Social Work Spotlight
Social Work Spotlight
Yasmine Loupis
This podcast features interviews with social workers in Sydney, Australia, showcasing diverse areas of practice, social work stories, successes, and challenges, and providing information on media and other resources that can be accessed to help inform and educate people who are curious about the profession or wanting a career change.
International Episode 24: Theo (Greece)
In this episode I speak with Theo in Greece, with experience in refugee settings and now supporting people with disabilities. Theo is passionate and motivated to work with people in need, believing strongly in the power of community, working next to people and for the people.Links to resources mentioned in this week’s episode:Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) - https://pecs.com/picture-exchange-communication-system-pecs/This episode's transcript can be viewed here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bFHrk9IdTg26k0HiGobKdEJqyffptQQQ9ZRaQ37OgPE/edit?usp=sharingThanks to Kevin Macleod of incompetech.com for our theme music.
Jul 18
1 hr 14 min
International Episode 23: Susana (England)
In this episode I speak with Susana, with over fifteen years working in frontline social care, as a social worker in children's and adults' services, and now as a Registered Manager for an independent fostering agency in England. Susana is also the creator of MyTappyPlace, a wellbeing platform designed specifically for frontline professionals.Links to resources mentioned in this week’s episode:Frontline’s national fast-track social work training programme - https://thefrontline.org.uk/My Tappy Place - https://mytappyplace.co.uk/EFT Universe (High Energy Health Podcast) - https://eftuniverse.com/podcast/Lika Family Fostering - https://likafamilyfostering.co.uk/This episode's transcript can be viewed here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YQU3DZV1lzdsKh6t_LIDzF3REDwTJe5A4a-P5FnOwI0/edit?usp=sharingThanks to Kevin Macleod of incompetech.com for our theme music.
Jul 4
1 hr 8 min
International Episode 22: Emmanuel (Nigeria)
In this episode I speak with Emmanuel, an early-career social work researcher from Nigeria, at the intersection of migration and mental health, with a bachelor’s degree in social work and a master's degree in migration, and a strong interest in research.Links to resources mentioned in this week’s episode:Emmanuel’s published works on ORCID - https://orcid.org/0009-0002-2029-5857Emmanuel’s ResearchGate profile - https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Emmanuel-Onyemaechi-Ugwu?ev=hdr_xprf Dibia Akwukwo Social Solutions Research Group - https://www.linkedin.com/company/social-solutions-research-group-ssrg/posts/?feedView=allThis episode's transcript can be viewed here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HRYWc2xZMFknYIGZyjpCJZ3iFGRbiSEMLjn6J_kDHRE/edit?usp=sharingThanks to Kevin Macleod of incompetech.com for our theme music.
Jun 20
55 min
International Episode 21: Paul (Ireland)
In this episode I speak with Paul, who has over 45 years experience managing child welfare and protection services in the statutory sector at local, regional and national level in Ireland. He currently operates as an independent consultant, specialising in serious case reviews, expert witness and policy development for state bodies and voluntary organisations.Links to resources mentioned in this week’s episode:Paul’s podcast ‘Life After Stalin - A Dubliner’s Diary’ - https://open.spotify.com/show/6kbfVumc19v9FgseoL17oC?si=771ba39bec374a22Abstract for Paul’s article, ‘No Smoke Without Fire: The Presumption of Guilt in Child Abuse Assessments’ - https://www.nagalro.com/_userfiles/pages/files/paul_harrison_no_smoke_without_fire_article_g.pdfDaughters of Charity Child and Family Service - https://www.docchildandfamily.ie/Dublin Simon Community - https://www.dubsimon.ie/Paul’s memoir, ‘Hanged If You Do…: Reflections from a Career in Child Protection’ - https://www.orpenpress.com/books/hanged-if-you-do-reflections-from-a-career-in-child-protection/This episode's transcript can be viewed here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/12DE2NhpOm7bMi0KS1OJHhABB_cCEuIGWRa4sJbRi4Uw/edit?usp=sharingThanks to Kevin Macleod of incompetech.com for our theme music.
Jun 6
38 min
International Episode 20: Peter (Scotland)
In this episode I speak with Peter, a lecturer at Glasgow Caledonian University and qualified social worker with particular experience of working with children and young people who have displayed harmful sexual behaviour. He has undertaken research and written extensively about abusive sexual behaviour between siblings.Links to resources mentioned in this week’s episode:Centre of expertise on child sexual abuse - https://www.csacentre.org.uk/Sibling sexual behaviour: A guide to responding to inappropriate, problematic and abusive behaviour and Sibling sexual abuse: A knowledge and practice overview (articles written by Peter and Stuart Allardyce) - https://www.csacentre.org.uk/research-resources/practice-resources/sibling-sexual-abuse/Sibling sexual abuse: What do we know? What do we need to know? Stage 1 analysis of a 2-stage scoping review (article written by Peter and colleagues) - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2024.107076The Sibling Sexual Behaviour Mapping Tool (SSBMT): Supporting practitioner confidence, planning and competency when responding to sexual behaviours between siblings (article written by King-Hill and Gilsenan) - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2024.107080Understanding and responding to sibling sexual harm and abuse (article written by Elly Hanson) - Understanding and responding to sibling sexual harm and abuse | NSPCC LearningThis episode's transcript can be viewed here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ks5u5Jrr7mUelIGA__2FKjHXskJXGcbneh-X6DwihnQ/edit?usp=sharingThanks to Kevin Macleod of incompetech.com for our theme music.
