Messy Social Work
Welcome to the Messy Social Work podcast. The hosts are Richard Devine and Tim Fisher.
Check out our website here: https://www.relationalactivism.com/
Episodes
116 episodes
Rich and Tim speak to Lee Crouch, a parent with lived experience of reunification: what social workers need to know
Relational Activism: https://www.relationalactivism.com/Rich Devine's blog: https://richarddevinesocialwork.com/about/Tim...
Rich and Tim on practice lessons from the death of Victoria Marten (Part 2)
Relational Activism: https://www.relationalactivism.com/Rich Devine's blog: https://richarddevinesocialwork.com/about/Tim...
Rich and Tim on practice lessons from the death of Victoria Marten
Relational Activism: https://www.relationalactivism.com/Rich's BASW Child Protection sessions: h...
Connecting Research: Why social workers turn a blind eye and avoid mental pain in child protection
Why do experienced professionals sometimes fail to see what is right in front of them? In this episode of Connecting Research, we explore Margaret Rustin's influential analysis of the Victoria Climbié case and her argument that profess...
Rich and Tim on uncertainty, relationships and 14 lessons from practice
In this episode of the Messy Social Work Podcast, Rich and Tim discuss Richard's recent blog, 14 Lessons from 11 Years at Bath and North East Somerset Council, written as he prepares to leave frontline children's social work aft...
Rich and Tim speak to ex-undercover police officer and bestselling author Neil Woods about why the war on drugs is failing
In this episode, we’re joined by former undercover drugs officer Neil Woods to explore the ideas at the heart of his book Good Cop, Bad War. Drawing on over a decade working covertly inside drug markets, Neil gives a sobering account o...
Rich and Tim speak to foster carer Gareth K Thomas: what every social worker should know about children in care, trauma‑informed parenting and supporting carers
In this episode, we sit down with foster carer Gareth K Thomas to explore his experiences of caring for children who have lived through trauma, and what it really means to offer trauma-informed care in practice.Gareth shares honest refle...
Rich and Tim get headlines form Mithran Samuel’s, and speak to social worker Ellen
Relational Activism: https://www.relationalactivism.com/Rich's BASW Child Protection sessions:
Rich and Tim speak to social worker Rose Byrne about her upbringing, caring for her sister and ADHD
Relational Activism: https://www.relationalactivism.com/Rich's BASW Child Protection sessions: h...
Rich and Tim speak to Maddy McCormack (Social Worker) on the realities of Child Protection Social Work
In this episode, we speak with Maddy McCormack, a social worker early in her career, about the realities of stepping into practice with children and families.Maddy reflects on her route into the role, what day-to-day social work actually...
Rich and Tim speak to Sharon Shoesmith about Baby P, blame and learning from tragedies
In this episode, we sit down with Sharon Shoesmith to revisit one of the most defining and contentious moments in modern child protection: the case of Baby P, and the national reaction that followed.Sharon reflects candidly on what...
Rich and Tim introduce Systemic Ideas in Social Work with student Natasha Dube and author Liz Bosanquet
In this episode of the Messy Social Work podcast, we begin with a conversation with Natasha Dube, before Rich and Tim discuss Liz Bosanquet’s new book, Systemic Social Work Practic...
BONUS Episode: Rich and Tim discuss time management (Part 2)
In this second bonus episode, Rich, Tim and Charlotte build directly on Part 1, turning their attention to the four remaining ideas from Rich’s blog on resilience in social work and exploring how these play out in practice.The conversati...
Rich and Tim discuss time management ideas that DEFINITELY & FINALLY allow you to get on top of your work
This episode explores time management as both a practical challenge and a lived experience in social work. Rich shares techniques such as Stephen Covey’s urgent and important quadrants, Cal Newport’s time blocking and the difference between dee...
BONUS Episode: Rich and Tim discuss what Rich learned from 6 years of journaling (Part Two)
This bonus episode picks up where the previous conversation left off. Rich and Tim return to six years of journals to explore the next three themes that emerged — the ones that didn’t fit neatly, resolve cleanly, or offer easy lessons....
Rich and Tim discuss what Rich learned from 6 years of journaling
In this episode, Rich and Tim sit down with six years of personal journals and ask a simple but uncomfortable question: what actually changed?They focus on the first three themes that stood out when Rich reread everything back.<...
Rich and Tim speak to Psychotherapist, Jamie Crabb on suffering, care, and staying with what we don’t yet understand.
In this episode of Messy Social Work, Rich and Tim are joined by therapist and writer Jamie Crabb to explore his powerful article Care, and Being Seen in the Presence of the Enigmatic.Jamie reflects on what care really ...
Rich and Tim speak to Janet Kay OBE about her experiences as a social worker, adoptive parent and kinship carer
Janet Kay is a prominent kinship carer, trustee for the charity Kinship, and OBE recipient who advocates for families in England raising r...
Rich and Tim speak to Professor Jonathan Scourfield on what the largest-ever Family Group Conference study reveals
Professor Jonathan Scourfield is a leading UK academic in social work, currently based at Cardiff University. His work spans child welfare, social care inequalities, suicide and self‑harm research, and working with men across the life course&nb...
Rich and Tim speak to Juliette Davies about addiction, domestic abuse and her recovery journey
A few years ago, Rich carried out an assessment that concluded Juliette couldn’t safely care for her children. It was a difficult moment, shaped by years of substance misuse, trauma, and repeated involvement from services.That assessment...
Rich and Tim on practice lessons from the tragic death of Sara Shariff
Relational Activism: https://www.relationalactivism.com/Rich's BASW Child Protection sessions: h...
Rich and Tim speak to Ethan St Pierre about trauma tourism, alongside a news roundup from Mithran Samuel (CC)
Connect with Ethan here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ethan-st-pierre-bb58403ab/Relational Activism: https://ww...
Rich and Tim speak to Ethan St Pierre about growing up in care, addiction and being reborn in a cemetery
Connect with Ethan here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ethan-st-pierre-bb58403ab/Relational Activism:
Rich and Tim talk to Mark Hopfenbeck about the transformative possibilities of Open Dialogue.
In this conversation, Rich and Tim and Mark Hopfenbeck explore the concept of Open Dialogue, its origins, and its application in mental health and social work. They discuss the importance of community involvement, the need for continuity in car...