The Relational Social Work Podcast

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This week Matt and Hannah are joined by Louise Anderson, Executive Director of Stockport Children’s Services. Louise talks to Matt and Hannah about the importance of being intentional in her relational and restorative leadership, her experiences of being a female leader from the Global Majority, and what it was like to lead a traumatised workforce through the Southport Inquiry, during her time as the Director of Children’s Services in Lancashire.

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This episode was recorded at The Reunification Conference in Coventry in June. Matt and Hannah are joined by Penny, Natalie, Zoe, Paula and Rose; five parents whose children were in care, and are at different stages of their reunification journey. The episode explores these parents’ experiences of reunification and their messages for social work practice. The episode includes a message from Josh MacAlister, Minister for Children and Families, about the importance of a focus on reunification and reflections from delegates who attended the conference.

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This week Hannah and Matt are joined by Angela Frazer-Wicks, Ambassador and Founding Member of the Parents Panel at Family Rights Group. Angela shares how she has used her experiences as a birth mum whose children were adopted to champion the need for change in children’s services and family justice. Conversations explore the importance of parents’ participation and how Family Rights Group brings together lived experience, legal experience and social work experience to fight for a better system for children and families together.

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This week Matt and Hannah are joined by Nimal Jude, Head of Practice Development at Foundations. Their conversation explores the importance of social work having a body of evidence to inform practice, leadership and policy, how Foundations develop Practice Guides, and the importance of understanding what works for children and their families.

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In this weeks’ episode Matt and Hannah are joined by Paul Joyce (Chief Superintendent, West Midlands Police) and Matt Haynes (Youth Justice Operational Lead, Coventry City Council) to talk about Youth Justice. Conversations explore the importance of relationships within partnerships, adultification, taking a child first approach, disproportionately, and exploitation.

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We’re back for Series 7! This episode was recorded at Coventry’s Children’s and Education Services Conference, where Matt, Hannah and Arin were joined by some of the speakers from the day. Our first guest is Dez Holmes, Director of Research in Practice and Deputy Chief Executive at the National Children’s Bureau, who chats to Hannah and Matt about the importance of relational systems and leadership to enable relational practice. We are then joined by Roselyn and Bayley, two care experienced young people, for a discussion about the importance of good endings...

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We might be officially out of a season but this episode was too important to wait, so we thought we better have a summer special! This week we are joined by Niketa Sanderson-Gillard (Founder and CEO of Why Care) and Luke Rodgers (Founder and CEO of The Care Leaders) to discuss the Department for Education’s consultation on updating Fostering Standards and Guidance, for which Niketa is the lead drafter and Luke is the engagement lead. This episode explores why fostering reforms are needed, what this means for children and for foster carers, an...

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It is the last episode of the season, and this week starts with Matt and Hannah reflecting on the social media ban for under 16s. Hannah and Matt are then joined by Bridget Blanchard (BookTrust’s Proposition Development Manager), Emma Norry (Author) and Debbie (Kinship Carer). This episode explores how reading with children can build connection, the importance of representation in books, and what BookTrust do as an organisation to support more adults and children to read together.
 

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This week Hannah and Matt are joined by Lisa Harker, Director at Nuffield Family Justice Observatory. This episode explores innovation and change in family justice. Discussions focus on families who experience public and private proceedings, child focussed courts, and the disproportionate representation of children from the global majority subject to care proceedings.

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In this episode Matt and Hannah are joined by Kyla Chandler (Co-Chair, the Association of Care Experienced Social Workers) and Mike Starr (one of the founding members of the Association of Care Experienced Social Workers). This episode explores why the Association of Care Experienced Social Workers was formed. We discuss the dual identity of care experienced and social worker, and some of the complexities, nuances and paradoxes that this brings. Conversations explore stigma, unconscious bias and shame, and the importance of relationships.

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This episode starts with Hannah and Matt  discussing the recent Family Finding announcement from the Department of Education. Care experienced social worker and previous podcast guest, Jonny Hoyle,  then drops us a message about the importance of relationships for children in care, and keeping brothers and sisters together. Matt and Hannah are then joined by Lorraine Cavanagh KC, Barrister and Head of the Family Group at St John’s Buildings. This episode explores the role of lawyers in the Family Courts, the importance of relationships, and discusses some of the key learning which can...

