Let's Talk Social Work

Social workers sometimes need help too. Whether it’s to resolve a workplace conflict, navigate a fitness to practice referral, manage complex or difficult cases, or to seek advice on an employment matter, knowing where to turn when facing professional challenges is critical. The temptation might be to go it alone, but doing so can be overwhelming, stressful and burdensome, taking a heavy toll on m...

Too often, young people have been the silent victims of the justice system. As our prison population gets bigger, so do the numbers of young people living with a parent incarcerated. They form one of the most overlooked groups in our society, with little known about their needs or experiences. That leads to them being forgotten about when it comes to policy-making and support networks, or even wor...

Supervision and home visits are central to social work with children and families, yet the interaction between them is rarely considered. Given the importance that social workers place on them both, it seems strange that we tend only to evaluate the influence of supervision through its impact on social workers, without gathering any empirical evidence around whether it is directly improving the ou...

One hundred not out for Let’s Talk Social Work! To mark our centenary, we’re delighted to welcome Baroness Ruth Lister CBE onto the podcast for a unique ‘in conversation’ episode on a host of topic areas, from social justice to human rights, asylum and immigration, child safeguarding, and raising social work’s voice in parliament. Baroness Lister brings a wealth of experience and expertise in all...

Have you ever considered what the role of a Nearest Relative is like? Under the Mental Health Act for England and Wales, any one of us could be thrust into the role, carrying the weight of its legal responsibilities, pressures of supporting our family member, and navigating the ever-complex mental health system. A recent research project funded by UK Research and Innovation conducted with AMHPs an...

Significant elections are taking place in Scotland and Wales this year. With the current political mood so unpredictable, the make-up of Holyrood in Edinburgh and the Senedd in Cardiff could be very different after May. And given that social work in Scotland and Wales is the full responsibility of these legislatures, any change is likely to have a sizeable impact on decisions taken about the profe...

Let’s Talk Social Work is kickstarting 2026 with a broad episode exploring the state of the profession in the UK. Host Jonny Adamson is joined by BASW Interim Chief Executive, Professor Sam Baron, BASW England Acting Chair, Shantel Thomas, and Professional Officer at the Scottish Association of Social Work, Susan Dobson for a frank discussion on the challenges currently facing social work, their v...

One third of domestic abuse begins during pregnancy, rising to 40% within a baby’s first 1001 days of life. It contributes to around one in four babies entering care, making it the highest-ranking factor for children’s safeguarding. Despite landmark legislation being introduced across the UK to protect children against domestic abuse, a recent report by the Children’s Commissioner for England and...

Higher degrees, such as a Master’s or a Doctoral, can prove extremely valuable for social workers and their practice. But is it a realistic and accessible option for social workers to undertake further education while still working? When you factor in a lack of time, unmanageable workloads, difficulties obtaining funding, not to mention the practicalities of studying while at the same time navigat...

Social workers frequently come into contact with dogs in their practice. Yet until now, it hasn't featured in social work research, education, training and guidance. A recent study published in the British Journal of Social Work entitled ‘ We’re not professionals when it comes to dogs: ’ Social work encounters with dogs and their implications for education and practice sets out to address this omi...

After 93 episodes, Andy McClenaghan is moving on from hosting  Let’s Talk Social Work . Following a short break, the podcast will return in the autumn and will be hosted by BASW’s Jonny Adamson.  In this episode, Andy is joined by Jonny to discuss the past four and a half years making  Let’s Talk Social Work . They explore standout episodes, key learning points, topics that Andy did...

This special episode has been made to celebrate World Social Work Day 2025, the theme of which is ‘Strengthening Intergenerational Solidarity for Enduring Wellbeing’.  Andy McClenaghan is joined by Professor Cecilia Bailliet, United Nations Independent Expert on human rights and international solidarity, and friend of the podcast Janet Walker, Professor Emeritus of International Social Work a...

