In this episode, Helen, Vicky and Hannah, spoke to Jenny Molloy, bestselling author, motivational speaker and care leaver about their experiences of children's services as mothers using, and in recovery from, drugs and alcohol. They share what did and didn't help them, and what they would like social workers to understans.

The conversation was recorded on location at Jasmine Mother's Recovery Centre, part of Trevi, the charity that supports women and children.

Find out more about the centre and Trevi's work here: https://trevi.org.uk/services/jasmine-mothers-recovery/

Some of the women touch on the fact that many women who have experienced trauma and drug and acohol addiction have been in abusive relationships. We recorded a separate episode about mothers experiences of social work connected to domestic abuse. You'll find the episode in the podcast feed.

Full transcripts of both episodes and supporting materials are available to Community Care Inform subscribers at ccinform.co.uk.

Content warnings. While these are stories with positive outcomes, there are brief mentions of attempted suicide, domestic abuse, difficult childbirth, and women also speak about their older children being removed.

We’d encourage you to use supervision and peer support if this episode brings up anything difficult for you, and generally to look after yourself while listening.

In this episode, two expert guests discuss media coverage, blame and shame of social workers.

The guests are Dr Liz Frost, associate professor of social work at the University of the West of England, and Dr Maria Leedham, senior lecturer in applied linguistics at the Open University.

They discuss Maria’s research into mentions of social workers in UK newspapers and TV dramas, why media coverage almost entirely focuses on child protection, and whether there are signs that this negative bias might be changing.

The questions were asked by Ruth Hardy-Mullings, head of content at Community Care.

Links

• Community Care story, including podcast transcript:
• How negative perceptions of social work are reinforced in the media: https://www.communitycare.co.uk/2023/10/12/how-negative-perceptions-of-social-workers-are-reinforced-in-the-media/
• Sharon Shoesmith interview: https://www.communitycare.co.uk/2023/07/05/sharon-shoesmith-how-social-workers-can-get-their-professional-pride-back/
• 'You can literally change a young person's life': podcast episode with Dan, an 18-year-old with care experience: https://www.communitycare.co.uk/2023/08/08/you-can-literally-change-a-young-persons-life-an-18-year-olds-message-for-social-workers/

In this episode, we discuss the social work role in working with girls and women affected by female genital mutilation (FGM) and safeguarding children at risk. Our two guests bring their perspectives from both practice and research to try and help increase practitioners’ knowledge and confidence.

You’ll hear about ways to keep anti-oppressive and anti-racist practice, personal reflection and supervision central to your work – both to avoid stigmatising and causing further harm to affectees, and to build trust and relationships with individuals and communities to reduce risk.

The guests are: Maureen Mguni, a senior lecturer and researcher in social work at the University of West London (UWL) who has worked with women and girls affected by gender-based violence for most of her practice and research career, currently researching the experiences of people affected by FGM and their engagement with social workers in the UK; and Zelia Camelo. During one of her placements while studying social work at UWL, Zelia worked with a young person who had experienced FGM and she discusses what she did and what she learned.

The questions were asked by Joanna Silman, senior content editor at Community Care Inform Children.

Areas covered:
02.03: Addressing common misconceptions and myths about FGM

06.31: Use of language with affectees and children at risk and their families – examples of anti-oppressive questions to ask instead

12.50: Zelia’s experience working with a 16-year-old Somalian female during her placement, and the direct work she carried out. The girl had undergone FGM at a young age. The law and interactions with health services are also discussed

24:37: Why social workers need to reflect on FGM as a political issue – the role of racism, understanding the mandatory reporting duty, working with male expectations in communities as well as with women

31:15: Concluding messages for practice

Links

• Community Care Inform practice guide: https://www.ccinform.co.uk/guides/guide-to-female-genital-mutilation-for-social-work-professionals/
• Maureen’s PhD research that she discusses in the episode is not yet published. You can find her published works and a fuller biography here: https://www.uwl.ac.uk/staff/maureen-mguni
• Maureen’s 2022 webinar as part of Siobhan MacLean’s Student Connect series is available here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIzOlmLG8A4&t=3286s
• British Association of Social Workers (BASW) FGM direct work toolkit: https://www.basw.co.uk/resources/fgm-direct-work-toolkit (BASW membership required to access)
• United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child: https://www.unicef.org/child-rights-convention/convention-text
• United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights: https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights

Welcome to Learn on the go, a Community Care Inform podcast where we discuss the latest research, practice models and policy guidance and what they mean to your practice.