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Matt and Hannah are joined by Coventry colleagues, Chris Heeley (Strategic Lead and Families First Sponsor, Children’s and Education Services), Louise Kelman (Headteacher and Families First Education Lead) and Kat Blake-Smith (Lead Nurse for Families First). This episode explores the Families First Partnership Programme, what this looks like in Coventry and across the U.K., and what these reforms mean for children, families and professionals. Discussions focus on the importance of relational practice, family-led decision making, partnership working and the opportunities and challenges of implementing these reforms.

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Any long term listeners of The Relational Social Work Podcast will know that Hannah, Matt and Producer Arin love The Traitors so this weeks’ episode is a real treat for us as super fans! Hannah and Matt are joined by mother and daughter, and stars of The Traitors, Judy and Roxy Wilson. Roxy was adopted as a child by Judy, and this episode explores some of Roxy’s experience of being fostered and then being adopted by Judy. 

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This week Hannah and Matt are joined by Professor Katriona O’Sullivan, psychologist and author of her memoirs, ‘Poor’ and ‘Hungry’. This conversation took place on the set of Poor (adapted for theatre) at the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry with a live audience. Conversations explore Katriona’s lived experience, and key messages for professionals in relation to working with children and their families growing up in poverty, with a focus on the impact that professionals can have on the lives of children (both positively and negatively). 
 

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It’s the second week of Foster Care Fortnight, so this week we are shining a spotlight on fostering. Matt and Hannah are joined by Sarah Thomas, Chief Executive at The Fostering Network. This episode celebrates fostering, exploring innovations in the sector and considers fostering reforms across the U.K, as well as some of the work which Sarah has been doing in Japan in relation to fostering. Fans of the pod will know that we love The Traitors, and for this special episode to celebrate fostering, Matt and Hannah were then joined by...

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Following on from last week (if you haven’t listened we would recommend you start there), this week we bring you the second part of the Family Justice Council Debate. This week you will hear questions from those who were at the debate, hosted by Sir Andrew McFarlane, the then President of the Family Justice Council, with our very own Matt, Tom Wilson (1GC Chambers), Dame Annie Hudson, Professor Julie Selwyn CBE (University of Oxford), Cathy Ashley OBE (Family Rights Group), and Lorraine Cavanagh KC (St John’s Buildings). You will find out whet...

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This weeks’ episode is something a bit different from our usual format. From the sunshine of Matt’s garden, Hannah and Matt listen back to the Family Justice Council Debate which Matt was a part of in December. This episode brings you this debate, which was hosted by Sir Andrew McFarlane, the then President of the Family Justice Council, and alongside Matt, Tom Wilson (1GC Chambers), Dame Annie Hudson, Professor Julie Selwyn CBE (University of Oxford), Cathy Ashley OBE (Family Rights Group), and Lorraine Cavanagh KC (St John’s Buildings) debate whether the term “...

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It’s the first episode of Series 6, and Hannah and Matt kick it off with some football chat before being joined by Jarrod Wheatley (CEO at Professional Individualised Care). This episode explores how Professional Individualised Care has built on work from Germany to approach alternatives to residential care in Australia, bringing experienced professionals from across the sector closer to the care of children, and how enduring, authentic relationships are central to this work.

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It’s the final episode of series 5! Hannah and Matt are joined by Rachael Wardell and Ann Graham during the week that Rachael’s ADCS Presidency comes to an end and Ann’s begins. This episode explores what the ADCS has achieved over the past year, and what the focus will be for the year ahead, including discussion about child poverty, reforms and stop and search.

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This episode was recorded with a live audience at the Social Work Show in Birmingham. Hannah and Matt are joined by Lisa Harris (Director at Birmingham Children’s Trust), Farai Kanengoni (Operational Lead, Coventry Children’s and Education Services), Mike Hayward (Principal Social Worker, Solihull Children’s Services), Kieron White (CEO, Leading AI), and Neil Thompson (social work academic, author and trainer). Together, with the support of our live audience, we discuss what the future of social work looks like. There is a particular focus on the advancement of AI, the benefits of this t...

