Social Work Radio

By Social Work Radio

What's Social Work Radio about?

Social Work Radio brings you interviews and discussions on the issues that matter to social workers in the real world. From politics and policies to dating and ethical dilemmas, there’s something for everyone.

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Social Work Radio episodes:

04.19.2024
Cats, dogs, and social workers
How do social workers feel about working with pets in people’s homes? Have there been a lot of ‘hairy’ experiences in the line of duty, and is it fair for social workers to ask clients to take their pets out...
04.12.2024
Is it okay to cry about work?
This week, responding to this news story, published this week, our hosts Vince and Cara explore whether it's okay to cry at work, how often they've each done it, and break down the stigma of showing emotion in a social...
04.05.2024
Spring cleaning for social workers
As we usher April in the door, it's time to discuss... spring cleaning for social workers! Are you a fan of the annual reset/out with the old, in with the new? Our hosts Vince and Cara share their top 10...
03.29.2024
Terrible self-care ideas for social workers
Let’s be honest, what toxic self-care have we previously indulged in? What genuinely helpful self-care support could our employers give us? And what self-care tips would you give your younger social work self? This week on Social Work Radio, our...
03.22.2024
A social worker's guide to making friends
Does hardship, trauma, and shared pain bond us as friends? Have you made friends in social work, and what are the differences between your social work friends and your 'normal' friends? This week, host Vince is joined by a new...
03.08.2024
Are you a perfectionist procrastinator?
Are you a perfectionist, a procrastinator, or both? Is it possible to be perfect in social work? How do we avoid procrastination at work? And how do we manage the unrealistic expectations of others? Explore the topic of perfectionist procrastinating with our Social...
03.01.2024
Social work stress (and how to reduce it)
In this week's episode of Social Work Radio, our hosts are tackling the topic of 'stress' - what are their own symptoms of work stress, what are their individual coping strategies, and where does the line come in terms of how...
02.23.2024
Ethical dilemmas in social work
The biggest challenge of an ethical dilemma is that it does not offer an obvious solution that would comply with ethical norms. Throughout the history of humanity, people have faced such dilemmas and, in this week's episode of Social Work Radio,...
02.16.2024
Ten ways to improve social work retention
This week, our Social Work Radio hosts explore why current retention rates in social work - across both children's and adults - are so poor, and each propose five ways we could see them improve. Join the discussion every Friday. Created...
02.09.2024
What Myers-Briggs personality types make the best social workers?
This week on Social Work Radio, Vince puts co-host Tilly through her paces as she undertakes the Myers-Briggs personality test live on the show, before they discusses how each of their personality types impact them as social workers. Take the...
02.02.2024
Should social workers be doing a lot more for our clients?
Should social workers be doing more for our clients? This week on Social Work Radio, hosts Vince and Tilly explore what - if anything - social workers could do to help more. What additional skills, training, and services could help us...
01.26.2024
The heartbreaking case of Bronson Battersby
This week on Social Work Radio, our hosts examine the heartbreaking death of Bronson Battersby, dissecting the known timeline, the actions of Bronson's social worker, and examining the public's drive to apportion blame. How DO we balance our safeguarding duties with people’s rights...
01.19.2024
The harm (and good) that being a social worker does to your own family
Has being a social worker made you a better or worse partner? Has it made you a better or worse parent? If they could choose, would your partner and children want you to do a different job entirely? That's the question we're...
01.12.2024
Social workers are far more valuable than we believe ourselves to be
Do social workers value themselves? Are they valued by their employers, government, and society? Are they supported by their union and professional association? As vacancy rates continue to climb, host Vince, and fellow social worker - and Social Work News columnist - Matt...
01.05.2024
A 2023 social work review
Happy New Year social workers! Put 2023 to bed as our hosts Vince and Tilly walk you through a year of some of our most well-read social work stories. Did you hear the one about the social worker barred from the profession...
12.22.2023
Merry Christmas social workers!
Merry Christmas social workers! Once again, this week, our host Vince is joined by fellow Social Work News columnist Matt Bee for this special Christmas episode, as they discuss everything from what it's like to be a social worker - in...
12.15.2023
We need a kinder way of inspecting social workers and our services
This week, our hosts touch on the outcome of the inquest into the death of headteacher Ruth Perry, which concluded last week. After explaining how investigations of services work in adults and children's social work, Vince and Tilly explore the coroner's...
12.01.2023
Did you choose social work, or did social work choose you?
This week - inspired by this opinion column published over at mysocialworknews.com - our hosts are asking one another the question: Did you choose social work, or did social work choose you? Vince and Tilly talk us through how they each...
11.24.2023
10 things we really love about being a social worker
This week - inspired by this article - Vince and Tilly are exploring everything that is brilliant about being a social worker, as each bring their top five reasons for loving their jobs to the podcasting table. How many of...
11.17.2023
Do we need more men in social work?
In this episode, host Vince is joined by a special guest co-host, fellow Social Work News columnist Matt Bee, as they tackle the question: Do we need more men in social work? Is there a stigma around being a man in...
11.10.2023
The (Alternative) Social Worker of The Year Awards
It's an interesting one this week on Social Work Radio as our hosts reflect on their night at the recent Social Worker of the Year Awards (visit the Social Work News Instagram page for pics of them dressed to the...
11.03.2023
For all the ones who didn’t make the night
This latest episode of Social Work Radio isn't easy. But it IS important. This week, our hosts tackle an incredibly difficult topic, inspired by this powerful column published at mysocialworknews.com by our content editor - and podcast host - Vince Peart. **Trigger...
10.28.2023
How do you cope with the things you must do as a social worker?
In this week's Social Work Radio episode, our hosts discuss their experiences of dealing with the difficult side of social work - depriving people of liberty and removing children from their parents - and how these things sit with them...
10.21.2023
What does it take to be a good social worker?
This week on Social Work Radio, our hosts are feeling inspired by this popular article from a new writer over at www.mysocialworknews.com and are asking the question, what qualities make for a good social worker? Created BY social workers, FOR social...
10.13.2023
Jade’s Law: what rights should parents who murder their partners have?
