Since the 1990s, successive governments have unsuccessfully attempted to reform the approach to funding adult social care. 

In this episode, Andy McClenaghan is joined by guests Resh Patel, an expert by experience of adult social care, Jackie Mahoney, co-chair of the BASW England Adult Thematic Group and Katy Jackson, Co-Chair of BASW England Committee, to discuss the Government’s plans for reform of Adult Social Care in England. They explore how planned changes will be funded, how users of social care services will be affected, and what the likely impacts will be for social workers.

To participate in the BASW England survey mentioned in the episode, please click here.

The House of Commons Library research report, Proposed reforms to adult social care, can be accessed here.

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This episode, made to mark World Mental Health Day, explores the delivery structures for mental health social work services in England. Andy McClenaghan is joined by Jason Brandon, Mental Health Social Work Lead at the Office of the Chief Social Worker and Sarah Morris, Principal Social Worker for Adults at North Northamptonshire Council.

Their conversation examines the pros and cons of integration of mental health social work services into the NHS, and considers why, some local authorities are moving away from the integrated model, taking back operational responsibility for their social workers. The discussion explores impacts at an organisational level, individual practice level and in terms of the quality of the service provided.

The Government White Paper mentioned during the discussion is Health and social care integration: joining up care for people, places and populations

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In this episode, Andy McClenaghan is joined by social work students Abigail Doe and Stuart Harrington, and Operational Head of Social Work at the University of Chichester, Dr Denise Turner. They discuss the effects the Covid-19 pandemic has had on social work students who have trained during the past two and a half years. 

The conversation examines students’ experiences of learning during lockdown, whether the pandemic has had any lasting impacts on universities and, as we return to what we hoped would be normality, the challenges students are now facing as a result of the cost-of-living crisis.

Denise's book, which is referenced in the episode, Digital Connection in Health and Social Work, is available to buy here.

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This episode explores the benefits of a community-based, peer support approach to helping people recover from addiction. Joining Andy McClenaghan for the conversation are James Deakin and Sophie McCluskey from North Wales Recovery Communities and Social Worker, Wulf Livingstone.

The conversation explores the environment needed for recovery to thrive, the model at the core of the North Wales Recovery Communities approach and the role of outdoor challenges as a key aspect of group recovery activities.

To find out more about North Wales Recovery Communities, visit https://northwalesrc.org

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It’s July 2022 and households are being hammered by the highest rate of inflation in 40 years—a rate the Bank of England is predicting will rise above 11 per cent in the autumn. This is placing immense pressure on millions of households across the country. It’s in this context that social worker and anti-poverty campaigner, Dominic Watters, joins Andy McClenaghan to discuss his living experience of poverty and his campaign to highlight and address the issue of food insecurity.

They discuss the alienating impacts of poverty, Dominic’s route into social work, and the importance of ensuring social workers are trained to recognise the many negative impacts of poverty on life opportunities for children and families. The conversation also examines the extent to which politicians are aware of the effects of poverty and the need for the social work profession to challenge the factors which lead to hardship.

Dominic’s book, Social Distance in Social Work: COVID Capsule One, can be purchased at https://amzn.eu/d/2RR7lEN

Institute of Fiscal Studies figures on the relative poverty rate for children of lone parents is available at https://ifs.org.uk/publications/16115

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s report Not heating, eating or meeting bills: managing a cost of living crisis on a low income is available at https://www.jrf.org.uk/report/not-heating-eating-or-meeting-bills-managing-cost-living-crisis-low-income

The Food Foundation statistics on food insecurity referenced in the episode can be downloaded from https://foodfoundation.org.uk/press-release/new-data-shows-food-insecurity-major-challenge-levelling-agenda

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Members of BASW’s Black & Ethnic Minority Professionals Symposium, Pauline Sergeant, Patriche Bentick and Pamela Shodeinde join Andy McClenaghan to discuss how social workers can embed anti-racism as a cornerstone of their work. 

Paying particular focus to children’s services and mental health social work, this episode explores the issues social workers need to take into consideration to ensure they are challenging inequality and promoting anti-racist practice when working with Black children and young people and supporting Black vulnerable adults. 

The episode also explores unconscious and overt bias faced by Black practitioners and examines over-representation at fitness to practice hearings as an example of how structural racism discriminates against Black social workers.

