Upfront About Social Work

Our next bonus episode brings you Mark Adams, CEO of Community Integrated Care, one of Britain’s biggest and most successful health and social care charities. Their exceptional colleagues change the lives of those with learning disabilities, autism, mental health concerns and dementia – with the goal of supporting people to live the best lives possible.

As part of their recent #UnfairToCare report (which featured independent research conducted by Korn Ferry), Adams elaborates on the impact of underpaying and underappreciating colleagues and its negative impact on services and the people they support. He also talks about what both local and national government could do to turn things around and to reverse years of underfunding, overshadowing and under-caring for social care workers.

If you want to get involved in the campaign and show your appreciation for our social care heroes, visit https://www.unfairtocare.co.uk/ and follow their guidance on how to contact your local MP.

In this episode we bring you an exciting conversation with Bradford City Council's Deputy Director of Children's Services, Irfan Alam! 

Irfan describes what he experienced coming into the role and how the pandemic affected the service dramatically.  Talking about the significant dedication of Bradford's 500 or so Social Workers, Alam elaborates on the importance of trust in leadership through a challenging time of change and uncertainty. 

Such a brilliant and eye-opening episode. Did you know that listening to our podcasts counts towards your CPD requirements? We have plenty more episodes for you to surf through! 

Support the show: (https://socialpersonnel.com/podcasts)

Another inspiring episode of Upfront About Social Work! This week, hosts Chris and Lawrence sat down with author, trainer and social work advocate Dr Jenny Molloy to discuss her upbringing in care and the importance of #SocialWorkers in our everyday lives. 💙

A truly uplifting and heartwarming episode, thanks for joining us, Dr Jenny! If you'd like to hear more about her incredible journey, read The Hackney Child. 

This week, we spoke to Alasdair Kennedy, more commonly known as the Sociable Social Worker! 

Alasdair talks about the importance of being a voice for other Social Workers and a platform to share stories about the industry. Using his YouTube channel, he has brought together a tight-knit community of Social Workers who share tips, anecdotes and experiences. 

It's highly beneficial to connect with people in similar walks of life. Too many Social Workers stay hidden in the shadows, but Alasdair is here to shine light on the importance of connecting with your industry and community, you never know who you could help out! 

Check out his YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjZcDjCj4o4Nxmzmen9sSow

Alasdair's Twitter: @SociableSocialW

For this episode we spoke to Ellie Garraway from  Grit: Breakthrough Programmes (@grit_2017 on twitter). We’ve been working alongside Grit for a while now and really support their way of engaging with Young People and Local Authorities. This time we spoke about how Grit have continued to support people throughout Covid19 and how their programmes help Local Authorities change their narrative and embed change.

One of the programmes that Grit are running at the moment is mentoring for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. You’ll receive online training before you do anything, and you will be coaching weekly for around three months.  If you are interested in something like this, here is a link to their contact form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc5OAIUqVWPqIZAOaPFVWyGEDwx7haXeesp7NiFnpgrRkj90g/viewform 

In this episode, hosts Chris and Lawrence speak to Transformation Programme Director Peter Featherstone. 

In this episode we talk about his own career journey, and what it takes to deliver large scale transformation programmes. With his expertise around the formation of Childrens Trust, having support Doncaster, Birmingham and Northamptonshire we touch upon the great work that is being undertaken by Social Workers throughout the pandemic. You do not want to miss this episode!

This week we speak to Toni George from “One Stop Social Work” and Bill Say from “Just Say Training” (https://justsaytrainingworcester.co.uk) join us today to discuss all things #mentalhealth, #resiliance and #coping strategies during #Covid19uk.

A must have listen for everyone, not just the social work profession.

After the murder of George Floyd in the summer of 2020 there has been an increased focus on language, anti-racist practice and the role of people in colour within social work. To continue the momentum and retain the focus.

To guide us through this we spoke to Wayne Reid (Wayne_Ried79), Anti-Racism Visionary for the British Association of Social Workers (@BASW), who speaks to Chris and Lawrence about the importance of people of colour in social work, and his aims to make the sector a more inclusive place to be. Wayne and Siobhan McLean (founder of Kirwin Mclean Associates) are about to release “Outlanders” a collection of creative contributions by social workers of colour. Pre-order your copy here: https://siobhanmaclean.co.uk/publications/outlanders 

Today on #upfrontaboutsocialwork we are speaking to Delia and Laura from Oxfordshire County Council. Unbelievably, they have managed to successfully launch a new practice framework at the council in the midst of a national emergency. The initial feedback from practitioners, managers and (more importantly) children and their families has been overwhelmingly positive.

This has had a really positive impact so if you want to hear more visit: https://www.incredible-creatures.co.uk/

In this episode, hosts Chris and Lawrence speak to Social Work Consultant extraordinaire Risthardh Hare. 

 Talking about his new publication – ‘STAIRS – psychologists and social workers collaborating to create better services for families’ along with an insight into both Early Help, and Domestic Violence its one certainly not to be missed.