Starting in a New Social Work Team: Confidence, Connection & Holding Your Boundaries

Independent social work is on the rise, but we don’t talk about it honestly enough. In this episode I’m sharing what it actually means, how my own route into independence looked, and why I think the narrative around it, that it’s an easy escape or a quick route to more money, is worth challenging. I also get into the ethics of commissioned assessments, the lack of collective standards, and what it means for the profession when people move into training or independent practic...

I left local authority social work four years ago, not because I was burnt out, but because I couldn't keep building my training work alongside it. In this episode I push back on the glamorisation of independent social work and talk through five things I genuinely miss about being employed: team, learning, practice skills, benefits, and progression. If you lead a team or a service, this is also a good listen for understanding what actually keeps social workers engaged and staying....

This week I've been watching the Lindsey Clancy trial, and I couldn't stop thinking about what it reveals about giving evidence, professional credibility, and how quickly a badly placed comma or a defensive answer can unravel someone's testimony. But this episode isn't really about the trial. It's about something new social workers ask me constantly: how do I get good at court? How do I prepare for giving evidence? Here's the truth. Court skills don't start in the witness box. They start at t...

In this episode I'm joined by Trevor Elliott MBE, founder of Children We Care For and director of three residential children's homes in London, who became a foster carer at 24. Trevor is one of the most honest voices I've come across in this space and this conversation did not disappoint. We talk about what foster care actually requires and why a big heart and a spare room is not enough, the government's commitment to 100,000 new foster carers and why quantity without quality worries both of ...

July was heavy. Court, honest feedback on my book, and the quiet weight of watching decisions unfold in family courts. In this honest, veryyyy unfiltered episode I talk through why August needs to be about joy, and four simple, no-cost ways I'm building more of it into my days with several caveats. If July left you feeling a bit worn down too, this one's for you. Plus a reminder about the Practice Pause Library, guided audio built for social workers, for the real moments this job actual...