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The intro for this episode was recorded in week two of Coventry’s Ofsted inspection, and starts with Matt and Hannah’s sleep deprived ramblings. Luckily the interview was recorded pre-Ofsted, and Hannah and Matt are joined by Clare Wightman, CEO, and Mel Smith, Deputy CEO, at Grapevine Coventry and Warwickshire. The episode explores Grapevine’s work, the concept of citizen advocacy and the importance of relationships and connection in the context of working with people with learning disabilities. The episode end with some reflections in relation to the recent White Paper, ‘Every child ac...

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Coventry got the Ofsted call so this episode is a bit different. Matt is with us for the intro, and then handed over the reigns to Hannah and Producer Arin who popped to the Family Justice Council Conference in Birmingham, where the theme was ‘The role of technology and AI in modern family law: opportunities and challenges’. Hannah spoke with Sir Andrew McFarlane (President of the Family Division and Chair of the Family Justice Council), Lisa Harker (Director at the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory), and Julie Young (Research Fellow at the University of East...

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This episode was recorded at The Care Leaders Summit in York. The episode starts with Luke Rodgers, Founder and CEO at The Care Leaders, telling us about The Summit. Hannah and Matt are then joined by Karla George (Founder of The Baloo Project), Rosie Blackett (Director of Pro Alliance Sports), John Golding (Founder of PATH), Lee Weston (Founder of Believe and Achieve), and Tia James (Co-Founder of The Bigin Project) who are all fellows of The Care Leaders Fellowship. The episode explores how the fellowship supported Tia, Lee, John, Karla and Rosie on...

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This episode starts with Hannah and Matt talking about reforms to fostering (and caramel lattes). Matt and Hannah are then joined by Harry Ferguson to talk about his latest book, ‘Making Child Protection Work’. The episode explores how over time Harry’s research moved from asking social workers what they do, to immersing himself in social work practice, through ethnographic research, being with social workers in the places where child protection social work happens. Harry shares some of the key themes from his book, emphasising the importance of relational and intimate child protection practi...

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This episode was recorded at the West Midlands ADCS Network, Innovate and Grow Conference and explores some exciting innovations happening across West Midlands region. The episode is packed full of guests, with Hannah and Matt joined by Sandeep Virk and Lizzie White to tell us a bit about the West Midlands ADCS Network and the Innovate and Grow Conference; Jane Dunne and Sophie Carter speaking about problem solving approaches with Coventry and Warwickshire Family Drug and Alcohol Court (FDAC); Jo Minife and Eleanor Hedges discuss how they support parents who have had their...

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This week Hannah and Matt are joined by Scott Mair, Founder and Director of Fatherhood Solutions and advocate for neurodiverse families and father-inclusive practice. This episode explores the perception of services being designed with mothers in mind, and how this may unintentionally make fathers feel excluded. Scott shares ideas for father inclusive practice, and the impact that this has had through the work of Fatherhood Solutions. 

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In this episode Matt and Hannah are joined by Dr Neil Thompson, social work academic, award winning author and educator. This episode explores the importance of theory in social work practice, and the concept of theorising practice, rather than applying theory to practice. Neil talks about the PCS Analysis that he developed, its relevance in contemporary social work, and the importance of anti-oppressive practice and allyship. 

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In this episode Matt and Hannah are joined by Chloe Grant, Director of Services, and Matt Blow, Policy and Public Affairs Manager, at Become. This episode explores the work that Become does as an organisation, participation, what the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill means relation to care leavers and leaving care teams, and importance of the role of Personal Advisors.

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In this episode Hannah and Matt are joined by Michelle John, child to parent abuse expert by experience and the founder of PEGS. This episode explores what child to parent abuse is, its prevalence, research into child to parent abuse, and what support there is for children, young people and parents.

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It's the first episode of Series 5! We are kicking off the series with an episode that was recorded with a live audience at Compass Jobs Fair in London. Hannah and Matt are joined by Lisa Hackett (Director and Chief Social Worker at Frontline), Jerome Harvey-Agyei (Youth Participation Lead at The Mayor of London's Violence Reduction Unit), and Kam Kaur (Programme Developer and Consultant at The Parting Apart Programme) to consider the Families First social care reforms, with a particular focus on multi-agency child protection teams. This episode explores the importance of relationships within...

