The Relational Social Work Podcast
The Relational Social Work Podcast is aimed at child and family social workers. Relationships are central to social work practice and this podcast focusses on the importance of connection and relationships in social work ‘with’ children, young people and their families, exploring this through meaningful conversations with inspiring leaders from across the sector. The podcast will celebrate excellent and innovative practice ‘with’ amazing children, young people and families, and have honest conversations about some of the struggles which we can face in children and family social work. There will be a minimum of one episode released every month.
Your Hosts:
Matt Clayton
Matt has led and developed a number of services within Coventry primarily around children in care and care leavers. Matt has a reputation for innovative practice with young people at the center. This has included leading on the BAFTA nominated documentary Superkids and follow up Channel 4 show Kids, piloting the first automatic water bill discount to care leavers and the rollout Lifelong Links in Coventry. Matt is passionate about the importance of maintaining and promoting loving relationships for children in care and has had strategic oversight of Coventry’s reunification work as part of this. Matt was recently invited to write the foreword to the NSPCC and Action for Children joint national report: Home again: reunification practice in England. Matt is the ADCS member of the Family Justice Council and Vice Chair of the National Leaving Care Benchmarking Forum steering group. Matt also Chairs the Adoption Central England Executive Board. After 20 years of neglecting himself, Matt has rediscovered his teenage love of being active outside, having just complete couch to 5k! When Matt isn’t working or running, he enjoys watching football and supports Liverpool.
Hannah Bedford
Hannah qualified as a social worker in 2013, following in her father’s footsteps. Hannah has a passion for practice and practice leadership and has held several roles with a focus on practice development, both in practitioner and management roles. This has including being involved in the development of Coventry’s Social Work Academy, being a Child Sexual Abuse Practice Lead and most recently leading on Coventry Family Valued; a whole-system culture change programme in Coventry, which has led to the safe reduction of the number of children in care in Coventry, against rising numbers of looked after children nationally. Hannah is passionate about restorative practice and has led on the development of Coventry’s practice approach; with a focus on working ‘with’ children and their families, rather than doing ‘to’ or ‘for’ them. Apart from being a proud social worker, Hannah loves dungarees, loves cats and dogs (equally), and supports Liverpool F.C.
The Relational Social Work Podcast
The Relational Social Work Podcast Live: What role does Children’s Services have in a tumultuous world?
This episode was recorded at Compass Jobs Fair in Birmingham with a live studio audience. First Matt and Hannah speak with Kellie Doubtfire (Publishing and Events Director at Compass) about Compass and Social Work Today, before speaking with a panel of guests: Beverley Barnett-Jones (Associate Director at Nuffield Family Justice Observatory), Rich Devine, (Consultant Social Worker), Hannah McCowen (National Leaving Care Bench Marking Forum Manager at Catch 22) and Tim Fisher (Practice Lead at the charity, Kinship). This episode explores how Children’s Services navigates its role within society where there is division, inequality, uncertainty and hatred, and how social work can work alongside children, young people and families, acting with love and finding hope.
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