A general election is coming. When it will be, no one is quite sure, but what we do know is what needs to change to improve situations for social workers and the people who use social work services. This is the focus of this episode of Let’s Talk Social Work as Andy McClenaghan and guests discuss the asks outlined in the British Association of Social Workers <a href="https://new.basw.co.uk/sites/default/files/2024-03/181325%20General%20Election%202024%20Manifesto%20UK%20%282%29.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">2024 General Election Manifesto</a>. Joining Andy are Kerri Prince, BASW’s&nbsp;Public and Political Affairs Lead,&nbsp;and Martin Sexton, outgoing Chair of BASW’s Policy Ethics and Human Rights Committee. The conversation centres around&nbsp;the five manifesto asks BASW is prioritising. They are: <ul><li>Scrap the two-child limit and benefit cap</li><li>Repeal the 2023 Illegal Migration Act</li><li>Increase the non-taxable mileage rate allowance to 60p a mile</li><li>The need for a new mental health Act</li><li>The reform of social work student bursaries</li></ul> There are forty asks in total in the manifesto. You can read them all&nbsp;<a href="https://new.basw.co.uk/sites/default/files/2024-03/181325%20General%20Election%202024%20Manifesto%20UK%20%282%29.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>.

A Change Would Do You Good—Exploring BASW’s 2024 General Election Manifesto

With independence comes opportunities as well as risks. Andy McClenaghan is joined by Independent social workers Michelle Strain, Jo Fox and Gareth McGibbon to explore the benefits as well as the costs of stepping out and practicing as an Independent social worker. They discuss the variety of roles Independent social workers undertake, how to maintain a healthy work life balance when you are your own boss, the challenges of marketing yourself, how to ensure sufficient peer support, and keeping up to date with developments in practice and regulatory requirements.

My Way: exploring independent social work

A first for&nbsp;Let’s Talk Social Work, Andy McClenaghan and guests discuss the benefits of coaching in social work. The conversation explores what coaching is and how engaging in coaching can be an opportunity to receive support and guidance, develop skills and navigate career paths, and how it is a helpful way to engage in self-reflection.&nbsp; As well as looking at what coaching is, the discussion examines what it isn’t, exploring how it differs from counselling or psychotherapy. The episode also explores who can benefit from coaching and how to get involved. Joining Andy are professional coaches Tinu Ashaye, Keith Dyer and Kate Cuthbertson. Tinu, Keith and Kate are all social workers who between them have a wealth of practice experience. Kate also oversees BASW’s Social Work Professional Support Service, which is discussed in detail during the episode. For more information on BASW’s Social Work Professional Support Service, please visit the <a href="https://new.basw.co.uk/support/social-work-professional-support-service-swpss" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">BASW website</a>.

‘Don’t park the bus’ — exploring the benefits of coaching in social work

 Exploring the social determinants of health with Professor Sir Michael Marmot & Dr Ruth Allen

“If health has stopped improving it is a sign that society has stopped improving.” These are the words of Professor Sir Michael Marmot in the report&nbsp;Health Equity in England: The Marmot Review 10 Years on. In this special episode of&nbsp;Let’s Talk Social Work, made to celebrate World Social Work Day 2024, Andy McClenaghan and guests, Sir Michael Marmot and Dr Ruth Allen, explore how poverty, inequality and social disadvantage impact health outcomes, life expectancy and quality of life.&nbsp; Sir Michael is a world-renowned expert on public health, Director of the Institute for Health Equity and author of The Health Gap: the challenge of an unequal world,&nbsp;and&nbsp;Status Syndrome: how your place on the social gradient directly affects your health.&nbsp;&nbsp; Ruth is the Chief Executive of the British Association of Social Workers. Ruth has had a long career in the field of mental health social work and prior to joining BASW&nbsp;was Director of Social Work at South West London &amp; St Georges' Mental Health NHS Trust. Although poverty is an issue that has been discussed a number of times on the podcast, as so many of the problems which social workers support people to address are rooted in or exacerbated by poverty, we haven’t previously looked at the social determinants of health and the extent to which inequality affects health outcomes. There are no guests better placed to discuss the social determinants of health and their relevance to social work policy and practice.

‘Rise up with me against the organisation of misery’

Dignity, respect, empowerment: adult safeguarding explored with Dr Jeremy Dixon Episode 75 of&nbsp;Let’s Talk Social Work&nbsp;explores adult safeguarding—the&nbsp;policies, procedures, and practices aimed at protecting adults who may be at risk of abuse, neglect, or exploitation.&nbsp; This is work guided by principles of dignity, respect, and empowerment and social workers play a crucial role in identifying, assessing, and responding to concerns about the safety and well-being of adults who may be experiencing harm, or who are at risk of harm.&nbsp;&nbsp; For the conversation, Andy McClenaghan is joined by Dr Jeremy Dixon,&nbsp;Senior Lecturer in the&nbsp;Department of Social &amp; Policy Sciences at the University of Bath.&nbsp; They discuss the findings of Jeremy’s research which examined understandings of—and approaches to—adult safeguarding, as detailed in his recent book,&nbsp;Adult Safeguarding Observed. The book is available now, published by <a href="https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/adult-safeguarding-observed" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Policy Press</a>.

