Let Me Explain

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Power is everywhere but we do not always recognise it as power.

In this episode of Let Me Explain, we take a closer look at what power actually means and what happens when it enters social work, social care, health and other professional relationships.

We explore the power held through professional roles, knowledge, language, money, expertise and access to systems. We look at how words such as “non-compliant”, “difficult”, “unsafe” or “lacking insight” can shape how a person is understood — sometimes long after the original conversation has ended.

We also explore the uncomfortable side of professional power: the difference between helping and controlling, the illusion of choice, risk and autonomy, who gets believed, the power dynamics within meetings, advocacy, poverty, identity and what happens when people become so used to not being heard that they stop believing their voice matters.

And there is another side to this conversation: professionals can feel powerless too. We work within thresholds, budgets, waiting lists, policies and systems that we cannot always change. But what happens when that powerlessness gets passed down to the person sitting in front of us?

This episode is not about saying that power is inherently bad.

It is about noticing it.

Because we cannot challenge power we refuse to see.

And perhaps the question is not simply:

“Who is in charge?”

But:

“Who gets to influence what happens — and who is missing from the conversation?”

A conversation about power, language, risk, choice, professional authority, advocacy and what it really means to share power in practice.

“Power is not always loud. Sometimes it is incredibly quiet.”

“Being physically present is not the same as having power.”

“The problem is not simply that power exists. It is what happens when power becomes invisible to the person using it.”

And, as always, a question to take away:

If you looked honestly at your own practice, where do you hold more power than you realise?

SWU & BASW

SWU is the only UK trade union for all social workers, and is run by people qualified in social work.

BASW is not a trade union. SWU provides trade union membership, including advice and representation in relevant employment matters.

SWU can be the union you want it to be — whether that is representation when or if you need it, campaigning on the issues that matter to you, or training and support to develop your confidence as a Union Contact in the workplace.

SWU has an arms-length relationship with BASW. To become a member of SWU, you need to be a BASW member and can opt into SWU for an additional membership fee.

Find out more about SWU:

SWU Social Workers Union - SWU Social Workers Union

Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.

So… what actually IS social work?

You probably have an idea.

Maybe you picture a social worker taking children into care.

Maybe you think of care packages, safeguarding, hospital discharge or care homes.

Maybe you just think… I honestly have no idea.

And that's exactly where we're starting.

Because social work is much bigger and much more complicated than most people realise.

In this first episode of Let Me Explain: Social Work, we get right back to basics and ask what social work is actually for.

Who decides what “better” looks like?

What happens when someone's choices clash with what professionals think is safe?

How much of someone's situation is really about the individual — and how much is shaped by poverty, housing, discrimination, policy, culture and the systems around them?

And perhaps the uncomfortable question:

What happens when the people trying to help also hold power?

We'll look at where social workers work, what social work actually involves, Neil Thompson's PCS Model, professional power, human rights, inequality, judgement and the messy space between legislation and real life.

Because social work isn't just about knowing what to do.

It's about asking why.

And sometimes the most important thing a social worker can do is stop, look at the situation differently, and ask:

“What if we're looking at this the wrong way?”

This is where Let Me Explain begins.

SWU & BASW

SWU is the only UK trade union for all social workers, and is run by people qualified in social work.

BASW is not a trade union. SWU provides trade union membership, including advice and representation in relevant employment matters.

SWU can be the union you want it to be — whether that is representation when or if you need it, campaigning on the issues that matter to you, or training and support to develop your confidence as a Union Contact in the workplace.

SWU has an arms-length relationship with BASW. To become a member of SWU, you need to be a BASW member and can opt into SWU for an additional membership fee.

Find out more about SWU:

SWU Social Workers Union - SWU Social Workers Union

Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.

This is the podcast trailer, and before we begin, I should probably warn you...

It will be chaotic.

Social work can be complicated. There is the jargon, the legislation, the theories, the policies, the assessments, the systems, the ethical dilemmas and the questions that don't always have straightforward answers.

This podcast is here to try and make sense of it all.

Let Me Explain: Social Work explores the complicated parts of social work in a way that is accessible to everyone. Not just social workers. Not just students. Everyone.

Because you shouldn't need a social work degree to understand the things that might affect your life.

Across the podcast, we'll explore social work, care, safeguarding, capacity, human rights, power, poverty, social justice, death, grief, risk, decision-making and much more. There will be longer episodes where we take time with the bigger questions, alongside shorter Jargon Buster episodes designed to answer one simple question:

What does that actually mean?

I don't have all the answers, and I won't pretend to. Sometimes the answers will be complicated. Sometimes we'll end up with more questions than we started with.

But we'll try to make sense of it.

Together.

New episodes every week.

Launching beginning of October.

Welcome to Let Me Explain: Social Work.

Social work. Explained. Hopefully.