How Does the Social Work?

Guest Profiles:Olivia Morrison Olivia Morrison is the Head of Partnerships and Advocacy at the Traveller Movement. Of Romani (Gypsy) heritage herself, she oversees the organisation's Equalities and Social Justice Unit, as well as projects relating to domestic abuse, health and wellbeing, heritage, and Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History Month. In the episode, she highlights the organization's work in health, criminal justice, and education policy, emphasizing the importance of community consultation in their advocacy.Olivia Hammond Olivia Hammond is the Community Advocacy Caseworker at the Traveller Movement. She is a Romani (Gypsy) woman who handles education and discrimination casework, supporting Romani (Gypsy), Roma, and Irish Traveller community members with issues such as school exclusions, bullying, and refusal of service. Drawing on her personal experience growing up in a traditional family and returning to education later in life, she works to support young people in the community to access opportunities outside of traditional paths.Episode SummaryIn this episode of How Does Social Work?, hosts Colleen Simon and Yohai Hakak discuss the unique challenges and cultural nuances of the Romani Gypsy, Roma, and Irish Traveller communities. The guests dismantle the "homogenous" view of these groups by explaining the distinct ethnic and linguistic differences between Romani Gypsies (originating from India), Irish Travellers (indigenous to Ireland), and Roma people (more recent migrants to the UK).Key themes include:• Erosion of Lifestyle: The conversation addresses how legislation such as the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act (2022) and the revocation of statutory duties to build sites have made the traditional nomadic way of life "virtually impossible". This cultural erosion has led to the loss of communal support systems—described as a "village" where everyone pitched in—contributing to a mental health crisis and disproportionately high suicide rates.• Barriers to Education and Services: Olivia Hammond shares her personal journey of leaving school after primary levels—a common practice to protect children from bullying and cultural erosion—and the resistance she faced when returning to education. The guests also discuss the deep-seated fear of discrimination that prevents community members from accessing healthcare or police support, citing instances where individuals are refused service or dismissed based on their ethnicity.• Advice for Social Workers: The guests offer practical advice for professionals entering Traveller homes, such as understanding that a lack of visible toys is often a response to the fear of being judged for untidiness rather than a lack of enrichment. They also highlight communication differences, noting that "dramatised" language or loud speech is often a cultural norm rather than aggression.

HOW DOES THE SOCIAL WORK?The podcast that brings the “social” back into social workHosted by Colleen Simon & Dr. Yohai HackNEW EPISODEFaith, Attachment, and Authenticity: Challenging Western Norms in Social CareHosts Colleen Simon and Dr. Yohai Hack sit down with social workers Anstance Fometu and Kabeka Gondwe — both originally from Malawi, famously known as the “warm heart of Africa” — to explore the profound intersection of culture, faith, and professional practice. Together they share their journeys of moving to the UK and navigating the culture shocks of the British social care system, offering a rich, heart-centred perspective on human rights and social justice that is essential listening for social workers, students, and anyone curious about the human experience.In this episode:​ Faith as a Tool for Advocacy — How spiritual knowledge can educate colleagues and advocate for families whose beliefs are often misunderstood or overlooked by secular systems.​ Challenging Western Theories — Why Malawian concepts of multiple attachments and communal living offer a necessary critique of traditional Western social work frameworks.​ Professional Curiosity & Allyship — A call for practitioners to move beyond bias, embrace authenticity, and act as genuine allies within a system that still has far to go.MEET THE GUESTSMiss Kabeka Gondwe — Social Worker · Adults Safeguarding, NorthamptonOriginally from Malawi and now based in the Midlands, Kabeka works within an Adults Safeguarding Team in Northampton, bringing a deeply personal and community-rooted perspective to one of social work’s most demanding specialisms. A member of SSWiM (Social Workers in Mind) and the Race Equality Network, she also serves as an ASYE Moderator, supporting newly qualified social workers as they find their footing in the profession.A committed advocate against domestic violence, Kabeka provides one-to-one support to women navigating the complex legal, emotional, and practical challenges that arise in this area. Her voice holds both professional rigour and compassionate lived experience — making her perspective on culture, faith, and practice particularly powerful.Anstance Fometu — Registered Manager · International Social Work LeaderQualifying as a Social Worker in 2004 with a dual qualification in Learning Disability Nursing, Anstance brings over two decades of cross-sector experience to this conversation. Her career spans secure units supporting autistic children, adult learning disability services, and Complex Case Work for Integrated Care Boards — always centred on those whose needs sit at the intersection of disability, childhood, and complexity. She currently serves as Registered Manager of a children’s home for young people with complex needs and mental health disorders.Beyond frontline practice, Anstance chairs the Children and Families International Foundation (supporting social work development in Malawi), serves as the IFSW Volunteer Elections Representative for Africa, and is Co-Vice Chair of the BASW Diaspora Special Interest Group. She is also co-founder of Diligent Women, a Christian faith community centred on women’s spiritual freedom — a role that speaks directly to this episode’s themes of faith, culture, and advocacy.Two voices from the warm heart of Africa — now shaping social work in the UK and across the world. Tune in now.

In the concluding episode of this series, we invite you to join Colleen Simon and Tienga Ngale for a reflective conversation examining our journey in hosting the latest season of How Does The Social Work Podcast from Brunel University Social Work Programme. Together, we explore the motivations that inspired us to host the podcast and share our personal experiences throughout this endeavour. We will also highlight some of the valuable lessons we have learned along the way in our capacities as hosts and Tienga conveys his reflections as a student social worker, emphasising why students should seize the opportunity to become future hosts.'

