The Social Matters Podcast

This one was fun! Recorded on International Women's Day, in this episode  Nadia, Fran and Eugene have a discussion about some of the women who have inspired them in their lives. March 8th is a day to shine a spotlight on women so Nadia, Fran and Eugene chose to shine the brightest of spotlights. Whether it's Michelle Obama,  close friends, Lady Phyll or Serena Williams, your favourite tr...

Content warning. In this episode Nadia, Fran and Eugene speak with Lydia Guthrie about her experience of working with sexual abuse. Like with all Social Matters episodes we try to have conversations which are helpful to people but we recognise that an episode about working with sexual abuse can impact people in different ways and can potentially be triggering. This message is to acknowledge this a...

In this episode Nadia, Fran and Eugene have a discussion about a recent BBC documentary presented by reporter Ashley-John Baptiste. Titled Split Up in Care: Life Without Siblings, the documentary explores the impact of separating siblings in foster care.  Your favourite trio reflect on the documentary, their own perspective on sibling relationship and possible learning for practice.  Have a listen...

WOW!!! This is an episode full of knowledge, humour, anecdotes, leather jackets and world domination. In this episode Nadia, Fran and Eugene are joined by  Professor Carlene Firmin MBE and Ben Lindsay for a thoughtful and important conversation about approaches to safeguarding young people. Carlene is a Professor of Sociology at Durham University and founder of Contextual Safeguarding. Ben is foun...

Whether in personal life or professional life, Happiness plays a role. But a different role for different people. In this episode Nadia, Fran and Eugene have a discussion about the role of happiness in their personal and professional lives. What does happiness mean to the trio? What role does happiness play in society and what is the role of happiness in social work? Tune in to hear Nadia, Fran an...

Happy New Year people!  This is the first Social Matters episode of the new year so Nadia, Fran and Eugene decided to have a conversation about aims and hopes for the new year. To do this, they review the word they chose at the beginning of 2021 to guide their approach to the year and they pick new words/phrases to guide them through 2022. The words and language we use play a significant role in c...

Merry Christmas people!  In this Christmas special episode, Nadia, Fran and Eugene have a conversation about what social work means to them. They share positive stories, their passion, the nature of the work and why, after a tough few weeks for the profession, they still remain enthusiastic and committed. Also, as with any Christmas special there are some surprises to look forward to! If you  enjo...

A few days after the news broke of the murder of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes, Nadia, Fran and Eugene reflect on the tragic death of Arthur and the significance for social work. If you  enjoy this episode then please share with your friends, leave a review and follow The Social Matters Podcast on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. The handle is @matterspodcast.

Season four continues to bring you new and interesting conversations from your favourite trio. In this episode, Nadia, Fran and Eugene have a conversation about Depression and a new report suggesting new ways  for NHS professionals to respond to mild Depression.  In another conversation about mental health, this episode acts as an important conversation starter for discussions about Depression. Ha...

Here's another exciting and informative episode for you! In this episode, Nadia, Fran and Eugene are joined by the terrific Nimal Jude for a conversation about the Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES) in social care.  The WRES is a set of standards/framework to measure different aspects of social care in relation to race. Local Authorities are asked to submit data in relation to a number o...

Here we go! We have our first guest of the season :)  In this episode, Nadia, Fran and Eugene are joined by social worker/family therapist, Jemma Healey, to have a conversation about queer theory in social work.  In a very insightful and impactful discussion, Jemma discusses the significance of queer theory in how we think and practice at social workers. What is queer theory? What does this look l...

Season four continues to bring you new and interesting conversations from your favourite trio. In this episode, Nadia, Fran and Eugene have a conversation about Refugees and Asylum-Seekers. Following the recent news reports of people having to flee Afghanistan, there will be a number of people seeking Asylum. However, not everyone fully understands what these terms mean and may have a single story...