May 23
49 min
International Episode 19: Dr Jzo (Botswana)
In this episode I speak with Dr Jzo, a community practice and youth specialist, teaching and supervising students at the University of Botswana and publishing widely in the area of social work and motivation. Dr Jzo is also active in community work, regularly presenting on national radio and television on issues of social wellbeing, and hosting his own podcast and YouTube channel.Links to resources mentioned in this week’s episode:Foretelling the History of Social Work: A Botswana Perspective - https://www.ifsw.org/product/books/foretelling-the-history-of-social-work-a-botswana-perspective/Social Work Professional Organizations: A Comparative International Perspective - https://bristoluniversitypressdigital.com/downloadpdf/edcollchap/book/9781447373698/front-1.pdfArticle about Dr Jzo’s book “It’s Possible” - https://www.ub.bw/news/it%E2%80%99s-possible-dr-jongman%E2%80%99s-fifth-book-lights-path-belief-and-renewalThe 2026 joint conference on social work, education and social development - https://swsd2026.or.ke/YouTube channel “A Chat with Dr Jzo” - https://www.youtube.com/@AchatwithDrJzoThis episode's transcript can be viewed here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/14xeBLL7IM2ydSJQztgjZ66hB1EdQcMWyVJ5-C5ljkrc/edit?usp=sharingThanks to Kevin Macleod of incompetech.com for our theme music.
May 9
41 min
International Episode 18: Kgomotso (Botswana & Germany)
In this episode I speak with Kgomotso, a social worker from Botswana currently residing in Germany, with qualifications in both Social Work and African Studies. She has experience working as a project support officer focused on orphans and vulnerable children-related policies and programmes, working to strengthen social protection systems and improve service provision by social workers in Botswana, and has interests in social policy reforms, informal social protection and inclusive development.Links to resources mentioned in this week’s episode:Thandika Mkandawire’s Google Scholar page - https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=ecPI09EAAAAJ&hl=enJimi Adesina’s Google Scholar page - https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=ZJPKVjYAAAAJ&hl=enDolly Ntseane’s Research Gate page - https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Dolly-NtseaneSabelo Ndlovu-Gatsheni’s Google Scholar page - https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=K_TTLasAAAAJ&hl=enFrantz Fanon’s Brittanica biography - https://www.britannica.com/biography/Frantz-FanonThis episode's transcript can be viewed here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1D5IvZqszYZcdo2CJmfbmPRRsOwgxwuav4HV4pthDUoI/edit?usp=sharingThanks to Kevin Macleod of incompetech.com for our theme music.
Apr 25
59 min
International Episode 17: Donald (Wales)
In this episode I speak with Donald in Wales, a researcher interested in the relationship between good child and family social work practice and outcomes, and in understanding the features of organisations that produce good practice. Donald has been instrumental in setting up the Tilda Goldberg Centre, academic lead for the Frontline social work programme, founding the What Works Centre for Children's Social Care, helping to found the Better Childhoods Centre in University College Copenhagen and the SCALE Centre for Social Care and AI research, as well as leading CASCADE Centre for Children's Social Care Research and Development.Links to resources mentioned in this week’s episode:Donald’s faculty profile - https://profiles.cardiff.ac.uk/staff/forresterdGreenham Common peace camps - https://phm.org.uk/blogposts/greenham-common-peace-camp/Cascade Centre Wales - https://cascadewales.org/Article on the set-up of the Best Childhoods Centre in Wales - https://cascadewales.org/cardiff-university-to-help-set-up-major-new-research-centre-to-ensure-children-in-denmark-have-the-best-start-in-life/This episode's transcript can be viewed here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dUp0vSpayHCnS-5KtI2kuxi4MvN2wUjxb_exfl_J9bI/edit?usp=drivesdkThanks to Kevin Macleod of incompetech.com for our theme music.
Apr 11
53 min
International Episode 16: Lamiya (Azerbaijan)
In this episode I speak with Lamiya, a social work practitioner, researcher, and social entrepreneur from Azerbaijan with over a decade of experience in migration, social inclusion, child welfare, and gender-based violence, having worked with international organisations including the UN system, UNHCR, ICMPD, and the Council of Europe, and actively advocates for evidence-based, community-centred social services.Links to resources mentioned in this week’s episode:International Centre for Migration Policy Development - https://www.icmpd.org/SiM (Sosial İş Məktəbi (Lamiya’s training college) - https://sosialishmektebi.com/Social Dialogue Magazine - https://www.iassw-aiets.org/2024/12/25/social-dialogue-magazine/This episode's transcript can be viewed here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Yem1BndD9X44w97e8BK8WEOQIAQbK148-fLVT1s8ypk/edit?usp=sharingThanks to Kevin Macleod of incompetech.com for our theme music.
Mar 28
46 min
International Episode 15: Nayanathara (Sri Lanka)
In this episode I speak with Nayanathara, a social worker from Sri Lanka and the founder of The Island of Stories, a volunteer organisation that supports children and women in education, while also working as a lecturer in Youth Studies at the Open University of Sri Lanka.Links to resources mentioned in this week’s episode:Nayanathara’s NGO Island of Stories Instagram account - @islandstorieslkNayanathara’s Research Gate page - https://www.researchgate.net/profile/K-N-N-JayathilakaSocial Work Diaries on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@socialworkdiariesAssociation of Sri Lankan Social Workers - https://slapsw.lk/Community Solutions USA - https://community.solutions/United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) - https://www.unfpa.org/IREX - https://www.irex.org/Asia Safe Abortion Partnership - https://asap-asia.org/Asia-Pacfic Forum on Sustainable Development - https://www.unescap.org/events/apfsd13This episode's transcript can be viewed here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LIjIeKdjUpzfeNB-2O_vT4O6_TAtGvrhJLM7Si0QaIs/edit?usp=sharing
Mar 14
53 min
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