The Social Work Café

By Bernadette Moorhead

The Social Work Café is a light-hearted educational series all about coffee and conversations with passionate social workers. Whether you are a social work student or practitioner in any part of the w... more

· Education

4

44 ratings

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FAQs about The Social Work Café:

How many episodes does The Social Work Café have?

The podcast currently has 38 episodes available.

The Social Work Café episodes:

September 16, 2025 How do we achieve workforce stability in social work?
Welcome back to the Social Work Café! You are in for another treat this episode, as I chat with Ali Trewhella about her wonderful career as a social worker, and her recent completion of a Churchill Fellowship which focused on recruitment strategies, workforce stability and attraction to the profession. Her passion for psychosocial safety, reflectivesupervision, and leadership really shines through in our chat, and you will enjoy hearing about her pride in social work.

Connect with Ali
You can get in touch with Ali Trewhella via Linkedin
Click here to download Ali’ Churchill Fellowship report

How you can get involved
Become a friend of the podcast by tapping the subscribe button on your podcast app, leaving a positive review, and sharing the podcast with other social workers.
You can connect with me via the details below.
Click here to connect with me on Instagram.
Click here to read the blog post for this episode.
Click here to connect with me on LinkedIn.
...more
39min
August 12, 2025 How can you Thrive as an Emerging Social Work Leader?
Welcome back to the Social Work Café! In this episode, Ichat with the dynamic and passionate Jody Bell. We explore how emerging leaders in social work can thrive when they are well supported in the workplace. We also discuss her burnout resource and her hopes for progressing professionalregistration in Australia. It’s an energising and inspiring conversation that highlights the importance of sustaining social work careers through collective action and meaningful cultural change.
Connect with Jody Bell
Click here to connect with Jody via Linkedin
Click here to access her burnout resource

How you can get involved
Become a friend of the podcast by tapping the subscribe button on your podcast app, leaving a positive review, and sharing the podcast with other social workers.
You can connect with me via the details below.
Click here to connect with me on Instagram.
Click here to read the blog post for this episode.
Click here to connect with me on LinkedIn.
...more
43min
July 22, 2025 How can Social Workers Support Young Widows?
Welcome back to the Social Work Café! I haven't disappeared. I just took a little unscheduled hiatus. I’m thrilled to return with a brand new episode featuring the fabulous Nicole Okimura! In this celebratory chat, Nicole and I talk about a recent co-publication (open access) we created together, which is based on her Bachelor of Social Work (Honours) research. While grief and loss can be a weightytopic, Nicole brings thoughtful insight and heart to our conversation, highlighting what social workers can do to better support an often overlooked group, young widows. Tune in to get some beautiful insights for social workpractice.

How you can get involved
Become a friend of the podcast by tapping the subscribe button on your podcast app, leaving a positive review, and sharing the podcast with other social workers.
You can connect with me via the details below.
Click here to connect with me on Instagram.
Click here to read the blog post for this episode.
Click here to connect with me on LinkedIn.
...more
45min
April 01, 2025 How are social workers supporting people with intellectual disabilities and mental health distress?
In this episode, I sit down with Jasmin Lagaali, a specialistsocial worker in NSW Health. Jasmin shares insights into her work in a unique consultation service for individuals with intellectual disabilities and mental health distress. We discuss the challenges of working within a system thatoften prioritises speed over quality, the importance of holistic and multidimensional assessments, and the need for manageable workloads in social work. Jasmin’s passion for her work shines through as she highlights the critical role of social workers in this highly specialised field.

How you can get involved
Become a friend of the podcast by tapping the subscribe button on your podcast app, leaving a positive review, and sharing the podcast with other social workers.
You can connect with me via the details below.
Click here to connect with me on Instagram.
Click here to read the blog post for this episode.
Click here to connect with me on LinkedIn.
...more
32min
March 11, 2025 How do you Define your Professional Identity as a Newly Qualified Social Worker?
In the first episode of Social Work Café Season 3, Kasey Henshaw returns to share her experiences from her first year as a qualified social worker. We discuss the transition from student to practitioner, the challenges of professional identity, and the importance of reflective practice. Kasey highlights key lessons, including setting boundaries to prevent burnout and finding joy in small moments. We also explore the need for systemic self-care within organisations. This insightful conversation offers valuable reflections for both new and experienced social workers. Tune in to hear Kasey’s journey and lessons from her first year in practice.