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It’s our Christmas Special and Producer Arin has a mic and is in charge! This episode is nothing like our other episodes, with minimal discussion about social work. However, it does have a Christmas quiz and a Christmassy(ish) story read by Hannah, Matt and Producer Arin.

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It’s a The Relational Social Work Podcast first, with this episode being recorded in a broom cupboard. Hannah is joined by Jerome Harvey-Agyei, Co-Founder of The Tope Project and Youth Participation Lead at The Mayor of London’s Violence Reduction Unit. This episode explores the importance of love and human connection, the beauty which can come from pain, and how Jerome shares stories of love, rather than stories of suffering. Hannah is joined by Matt for the intro and reflections, where they have an impromptu (and very unofficial) audition to be the next...

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In this episode Matt and Hannah are joined by Jade Barnett, co-founder, CEO and Director at Power2Prevail Community. This episode explores how Jade turned her care experienced activism into an idea to support care experienced young people in London, and how through working with The Care Leaders Fellowship helped her to turn this idea into reality.

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This episode was recorded live from the Madlug Pop-Up Experience in Leeds as part of National Care Leavers Month. Hannah and Matt are joined by three incredible care leavers, Leigh, AJ and Scarlett, as well as Dave Linton (Founder and CEO of Madlug), Phoebe White (Policy and Influencing Manager, National Youth Advocacy Service), Danny Hooper (Life Long Links Co-Ordinator, Coventry City Council), Beth Vecchione (Founder and CEO of Care to Dance) and Luke Rodgers (Founder and CEO of The Care Leaders). This episode explores the importance of relationships, community, belonging, and showcases some...

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In this episode Matt is joined by Rachael Wardell, President of the Associate of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS), to discuss what has happened during her presidency. The discussion includes progress with the social care reforms, child poverty, how the ADCS and its members have responded to unrest across the country and Rachael’s hopes for the remainder of her term. Hannah joins Matt for the intro and reflections.

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In this episode Matt and Hannah are joined by Mary Jackson, Chief Executive at Frontline. This episode explores what Frontline does as a charitable organisation, through the qualifying programme and support for newly qualified social workers; leadership programmes; and supporting innovation. Conversations delve into to the strengths of Frontline’s programmes, as well as some of the criticisms, the importance of systemic thinking in social work and how a hub model can support this. This episode also considers the gap left from funding being withdrawn for the Pathways Leadership Programme and how Frontline ma...

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This week Hannah and Matt are not only joined by guests, Sophie Clarke, Managing Director at We Are Juno, Joanne Smith, Interim Head of Commissioning at Liverpool City Council Children and Young People Services, and Scott Darragh, Chief Executive at Social Adventures, but also have a guest host, Shoayb Khalifa, Operational Lead for Placements and Commissioning at Coventry City Council. This episode explores the rising cost of residential care, and the marketisation of the public sector, and how local authorities could approach commissioning differently to keep children and young people in care living...

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In this episode Matt and Hannah are joined by Jonny Hoyle, care experienced social worker, and Group Manager for Leaving Care at North Yorkshire Council. This episode explores Jonny’s personal and professional experience, from being in care to working for the council, and how AI has supported social work practice in North Yorkshire. 

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In this episode, Hannah and Matt are joined by Katia Parent who is a social worker who works for the Prison Advice and Care Trust. This episode explores the pilot that Katia has been a part of, having social workers in women's prisons, to support mothers separated from their children, and the importance of relationships in this work.

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In this episode Matt and Hannah are joined by Lorna Stabler, Research Fellow at CASCADE(Children’s Social Care Research and Development Centre).  This episode explores Lorna’s personal and professional experience of kinship care, from her own experience as a kinship carer, and her research and wider research into this area.

Thank you for listening to The Relational Social Work Podcast. We are always interested to learn what you thought of the episode and welcome your feedback, suggestions, or ideas for future topics. Stay connected and join the conversation on our s...