Dignity, respect, empowerment: adult safeguarding explored with Dr Jeremy Dixon

This episode explores social work and government policy in Wales. That’s not unusual for Let’s Talk Social Work, but what is a little different is that we will be considering these issues with the focus placed on an individual and the role they have played in shaping both. Since 2018 the Welsh Government has been led by Mark Drakeford. A former social worker and social policy academic, Mr Drakeford held the posts of Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Minister for Health and Social Services before becoming First Minister. In December he announced he will stand down as leader of the Welsh Labour party and First Minister in March 2024. Andy is joined by social workers Abyd Quin Aziz, Reader in Social Work&nbsp;at Cardiff University&nbsp;and BASW Cymru committee member, and Plaid Cymru member of Gwyned Council, Councillor Delyth Lloyd Griffiths. They explore how Mark Drakeford’s time in office has influenced the Welsh Government’s approach to social work, and the extent to which wider Government policy has been informed by social work values. Image attribution—User: (WT-shared) Cardiff at&nbsp;&nbsp;wts&nbsp;wikivoyage, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Friends in high places

This episode of the podcast features discussion of issues that may cause distress, including sexual harm and abuse by siblings, and listener discretion is advised.&nbsp;&nbsp;In this episode, Andy is joined by social worker Anna Glinski, Deputy Director for&nbsp;Knowledge &amp; Practice Development at the Centre of expertise on child sexual abuse. They discuss the challenging issue of sibling sexual behaviour and explore how social workers should respond to instances of inappropriate, problematic and abusive sexual behaviour between siblings. Among the issues discussed, they consider the prevalence of sibling sexual abuse and the extent to which the issue is understood within the profession. They examine what causes children to become engaged in inappropriate, harmful or abusive sexual behaviour with their siblings, and how social workers can take a whole-family approach to supporting the children involved. In 2023 the Centre of expertise on child sexual abuse published guidance on responding to sibling sexual behaviour. The document can be accessed at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.csacentre.org.uk/app/uploads/2023/09/Sibling-sexual-behaviour-English.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.csacentre.org.uk/app/uploads/2023/09/Sibling-sexual-behaviour-English.pdf</a>&nbsp;

Responding to sibling sexual behaviour and abuse

Exploring coproduced addiction training

The first episode of Let’s Talk Social Work of 2024 explores a fantastic, coproduced training project run by the Western Health and Social Care Trust which equips social workers to better support families affected by addiction. The discussion examines the effects addiction has on families and overviews the first-hand impacts that social work involvement can have when a parent is struggling with addiction. The episode also addresses why a service user-led approach is critical to increasing understanding and delivering real improvements in outcomes for children and families. Andy is joined by Sarahlee, a parent and expert by experience who was instrumental in creating the Meet me Where I’m at project, and Western Health and Social Care Trust social workers, Claire White and Serla Meenan. At the start of the episode Andy mentions the&nbsp;Have Your Say&nbsp;workforce survey for social workers and social care workers in Wales. You can find out more about the survey and take part&nbsp;<a href="https://www.socialcare.wales/research-and-data/have-your-say-survey-2024" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>.

Meet me where I’m at

In this episode, made to mark Human Rights Day, we’re examining a really fascinating subject—the&nbsp;Promote the Vote&nbsp;project. The project helps social workers support people with learning disabilities to make use of their right to vote. Despite the UK being a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons With Disabilities—Article 29 of which ensures the right for disabled people to vote—barriers remain which can prevent people from exercising this right. Joining Andy to discuss how&nbsp;Promote the Vote&nbsp;is helping people with a learning disability overcome these barriers are Hafsa&nbsp;Akhtar&nbsp;an expert by experience, Elaine James, Head of Service for Learning Disabilities and Preparation for Adulthood at Bradford Metropolitan District Council and&nbsp;Amani Ali,&nbsp;National Management Trainee&nbsp;also based at Bradford Metropolitan District Council. BASW’s UK-wide social work survey Each year, BASW surveys&nbsp;social workers and social work students&nbsp;to identify the profession’s priorities for the year ahead.&nbsp; This year’s survey is exploring views on current working conditions, on issues of environmental, professional and social sustainability, and social workers’ views on supporting people to participate in voting in the next General Election. The survey is open until Monday 8 January 2024 and results will be anonymised prior to analysis. It takes approximately&nbsp;10-15 minutes to complete and is available&nbsp;<a href="https://www.basw.co.uk/basw-annual-survey-social-workers-and-social-work-2023" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a>.

Promote the Vote

Welcome to Let’s Talk Social Work, the podcast fr…

Welcome to Let’s Talk Social Work, the podcast from the British Association of Social Workers. This is a space for conversation—discussion with social workers, the individuals they support, and colleagues working in related professions. We consider the key matters affecting social workers as we explore contemporary issues with a focus at both the local and global levels. The views expressed in this podcast are not necessarily those of the Association.

Let's Talk Social Work

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Andy McClenaghan