The Social Work Community Podcast

Are you an adults’ social worker who is considering moving into children’s social work but don’t know how to make the transition? In this episode, hear from Dame Lorna Boreland-Kelly, Claire Barcham and Kayleigh Rose Evans as they respond to this question and highlight the invaluable skills that adult social workers can bring to children’s services. They also highlight how you can find that releva...

This special episode was recorded for Refugee Week 2025. Sharmeen Ziauddin, careers editor at Community Care, speaks to Zahraa Adam and Aimee Hinton about their work with unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC). They have worked with UASC for 10 years and have a wealth of experience. Both Zahraa and Aimee are national social work award winners and Aimee holds a British Empire Medal for her co...

In this episode of the miniseries Social work around the world, Community Care's careers editor Sharmeen Ziauddin, speaks to Riad Arar, a social worker from Hebron, a city south of Jerusalem, in the occupied West Bank, Palestine. He describes what life is like for him since 7 October 2023. Increased military checkpoints make delivering services incredibly hard for social workers and healthcare pro...

In this episode, hear from Dame Lorna Boreland-Kelly, Claire Barcham and Kayleigh Rose Evans respond to a question we received asking how to secure a new job after receiving a negative reference, and where to access help. Read the transcript here. This episode is hosted by Kirsty Ayakwah, senior careers editor at Community Care. If you have a question you’d like our experts to answer or if you fel...

Listen to Sharmeen Ziauddin's (career editor at Community Care) report from the One Voice Summit which was held at the London Guildhall on 24 & 25 April 2025. The summit, was organised by Olympian Fatima Whitbread’s charitable organisation Fatima’s UK Campaign. The main aim of the charity is to ‘create a safer, happier, and healthier environment for children, ensuring they can read their full...

In this episode of the Social Work Community Podcast, senior careers editor Kirsty Ayakwah speaks to specialist domestic abuse social worker Jenifer Lamadrid who started her career as an Independent Domestic Violence Advocate. We find out why she made the move, what core skills she's been able to take from her former profession into social work and what keeps her in the sector. Read the transcript...

As part of the 'Social work around the world' series, this episode, hosted by careers editor Sharmeen Ziauddin, features two Australian social workers, who have practised in Australia and in England. Kristin, worked in Queensland, Australia before moving to London 12 years ago. Tina similarly moved to London from Queensland but moved back and found herself stuck in Western Australia during the cov...

In this episode, hear from Dame Lorna Boreland-Kelly, Claire Barcham and Kayleigh Rose Evans respond to a question we received asking how an adults' social worker can secure a role working with refugees or co-ordinating disaster relief.  This episode is hosted by Kirsty Ayakwah, senior careers editor at Community Care. If you have a question you’d like our experts to answer or if you felt the advi...

This is the second part of our conversation with Yohai Hakak, senior social work lecturer and MSc lead at Brunel University, London. If you haven't listened to the previous episode then do go back and have a listen! The episode begins with Yohai talking about his PhD subject, going on to share his experience working as a mental health social worker back in Israel where he was born and raised.  He...

Welcome to the first episode of the new miniseries "Social Work Around The World" from the The Social Work Community Podcast. In the first episode, social work senior lecturer and MSc lead from Brunel University Yohai Hakak, talks to Sharmeen Ziauddin, careers editor at Community Care, about the research he is leading with his social work students. The research looks into the migration of social w...

In this episode, hear from Dame Lorna Boreland-Kelly, Claire Barcham and Kayleigh Rose Evans respond to a question we received asking: what are the pros and cons of working in a local authority versus a trust? This episode is hosted by Kirsty Ayakwah, senior careers editor at Community Care. If you have a question you’d like our experts to answer or if you felt the advice has helped you secure you...

Welcome to Season Three. In this episode of the Social Work Community Podcast, senior careers editor Kirsty Ayakwah speaks to two social workers that started their careers in a different profession altogether. Monisola Osibogun and Pam Shodeinde are both social workers in children’s services who both started their careers in law. We find out why they transitioned from law to social work, what core...

