Social Work Sorted with Vicki Shevlin

 I left local authority social work four years ago, not because I was burnt out, but because I couldn't keep building my training work alongside it. In this episode I push back on the glamorisation of independent social work and talk through five things I genuinely miss about being employed: team, learning, practice skills, benefits, and progression.  If you lead a team or a service, this is...

This week I've been watching the Lindsey Clancy trial, and I couldn't stop thinking about what it reveals about giving evidence, professional credibility, and how quickly a badly placed comma or a defensive answer can unravel someone's testimony. But this episode isn't really about the trial. It's about something new social workers ask me constantly: how do I get good at c...

In this episode I'm joined by Trevor Elliott MBE, founder of Children We Care For and director of three residential children's homes in London, who became a foster carer at 24. Trevor is one of the most honest voices I've come across in this space and this conversation did not disappoint. We talk about what foster care actually requires and why a big heart and a spare room is not en...

July was heavy. Court, honest feedback on my book, and the quiet weight of watching decisions unfold in family courts. In this honest, veryyyy unfiltered episode I talk through why August needs to be about joy, and four simple, no-cost ways I'm building more of it into my days with several caveats.  If July left you feeling a bit worn down too, this one's for you. Plus a reminder about t...

In this episode I'm joined by my friend and colleague Jo Schofield, Director of Immigration Social Work Services and one of the leading experts on age assessment in the UK. Jo has spent her career working with unaccompanied asylum seeking children, acting as an expert witness in court, and developing the SAFE framework - the Social Work Age Estimation Framework - which is changing the way soc...

In this episode I'm joined by Dez Holmes, Director of Research in Practice for a conversation that went in more directions than either of us planned and was better for it. We talk about Dez's career and what's driven it, the role Research in Practice has played in social work over the years, what it actually means to be evidence informed in practice rather than just claiming to be,...

In this episode I'm back after a quieter month, off Instagram, in therapy, having acupuncture, and thinking about a lot of things. This one covers the personal and the professional in equal measure. I'm talking about the naming of social workers in the media following the Preston Davey case, why the way decisions in social work are actually made is so consistently misrepresented, and wha...

In this episode I'm joined by Sean Monaghan, founder of Safer Now, whose route into safeguarding practice started in a youth centre in North Birmingham and took him through community violence intervention, hospital-based trauma response, and a recurring question: so what?  We talk about what it actually takes to change practice on the ground, why skills training has to outlast the day it&apos...

Home visits are the main site where social work happens. And yet they are barely mentioned in Working Together to Safeguard Children 2026 or any version of Working Together before it. In this episode I'm exploring why this matters, what Harry Ferguson's research tells us about children being invisible on home visits, and why statutory invisibility leads to practice invisibility. I also w...

ACEs - adverse childhood experiences - is one of the most referenced phrases in social work and safeguarding. But how many of us have actually questioned whether we are using it correctly? In this episode Vicki Shevlin explores why the research behind ACEs is weaker than most people realise, why correlation is not causation and what this means practically for your assessments, your reports and you...

In this episode I explore one of the most persistent and unhelpful narratives in social work; that there is a hierarchy of practice, and that unless you have done your time in child protection you have not done real social work. Drawing on my own experience moving from family facing practice to conference chair to independent social worker and trainer, I reflect on the guilt that comes with changi...

In this episode I'm talking about one of the most consistent findings across serious case reviews; the invisible child and giving you one practical thing you can take into your next home visit immediately. Inspired by Harry Ferguson's new book Making Child Protection Work, I'm focusing specifically on direct work with infants and why greeting a child first, even a sleeping baby, mat...

 In this episode, I'm reflecting on my own unexpected experience of having a record written about me, not as a social worker, but as a home educating parent. It's a small, almost comedic example, but it stayed with me, and it raises big questions about accuracy, context, and what families actually feel when their words are recorded without them. I'm also sharing my thoughts on what...

In this episode, I’m joined by Power 2 Prevail to explore what it really means to work with young people, not just around them. We talk about the power of youth work, how professional hierarchies can silence lived experience, and why “listening” isn’t the same as genuine inclusion. Together, we explore how care-experienced young people can and should shape training, learning and development, not a...

Have your home visits started running to two hours… but nothing is actually changing? In this bite-sized episode, I share a powerful reflection from inside The Social Work Collective Academy following a live masterclass on Staying Connected When Conversations Are Hard . We talk about: Why naming the time you have is a professional skill How unclear time boundaries increase burnout Why shorter visi...

January doesn’t need to be a fresh start on the 1st and social work doesn’t get easier when we set ourselves (and families) impossible expectations. In this episode, I’m sharing my phrase for the year - one thing at a time - and why it matters for attention, overwhelm, and realistic planning (in practice and in life).  I also share what I’ve been reading lately, how it’s shaping my training, and I...

This episode was unplanned but necessary. After receiving my Spotify Wrapped for the podcast, I noticed something that stopped me in my tracks: many listeners of Social Work Sorted were also listening to summaries of The Let Them Theory . In this episode, I unpack why the idea of “just letting them” doesn’t sit comfortably with me as a social worker, an advocate, or a human living in a collective...

In this episode, I’m talking honestly about Christmas – both as a person and as a social worker. I share my own complicated relationship with the festive season, from hypervigilant childhood Decembers to slowly reclaiming pockets of joy with my own children (yes, including my very extra homemade advent calendar). Then we look at Christmas in practice : how to protect your own energy in December, s...

 In this episode, I’m talking directly to Designated Safeguarding Leads about supervision – what it is, what it isn’t, and why you absolutely need it in your role.  I share three key things every DSL needs to know about supervision, including the difference between emotional containment and therapy, why you don’t need someone to “tell you what to do”, and why supervision won’t always feel comforta...

In this week’s episode, I’m sharing a story that unfolded in my local park — one of those moments where instinct, practice experience, and humanity collided. After intervening in what appeared to be a domestically abusive situation, I walked away thinking about the one message every child, every adult, and every social worker needs to hear more often: “It’s not your fault.” In this episode, I talk...

Why are we still doing things for Ofsted ?  Why do we hear, “Make sure your case notes are up to date — for Ofsted”? In this episode, I explore how inspection culture shapes the way we work and how it can create fear instead of reflection. With grounded takeaways for directors, managers, and practitioners, this episode looks at how we can rebuild calm, confidence, and purpose within our organisati...

I recently attending 2 conferences that didn't feel like conferences at all. The Contextual Safeguarding Conference in Durham and the Trauma Informed Consultancy Services Conference in Manchester (mini celebration for events that take place outside of London!). I wanted to share all my reflections with you, messy, unedited, reading from my notes and very clearly still on a high from being wit...

This might be the most important episode I’ve ever shared. It’s about a cupboard — but really, it’s about care, action, and what it means to truly learn as a social worker. I tell the story of a messy cupboard in my first job, how clearing it shaped the way I’ve approached learning ever since, and why I believe training isn’t something you can just “do” to people. If you’ve ever wondered what make...

In this episode, I sit down with the Social Work Academy team at Lancashire County Council to talk about how they support newly qualified social workers during their ASYE year. We explore the induction process, the challenges new practitioners face, and the role of ongoing learning and reflective practice. I also share insights from my own contribution to their ASYE Induction Programme, where I de...

 Joining a new social work team can be exciting — and daunting. In this episode, I share practical tips for starting strong: how to remember you bring valuable life and learning experience, how to observe and learn from your team’s culture, and how to protect the work habits and boundaries that will help you thrive for years to come.  Lets connect! To book in a free 15 minute chat with me, to talk...