The Social Work Community Podcast

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...

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...

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...

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 be...

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, s...

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 mo...

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...

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 socia...

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 diffe...

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...

Here's the trailer! Follow us on @thesocialworkcommunity on Instagram 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 th...

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...