How you can get involved
Become a friend of the podcast by tapping the subscribe button on your podcast app, leaving a positive review, and sharing the podcast with other social workers.
You can connect with me via the details below.
Click here to connect with me on Instagram.
Click here to read the blog post for this episode.
Click here to connect with me on LinkedIn.
...more
45min
March 04, 2025 Season 03 Launch Trailer - How can we make social work better?
Welcome to Season 3 of the Social Work Café podcast! I'm Dr. Bernadette Moorhead, your host, and I'm thrilled to have you join us for another season of insightful conversations over coffee. This season, we're introducing a new theme: "What is one thing about social work that you would change to make it better?" Each of our ten guests will delve into this question, offering their unique perspectives and ideas for positive change within our profession. So, grab your favorite cup of coffee, settle in, and let's embark on this journey together.
Stay tuned for episode 1, out next week.

How you can get involved
Become a friend of the podcast by tapping the subscribe button on your podcast app, leaving a positive review, and sharing the podcast with other social workers.
You can connect with me via the details below.
Click here to connect with me on Instagram.
Click here to read the blog post for this episode.
Click here to connect with me on LinkedIn.
...more
4min
December 03, 2024 How can Social Workers be Politically Active?
In this bonus episode I am joined by a very special guest, Denis Ginnivan, a social worker who has lots of experience working at the grassroots level to facilitate political engagement of citizens. Denis talks with me about his fascinating social work career and how he became involved with local politics as a founding member of Voices for Indi, which has led him to share his experiences and expertise with other communities and social workers through Voices for Australia.
Learn More
Learn more about Denis here.
Visit the Voices for Indi website to learn more and find their social media handles.
Check out their book Voices for Indi: The Indi Way (Denis co-wrote the book).
You can connect with Denis on Linkedin.

How you can get involved
Become a friend of the podcast by tapping the subscribe
button on your podcast app, leaving a positive review, and sharing the podcast with other social workers.
You can connect with me via the details below.
Click here to connect with me on Instagram.
Click here to read the blog post for this episode.
Click here to connect with me on LinkedIn.
...more
1h 14min
November 05, 2024 What Does Social Work Practice Look Like in the Defence Forces?
Welcome back to the Social Work Café. This week I am
joined by another former study buddy, the fabulous Sim Rajkumar, who is an experienced social worker, especially in the area of Defence. This is a field of practice that employs a number of social workers and yet does not get much focus or coverage in our social work programs. It’s time to pull back the curtain and learn more about social work practice in the context of the Defence Forces.

How you can get involved
Become a friend of the podcast by tapping the subscribe
button on your podcast app, leaving a positive review, nd sharing the podcast with other social workers.
You can connect with me via the details below.
Click here to connect with me on Instagram.
Click here to read the blog post for this episode.
Click here to connect with me on LinkedIn.
...more
42min
October 01, 2024 What Does Reflective Supervision Really Look Like?
Welcome to the latest episode of the Social Work Café. Supervision is a highly regarded professional development activity in social work. Yet, it is often reduced to an administrative or managerial task. I talk with an experienced social work supervisor, Jazmin Pursell, about how the supervision relationship can be set up so that critical reflection is central to the process and can be mutually beneficial for those involved.

Learn More
Click here to learn more about an article on quality supervision.
Click here to learn about an article on how supervision can involve dual learning.

How you can get involved
Become a friend of the podcast by tapping the subscribe
button on your podcast app, leaving a positive review, and sharing the podcast with other social workers.
You can connect with me via the details below.
Click here to connect with me on Instagram.
Click here to read the blog post for this episode.
Click here to connect with me on LinkedIn.
...more
48min
September 03, 2024 How Does Social Work Identity Change Over Time?
Welcome back to the Social Work Café, where this week
we return to my favourite topic – professional identity in social work. In this episode, one of my dear colleagues, Garth Norris is joining me in the café for some reflection on his career and ever-changing social work
identity. Garth has enjoyed a whole range of jobs, and is now straddling his academic hat with his leadership hat as CEO of Endeavour Mental Health Recovery Clubhouse in Port Macquarie. Garth is keen to share his journey and the ways in which his social work identity continues to evolve.

Learn More
Click here to learn more about Garth.
Check out this interesting article on the role of dress in professional identity.
Check out this article on early career social work and professional identity.
Check out this article about political identity in social work.

How you can get involved
Become a friend of the podcast by tapping the subscribe
button on your podcast app, leaving a positive review, and sharing the podcast with other social workers.
You can connect with me via the details below.
Click here to connect with me on Instagram.
Click here to read the blog post for this episode.
Click here to connect with me on LinkedIn.
...more
57min

FAQs about The Social Work Café:

How many episodes does The Social Work Café have?

The podcast currently has 38 episodes available.