During the conversation Pam refers to the book—The W Word: Witchcraft labelling and child safeguarding in social work practice. It can be accessed via this link https://www.criticalpublishing.com/the-w-word

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This episode, made for Pride month 2022, examines the issue of anti-trans discrimination and conversion therapy. Host, Andy McClenaghan, is joined by Chay Brown Director of the trans-rights organisation, TransActual, Rachel Hubbard Senior Lecturer in Social Work at University of the West of England and BASW member, and Jacob Sibley, Director of LGBT Youth in Care. They discuss the discrimination faced by trans people, examine rates of anti-trans hate crime in the UK and consider the Government’s decision to exclude trans people from its planned ban on the use of conversion therapy in England and Wales. 

Various documents are referred to during the episode. They can be accessed via the following links:

TransActual—Trans lives survey 2021: Enduring the UK’s hostile environment https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e8a0a6bb02c73725b24dc9d/t/6152eac81e0b0109491dc518/1632824024793/Trans+Lives+Survey+2021.pdf

Galop—Transphobic Hate Crime Report 2020 https://galop.org.uk/resource/transphobic-hate-crime-report-2020/   

The Cass Review—Independent review of gender identity services for children and young people: Interim report https://cass.independent-review.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Cass-Review-Interim-Report-Final-Web-Accessible.pdf

Stonewall—Shut out: the experiences of LGBT young people not in education, training or work https://www.stonewall.org.uk/resources/shut-out-experiences-lgbt-young-people-not-education-training-or-work

Government Equalities Office—National LGBT Survey: Research report https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-lgbt-survey-summary-report

House of Commons Library—Hate Crime Statistics https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-8537/CBP-8537.pdf

To read the BASW Position Statement on Social Work with Transgender People please visit https://www.basw.co.uk/system/files/resources/basw_statement_on_social_work_with_trans_people_and_trans_rights_approved_by_council_july_7_2021_final.pdf

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In this episode, Andy McClenaghan is joined by Jamie Robinson, Principal Social Worker at Marie Curie’s Bradford Hospice and Mark Jackson, the charity’s Policy Manager for England to discuss the findings of Marie Curie’s report, Dying in Poverty. They consider the impacts of poverty at the end of life and explore the role of palliative care social work in supporting families where an individual has received a terminal diagnosis. 

The report, Dying in poverty: Exploring poverty at the end of life in the UK, can be downloaded via the following link https://www.mariecurie.org.uk/globalassets/media/documents/policy/dying-in-poverty/h420-dying-in-poverty-5th-pp.pdf

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This special episode of Let’s Talk Social Work is split into two parts. In the first section Andy McClenaghan is joined by BASW’s Public and Political Affairs Lead, Kerri Prince to discuss the outcomes of the local elections held in England, Scotland and Wales. They consider the impact of the results in in terms of local authority service delivery and what they might mean for the next General Election.

In the second part, Andy takes an in-depth look at what the future holds for social work in Northern Ireland following the Northern Ireland Assembly election. He is joined by Ulster University academic and anti-poverty campaigner—Dr Ciara Fitzpatrick, former social worker and former Minister for Justice—David Ford, and National Director of BASW NI—Carolyn Ewart.

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Co-production—we hear about it all the time.

It’s common for decision-makers to talk about involving the people who use services in their planning and design, but all too often reality falls far short of aspiration.

This episode takes an in-depth look at a unique project which aimed to place service users firmly at the heart of the decision-making process. The context concerns the use of digital communication technology to support social work engagement with Disabled service users.

On 18 March 2022, Becki Meakin, Involvement Manager at Shaping Our Lives and Dr Luke Geoghegan, Head of Policy at the British Association of Social Workers joined Andy McClenaghan to discuss the ‘digitech’ project.

BASW’s practice guide on ‘Social Work, Disabled Service Users and Digital Communication Technology’ is available here https://www.basw.co.uk/system/files/resources/181235_social_work_disabled_service_users_and_digital_communication_technology.pdf

The guides providing ‘Advice for Disabled people on the use of digital communication technologies with social workers’ are available from the Shaping Our Lives website – https://shapingourlives.org.uk/report/digital-communication-technology-in-social-work/

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