Social Work Sorted with Vicki Shevlin

 After a two-and-a-half week break, I’m back on the podcast with an honest catch-up — and a list of my recent “failures.” From not getting shortlisted for an award to forgetting suncream, I’m sharing how reframing failure has been a game changer for me, both in social work and life. Whether you’re newly qualified or years into practice, this is your reminder that failing means you’ve tried — and t...

If you’ve ever wondered exactly what The Social Work Collective Academy is and how it can help you as a newly qualified social worker (or someone supporting them), this episode is for you. I’m taking you inside the Learning Hub — explaining how it works, the gaps it fills in early career training, and the practical tools that will help you feel both competent and confident from day one. Whether yo...

This is for you if you are a newly qualified social worker who has just been allocated their first family to work with. That stomach-drop moment? It's completely normal—and I'm here to walk you through it. Inside this episode: What to do immediately after seeing that first family in your inbox How to process the nerves, self-doubt, and emotional overwhelm The simple but vital question to...

In this episode I'm offering a practical, compassionate guide to help newly qualified social workers feel more confident about assessment work—especially child and family assessments. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why assessments feel overwhelming—and why that’s totally normal The statutory guidance you must know  Why local authority policies can be your secret weapon during disagreements Th...

In this episode I talk about this quote by Rebekah Pierre (and do a terrible job of remembering it in the moment) but its important to reference it properly:  "Perhaps you saw the screen in front of you as the final destination. It was not; your words, written about but without me, would not remain hidden forever." It's from this article: https://basw.co.uk/articles/open-letter-soci...

A bitesize learning episode to support you in practice.  To book ASYE Core Skills training head here: https://www.socialworksorted.com/event-details/asye-core-skills-clarity-and-confidence-for-early-practice Lets connect! To book in a free 15 minute chat with me, to talk about training, development, courses or membership email vicki@socialworksorted.com Sign up to my free newsletter Listen to Soci...

The instagram trend 'propaganda I'm not falling for' caught my eye and I couldn't help but post a social worker version.  In this episode I'm unpicking some of the statements and sharing why I included them.  References: https://thestudentsocialworkhub.wordpress.com/2020/07/25/social-workers-as-super-heroes/ Lets connect! To book in a free 15 minute chat with me, to talk a...

The Truth About Confidence, Competence, and Calm In this episode, I’m talking about the real truth behind three words that are at the heart of The Social Work Collective Academy: Confidence, Competence, and Calm . These aren’t just buzzwords – they’re the foundation for thriving in your first year as a social worker. I’m breaking down why confidence is often misunderstood (especially through a gen...

Lets connect! To book in a free 15 minute chat with me, to talk about training, development, courses or membership email vicki@socialworksorted.com Sign up to my free newsletter Listen to Social Work Sorted Membership Podcast Join the Social Work Sorted Membership on Patreon for CPD & Resources to build your confidence as an early career social worker  Email: vicki@socialworksorted.com LinkedI...

The waiting list for The Social Work Collective Academy is now open:  Join The Collective If you are interested in an organisation licence please email me vicki@socialworksorted.com Lets connect! To book in a free 15 minute chat with me, to talk about training, development, courses or membership email vicki@socialworksorted.com Sign up to my free newsletter Listen to Social Work Sorted Membership...

I think balance is a myth and if I need to prioritise one thing in my life, then something else will have to come second. I'm ok with that, are you? And if we give ourselves permission to not do it all - can we extend that same level of empathy to the families we work with? Talking about all this in the episode - let me know your thoughts!  The Social Work Collective Academy  Join The Collect...

I love being in conversation with new social workers, and naturally the topics that come up a lot are the challenges in day to day practice. In this episode I'm sharing 3 of the biggest struggles for new social workers - in the hope that when you are aware of them - you can do something about it!  Listen here if you are student, new social worker or someone who works in a supportive role help...