This episode looks at the Care Quality Commission's new duty, under the Health and Care Act 2022, to assess how local authorities are meeting their Care Act duties. The assessment framework has nine quality statements mapped across four overall themes: working with people; providing support; how the local authority ensures safety within the system; and leadership.

Discussing this CQC role in more depth are Mary Cridge, director of adult social care at the CQC, and Amanda Stride, the CQC’s deputy director for delivery of local authority assessments.

The questions were asked by Natalie Valios, senior content editor for Community Care Inform Adults.

0:01:19.6 - the testing process.

0:02:55.7 - when will the assessments start?

0:03:36.0 - what will happen once the two-year period has finished? Will there be a rolling programme with a certain number of authorities assessed every year or will you only assess those which receive a ‘requires improvement’ or ‘inadequate’ rating?

0:04:26.3 - how much advance notice will a local authority be given that they’re going to be assessed?

0:05:12.9 - it’s easier to envisage what leaders will need to do to prepare for an assessment, but will there be anything that frontline practitioners will need to do?

0:06:07.8 - what will be the ratio of in-person inspection versus reviewing evidence and data? And will you be observing social workers in practice as Ofsted does in its assessment of children’s services?

0:07:40.9 - what reassurance can you give about the single word grading system?

0:08:58.3 - will the CQC speak to frontline staff without managers present, or let them give their views anonymously during assessments?

0:09:39.8 - with councils under such tremendous pressure in social care, and that pressure affecting each authority differently, how will the CQC take this into account in its judgments?

0:10:33.8 - the assessment framework says that the CQC will be looking at whether councils have arrangements for ensuring timely assessments, care planning and care reviews. How will timeliness be judged?

0:11:22.7 - how far will the CQC be able to judge a council’s level of compliance with the sections of the Care Act it's assessing?

0:11:56.6 - does the Department of Health and Social Care have plans to bring in a system of intervention in authorities found to be failing by CQC?

0:12:36.6 - what professional expertise or expertise by experience will your inspectors bring to bear in assessing local authorities?

0:13:24.7 - how will adult social care benefit from these CQC assessments?

Welcome to this podcast from Community Care for our campaign Choose Social Work. The purpose of the campaign is to champion the profession, encourage the next generation of social workers, and counteract negative media coverage. As part of this, we’re talking to those with lived experience of care about the impact that good social work can have.

Our guest is Luke Rodgers, founder and now director of strategy for The Care Leaders, a social enterprise that works with children’s services providing training and consultancy to enhance the lives of children in care, care leavers and those with a social worker.

The questions were asked by Natalie Valios, senior content editor, Community Care Inform Adults.

[0:01:26.4] Was there a great social worker you remember because they had a positive impact on your childhood?

[0:08:13.5] Have you got any tips or advice on how social workers can give children the resilience, power and ownership over who they are, so they remember their social worker fondly in later life?

[0:14:15.8] As well as working with practitioners you work with many young people. Have any of them told you positive stories of their social worker that stand out for you?

[0:17:53.1] What do you think social workers should stop to consider when writing reports so that young people have a better experience than you did if they choose to look at their case files in later life?

[0:26:07.2] How would you suggest a social worker goes about building a relationship with a child they are supporting?

[0:31:50.9] What qualities and skills do you think a young person will remember most about their social worker?

In this episode, we spoke to Dan about his experience of the care system and transition to adulthood. He gives his perspective on what being 'ambitious' for children in care should look like, reflections on use of language and practical support for young people going into adulthood. He also shares his thoughts to how professionals view supported accommodation and 'independence' and changes that he feels could make a big difference.

Dan spoke too about his positive experiences of social work and what made those important for him. You will also hear his powerful take on the impact of social worker stress on young people and how he'd like to see social work championed and valued.

If you have a Community Care Inform licence, you can access additional resources and a written transcript of the podcast: https://www.ccinform.co.uk/learning-tools/leaving-care-podcast-an-18-year-olds-perspective-on-independence-supported-accommodation-and-good-social-work/

You can also read Laura Hanbury's guide to professional curiousity (as mentioned by Dan here) here: https://www.ccinform.co.uk/practice-guidance/how-to-use-professional-curiosity-to-understand-social-and-emotional-responses/

You might also be interested in our guide to the 2023 legislation affecting supported accommodation: https://www.ccinform.co.uk/practice-guidance/quick-guide-to-the-supported-accommodation-england-regulations-2023/

Find out more about Community Care's #choosesocialwork campaign here: https://view.ceros.com/bonhill/community-care-choose-social-work/p/1 or follow the hashtag on social media