They're baaaccccckkkkkk!  It's what you've all been waiting for. After a  summer hiatus, your favourite trio of social workers are back again with a fourth season!  In this episode, Nadia, Fran and Eugene have a conversation about the Euros, the Olympics, racism, mental health, sexism, representation and a lot more in an episode reflecting on some of the summer's  social issues...

Your favourite trio of social workers are back with the final episode of the season. In this episode, Nadia, Fran and Eugene look back on their third Social Matters Podcast season. They reflect on their favourite episodes, funniest check-ins and look forward to the fourth season.  If you  enjoy this episode then please share with your friends, leave a review and follow The Social Matters Podcast o...

Your favourite trio of social workers are back with another episode. In this episode, the first of a 2-part finale, Nadia, Fran and Eugene are join by Assistant Head Teacher, SENCo and Director Manny Awoyelu to talk about education and young people.  In this powerful and informative episode, Manny shares his experience of being a teacher, his own experience of school and his perspective of what co...

Three friends that happen to be social workers discuss current social/social work issues from their front room via Zoom.  Your favourite trio of social workers are back with another episode. In this episode Nadia, Fran and Eugene reflect on the past year since George Floyd's murder.   So much has happened in the past year in relation to race and racism and George Floyd's murder was a cat...

Three friends that happen to be social workers discuss current social/social work issues from their front room via Zoom.  Your favourite trio of social workers are back with another episode. In this episode Nadia, Fran and Eugene have a discussion about Anti-oppressive social work practice. Anti-oppressive ideals forms a crucial part of a social worker's approach. As social workers, we are du...

Three friends that happen to be social workers discuss current social/social work issues from their front room via Zoom.  Your favourite trio of social workers are back with another episode. In this episode Nadia, Fran and Eugene have a discussion about misogyny. Misogyny is defined as " the hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against women or girls" . In recent weeks and months, a spo...

Three friends that happen to be social workers discuss current social/social work issues from their front room via Zoom.  Your favourite trio of social workers are back with another episode. In this episode Nadia, Fran and Eugene have a discussion about the recent Race report in the UK. The report concludes that 'the UK is not deliberately rigged against ethnic minorities' . What does th...

Three friends that happen to be social workers discuss current social/social work issues from their front room via Zoom.  IT'S OUR 50TH EPISODE!!!!!! Your favourite trio of social workers are back with another episode. In this episode Nadia, Fran and Eugene are join by Charlie Whittaker to talk about using Motivational Interviewing in social work.  Helping to create change is a fundemental el...

Three friends that happen to be social workers discuss current social/social work issues from their front room via Zoom.  Your favourite trio of social workers are back with another episode. In this episode Nadia, Fran and Eugene have a discussion about microagressions. What are they and why are they being talked about?  Tune in to listen  Nadia, Fran and Eugene share their understanding and exper...

Three friends that happen to be social workers discuss current social/social work issues from their front room via Zoom.  Your favourite trio of social workers are back with another episode. In this episode Nadia, Fran and Eugene are joined by Wayne Reid from the British Association of Social Workers (BASW) to talk about Anti-Racism in social work and the soon to be released book with Siobhan Macl...

Three friends that happen to be social workers discuss current social/social work issues from their front room via Zoom.  Your favourite trio of social workers are back with another episode. In this episode Nadia, Fran and Eugene discuss what Joe Biden's election and Trump's departure means to them. It's been four long years of Donald Trump as President of the United States. Althoug...

Three friends that happen to be social workers discuss current social/social work issues from their front room via Zoom.  Your favourite trio of social workers are back with another episode. In this episode Nadia, Fran and Eugene share and discuss some of the many books and articles that have influenced their social work.  From books about trauma to articles about home visits, this episode has a r...

Three friends that happen to be social workers discuss current social/social work issues from their front room via Zoom. 'Catch Up'  talk to someone whom one has not seen for some time in order to find out what they have been doing.  ("it's always good to catch up with old friends") Your favourite trio of social workers are back with another episode. In this episode Nadia,...