One third of domestic abuse begins during pregnancy, rising to 40% within a baby’s first 1001 days of life. It contributes to around one in four babies entering care, making it the highest-ranking factor for children’s safeguarding.

Despite landmark legislation being introduced across the UK to protect children against domestic abuse, a recent report by the Children’s Commissioner for England and Wales - “Victims in their own right: Babies, children and young people’s experiences of domestic abuse” – has been highly critical of whether it is resulting in changes to practice.

This episode of Let’s Talk Social Work, produced to mark the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based-Violence campaign, explores why the system is still failing too many babies and infants across the UK. We’re joined by Lauren Seager-Smith, CEO of The For Baby’s Sake Trust, Becky Reynolds, a qualified social worker and Deputy Director of Operations at The For Baby’s Sake Trust, and Paddi Vint, a Quality and Development Manager at the NSPCC.

We discuss the causes and implications of domestic abuse on babies and infants, how social workers can safeguard victims, raise the alarm and prevent instances of domestic abuse from occurring, and whether the profession is as well-equipped as it should be to respond.

This episode covers a lot of very upsetting and distressing themes, so listener discretion is advised. If you want to access support, the following helplines are available:

·      National Domestic Abuse Helpline – 0808 2000 247 (run by Refuge): https://www.nationaldahelpline.org.uk/

·      Rights of Women advice lines, there are a range of services available: https://www.rightsofwomen.org.uk/

·      The Men’s Advice Line, for male domestic abuse survivors – 0808 801 0327 (run by Respect): https://mensadviceline.org.uk/

·      The Mix, free information and support for under 25s in the UK – 0808 808 4994: https://www.themix.org.uk/get-support

·      National LGBT+ Domestic Abuse Helpline – 0800 999 5428 (run by Galop) : https://www.galop.org.uk/

Samaritans (24/7 service) – 116 123: https://www.samaritans.org

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Higher degrees, such as a Master’s or a Doctoral, can prove extremely valuable for social workers and their practice. But is it a realistic and accessible option for social workers to undertake further education while still working?

When you factor in a lack of time, unmanageable workloads, difficulties obtaining funding, not to mention the practicalities of studying while at the same time navigating a complex career, you’d be forgiven for thinking that there’s too many barriers to choosing this path. So, what can be done about it?

In this episode, Jonny Adamson is joined by three social workers who all have experience of being in higher education while continuing to practice full-time. Dr Lucy Treby, Karen Hillison and Dr Mike Starr each share insights into their own journeys, as well as advice and ‘top tips’ for social workers considering taking a similar route. They also discuss what needs to change, both in social work and higher education systems, to break down the barriers that currently exist for professionals and they examine the benefits to the profession of enabling more social workers to scale up their qualifications.

Lucy and Karen are also Trustees for the Social Workers Educational Trust (SWET) which is mentioned throughout the episode. The charity supports social workers to develop their knowledge and skills through higher education. More information about SWET can be found here.

Our thanks to James Ede at BeHeard for producing the episode.

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Social workers frequently come into contact with dogs in their practice. Yet until now, it hasn't featured in social work research, education, training and guidance.

A recent study published in the British Journal of Social Work entitled ‘We’re not professionals when it comes to dogs:’ Social work encounters with dogs and their implications for education and practice sets out to address this omission. The research examines the risks and complexities that social workers might be faced with when encountering dogs, making a compelling case for greater attention on this subject area.

In this episode, Jonny Adamson is joined by the author of the research, Professor Denise Turner, social worker Sarah Long, who participated in the study and experienced aggressive dog behaviour while on a visit, and Certified Animal Behaviourist, Andrew Hale who specialises in complex animal behaviour cases.

They discuss how professionals can assess and minimise risk to themselves and others when encountering dogs, improvements and adjustments that employers could make to working practices, training and support needs for the profession, and the cultural, religious and health considerations which are being overlooked.

Our thanks to James Ede at BeHeard for producing the episode.

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After 93 episodes, Andy McClenaghan is moving on from hosting Let’s Talk Social Work. Following a short break, the podcast will return in the autumn and will be hosted by BASW’s Jonny Adamson. 

In this episode, Andy is joined by Jonny to discuss the past four and a half years making Let’s Talk Social Work. They explore standout episodes, key learning points, topics that Andy didn’t get to cover, and what big issues might feature on the podcast over the coming years.

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This special episode has been made to celebrate World Social Work Day 2025, the theme of which is ‘Strengthening Intergenerational Solidarity for Enduring Wellbeing’. 

Andy McClenaghan is joined by Professor Cecilia Bailliet, United Nations Independent Expert on human rights and international solidarity, and friend of the podcast Janet Walker, Professor Emeritus of International Social Work at the University of Lincoln and Chair of the British Association of Social Workers International Committee. 

During their conversation they explore what international solidarity means and it’s place in the context of human rights. The discussion examines threats to international solidarity and opportunities for its promotion, and looks at the role of social work in advancing international solidarity as key component of efforts to uphold human rights and work towards social justice.

In the episode Celia refers to the International Solidarity Map for Peace and Human Rights. This article from the UN Chronicle explains more about why the map was created. 

