Social Work Sorted with Vicki Shevlin

How to feel Ready... Even when you're not

Social Work Sorted with Vicki Shevlin

Show Notes

In this episode I talk about this quote by Rebekah Pierre (and do a terrible job of remembering it in the moment) but its important to reference it properly: "Perhaps you saw the screen in front of you as the final destination. It was not; your words, written about but without me, would not remain hidden forever." It's from this article: https://basw.co.uk/articles/open-letter-social-worker-who-wrote-my-case-files Boundaries: https://www.socialworksorted.com/post/about-me-deciding-non...

More from Social Work Sorted with Vicki Shevlin

Oct 23, 2026

It’s October, the season is changing, and I’m in full reset mode. In this episode I share five ways to simplify your practice and your working life: your workspace, your to-do list, your language, your focus and your aim. They’re small, practical shifts you can make this week, whether you’re newly qualified or years into practice. I also talk about what a heavy month of training delivery has looked like, why assessment skills are about so much more than writing things up, and why we need to b...

Oct 13, 2026

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...

Sep 4, 2026

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....

Aug 21, 2026

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...

Aug 13, 2026

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 ...

See all episodes →