It's another difficult topic this week as our hosts examine the new Jade's Law - named for Jade Ward, who - one week after ending their relationship - was brutally murdered by her former partner in 2021, while their four...
10.06.2023
Using social work skills to improve your relationship
This week on #SocialWorkRadio, our hosts are exploring how to use your social work skills to improve your relationship - whether it's as a partner, a daughter/son, or a friend. Also, Vince and Tilly explore their own relationships as they try...
09.29.2023
The celebrities who really need a social work intervention
On this week's episode of Social Work Radio, our hosts Vince and Tilly discuss celebrities they feel would benefit from a social work intervention, and how they would go about it. What starts as a light-hearted thought exercise ends up...
09.22.2023
Am I too young/too old to be a social worker?
Inspired by a Social Work Supervision question submitted to www.mysocialworknews.com earlier this month, on this week's video episode, our hosts Vince and Tilly ask whether you can be too young or too old to become a social worker, and what...
09.15.2023
The warning signs that you’re working too hard in social work
On this week's episode, inspired by two recent articles in Social Work News HERE and HERE, our hosts Vince and Tilly explore the warning signs that you're working too hard in social work, ask whether managers need to be attuned...
09.08.2023
The Lucy Letby baby murders
On 21st August 2023, Lucy Letby was sentenced to life imprisonment with a whole life order for the seven murders and seven attempted murders committed against 13 infants. On this week's episode of Social Work Radio, the mood is more somber...
09.01.2023
Knowing your worth as a social worker, and a person
On this week's episode, inspired by this article written by Social Work News columnist Millie Glass, Vince and Tilly delve into a frequently hilarious discussion - complete with roleplay! - on the importance of self-esteem, of feeling valued as a...
08.25.2023
The damage social work does to your body
On this week's episode, inspired by this article written by Social Work News columnist Tilly Baden, Tilly is joined by co-host Vince Peart to discuss the impact social work can have on our physical well-being. Join the conversation, every Friday, with...
08.18.2023
Ask us anything! We answer your social work questions...
This week, on this special 'in-person' edition of Social Work News, hosts Vince and Tilly answer your social work questions. Join the conversation, every Friday, with your preferred podcast provider. Created by social workers, for social workers.
08.11.2023
Stop leaving your children with partners you hardly know
This week, hosts Vince and Tilly take inspiration from this recent controversial article to ask: is it victim-blaming to ask mothers to protect their children from partners? Should everyone do a Sarah’s law and Claire’s law check on every new...
08.04.2023
How to be a more respectful social worker
This week, hosts Vince and Tilly examine the importance of respect in social work - what we should expect to give, what we should expect to receive - and discuss what they would each want to see from a social...
07.28.2023
What do your clients really think about you?
This week our dynamic duo is together in person! Watch this week's episode in full right HERE (or at www.mysocialworknews.com) as our hosts Vince and Tilly ask: should social work client feedback be sought more often and more formally? Should social workers...
07.21.2023
The dark secrets of surviving social work
This week, inspired by this recent article by the same name, published at mysocialworknews.com, our hosts Vince and Tilly take a closer look at the dark secrets of surviving in social work. How many of these do you do? Join the conversation,...
07.07.2023
Imposter syndrome in social work
This week, our hosts examine the issue of imposter syndrome in social work: what is it, and is it normal? Vince and Tilly share their own experiences of imposter syndrome, reveal how it has impacted their careers, and share their top...
06.30.2023
Are happier social workers better social workers?
This week, hosts Vince and Tilly ask the question: 'do happier social workers make better social workers?' Inspired by American social worker Ashley Campbell's column this week at mysocialworknews.com, our dynamic duo discuss the difference in our work when we're happy...
06.23.2023
Managing professional boundaries in social work
This week, hosts Vince and Tilly reflect on two recent news stories published at www.mysocialworknews.com about social workers crossing the professional boundaries with clients, and discuss the difficulties of being human, empathetic, and caring, while not opening yourself up to the...
06.16.2023
Surviving your first year as a social worker
This week, hosts Vince and Tilly each look back on their first year in social work, reflecting on the lessons learned, the mistakes made, and the advice they would give to their younger selves. They also reveal their messages of...
06.09.2023
How to ’social work’ yourself
This week, join our hosts, Vince and Tilly, as they carry explore the idea of 'social working' yourself, discuss whether the responsibility for 'care' should lie with the individual or the employer, and - rather hilariously - indulge in a...
06.02.2023
A social worker can do the job of two women (literally)
Following this popular news story at mysocialworknews.com this week - about a social worker barred from the profession after it was discovered she was holding down two full-time jobs with two different local authorities - our Social Work Radio hosts...
05.26.2023
Social workers are all hypocrites
This week on Social Work Radio, our hosts, Vince and Tilly, ask the question - are all social workers hypocrites - guilty of not practising what they preach? Join the conversation, every Friday, with your preferred podcast provider. Created by social workers, for social...
05.19.2023
Ask me anything: social work edition
This week on Social Work Radio, our hosts, Vince and Tilly, tackle YOUR questions about social work. Join the conversation, every Friday, with your preferred podcast provider. Created by social workers, for social workers, read fantastic content at mysocialworknews.com
05.12.2023
Should social workers do fewer hours?
This week on Social Work Radio, our hosts and experienced social workers, Vince and Tilly, explore the subject of how many hours social workers should really be working, whether shift work, condensed hours, or a four-day week can ever really...
05.05.2023
Dealing with people who lie to social workers
This week's podcast episode explores how to deal with people who lie to social workers, and follows on from Vince's guide of the same name, which was published this week at www.mysocialworknews.com In the same week that MP Stella Creasy revealed...
04.21.2023
The murder of Finley Boden
The mood is sombre this week as Social Work Radio co-hosts, Vince and Tilly, turn their attention to the murder of 10-month-old Finley Boden, at the hands of his parents. As the pair examine what is known about Finley's too-short life,...
04.14.2023
Three years of Covid
Days after Tory MP Flick Drummond said "social workers stayed at home" during the pandemic, Social Work Radio co-hosts, Vince and Tilly, looks back on three years of Covid. The duo remember the impact of that first lockdown on the workforce,...
04.07.2023
How do we get rid of the bad apples in social work?
Join Social Work Radio co-hosts, Vince and Tilly, as they reflect on some of Social Work England's most recent, and disturbing, fitness to practise hearings, and ask: does social work have a problem with its workforce? What are the themes?...

