Episodes

  • #7 Ask The Experts: How do I transition from adults' to children's services?

    #7 Ask The Experts: How do I transition from adults' to children's services?
    Jun 24 2025
    Are you an adults’ social worker who is considering moving into children’s social work but don’t know how to make the transition?

    In this episode, hear from Dame Lorna Boreland-Kelly, Claire Barcham and Kayleigh Rose Evans as they respond to this question and highlight the invaluable skills that adult social workers can bring to children’s services. They also highlight how you can find that relevant job, and why the British Army could hold the key in that transition.

    Read the transcript here.

    Send us an email at: careersadvice@markallengroup.com

    You can follow all the Ask The Experts questions and responses on: www.thesocialworkcommunity.comRead past questions from social workers with a career question and read the responses here.
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    21 mins
  • 'War is all they've known': working with unaccompanied children

    'War is all they've known': working with unaccompanied children
    Jun 16 2025
    This special episode was recorded for Refugee Week 2025. Sharmeen Ziauddin, careers editor at Community Care, speaks to Zahraa Adam and Aimee Hinton about their work with unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC). They have worked with UASC for 10 years and have a wealth of experience.

    Both Zahraa and Aimee are national social work award winners and Aimee holds a British Empire Medal for her contribution to social work.They are also age assessors and talk about how this assessment is carried out - this episode was recorded before the news that the Home Office agency, National Age Assessment Board, has been backed by the government despite BASW's opposition to it.

    Expect emotional stories, the reality of working in this specialism and surprisingly a lot of laughter! An episode not to be missed!


    If you want to find out more about working with UASC, you can register for a special webinar, Trauma-informed practice with unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, run by Community Care Inform. You can find out more on our Events tab on Community Care's homepage.

    Read the transcript of this episode here.
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    59 mins
  • Social work around the world: West Bank & Gaza

    Social work around the world: West Bank & Gaza
    May 19 2025
    In this episode of the miniseries Social work around the world, Community Care's careers editor Sharmeen Ziauddin, speaks to Riad Arar, a social worker from Hebron, a city south of Jerusalem, in the occupied West Bank, Palestine.

    He describes what life is like for him since 7 October 2023. Increased military checkpoints make delivering services incredibly hard for social workers and healthcare professionals. The focus is on survival.

    Riad speaks about Gaza and the destruction there. But he also talks about hope and how that keeps him going, along with the solidarity of the international community.

    Listening with the transcript is advisable.

    His previous interview with Community Care can be accessed here:
    https://www.communitycare.co.uk/2024/04/25/how-the-israel-gaza-war-has-affected-social-workers-in-the-uk/
    Here is the transcript.
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    29 mins
  • #6 Ask The Experts: How do you go about recovering confidence after a placement breakdown?

    #6 Ask The Experts: How do you go about recovering confidence after a placement breakdown?
    May 5 2025
    In this episode, hear from Dame Lorna Boreland-Kelly, Claire Barcham and Kayleigh Rose Evans respond to a question we received asking how to secure a new job after receiving a negative reference, and where to access help.

    Read the transcript here.This episode is hosted by Kirsty Ayakwah, senior careers editor at Community Care.

    If you have a question you’d like our experts to answer or if you felt the advice has helped you secure your next social work role, we want to hear from you.

    Send us an email at: careersadvice@markallengroup.com

    You can follow all the Ask The Experts questions and responses on: www.thesocialworkcommunity.com

    Read past questions from social workers with a career question and read the responses here.
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    11 mins
  • A day at Fatima Whitbread's One Voice Summit

    A day at Fatima Whitbread's One Voice Summit
    Apr 29 2025
    Listen to Sharmeen Ziauddin's (career editor at Community Care) report from the One Voice Summit which was held at the London Guildhall on 24 & 25 April 2025.

    The summit, was organised by Olympian Fatima Whitbread’s charitable organisation Fatima’s UK Campaign. The main aim of the charity is to ‘create a safer, happier, and healthier environment for children, ensuring they can read their full potential’.

    The One Voice Summit brought together many different organisations and individuals involved in the care system. This included charities, social enterprises, politicians, local authorities, academics and care-experienced people.

    You'll be hearing from Fatima herself, Dame Kelly Holmes and Professor Alexis Jay.

