Welcome to Let’s Talk Social Work, the podcast from the British Association of Social Workers. This is a space for conversation—discussion with social workers, the individuals they support, and colleagues working in related professions. We consider the key matters affecting social workers as we explore contemporary issues with a focus at both the local and global levels.
The views expressed in this podcast are not necessarily those of the Association.
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Our Pets are our Family – Discussing the emergence of Veterinary Social Work in the UK
The UK is a nation of animal lovers, demonstrated by the growing popularity of pet ownership. People form strong attachments with their pets, making them an integral part of our homes, families, wellbeing and lives.
As a result, Veterinary Social Work is fast becoming a valued and recognised specialism across the world. Its purpose is to attend to the emotional, social, and psychological needs of pet owners and veterinary teams.
This episode of Let’s Talk Social Work delves into the model in detail, exploring how it should work in daily practice, the interplay between Social Workers and Vets, the expectations on both professions, and the challenges it throws up. The conversation also considers how Social Work professionals can embed greater consideration of pets in their assessments and when building relationships with people.
Host Jonny Adamson is joined by the UK's first Veterinary Social Worker, Rebecca Stephens, and dual Qualified Social Worker and Vet Surgeon, Yasmin Amer. They discuss the link between abuse of animals and people, animals as a strategy of coercive control, pet poverty and loss, and whether Veterinary Social Work can become a thriving specialism in the UK similar to other countries.
Our thanks to James Ede at BeHeard Productions for producing the episode.
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23 Aug 2026
Ending the Cliff Edge for Care Leavers
The sharp drop in support that young people in the care system experience when they turn eighteen is described as a ‘cliff edge’.
It poses a daunting and anxious prospect for care leavers across the UK, who are often expected to navigate the world alone at a point in their life when they need stability, security, guidance and care.
This presents challenges on a number of fronts – from unsuitable housing options, to lack of employment and training opportunities, risk of poorer health outcomes, and the social isolation caused by state support basically vanishing overnight. Devastatingly, care leavers are seven times more likely to die before the age of 25.
We all know the care cliff has to end. But what exactly needs to happen? Why aren’t national governments doing more? And how can social work play its part? Let’s Talk Social is pleased to welcome three members of Shared Lives, a UK charity for people living and working in Shared Lives Care or Home-share, to unpack this urgent topic.
We’re joined by Rachel Leslie, a Qualified Social Worker who currently works as Strategic Advisor for Care Leavers and Transitions at Shared Lives Plus, Gracie Rhodes, a Care-experienced Ambassador who lives in a Shared Lives arrangement after experiencing homelessness at the age of 17, and Mary Stokes, Senior Project Lead for the Young People Leaving Care Programme, registered foster carer and Shared Lives carer having journeyed the transition to adulthood alongside the young person she supported.
They offer practical and policy-based solutions to the multitude of challenges that care leavers might face, discuss how they work alongside social workers around the country to support positive transitions from care for young people with additional needs, and they speak directly to professionals and policymakers about the types of differences they can make to support and champion young people in care everyday.
Our thanks to James Ede at BeHeard Productions for producing the episode. Links to resources produced by Shared Lives mentioned in the episode are available below.
Shared Lives for care leavers, transitions and young adults - Shared Lives Plus (https://eu-west-1.protection.sophos.com/?d=sharedlivesplus.org.uk&u=aHR0cHM6Ly9zaGFyZWRsaXZlc3BsdXMub3JnLnVrL291ci13b3JrL2NhcmUtbGVhdmVycy1wcm9ncmFtbWUv&i=NjFiYTBkYjUzN2I2YjEwZTkzNjU5OTQ2&t=SjhKR0xYbm1aSkVPeGEzUmZ4QlNWamRJT2U0ZE5Tc3JRVDdaTjNlVXkzMD0=&h=94559310430e4c5aabf6d330b9ba2186&s=AVNPUEhUT0NFTkNSWVBUSVY7RKeDEqrisV6siiDs2pzCsShcs3ceTm-sNAdBshgZKb5R7eyL0Bcax8Lboc6Zqhk) - https://sharedlivesplus.org.uk/our-work/care-leavers-programme/
Care Leavers Short Films | Shared Lives for Young People (https://eu-west-1.protection.sophos.com/?d=sharedlivesplus.org.uk&u=aHR0cHM6Ly9zaGFyZWRsaXZlc3BsdXMub3JnLnVrL291ci13b3JrL2NhcmUtbGVhdmVycy1wcm9ncmFtbWUvc2hvcnQtZmlsbXMv&i=NjFiYTBkYjUzN2I2YjEwZTkzNjU5OTQ2&t=S0dGQ2ZJK2NObmxmNzZ6dHJCSE1vM0JuV1JHT3pQSXdsYWlON2xLbG04ST0=&h=94559310430e4c5aabf6d330b9ba2186&s=AVNPUEhUT0NFTkNSWVBUSVY7RKeDEqrisV6siiDs2pzCsShcs3ceTm-sNAdBshgZKb5R7eyL0Bcax8Lboc6Zqhk) - https://sharedlivesplus.org.uk/our-work/care-leavers-programme/short-films/
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1 Jul 2026
Who you gonna call? - The BASW/SWU Advice & Representation Team
Social workers sometimes need help too. Whether it’s to resolve a workplace conflict, navigate a fitness to practice referral, manage complex or difficult cases, or to seek advice on an employment matter, knowing where to turn when facing professional challenges is critical.
The temptation might be to go it alone, but doing so can be overwhelming, stressful and burdensome, taking a heavy toll on mental health and wellbeing. This isn’t good at any time, and especially when you’re also trying to fight for the best outcomes for those you’re supporting through your practice.
That’s where the BASW/SWU Advice and Representation (A&R) service comes in. A team of social work qualified professionals holding a unique array of expertise and understanding of the social work profession. They provide invaluable advice and representation for employment and regulatory issues, including workplace employment law matters and fitness to practice processes, supporting BASW and SWU members encountering unknown, worrying or difficult situations.
This episode is dedicated to exploring the various ways the A&R team can assist social workers across the UK. Joining Jonny Adamson is two experienced A&R Officers, Lynne Gargiulo and Lisa Fitzpatrick. They cover a host of varied areas in this one-hour episode, from workplace rights and trade unionism, to promoting better wellbeing at work, the cost-of-living pressures facing professionals, and how employers and staff can create overall healthier working environments.
Our thanks to James Ede at BeHeard Productions for producing the episode.
If you’re a BASW member, you get access to 55 guidance sheets developed by the A&R team to help you on a range of different matters – https://basw.co.uk/support/advice-representation (https://basw.co.uk/support/advice-representation)
If you’re not a BASW member yet, find out how joining will give you peace of mind through free access to our A&R service - https://basw.co.uk/why-join-basw (https://basw.co.uk/why-join-basw)
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Inside a recent episode
Ubuntu—A Solution to Populism?
Published 18 Mar 2021 · Transcript excerpt
[…] Jamam Sundar's treatment, so end of course. So Ubuntu, it's about, you know, providing support to those that need support, helping each other, realizing that, you know, we are interconnected, we are, you know, we share the, the same bond, and like what others would say that the concept is used in a more philosophical sense to mean the belief in a universal bond of sharing that connects all humanity, you know, and also there is this belief that sharing is actually caring, so basically that is about the concept of Ubuntu, and it is found in most African countries, especially, you know, in the southern part of Africa, and you'd find that like in my country, we may not use it to be, I mean, we may not use the same tab Ubuntu, but we'd use the equivalent tab about which basically, you know, refers to Ubuntu. […]
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