1a First contact
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: RSS
Welcome to the first podcast for Series 3. In our ‘a’ podcasts this series we are looking at the social work journey, starting here with first contact. We discuss how we can overcome barriers to make our first encounter with someone helpful and hopeful.
10b Review of the social work year
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: RSS
In this podcast, the last in series 2, we discuss what’s happened over the last year in social work. We look at new learning, the importance of relationships and the need to shape our context in the year ahead.
10a Ecological approach
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: RSS
This podcast summarises our approach to series 1 and 2. We started with the importance of integrity and then took an ecological approach to consider ourselves, our relationships and our context. We discuss the importance of biology, behaviour and the environment in social work; and we look at how our approaches to attachment, emotional regulation and competence affect us.
9b Positive social work improvement
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: RSS
In this podcast we consider how we can use targets positively and take different approaches to learning from good practice. And how we can avoid a focus on compliance and blame.
9a Social work evaluation
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: RSS
How do we know what difference we make? This podcast considers the ethics and practice of social work evaluation.
8b Social control part 2
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: RSS
In this podcast we continue to explore the conflicts at the heart of the social work role. How can we ethically use and share our power?
8a Social work scrutiny
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: RSS
This podcast explores the impact of scrutiny on social work. We discuss how social workers can influence public understanding, including through social media.
7b Social control
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: RSS
In this podcast we start to look at the conflicts at the heart of the social work role. How do we respond to influences – our own and society’s – that push us into controlling rather than helping? How do we use our power well?
7a Diversity and exclusion
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: RSS
In this podcast we discuss the role social work has in responding to diversity and overcoming exclusion. How do we help people to be visible and to be heard?
6c Social work in England по-русски
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: RSS
Подкаст о социальной работе в Англии по-русски.
This podcast gives a brief introduction to social work in England in Russian.
6b Social justice
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: RSS
Social work is born out of social justice. In this podcast we look at what this means for social workers working with individuals and working to change society.
6a Social work context
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: RSS
In this podcast we start to consider the social and economic context of social work. We discuss how social workers can act to influence society and how our society influences what we do.
5b Using evidence in social work
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: RSS
In this podcast we discuss how we decide what evidence to use in social work, and we talk about the difference between using evidence to defend our views and using evidence to explore.
5a Trust in social work
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: RSS
This podcast explores how we build trust in us as social workers by being open about our expertise and by using the best evidence available. We discuss legitimacy, empowerment and knowledge exchange.
4b Social work regulation
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: RSS
In this podcast we think our way through the complex area of social work regulation – what is it for, who is it for, and how can it be helpful? We consider how the relationship between the social work profession, the regulator and government can work well, so that social work can develop and flourish for the benefit of people who need it.
4a Social work culture
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: RSS
In this podcast we explore how different professional cultures affect the way agencies interact. We use a model to help understand how to build bridges between social work and other agencies.
3b Social work specialisms
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: RSS
This podcast explores how we can specialise and develop our social work expertise within a single profession. And we discuss how specific standards can help (or hinder) practice development.
3a Interagency social work part 2
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: RSS
In this podcast we continue our discussion about how social work works with other agencies and, in particular, how we best negotiate roles, responsibilities and joint decisions.
2b Social work and austerity
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: RSS
In this podcast we consider how austerity policies impact on society, and how we social workers can respond helpfully and hopefully.
2a Interagency social work
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: RSS
Social work is rarely the only agency involved in a child’s, adult’s or family’s life. In this podcast we start to look at how social workers can work well with other agencies. We consider how professional identities interact, and the expertise of social workers as ‘specialist generalists.’
1b Social work training
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: RSS
In the second podcast of series 2, we have a reflective conversation about social work training. We look at what helps social workers to learn and develop, and conclude that the word ‘training’ should be banned. We should provide support for practitioners that is as high as our expectations.
1a Social work leadership
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: RSS
In the first podcast of series 2, we discuss the importance of leadership at all levels of social work. We look at what makes a good leader and particularly how leaders can support people through change.
Series 2 Introduction
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: RSS
This podcast explains who we are, why we are doing this podcast on Helpful Social Work and what each podcast will cover in series 2.
10b Change and progress
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: RSS
As our podcast, comes up to a year old, we look back on the last twelve months in social work.
We try and avoid thinking just about what’s different (change), and look for where things have got better (progress). We talk about practice, research, education and social work policy. There are positives, despite the difficult context, but a lot still to do.
10a Organisations and uncertainty
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: RSS
This podcast examines the way social work organisations respond to uncertainty and the importance of supporting social workers to remain curious.
9b Doing less with less
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: RSS
We unpick the idea that we can keep doing more with less, and look at how we can work sustainably and helpfully in social work with fewer resources. We consider social workers’ wellbeing and workload, accountability and prioritising, and how we can lobby for good social care.
9a Helpful challenge
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: RSS
We consider how social workers can supportively and ethically challenge one another.
8b Social work supervision
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: RSS
We talk about how social workers can ensure that they get helpful, supportive supervision.
8a Social work support
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: RSS
This podcast is on the topic of emotional containment and support for social workers. We look at the theory and evidence around how to help social workers to understand, process and learn from the emotional aspect of their work.
7b One social work profession
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: RSS
In this podcast we discuss how social workers can collaborate and thrive as one profession, despite differences, in the context of reform and scarce resources.
7a Relationships with colleagues
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: RSS
In this podcast we take a look at what makes a helpful social work colleague and how groups can work well together. We offer a model for discussion to help avoid group think and power issues.
6b Recording social work
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: RSS
We talk about recording and the myth that ‘if it isn’t written down, it didn’t happen.’ We look at how recording can empower people and support accountable social work practice.
6a Social workers’ workloads
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: RSS
We take a look at the evidence around how best to manage social work caseloads. We also look at the impact of targets, and the importance of measuring outcomes rather than outputs.
5b Hotdesking
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: RSS
In this podcast we talk about how hotdesking can affect social work practice. We look at how we can ensure there are appropriate spaces for reflection, and appropriate peer and emotional support for social workers.
5a Social work environments
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: RSS
This podcast looks at the ethics, theory and evidence about social work environments. We look particularly at the atmosphere and spaces that social workers work in, and how we can control and influence the places we work.
4b Practical reflection
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: RSS
In this podcast, we talk about how social workers make critical reflection happen, despite the pressure and busyness of our work.
4a Critical reflection
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: RSS
In this podcast, we explore the theory and evidence around using critical reflection in social work, and offer a model for doing good reflection in practice.
3b Social work stories
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: RSS
In this podcast, we talk about the importance of stories in social work, how they affect us, and how we can create and tell empowering stories about what social workers do.
3a Busyness and purposefulness
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: RSS
This podcast looks at the topic of how we can remain purposeful in the busy practice of social work, the importance of sustainable practice and how to prioritise well.
2b Evidence and ideology
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: RSS
In this podcast we talk about the role of evidence and ideology in social work policy, and how we can be more transparent about what is based on knowledge and what is based on belief.
2a Values and beliefs
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: RSS
In this podcast we explore values and beliefs in social work, the impact they have on our practice and how we can be more aware of them.
1b World Social Work day 2016
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: RSS
In this podcast we talk about World Social Work Day 2016 and what it means to be part of a global profession.
1a Integrity
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: RSS
The first part of our first podcast looks at the topic of integrity in social work, and explores what it means to be true to oneself, how we develop resilience and how we use our whole self in our practice.