    Here are some of the links mentioned in this episode:
    Fatima's backstory and her day with social workers.
    Coram Voice's report
    Creation of the Child Protection Authority
    Listen to Take My Hand
    News story on Community Care

    If you liked this episode do rate and review on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you are listening to this on. And do follow us on Instagram - we are @CommunityCareOfficial
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    22 mins
  • Career transitions: from independent domestic violence advocate to social work

    Career transitions: from independent domestic violence advocate to social work
    Apr 28 2025
    In this episode of the Social Work Community Podcast, senior careers editor Kirsty Ayakwah speaks to specialist domestic abuse social worker Jenifer Lamadrid who started her career as an Independent Domestic Violence Advocate.

    We find out why she made the move, what core skills she's been able to take from her former profession into social work and what keeps her in the sector.

    Read the transcript of the interview here.

    You can listen to our previous episode in the Career Transitions Series.

    About the podcast
    The Social Work Community Podcast explores the issues that matter to social work practitioners in their working lives.

    Kirsty and fellow host, careers editor Sharmeen Ziauddin, interview experienced and inspiring guests, including frontline social workers who speak from the heart about their jobs, the sector and society.

    The first season went down a storm and was nominated in the 2024 British Association of Social Workers (BASW) Social Work Journalism Awards.

    We have since launched season two, during which we have covered whether we need more men in social work and interviewed a practitioner with 47 years’ experience about what keeps her in the profession.

    Although the podcast is available on major podcast platforms, Social Work Community members will get special early access to each episode.

    So sign up to the Social Work Community to be among the first to catch each episode and to connect with fellow practitioners in a safe space.Otherwise, check out the Social Work Community Podcast on the following:
    • Spotify
    • Apple Podcasts
    • Spreaker
    • Audible (Amazon)
    Click ‘follow’ or ‘subscribe’ on your podcast app so you know when a new episode is published.And don’t forget to follow us on Instagram.
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    38 mins
  • Social work around the world: Australia

    Social work around the world: Australia
    Apr 16 2025
    As part of the 'Social work around the world' series, this episode, hosted by careers editor Sharmeen Ziauddin, features two Australian social workers, who have practised in Australia and in England.

    Kristin, worked in Queensland, Australia before moving to London 12 years ago. Tina similarly moved to London from Queensland but moved back and found herself stuck in Western Australia during the covid-19 pandemic, and ended up staying there.

    Emigrating is never easy and the challenges Kristen experienced led her to write a blog to help other Australian social workers navigate their move to the UK. This is how Kristin and Tina met!

    The Aussies discuss the differences in social work between the two countries, how they overcame the challenges and what they love about working in both countries. Tina also shares her experience working with Aboriginal communities in Western Australia where she is currently based.

    Watch a clip here.

    Read the transcript.

    About the podcast

    The Social Work Community Podcast explores the issues that matter to social work practitioners in their working lives. Sharmeen and fellow host Kirsty Ayakwah, senior careers editor, interview experienced and inspiring guests, including frontline social workers who speak from the heart about their jobs, the sector and society.

    The first season went down a storm and was nominated in this year’s British Association of Social Workers (BASW) Social Work Journalism Awards.

    Season two has covered whether we need more men in social work and interviewed a practitioner with 47 years’ experience about what keeps her in the profession.A

    Click ‘follow’ or ‘subscribe’ on your podcast app so you know when a new episode is published.
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    36 mins
  • #5 Ask The Experts: How do I secure a role working with refugees or co-ordinating disaster relief?

    #5 Ask The Experts: How do I secure a role working with refugees or co-ordinating disaster relief?
    Apr 7 2025
    In this episode, hear from Dame Lorna Boreland-Kelly, Claire Barcham and Kayleigh Rose Evans respond to a question we received asking how an adults' social worker can secure a role working with refugees or co-ordinating disaster relief.

    This episode is hosted by Kirsty Ayakwah, senior careers editor at Community Care. If you have a question you’d like our experts to answer or if you felt the advice has helped you secure your next social work role, we want to hear from you.

    Read the transcript here.

    Send us an email at: careersadvice@markallengroup.com You can follow all the Ask The Experts questions and responses on: www.thesocialworkcommunity.com Read past questions from social workers with a career question and read the responses here.
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    13 mins