In episode 91 Andy McClenaghan is joined by Abigail Gagen, Emily Hindle and Angie Button to discuss how dementia affects people’s lives and explore how social workers and social care workers can meet the needs of people with dementia and their families. Emily is Policy Manager with the Alzheimer’s Society and Abi is a social worker who works as a Team Manager at North Yorkshire Council and is also...

In the first episode of Let’s Talk Social Work of 2025 Andy McClenaghan is joined by Chair of the British Association of Social Workers, Julia Ross, Chair of BASW’s Policy Ethics and Human Rights Committee, Annie Ho and Co-Chair of the Association of Palliative Care Social Workers, Glynis Berry to discuss the potential change in the law for England and Wales which would legally permit people to se...

In this episode, made to mark Human Rights Day 2024, Andy and his guests explore the issue of brain injury and how social workers can best support people with a brain injury to ensure their rights are upheld.   Social workers who work with individuals affected by brain injury need to have a clear understanding of the condition in order to provide effective support. This includes recognis...

The UK is a richly diverse society and social workers will frequently work with children, families and individuals whose cultural heritage differs from their own. As we have discussed many times on the podcast, social work is a relationship-based profession and it is difficult to form good relationships without being open to understand the values and traditions which shape another person’s worldvi...

In this episode, Andy and his guests discuss Artificial Intelligence in social work. They explore the concept from three angles—how might AI play a role in social care in terms of direct support for people who use services, how might it assist social workers in their practice and finally, how is AI being used in the education of social workers.  The discussion focuses on how AI is already hel...

In our first episode back after the summer break we discuss the experiences of Indigenous People, exploring issues of resilience and social justice and examining lessons for social work. Helping Andy to explore this incredibly important issue are Professor Hilary Weaver and Professor Janet Walker.  Hilary is Professor Emeritus of Social Work at the University at Buffalo School of Social Work,...

In the last episode of the podcast before we take a break for the summer, Andy and guests have an opportunity to reflect on the outcome of the UK general election and explore what the changed political landscape will mean for adult social care in England, reflecting on potential impacts for social workers and people who use services.  Andy is joined by Vice Chair of BASW England and Co-Chair...

In this episode, number 84 in our series, Andy McClenaghan and guests discuss Operation Encompass—a police and education early information safeguarding partnership enabling schools to offer immediate support to children experiencing domestic abuse. Andy is joined by founders of Operation Encompass, David Carney-Haworth OBE and Elisabeth Carney-Haworth OBE, and social worker James Dr...

In this episode we explore reflective supervision—what it is, how it can benefit social workers by improving their wellbeing and job satisfaction, and ultimately, how it can improve practice. The Social Workers Union, in partnership with Buckinghamshire New University has recently published a best practice guide on reflective supervision which you can access here .  John McGowan, General Secr...

Andy is joined by Bekah Pierre and Alice Spencer to discuss the wonderful anthology— Free Loaves on Fridays .  Free Loaves on Fridays  is a collection of stories and essays, poems, reflections and open letters, detailing the lives of care experienced people. It is a special work—bursting with humanity. As diverse as the experiences of its contributors, the anthology viscerally details pa...

School social work is long established in the USA but in its infancy in Northern Ireland. This episode examines the nature of school social work with a view to learning from the discipline in the United States and exploring how this understanding can be applied to the emerging practice in Northern Ireland.  Andy is joined by Robert Lucio, Associate Professor and Online Program Director at the...

Following our last episode exploring the BASW UK General Election Manifesto, we examine the issue of poverty and what needs to change to improve the circumstances of millions of people across the UK.  Comprising two sections, first Andy is joined by friend of the podcast, social worker and anti-poverty campaigner, Dominic Watters, and Director of Policy, Research and Impact at the Trusse...

A general election is coming. When it will be, no one is quite sure, but what we do know is what needs to change to improve situations for social workers and the people who use social work services. This is the focus of this episode of Let’s Talk Social Work as Andy McClenaghan and guests discuss the asks outlined in the British Association of Social Workers 2024 General Election Manifesto . Joini...