Podcasts are a great way to learn and keep up to date with industry news and events. They are easy to consume and super convenient for busy schedules – you can listen to a podcast in the car on the way to work, on the sofa with a hot drink and a blanket, on a walk, in the shower, whilst cooking dinner or cleaning the kitchen… the possibilities are endless!
They are also easy to refer back to if you want to take notes or refresh your memory, which can be helpful when listening to educational podcasts.
Did you know, listening to podcasts can have a positive impact on your brain? This study found that listening to narrative stories (for example, podcasts!) stimulates multiple parts of your brain. (Alexander G. Huth et al., 2016)
We’ve compiled a list of the top 7 social work podcasts – so grab your headphones wherever you are and press play!
This Is Social Work is a podcast from Social Work England, the specialist regulator for social workers. The podcast is hosted by Social Work England’s regional engagement leads, and features people with lived experience of social work. Together they explore the social work profession in-depth.
In their first series, the This is Social Work podcast focuses on the professional standards that apply to all roles in the social work sector. It covers the 6 professional standards that social workers must know, understand, and abide by.
There are 7 episodes (so far!): the first one is a short introduction to the podcast and the topic and following this, there is an episode dedicated to each professional standard. Each episode is around 40 minutes long.
You can find This is Social Work on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or Amazon Music.
The Helpful Social Work Podcast aims to educate social workers on a range of topics, from equality and anti-oppressive practice to building strong relationships with colleagues. There are 6 series to choose from and listen back to that cover everything you could possibly need to know as a social worker.
The Helpful Social Work Podcast is presented by Gerry Nosowska, a social worker with extensive experience in adult social care practice, and Jo Fox, a social worker with a background in children’s services. Between them, they have a range of knowledge and experience within different areas of social work, which makes for engaging and informative podcast episodes.
Research in Practice work to enable health care organisations to access, understand and apply evidence in their work. They combine academic research, practice expertise and the lived experience of people drawing on care services to create a range of resources. One of these resources is a selection of podcasts, which are grouped into a range of topics. The topics include recruitment, working styles, equality and diversity, trauma, working with families, policy and strategy, and mental health.
The Social Matters Podcast covers a range of issues and discusses current events. The podcast looks at wider social topics as well as topics related more closely to the social work industry.
Hosted by 3 close friends who work as social workers, the podcast episodes feature strong debates, hard-hitting honesty, and a dash of humour.
There are 3 full series to listen back on, with the fourth series currently ongoing.
Community Care provides resources to keep social workers up to date with the latest industry news and developments in social care policies and practices. They have compiled a helpful resource that features a selection of podcasts created to support you through Covid-19.
There are episodes covering home visits, online meetings, loneliness and isolation, and self-care, amongst others.
The British Association of Social Workers (BASW) have produced a podcast that is titled Let’s Talk Social Work. The podcast features discussions with social workers, as well as others working in related professions.
There are episodes on key contemporary issues that affect social workers, and they range from local and national topics to things happening around the world.
Let’s Talk Social Work is hosted and produced by Andy McClenaghan, the Public Affairs, Policy and Communications Lead at BASW.
Search for Let’s Talk Social Work on your preferred podcast app, or find all the episodes here.
The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is based in America and is the largest membership-based organisation of professional social workers in the world.
The NASW podcast, Social Work Talks, features experts in the social work industry, and explores topics relevant to social workers.
Although American based, much of the information can be applied to your own practice in the UK and there are lots of nuggets of information throughout the episodes.
Podcasts are a great tool to share our experiences and industry knowledge, have discussions and debates, and learn something new. Exchanging information, ideas and best practice is important to continue innovating and improving within the health and social care industry.
Do you listen to podcasts? Share your recommendations with us on social media!
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If you’re interested in a career in social work, or you’re looking for a change within the industry, why not read our blog on different careers at Northern Healthcare?
You can also see our current vacancies here.
References
Alexander G. Huth, Wendy A. de Heer, Thomas L. Griffiths, Frédéric E. Theunissen & Jack L. Gallant (2016). Natural speech reveals the semantic maps that tile human cerebral cortex.
Photo by Will Francis on Unsplash.