Other sources Dan mentions:

• A Community Care article about the charity Become's report on 'ambitions' for children in care: https://www.communitycare.co.uk/2017/07/27/children-care-urge-social-workers-ambitious/
• The full report (Perceptions of Care, 2017) is available here: https://becomecharity.org.uk/content/uploads/2022/01/perceptions-of-care_final-1.pdf
• Newsnight segment on 'Britain's hidden children homes': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LB2x-bfrDxM
• An article on the Newsnight episode was also published on BBC News: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-50392297
• The personal advisor duties are contained in 19B and 19C of schedule 2 of the Children Act 1989 (https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1989/41/schedule/2), read alongside the Care Planning regulations 2010 (as amended) (https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2010/959/contents)
• This summary on Coram's Child Law Advice website sets out entitlements to personal advisors, pathway plans and needs assessments for children who fall into different categories: https://childlawadvice.org.uk/information-pages/services-for-children-leaving-care/
• 'Social worker took own life after stress caused by work arrangements, coroner rules', Community Care, 2018: https://www.communitycare.co.uk/2018/08/15/social-worker-took-life-stress-caused-work-arrangements-coroner-rules/

Welcome to Learn on the go, a Community Care Inform podcast where we discuss research, theories and practice issues, and look at what they mean for social care practitioners.

This episode is about personality disorder, in itself a controversial term because many people find it stigmatising. Guests are Keir Harding and Hollie Berrigan from Beam Consultancy which provides training, consultancy and intervention for those living with complex mental health issues.

They discuss why personality disorder is such a messy diagnosis. how and why practitioners need to think in a different way when working with this client group; the role of social workers, occupational therapists and those with lived experience; and the importance of building supportive, containing relationships. The questions were asked by Natalie Valios, senior content editor, Community Care Inform Adults.

1:38 - what is meant by personality disorder?

5:50 - how and why practitioners need to think in a different way rather than see everything through a lens of personality disorder

8:21 - understanding the function of particular behaviours

8:58 - the stigma associated with the diagnosis

11:36 - what is the social worker's role?

15: 50 - what is the occupational therapist's role?

18:02 - what is the consultant lived experience practitioner's role?

21: 48 - recognising strengths

24:48 - the importance of building relationships

26:42 - what training is available?

29:13 - personality disorder diagnosis in children

Welcome to Learn on the Go, a podcast from Community Care Inform, where we discuss research, theories and practice issues, and look at what they mean for practitioners in social care. This episode is about the menopause and the discussion focuses on some of the less well-known symptoms and the impact they can have on women at work; why understanding the menopause and supporting women through it is particularly relevant for the social care sector; and the difference between a statement of intent and a menopause workplace policy, with suggestions for what to include in both.

Our podcast guest is Catherine Pestano, a social worker who set up a project addressing issues around the menopause in the workplace at the local authority where she worked, who now acts as a menopause consultant. Questions are asked by Natalie Valios, senior content editor for Community Care Inform Adults.

02:36 - What are the less well-known symptoms of the menopause?

06:30 - Why is understanding the menopause and supporting women at work particularly relevant for local authorities as employers of the social care practitioners?

08:49 - How to set up a project supporting women in the workplace.

13:35 - What should be included in a workplace menopause policy?

21:00 - How is knowledge of the menopause relevant for social work practice itself?

Community Care Inform subscribers can access additional resources and a written transcript of the podcast here.

References

Brewis, J; Beck, V; Davies, A and Matheson, J (2017)
The effects of menopause transition on women's economic participation in the UK
Department for Education

Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and Bupa (2021)
A guide to managing menopause at work: guidance for line managers

50Plus Choices Employer Taskforce (2021)
Menopause and employment: how to enable fulfilling working lives

Department for Work & Pensions (2022)
Menopause and employment: how to enable fulfilling working lives: government response

#KnowYourMenopause: the Pausitivity poster

Local Government Association (2019)
Managing the menopause at work: the menopause and the local government workforce

Maclean, S (2021)
Social work and the menopause: social work student connect webinar

Unison (2019)
The menopause is a workplace issue: guidance and model policy


Workplace resources

Acas
Menopause at work

balance app (founded by Dr Newson)

Pestano, C (2018)
'An unmentionable change'
Public Sector Focus, Issue 17, pp40-41

Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development
Menopause in the workplace

TUC
Menopause at work


Useful organisations

British Menopause Society

Newson Health

Talking Menopause

Welcome to Learn on the go, a Community Care Inform podcast where we discuss what the latest research, practice models and policy guidance mean to your practice.