This is just 3 of so many 'what I wish I'd known' tips but I get asked this question a lot and obviously it's something I'm always thinking about!  If you liked this episode make sure you subscribe and leave a review! Stay in touch  The Social Work Collective Academy (Join the waitlist)  https://www.socialworksorted.com/thecollective Lets connect! To book in a free 15 minu...

A personal share about our family pet, as well as encouraging you to reflect on social work, pets, loss, connection and relationships in all forms.  If you have a positive story about social work and pets, animal connections or use of therapy animals I encourage you to share it on social media and tag me: Linkedin: Vicki Shevlin Instagram: @vickishevlin_ Facebook : Social Work Sorted  Follow up li...

There are lots of changes (as always) happening in social work so I thought I'd share my views on some of them in this chatty episode. If you want to skip my opinions and go straight to how you can have a mini rest this spring, realign your boundaries and look at some genuine self care, head to around 33 minutes. In this episode I'm sharing my thoughts on -SWE proposed increase -AI and s...

This is a question I am asked regularly and although I can't respond to individual circumstances, this episode will take you through: -reframing complaints  -removing personal comments  -the value in apologising  -upholding families rights  -looking after yourself with record keeping  Lets connect! To book in a free 15 minute chat with me, to talk about training, development, courses or membe...

How do we extend the reach of a genogram?  Yes, genograms are essential to our understanding of family networks and narratives, but what if the people influencing us the most are the ones we see every morning when we scroll social media? Are we including virtual contexts and connections in our assessments? And how do we do that in a non judgmental way? In this episode I talk about the importance o...

This episode is really one big question.  As social work podcasts increase (which is a great thing!) how do we as a collective, manage our responsibility to protect guests and ensure information is shared and not exploited? I don't have answers, but I'm hoping someone who listens to this might help me formulate some thoughts. It always feels scary to share my own experience but I wouldn&...

In this episode I am joined by the wonderful Katy, who started as a listener of this podcast and is now a friend.  I shared a post on instagram asking you to share your questions for me about all things podcast, so a huge thank you to Katy for joining me and asking them! Thank you so much for listening, the fact that I have been doing this for 3 years with now 100,000 downloads is wild and I am so...

I am so happy to share this conversation with Clo.  Recommended resources mentioned:  https://www.channel4.com/programmes/ted-noel https://kilntheatre.com/whats-on/es-flo/   Join The Social Work Collective: https://socialworksorted.com/thecollective Lets connect! To book in a free 15 minute chat with me, to talk about training, development, courses or membership email vicki@socialworksorted.com Si...

Are you a new social worker? Do you find yourself saying or thinking, 'I have Imposter Syndrome'? If so, this is for you!  Read more: hbr.org/2021/02/stop-telling-women-they-have-imposter-syndrome Lets connect! To book in a free 15 minute chat with me, to talk about training, development, courses or membership email vicki@socialworksorted.com Sign up to my free newsletter Listen to Socia...

How often do we talk about safety in social work? How often do we stop and think about the ways we define safety? Sharing some of my thoughts about safety, how we ask questions about it and how we unpick ideas.  If you have any feedback on this episode or any reading to share with me - please reach out!  Lets connect! To book in a free 15 minute chat with me, to talk about training, development, c...

Not my usual podcast but I am asked all the time about my current role in training, consultancy, having a podcast and doing independent social work so I wanted to give some very honest insights Please remember, this is just my personal experience so I'm hoping it might help at least one person out there.  If you want to get in touch about this episode please reach out!  Lets connect! To book...

I loved this conversation with the wonderful Angie! I've had some not -so - good experiences with school nurses, and Angie has had some not-so-good experiences with social workers. In this very honest conversation we look at multi agency working, what it really means in practice and how we can overcome some of the challenges in co working.  Follow Angie: https://www.instagram.com/nurseangieja...

As social workers, how often do we hold the expectation that people should tell us the truth? How does that contradict with our mainstream entertainment, a tv show that is focused on lies and deception? In this short episode I'm inviting you to think about why people lie, and why we should avoid taking it personally as social workers.  Recommended reading: https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/ar...