Episodes

An interview with Alan Wood, President of the Association of Directors of Children’s Services. Currently DCS for Hackney and previously Chief Executive of the Learning Trust credited for taking education in Hackney from the worst in the country to a position of excellence in 10 years. He also caused a storm with quoted comments in a Guardian article calling in to question some newly qualified social workers ability to do the job, labeling them”crap”. I pressed him on this and he stuck to his o...

Three more interviews from the Joint Social Work Education Conference. Firstly Clare Parkinson,Lucille Allain and Helen Hingley-Jones exploring contemporary uses of baby and young child observation. Secondly, David McKendrick talking of a mixed method evaluation of Twitter chat designed to encourage connectivity and professional identity in new social work students. Finally, John Dow, a service user, asking “where is the evaluation and communication of New Partnerships in the delivery of Soci...

Three more excellent interviews from the Joint Social Work Education Conference at Royal Holloway, University of London. Firstly, Tim Kelly , Dean of Social Work and Community Education who Chaired the whole event, talks of his vision of social work. Then Amanda Taylor discusses the value she has found in social work book groups and all the possibilities that stem from it. Lastly Pam Trevithick , a retired academic , looks at the landscape of social work and the challenges facing it. As alwa...

This episode has two interviews I gave on topical child care subjects. The first talks about the influence of Peter Righton , a convicted abuser who was influential in changing systems of care for looked after children in the 1980s and 1990s. There still could be much to discover about not only his behaviour but networks and contacts he had at all levels of influence and seniority. The second is about the case of neglect which prompted a serious case review that was published this week. It crit...

The second of this series features John Devaney, Director of Social Work Education at Queens University , Belfast and his co-presenter John Carpenter, Professor of Social Work from the School for Policy Studies at the University of Bristol. John Devaney was 20 years a social work practitioner and joined the University in 2006. He is also National Chair of the British Association for the Study of Child Abuse and Neglect. John Carpenter has been at the University of Bristol since 2005. Previousl...

The 16th UK Joint Social Work Education Conference and 8th UK Social Work Research Conference took place at Royal Holloway, University of London 23rd–25th July 2014. The Social World Podcast was there for its entirety and made hours of recordings for you. To be honest, such was the quality of presenters, workshops and attendees generally, that it was really exiting but almost too much to choose from. The first three interviews are — Harry Ferguson from the University of Nottingham then Ann Han...

Jane Evans, trauma parenting specialist, discusses the important issue of child to parent abuse ahead of Mirror or Mirage?: Is Adolescent to Parent Abuse a mirror image of Domestic Abuse, or is this simply a mirage? Are there cross-overs or contrasts between Parent Abuse and Domestic Abuse? An exciting conference being held in Bristol on 25th September 2014 Keynote Speech by Dr Amanda Holt: Dr Amanda Holt is a Senior Lecturer in Criminology at Lancaster University Law School and she works from...

Kieran is a media linguist and communication consultant. His PhD research explored the language of media interviews and he is now working with David Niven Associates to help analyse the negative portrayal of social work in British media. In this interview Kieran provides an academic perspective of the way social work is presented in the media. He has conducted qualitative analysis of articles from the Guardian and BBC which include the word ‘social worker’ and finds all are very negative. To m...

Professional Officer for the British Association of Social Workers, Nushra, gives an excellent interview/discussion. We talk about social work reforms, the representation of social work and the troubles which Nushra and others in the profession face – and she offers support and advice. Initially she explains information shared at a social work summit, this was centered around revealing the new processes of children’s services and what the future holds. There are £30 million worth of funds avai...

Practical discussion with Jenni Randall and David Akinsanya, providing advice for front line staff and students. Jenni was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award for her social work services. She is an independent social worker and therapist working primarily with children and young people who are or have been in public care. David is a successful campaigner for Looked After children having been in care himself. They both are trainers at David Niven Associates, giving the unique perspective tha...

TV and Radio interviews reflecting child protection cases. I often get approached to give these in response to negative stories as the former Chair of BASW; I feel they should be shared within the social work community to discuss the cases in a balanced view rather than the very negative approach that the media takes towards social work. Firstly, an interview discussing why some women have multiple children removed. The interviewer was very shocked by the report and was asking why this situatio...

Antonina Dashkina, President of Russian Union of Social Workers and Social Pedagogues, Vice President of INGO Conference, Council of Europe. We explore social work in Russia and the differences between Russia and the UK – most notably Russians view social work with a glass half full attitude rather than the negative attitude the UK appears to have of our profession. Antonina has an incredible wealth of knowledge and provides a fascinating insight into international social work. We touch on the p...

