Social Work Spotlight

In this episode I speak with Susana, with over fifteen years working in frontline social care, as a social worker in children's and adults' services, and now as a Registered Manager for an independent fostering agency in England. Susana is also the creator of MyTappyPlace, a wellbeing platform designed specifically for frontline professionals. Links to resources mentioned in this week’s ep...

In this episode I speak with Emmanuel, an early-career social work researcher from Nigeria, at the intersection of migration and mental health, with a bachelor’s degree in social work and a master's degree in migration, and a strong interest in research. Links to resources mentioned in this week’s episode: Emmanuel’s published works on ORCID - https://orcid.org/0009-0002-2029-5857 Emmanuel’s R...

In this episode I speak with Paul, who has over 45 years experience managing child welfare and protection services in the statutory sector at local, regional and national level in Ireland. He currently operates as an independent consultant, specialising in serious case reviews, expert witness and policy development for state bodies and voluntary organisations. Links to resources mentioned in this...

In this episode I speak with Peter, a lecturer at Glasgow Caledonian University and qualified social worker with particular experience of working with children and young people who have displayed harmful sexual behaviour. He has undertaken research and written extensively about abusive sexual behaviour between siblings. Links to resources mentioned in this week’s episode: Centre of expertise on ch...

In this episode I speak with Dr Jzo, a community practice and youth specialist, teaching and supervising students at the University of Botswana and publishing widely in the area of social work and motivation. Dr Jzo is also active in community work, regularly presenting on national radio and television on issues of social wellbeing, and hosting his own podcast and YouTube channel. Links to resourc...

In this episode I speak with Kgomotso, a social worker from Botswana currently residing in Germany, with qualifications in both Social Work and African Studies. She has experience working as a project support officer focused on orphans and vulnerable children-related policies and programmes, working to strengthen social protection systems and improve service provision by social workers in Botswana...

In this episode I speak with Donald in Wales, a researcher interested in the relationship between good child and family social work practice and outcomes, and in understanding the features of organisations that produce good practice. Donald has been instrumental in setting up the Tilda Goldberg Centre, academic lead for the Frontline social work programme, founding the What Works Centre for Childr...

In this episode I speak with Lamiya, a social work practitioner, researcher, and social entrepreneur from Azerbaijan with over a decade of experience in migration, social inclusion, child welfare, and gender-based violence, having worked with international organisations including the UN system, UNHCR, ICMPD, and the Council of Europe, and actively advocates for evidence-based, community-centred so...

In this episode I speak with Nayanathara, a social worker from Sri Lanka and the founder of The Island of Stories, a volunteer organisation that supports children and women in education, while also working as a lecturer in Youth Studies at the Open University of Sri Lanka. Links to resources mentioned in this week’s episode: Nayanathara’s NGO Island of Stories Instagram account - @islandstorieslk...

In this episode I speak with Marta, who beyond being someone who is deeply passionate about people, considers herself a nonconformist; someone who strives every day to make a difference. Marta holds a degree in Social Work and a Master’s in Social Work, with a focus on Chronic Kidney Disease and its impact on patients and their families. Marta is also a couple and family therapist and the mother o...

In this episode I speak with Jelena, a Social Welfare and Criminalistics Expert from Bosnia and Herzegovina with over 13 years of experience in the public sector, international organisations, and civil society. Her work focuses on research, advancing social policy, protecting the rights of vulnerable groups, evaluating programs, and supporting the European integration process. Jelena has collabora...

In this episode I speak with Sam, a forensic mental health social worker based in a specialist community mental health team in South London, tailored to work with forensic mental health patients, who have additional needs in the context of intellectual disability and/or neurodevelopmental disorders. Prior to this, he was based with an outreach focused mental health team working with people rough s...

In this episode I speak with Nur, currently serving at a Government Hospital in Malaysia, working closely with patients and families, especially in cases involving child protection, sexual health awareness, emotional trauma, and family dynamics. Her practice centers on compassionate support, building safe spaces, and empowering individuals to navigate challenging life experiences with dignity. Lin...