Neurodivergent on Social Work Placement Neurodiversity is a framework that seeks to understand the functioning of the human brain by acknowledging the inherent diversity in human cognition as a biological reality. It is a term that encompasses various neurological differences such as dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, ADHD, and autism spectrum condition. In this episode, we will explore the concept of neurodiversity and discuss the potential challenges and unique perspectives that a neurodivergent student social worker may encounter during their placement. Guests: Jenni Guthrie – Autistic/ADHD social worker, writer. researcher and speaker currently working as a Principle Curriculum Lead on a social work Master's programme. Jenni is also the host of www.autisticsocialworker.co.uk Dalbir Chana – Final Year student social worker @ Brunel University.

Student Social Worker – A Male Perspective & Experiences on Placement It is undeniable that men hold significant sway over the children they are responsible for, making a substantial impact on their development and well-being. Today, we are here to delve into the topic of men's involvement in the field of social work, specifically focusing on the experiences of male student social workers during their placements. To kickstart our discussion, we have the privilege of hearing from Aleski, who will shed light on the inspiration behind his publication, aptly titled 'Preparing for First Social Work Placement'. D. Aleski Brandy-Williams is an experienced social work practitioner, guest lecturer, Youth Advocate and author of two books titled ‘My journey to becoming a Black Male Social Worker’ and ‘Preparing for First Social Work Placement’. There is more about Aleski Brandy-Williams https://brandy-williams.co.uk/home

In this episode, Colleen and Tienga are joined by Jenni Guthrie, the person behind the Autistic Social Worker website, to discuss how we apply theories, models, approaches and laws taught in class on placement. What does competence in this domain look like? Can we identify role models to emulate? Join us to discuss these issues and more. Jenni Guthrie - Autistic/ADHD social worker, writer, researcher and speaker currently working as a Principle Curriculum Lead on a social work Master's programme. Jenni is also the host of www.autisticsocialworker.co.uk

In this episode, we look at race and explore the experience of race and racism in social work placement. Thinking about Cultural Competence and the experience of working with those you share the same culture with: could familiarity help in relationship building or could it be an obstacle? Our guests are: Shantel Thomas is an experienced SW practitioner, Clinical Professional & Course Lead @ Tavistock & Portman NHS Foundation, and founder of the Anti-Racist Movement (A.R.M.) Thedini Liyanage is a 2nd year MSc social work student from Brunel University. Chito Okeke is a 1st year MSc social work student at Brunel University. An interesting read from an article in the Community Care Newsletter suggests that ‘one in 10 social workers encountered racism from workmates at least five times, while almost 20% reported having increased anxiety as a result of their experiences, finds a poll of almost 2,000 practitioners.’ https://www.communitycare.co.uk/2022/03/18/one-third-of-social-workers-faced-racism-from-colleagues-or-managers-in-past-year-finds-survey/

In this episode, we focus on the role of Practice Educators in a placement. It will include a conversation about what practice educators do, their key roles and contributions to the experience of students on placement and power relations that are ever-present. Our hosts, Tienga Ngale and Colleen Simon will be joined by our guests for this episode: Jodie Howard is a current ASYE SW in a local authority. Jodie had both of her placements in non-statutory settings and had the experience of only a PE on placement and both Practice Supervisor and PE. Molly Meakin is an Advanced Practitioner and experienced practice educator, currently working with the Safeguarding Adults Team in the London Borough of Hillingdon Social Services Section 2.6 of the Social Work England Practice Placement Guidance has more on the roles and responsibilities of practice educators and can be find here: https://www.socialworkengland.org.uk/standards/practice-placements-guidance/

In this episode our students, Rathigga Pushparajah and Tienga Ngale interview Dr Sharlotte Tusasiirwe about her recent article titled Is it indigenisation or decolonisation of social work in Africa? A focus on Uganda. The article was recently published in the African Journal of Social Work and it can be found here: https://www.ajol.info/index.php/ajsw/article/view/224731 Dr Sharlotte Tusasiirwe, born in Uganda, is an activist, social worker and educator. She gained her Master's degree in Social work and Human Rights and a PhD from Western Sydney University, Australia. Her PhD focused on decolonising social work education and practice. Sharlotte has researched how African knowledge and Obuntu/Ubuntu philosophies can inform social work, a topic discussed in the article. Rathigga and Tienga were particularly drawn to the article as it highlighted concepts critical to anti–racist social work practice, such as decolonization and colonisation. The author explains how colonisation affected social work practice in Uganda.

In this episode, our Brunel MSc students, Jade Blake,  Rathigga Pushparajah and Tienga Ngale, speak with Dr Zibonele France Zimba, who teaches social work at the University of Johannesburg.  Dr Zibonele Zimba has a PhD in social work and has published several articles on anti-racism in South African social work. He will be able to offer unique insight into the social and political contexts of anti-racist social work practice in South Africa. Article: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/brunelu/detail.action?docID=6234870# Brief bio and overview of publications: https://www.uj.ac.za/members/zibonele-f-zimba/

Teaser for season 3

Dan Vale and Dr. Maryam Zonouzi from Ginger Giraffe together with Brunel University students, Ana Muqry and Mehwish Jahan interview Claire Brown and Dr. Michaela Rogers, the authors of Removing gender barriers: Promoting inclusion for trans and non-binary carers in fostering and adoption