Welcome to our new mini-series : ‘Ask The Experts’ where we put your career questions to three social work experts In this episode, hear from Dame Lorna Boreland-Kelly, Claire Barcham and Kayleigh Rose Evans respond to a question we received asking how to secure a new job after receiving a negative reference, navigating the profession as an international social worker and where to access help. Cli...

We are back with another live episode – this time from adult social care at  Wiltshire Council . The session took place at Community Care Live 2024. This is a really special episode where you will hear direct from an adult who not only works within Wiltshire through Wiltshire Centre for Independent Living but also uses services that Wiltshire Council provide. This session is about how service user...

A collaboration between Hampshire County Council and South Central Ambulance Service is helping to improve the quality of care for adult social workers that would otherwise be transported to hospital. Hampshire County Council works to ensure that older adults avoid unnecessary journeys to the hospital thanks to a collaboration the council has formed with the South Central Ambulance Service or SCAS...

Welcome to the second episode of the new mini-series, 'Ask the Experts'. In this series our panel of experts will be answering questions sent in by readers.  Our experts are Dame Lorna Boreland-Kelly, Claire Barcham and Kayleigh Rose Evans, and the session is hosted by Ruth Hardy-Mullings, head of content at Community Care. The dilema in this epsidoe is two-fold. How to keep motivated working in a...

It's that time of year🎄! And to celebrate we recorded a Christmas special for The Social Work Community Podcast! The social work sector and face of Community Care , have both changed a lot over the last 50 years. As it is Community Care's 50th birthday year it made sense to discuss all this and more with some of the longest-standing members of the Community Care team. In this episode Sharmeen Zia...

This is a special episode which was recorded live at Community Care Live 2024. In this thought-provoking and session, you will hear about the importance of a parent’s journey while considering their own child’s life story. You will hear first-hand the experiences some parents have had and how practitioners can gain a better understanding of the impact positive life stories can have on both parents...

The Anti-Racist Movement (ARM) - a collective of Black female social workers, academics and allied professionals got together for its second annual conference in London in November 2024 - it was ARM's second anniversary. It was my first time at an ARM event and the day was filled with learning, sadness, frustration but also filled with laughter, celebration and most importantly, hope. And a lot of...

Welcome to our new mini-series : ‘Ask The Experts’ where we put your career questions to three social work experts.  In this episode, hear from Dame Lorna Boreland-Kelly, Claire Barcham and Kayleigh Rose Evans respond to a question we received asking how to tailor a job application to get the best results and secure that new role. This episode is hosted by Ruth Hardy-Mullings, head of content at C...

Two social workers share their experience of returning to social work from maternity leave and highlight how Essex County Council has supported their transition. How much support did you have when you returned to social work after becoming a first-time parent? In three episodes of the Social Work Community Podcast, social workers at Essex County Council discuss the various ways the local authority...

Podcast: locum v perm – what works for you? We ask two social workers from each side of the agency-permanent divide what has driven their career choices and if they would ever change their minds. In this episode of the Social Work Community Podcast, senior careers editor Kirsty Ayakwah asks two social workers (Le'Siran Edwards and Kayleigh Rose Evans) from either side of the divide about what has...

Would you work for an inadequate-rated children's services? This episode is in collaboration with Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council (BCP). In this episode Sharmeen Ziauddin, careers editor at Community Care, speaks to a number of social workers at BCP Council about its improvement journey and why working for an inadequate-rated children's services is not all bad! Sharmeen speaks to Steph...

As Community Care marks its 50th anniversary this year, we wanted to find out what the social work landscape was like through those decades and how that shaped the career of a social worker. Community Care’s senior careers editor Kirsty Ayakwah, spoke to Gretchen Precey, an independent social worker, who celebrates 47 years in children’s services this year - almost as long as Community Care has be...

Welcome to Season Two of The Social Work Community Podcast! In this episode we'll be discussing whether we need more male social workers. The social work profession is female dominated – recent figures show women make up about 80-85% of the workforce in the United Kingdom. Why is this and what can be done to change this? Does it need changing? Sharmeen Ziauddin, careers editor at Community Care, s...