Decolonising Social Work Field Education

Why should social work students care about the profession’s colonial history? In this episode, hosts Dr. Sharlotte Tusasiirwe and Dr. Abigail Joseph Magwood speak with Dr. Sonia Tascone to uncover how colonialism continues to shape social work education, practice, and knowledge today. Through global perspectives from Australia, Germany, Uganda, and the UK, they explore Eurocentric curricula, langu...

What does ‘Wellbeing’ truly mean, and who gets to define it? In this episode, host Henglien Lisa Chen speaks with Dr. Wasiq Silan, an Indigenous scholar from Taiwan, to explore holistic, community-rooted understandings of care. They reflect on colonial legacies, power dynamics, and the risks of using neoliberal frameworks to achieve decolonisation. Drawing on Indigenous principles like Gaga and Ma...

In this episode, we go beyond England’s Professional Capabilities Framework (PCF) to explore its limitations in addressing global social justice and culturally diverse perspectives in social work field education. Hosted by Henglien Lisa Chen, our guests Phyllis Ngai and Shabnam Ahmed share insights on Indigenous rights, UNDRIP, and the need to challenge Western-centric frameworks. They offer pract...

What does a culturally relevant field placement look like in social work education? In this episode, host Ann Anka hosts a powerful dialogue with Dr. Carlene Cornish and student Zahra Farkane to explore how dominant placement models often overlook the lived realities of Black, Asian, and minority ethnic students. Drawing on the Sawubona model—an Afrocentric framework grounded in dignity, empathy,...

What does it mean to practise social work rooted in culture, community, and collective care? In this episode, guest Thierry Kwizera, a social worker from Burundi, joins host Henglien Lisa Chen to explore how community-led models challenge dominant Western frameworks. From gender-based violence interventions to environmental social work, Thierry shares how culturally grounded, group-based approache...

In this episode, we are joined by host Libby Hammond and guest Shirley Young, an Aboriginal social worker from South Australia. The conversation challenges Western frameworks that dominate social work education and practice. Shirley shares personal and professional insights on the long-standing colonial impacts on Aboriginal communities that highlight how assimilation policies, intergenerational t...

How do immigration, trauma, and colonial legacies intersect in gender-based violence policy and practice? In this episode, host Professor Nishi Mitra Vom Berg speaks with Yvonne Tyree, a UK-based social worker with over 30 years’ experience supporting migrant survivors. Together, they explore honour-based abuse, trauma-informed care across cultures, and how power, privilege, and policy gaps shape...

What does it mean to embed justice at the heart of education, technology, and field practice? In this episode, we have our host Michael Wallengren Lynch and Dr. Taskeen Adam, a researcher and educator whose work spans digital education, decoloniality, and global justice. Drawing on her framework of justice as content, process, and pedagogy, which also formed a part of the scoping review on decolon...

What does it mean to decolonise and rehumanise social work field education? In this episode, host Catherine Ellis speaks with Wayne Reid from the British Association of Social Workers. Together, they explore how colonial legacies persist in field placements and how tools like Woolly Racism and Shades of Bias can support reflection and change. The discussion highlights the need for psychological sa...

In this first episode of the Decolonising Social Work Field Education podcast series, the full team reflects on the rigorous scoping review on Decolonising Social Work Field Education that formed the foundation of this podcast project. Together, they discuss what it means to decolonise field education and share key insights from the research process. The episode features Michelle Jones (Lead Autho...

Decolonising Social Work Field Education is a podcast that brings together students, educators, and practitioners to reflect on how colonial legacies continue to shape social work placements in the United Kingdom. It began with a rigorous scoping review by our international team and aims to open space for honest conversations that often fall outside lectures or placement reviews. Across the series...