Decolonising Social Work Practicum

In this first episode of the Decolonising Social Work Field Education podcast series, the full team reflects on the rigorous scoping review on Decolonising Social Work Field Education that formed the foundation of this podcast project. Together, they discuss what it means to decolonise field education and share key insights from the research process.

The episode features Michelle Jones (Lead Author), Ann Anka, Einav Segev, Omar Mohamed, Michael Wallengren-Lynch, Nishi Mitra vom Berg, Libby Hammond, and Henglien Lisa Chen (initiator, cross-national research group, 2021: Decolonising Social Work Education and Practice). They reflect on what they learned, how the process shaped the podcast, and what listeners can expect from the series going forward. The episode is hosted by student participants Tina Odu and Eleanor Hogan, who share their reflections in each of our episode further.

Decolonising Social Work Field Education is a podcast that brings together students, educators, and practitioners to reflect on how colonial legacies continue to shape social work placements in the United Kingdom.

It began with a rigorous scoping review by our international team and aims to open space for honest conversations that often fall outside lectures or placement reviews. Across the series, we speak with people from around the world who bring lived experience, critical insight, and bold ideas.

Episodes explore power, identity, resistance and change while offering space to reflect, be challenged, and imagine new possibilities for social work education.

The series ensures active participation by our student co-hosts Tina Odu and Eleanor Hogan, who share their questions and reflections at the beginning and end of each episode.

This international project is co-produced through a decolonising lens, actively centering diverse voices and lived experiences to challenge conventional knowledge hierarchies. Funded by the European Association of Schools of Social Work, it's Led by Assoc. Prof. Henglien Lisa Chen (University of Sussex, UK) & Produced by Mitali Kulkarni.