I attended the BASW UK conference and AGM and spoke at a workshop entitled ’embracing a media we love to hate’. It was an excellent day with up to 300 delegates helping to create a lively atmosphere and so I thought it a good idea to reflect on the content of the day. The full lineup of speakers can be found here and follow #SWspeaksAGM for updates from BASW and delegates of their thoughts from the day. RT Hon Sir James Munby, President of the Family Division made the clear point, which I fully...

This Podcast features Jon Brown as my guest. We talk of developments in child protection, the work of the NSPCC and the future strategy and digital importance in safeguarding children. Since April 2010 he has been in post as Head of Strategy and Development with the NSPCC helping to take forward the new organisational strategy in relation to sexual abuse. Jon is responsible for the design and commissioning of service, policy and research development. In January 2012 he also took responsibility f...

Freelance broadcaster Faye Dicker founded Freelance Mum. Freelance Mum began life in June 2013 when Faye recognised the need to connect like minded women. A freelancer for years, yet mum for much less – she realised she had a foot in both camps & neither in one. No longer on the baby circuit or in a fixed work place, she was inspired to found FM and create a community to provide inspiration & support for other freelancing mums. Faye has her own podcast for mothers who are trying to balance a wo...

I highlight the future interviews scheduled for the programme including Dame Tessa Jowell. – Privatising child protection services – I reflect on the Children’s Minister Edward Timpson’s latest comments on the current issue about the misrepresentation in the media of government plans. – Community Care have publicised the revised and relaunched standards for social work employers in England. I doubt that improvements have been made and so comment on the tensions between expectations and reality...

David Jones talks about the origins of The Global Agenda for Social Work and the work it is completing during our interview. A common theme throughout our discussion is promoting the voices of front line staff and how we can spread good news stories. By doing so we can provide a greater understanding of social work in the public eye so that when there are scandalous stories hopefully the general public will be more aware of the rarity they occur. David advocates more freedom for social workers ...

Jim – “I have never ever met anybody in the safeguarding community who didn’t care about the people they were going in to protect” Jim Gamble brings over thirty years experience from the world of protective services and a strong reputation for successful delivery in counter terrorism, organized and hi-tech crime prevention and child protection. A strong advocate of international multi-agency partnerships, Jim was the founding Chief Executive of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEO...

I’ve included an interview from The Media Show on the BBC for you. We discuss adoption and surrounding topics as well as, in my view, the hugely important subject of media representation of social care. We need to stop confusing confidentiality with secrecy and promote the outstanding work that social care staff achieve. I had some fantastic feedback from listeners via twitter and so if you missed it you can hear it here. Please do give me your thoughts on it, we can really get some discussion ...

In conjunction with British Association of the Study and Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (BASPCAN) David Niven Associates (DNA) hosted This is my childhood; there will be no other. The conference tackled early intervention of the ‘toxic trio’ of domestic violence, substance misuse and mental health issues and how they impact children and families – and as professionals, how we can help. We had some fantastic feedback, included below, of the speakers and content. I therefore felt the need...

Initially I debate the current topic in the UK – should social services, especially child protection, be moved to the private sector? Julian Le Grand has created a storm by saying that services are inadequate and this would be drastically improved by privatisation. Having specialised in child protection throughout my career I give my honest opinions in response to his debate, as well as looking at responses from others too. I go on to discuss the sheer quality of social services in the UK and ho...

The guest this week is Sandra Trotman Meadows – the Chief Executive Officer of PEYTU, a Bristol based charity providing training and consultancy to the Children & Young People’s workforce. The interview focusses on early years and the influences of the voluntary and charity sector and the importance of early years professionals – and possibly naming them as early years educators. We discuss the changes and impacts in the children’s workforce and the play sector, Sandra’s experiences, her frustra...

The Development Manager for Disabled Children’s Services at the Ann Craft Trust (ACT) Sarah Goff and I discuss the role of ACT in safeguarding disabled children and vulnerable adults, and specifically Sarah’s position in the organisation. We discuss the higher vulnerability of disabled children to abuse and the preventative measures which can be taken. She offers her advise to carers and parents of children with disabilities. For over 21 years the Ann Craft Trust (ACT) has championed the rights...

Excellent day at Compass Jobs Fair which exists to help support and develop the social work and social care workforce. I had the opportunity to talk to a lot of fascinating people with inspiring stories, I have included their interviews to share with you: 1 – Russell Smith the Director of CarePair which provides a service to match carers with users. He also runs Dad In A Shed which develops the latest accessibility accessories and disability aid, entertainment and technology products. 2 – Cha...