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In episode 91 Andy McClenaghan is joined by Abigail Gagen, Emily Hindle and Angie Button to discuss how dementia affects people’s lives and explore how social workers and social care workers can meet the needs of people with dementia and their families.

Emily is Policy Manager with the Alzheimer’s Society and Abi is a social worker who works as a Team Manager at North Yorkshire Council and is also a member of BASW England’s Adults Social Work Thematic Group. Angie is Operational Social Work Lead at Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust and Chair of the BASW England Social Workers in Health Group. 

During the conversation reference is made to the Alzheimer’s Society report Because we’re human too  and the blog Someone to Safeguard by social worker, Rob Mitchell.

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In the first episode of Let’s Talk Social Work of 2025 Andy McClenaghan is joined by Chair of the British Association of Social Workers, Julia Ross, Chair of BASW’s Policy Ethics and Human Rights Committee, Annie Ho and Co-Chair of the Association of Palliative Care Social Workers, Glynis Berry to discuss the potential change in the law for England and Wales which would legally permit people to seek assistance to end their own lives.

On 16 October 2024, the Labour MP Kim Leadbeater presented the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill to Parliament. On 29 November MPs debated the legislation and the outcome was 330 MPs voted in favour of the Bill and 275 MPs opposed it, allowing the legislation to proceed to the next parliamentary stage.

The conversation doesn’t explore arguments for and against allowing terminally ill people to end their own lives. What it does is examine the implications for social work practice that would arise if the legislation, in its current form were to become law.  

The discussion also examines the state of palliative care services in the UK as this is an issue closely linked to the debate around assisted dying.

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In this episode, made to mark Human Rights Day 2024, Andy and his guests explore the issue of brain injury and how social workers can best support people with a brain injury to ensure their rights are upheld.  

Social workers who work with individuals affected by brain injury need to have a clear understanding of the condition in order to provide effective support. This includes recognising the medical, psychological, social, and legal implications of brain injury, as well as the ways in which it can impact daily life.

Joining Andy to discuss social work and brain injury are Dr Caroline Bald, Kate Mellor and Steph Grant.

Caroline is Lecturer in Social Work at the University of Essex and is Research Fellow on the Heads Together project. Heads Together is National Institute for Health and Care Research funded collaboration across universities in the UK, exploring brain injury social work education. 

Along with Caroline, Kate is also a social worker. Kate splits her time between practicing as an Independent Social Worker and Case Manager and working as a Hospital Liaison Facilitator with Headway Sussex, an organisation which offers reablement and support opportunities for people with an acquired brain injury, and their family carers. An expert by experience, Kate has an acquired brain injury. 

Steph is also an expert by experience and lives with an acquired brain injury. He is a member of the Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust lived experience research partnership and is Chair of the Head Injury and Homelessness Research Group.

For further information on brain injury and social work please register with biswg.co.uk for news on the launch of the first UK brain injury e-learning platform including teaching resources, lived experience stories and resources for working with families.

The Brainkind report, Too Many To Count, mentioned in the discussion is available here.

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The UK is a richly diverse society and social workers will frequently work with children, families and individuals whose cultural heritage differs from their own. As we have discussed many times on the podcast, social work is a relationship-based profession and it is difficult to form good relationships without being open to understand the values and traditions which shape another person’s worldview and approach to life. 

It's also important to recognise that social workers and social work students arriving in the UK from overseas may face barriers and may benefit from support to adjust to some things which people who are born in the UK take for granted. 

With all this in mind, this episode explores the concept of cultural capability in social work, examining what the concept means and the extent to which cultural capability is attainable. 

Joining Andy to discuss cultural capability are social workers Michael Nwoye, Chloe Hubert and Uche Odunze.

Michael and Chloe work for the organisation, Children and Families Across Borders—CFAB for short. Michael is an Inter-Country Social Worker and Chloe works in CFAB’s Post Placement Support Project. Uche is a newly qualified social worker who during her time studying at the University of Chichester, co-wrote a guide for other international students on adjusting to life in the UK.

Children and Families Across Borders have developed a Cultural Family Life Library, a suite of guides for social workers introducing them to the history and culture of families from Romanian, Jamaican and Nigerian heritage. The Library can be accessed here and further guides will be published in the months to come.

CFAB is also offering online training on Culturally Inclusive Practice: Essential Skills for Social Workers on Tuesday, January 28, 2025. Click here to find out more about the half day event.

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In this episode, Andy and his guests discuss Artificial Intelligence in social work. They explore the concept from three angles—how might AI play a role in social care in terms of direct support for people who use services, how might it assist social workers in their practice and finally, how is AI being used in the education of social workers. 

The discussion focuses on how AI is already helping, how it may help further, and what issues must be considered in terms of the ethics and risks associated with the use of Artificial Intelligence.

Joining Andy are social workers Tommy Henderson-Reay, Digital Engagement Programme Manager at NHS England’s Digitising Social Care Programme, Julia Ross, Chair of BASW UK and author of the novel, The Laughing Robot, and Dr Paul Best, Director of the Centre for Technological Innovation in Mental Health and Education at Queen’s University Belfast.

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