North Lincolnshire Council's Children and Families Service, we speak to Heidi Blakey, senior workforce, engagement and development officer in children’s and families at North Lincolnshire Council, and Marco Torres, apprentice social worker in the courts and permanence team.

    The pair talk about how the council prioritises wellbeing and helps its workforce to achieve a positive work/life balance kicks off the conversation.

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

    Hampshire Hive #3: what transferable skills you can bring to fostering?
    Oct 28 2025
    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.
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    18 mins
  • Using a relational approach to transform children's services

    Using a relational approach to transform children's services
    Oct 21 2025
    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.
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    36 mins
  • A social worker's view: benefits of working with pyschologists

    A social worker's view: benefits of working with pyschologists
    Oct 17 2025
    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.
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    30 mins
  • A mother's view: how psychologist support resolved child to parent abuse

    A mother's view: how psychologist support resolved child to parent abuse
    Oct 15 2025
    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.
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    27 mins
  • Social work around the world: Falkland Islands

    Social work around the world: Falkland Islands
    Oct 1 2025
    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.
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    30 mins