In this special episode to mark Social Work Week, Carolyn Smith talks to two of Somerset Council's Advanced Practitioners, Amanda Rae and Jana Taylor about Wellbeing and the transformative role social workers play in people's lives. But we need to look after ourselves.

Tim Fisher has been a social worker for over 15 years and is currently a service manager in London's Camden Council. Tim's Masters Degree research focussed on empowerment models in social work and he has published academic writing on community approaches. He has collaborated with organisations to develop restorative practice, under the banner To Love is to Act. This encourages people towards Relational Activism, which means taking action in the everyday and making change happen through personal and informal relationships.   @familygroupmeet

Chris Hamilton is an experienced social worker and leader of Somerset's Mental Capacity and DoLS Team. Carolyn Smith talks to Chris about his past and his work in Somerset. Chris speaks passionately about communicating decisions so that non-professionals can understand them and what 'best interest' actually means for people and their families.

Dr Phoebe Beedell is a Senior Research Associate in the School for Policy Studies at Bristol University. In this episode of the Social Work Sessions, Dr Beedell talks to Carolyn Smith about her recent research project into social work with older people (SWOP), undertaken with the Universities of Birmingham and Bristol, and Effective Practice , funded by the NIHR School for Social Care Research. For more information, please go to: https://swopresearch.wordpress.com/

In this episode of the Social Work Sessions, Professor Michael Preston-Shoot talks to Carolyn Smith about legal literacy; the ability to connect relevant legal rules with ethical and rights-based practice; and how legal literacy informs defensible decision-making.

Philippa Geddes, from Social Work England, talks to Carolyn Smith on the work of the Social Work regulator.

Bryony Shannon is the Strategic Lead for Practice Development in Adults, Health & Wellbeing at the City of Doncaster Council. Bryony is also the author of the Rewriting Social Care blog, which can be found here: https://rewritingsocialcare.blog/ In this thought-provoking and highly entertaining episode of the Social Work Sessions, Bryony talks to Carolyn Smith about the importance of language and the overuse of labels and jargon in social care.

In this episode of the Social Work Sessions, Carolyn Smith talks with Lyn Romeo, Chief Social Worker for Adults. In a wide-ranging discussion, Lyn talks about her Australian roots, her current role and the importance of keeping social work personal, curious and, above all, hopeful.

In this episode, Carolyn Smith talks with Maxine Walton about the central role that hospital social work and intermediate care plays in the health and social care system. In this fascinating discussion, Maxine talks about power imbalances, the importance of relational social work and working with people towards their goals. If you have any comments about this podcast, or have ideas for new episodes, please get in touch with us via swspodcast@somerset.gov.uk.

In this episode of the Social Work Sessions, safeguarding lead Louise White talks about her career, the role of her team and why safeguarding is everybody’s responsibility. If you have any comments about this podcast, or have ideas for new episodes, please get in touch with us via swspodcast@somerset.gov.uk.

In Episode 4 of the Social Work Sessions, Somerset’s Principal Social Worker, Carolyn Smith, speaks to Professor Michael Preston-Shoot. Michael is an Emeritus Professor of social work at the University of Bedfordshire and is the current Chair of Somerset’s Safeguarding Adults Board. In this conversation, which ranges from the medieval to the modern, Michael sets out the legal, ethical and moral case for making safeguarding personal. If you have any comments about this podcast, or have ideas for new episodes, please get in touch with us via swspodcast@somerset.gov.uk.

Somerset Council's Principal Social Worker for Adults, Carolyn Smith, speaks to social workers Holly Stockdale and Sue Richardson about their respective roles in the Assessed and Supported Year in Employment. Holly is a Learning & Development Advanced Practitioner and Sue is a recent graduate from our ASYE scheme. If you have any comments about this podcast, or have ideas for new episodes, please get in touch with us via swspodcast@somerset.gov.uk.

Paul Coles, Assistant Director for Commissioning in Somerset Council's Adult Services, talks about his career in social work and the importance of good commissioning.

Carolyn Smith, Principal Social Worker for Somerset Council's Adult Services, introduces the new podcast series Social Work Sessions.

Carolyn Smith, Principal Social Worker for Adult Social Care in Somerset Council talks to Professor Michael Preston-Shoot about his career and his role in safeguarding, specifically around self neglect. As promised in the podcast, here are the links to: the Clutter Image Rating Scale: https://hoardingdisordersuk.org/clutter-image-ratings/Keith's Story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhmfptpwNZc&t=3s Please get in touch with us with feedback or requests for future episode topics: SWSPodcast@somerset.gov.uk