In this episode I speak with Francine and Nadrah in Singapore. Francine worked as a PE teacher in Singapore before moving to Australia to study social work at age 40. She worked in many major Australian cities and particularly loved Darwin where she predominantly supported Aboriginal communities in the renal sector, before returning to Singapore to support her elderly parents in 2021. After 8 year...

In this episode I speak with Dickens, originally from Hong Kong, having worked in social work and counselling in Hong Kong, Singapore, Melbourne, and Thailand. Drawing on his international experience, he currently serves as an international school counsellor in Phuket, Thailand. He is registered with Social Work England and the Hong Kong Social Worker Registration Board. He is also a Certified Cli...

In this episode I speak with Harleen, a social worker from India, awarded the Master’s of Social Work university Gold Medal, with more than five years of experience in the community development sector. Harleen is passionate about societal change.  Links to resources mentioned in this week’s episode: UNICEF article on India’s support for newborn and child health - https://www.unicef.org/india/what-...

In this episode I speak with Dan, whose more than 30 years of human services experience has seen him serving both children and adults in multiple settings and in various capacities. He has worked at four different child welfare agencies in Ontario, Canada, in frontline, supervisory and managerial roles across different functions. Along with work in the youth and adult mental health and addictions...

In this episode I speak with Liz and Courtney from the USA. Liz has worked with immigrant survivors of violence for the past 20 years and currently works as a District Student Support Specialist in the public school system where she also provides clinical supervision coordination and supports a trauma cohort. In addition, she provides clinical supervision for the Kentucky Department of Juvenile Ju...

In this episode I speak with Estefana, a seasoned trauma therapist and the Director of Clinical Training at ARISE Alliance Institute with a steadfast commitment to compassionate mental health care tailored to communities in need, developing and implementing training curricula in Critical Memory Integration (CMI™) to bolster trauma-informed and PTSD treatment practices. With over two decades in men...

In this episode I speak with Selva, a psychiatric social worker based in Chennai, India. He works as an Employment Coordinator at the Indian Schizophrenia Research Foundation and his focus is on helping individuals with lived experience of mental illness in their recovery, independence, and social inclusion through supported employment. Links to resources mentioned in this week’s episode: Schizoph...

In this episode I speak with Victory, who has over eleven years of experience in the NGO sector in Nepal and is currently pursuing her PhD. She has worked extensively on issues such as mental health, anti-trafficking, gender equality, community development in slum areas, youth empowerment, and the prevention of commercial sexual exploitation of children and her expertise spans program design, prop...

In this episode I speak with Matt, who in addition to being a registered social worker, is also a certified mental performance consultant, podcast host and co-founder of Southwest Counselling Services in Ontario, Canada. He is passionate about utilising a variety of tools including EMDR, Emotion Focused Therapy, Sport Psychology and Psychedelic Assisted Psychotherapy to help individuals, couples a...

In this episode I speak with Santa, an early career social worker from Laos with paid and volunteer experience for the Red Cross, and the UN, as well as working with migrants to support them to build their skills and experience to gain meaningful employment. Santa has a passion for human rights, humanitarian aid, social protection and research. Links to resources mentioned in this week’s episode:...

Social Work Spotlight is going international! I'm taking you all with me on my long service leave. Join me on a journey around the world as I speak exclusively with social workers from outside Australia on my travels for the next 12 months. My next three episodes will feature social workers based in Laos, Canada and Nepal, and I can’t wait to share these different perspectives with you. Keep a...

In this episode I speak with Dylan, who currently supervises a team of Support Coordinators spanning across South East Queensland. With experience in Child Safety, NDIS Social Work and Pastoral Ministry, Dylan takes a holistic approach to working with people, incorporating feminist theory and humanistic theory in his work. Links to resources mentioned in this week’s episode: Choosing Change - http...