What's Social Work Radio about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Social Work Radio episodes:

Cats, dogs, and social workers

Is it okay to cry about work?

Spring cleaning for social workers

Terrible self-care ideas for social workers

A social worker's guide to making friends

Are you a perfectionist procrastinator?

Social work stress (and how to reduce it)

Ethical dilemmas in social work

Ten ways to improve social work retention

What Myers-Briggs personality types make the best social workers?

Should social workers be doing a lot more for our clients?

The heartbreaking case of Bronson Battersby

The harm (and good) that being a social worker does to your own family

Social workers are far more valuable than we believe ourselves to be

A 2023 social work review

Merry Christmas social workers!

We need a kinder way of inspecting social workers and our services

Did you choose social work, or did social work choose you?

10 things we really love about being a social worker

Do we need more men in social work?

The (Alternative) Social Worker of The Year Awards

For all the ones who didn’t make the night

How do you cope with the things you must do as a social worker?

What does it take to be a good social worker?

Jade’s Law: what rights should parents who murder their partners have?

Using social work skills to improve your relationship

The celebrities who really need a social work intervention

Am I too young/too old to be a social worker?

The warning signs that you’re working too hard in social work

The Lucy Letby baby murders

Knowing your worth as a social worker, and a person

The damage social work does to your body

Ask us anything! We answer your social work questions...

Stop leaving your children with partners you hardly know

How to be a more respectful social worker

What do your clients really think about you?

The dark secrets of surviving social work

Imposter syndrome in social work

Are happier social workers better social workers?

Managing professional boundaries in social work

Surviving your first year as a social worker

How to ’social work’ yourself

A social worker can do the job of two women (literally)

Social workers are all hypocrites

Ask me anything: social work edition

Should social workers do fewer hours?

Dealing with people who lie to social workers

The murder of Finley Boden

Three years of Covid

How do we get rid of the bad apples in social work?