This episode is about restorative practice in children's social work. It covers what restorative practice is, what it looks like in practice with children and families and in an organisational culture, and what it might mean to implement it as an individual practitioner as well as at a service-wide level. The guests are Mark Finnis, founder and director of L30 Relational Systems (https://l30relationalsystems.co.uk/childrens-services/) and speaker, author and coach, and Mike Hayward, service manager for professional practice at Dudley Children's Services. The questions were asked by Joanna Silman, senior content editor at Community Care Inform Children.

3.35 – What is restorative practice?

9.42 – How does practice change when an organisation becomes restorative?

17.55 - How can individual practitioners implement restorative ideas?

26.15 - How does restorative practice fit into the current landscape of approaches and models such as relationship-based practice, strengths-based, trauma-informed, Signs of safety etc


Community Care Inform subscribers can access additional resources and a written transcript of the podcast: https://www.ccinform.co.uk/learning-tools/restorative-practice-podcast/

You can watch a video where Mark discusses the social discipline window (high challenge, high support and 'working with') here: https://youtu.be/34XUCoI-xu4

You might also be interested in our episodes on children's networks: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/49103861

Welcome to Learn on the Go, a podcast from Community Care Inform, where we discuss the latest research, theories and practice issues, and look at what they mean for social workers.

This episode is about safeguarding and homelessness. It covers key lessons from safeguarding adults reviews and gives practice advice for social workers working with people who are homeless and have complex needs, experience multiple exclusions, and/or are self-neglecting. Discussing these questions are Michael Preston-Shoot, emeritus professor of social work at the University of Bedfordshire, and Gill Taylor, strategic lead for single homelessness and vulnerable adults at Haringey Council. The questions were asked by Radha Smith, assistant content editor at Community Care Inform Adults.

Learning points:
- When and how social workers should carry out needs assessments under the Care Act for people who are homeless.
- The foundations for positive social care practice in safeguarding people experiencing homelessness.
- Strategies for supporting people who are homeless and self-neglecting.

Community Care Inform Adults subscribers can access additional resources and a written transcript of the podcast: https://adults.ccinform.co.uk/practice-guidance/homelessness-and-safeguarding-podcast-transcript/

In this episode:
0.31 – Introduction
2.00 – Defining homelessness
4.50 – Duty to conduct a needs assessment
16.47 – Wrongful assumptions
24.44 – Foundations for positive practice
32.12 – Multiple exclusion homelessness
43.04 – Self-neglect
48.08 – Making a real difference

References and useful links
Bramley, G and Fitzpatrick, S with Edwards, J; Ford, D; Johnsen, S; Sosenko, F and Watkins, D (2015)
Hard Edges: mapping severe and multiple disadvantage
https://lankellychase.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Hard-Edges-Mapping-SMD-2015.pdf?msclkid=e3c74440a6ae11ecb96b228237e6f1d6
LankellyChase Foundation

Cooper, A and Preston-Shoot, M (2022)
Adult Safeguarding and Homelessness: Understanding Good Practice
https://www.bookdepository.com/Adult-Safeguarding-Homelessness-Adi-Cooper/9781787757868
Jessica Kingsley Publishers

Local Government Association (2021)
Making every adult matter and every contact count: safeguarding people experiencing homelessness
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfR32HKXHfk
(webinar including presentations by people with lived experience referred to in the podcast)

Martineau, S J; Cornes, M; Manthorpe, J; Ornelas, B and Fuller, J (2019)
Safeguarding, homelessness and rough sleeping: an analysis of safeguarding adults reviews
https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/files/116649790/SARs_and_Homelessness_HSCWRU_Report_2019.pdf
NIHR Policy Research Unit in Health and Social Care Workforce, The Policy Institute, King’s College London

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (2018)
The rough sleeping strategy
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-rough-sleeping-strategy

Preston-Shoot, M (2020)
Adult safeguarding and homelessness: a briefing on positive practice
https://www.local.gov.uk/sites/default/files/documents/25.158%20Briefing%20on%20Adult%20Safeguarding%20and%20Homelessness_03_1.pdf
Local Government Association/Association of Directors of Adult Social Services

Preston-Shoot, M (2021)
Adult safeguarding and homelessness: experience-informed practice
https://www.local.gov.uk/publications/adult-safeguarding-and-homelessness-experience-informed-practice
Local Government Association/Association of Directors of Adult Social Services
(evidence base referred to in the podcast)

The Care Act multiple needs toolkit
https://www.voicesofstoke.org.uk/care-act-toolkit/
VOICES of Stoke