Insights from recent episode analysis
Audience Interest
Podcast Focus
Publishing Consistency
Platform Reach
Insights are generated by CastFox AI using publicly available data, episode content, and proprietary models.
Total monthly reach
Estimated from 8 chart positions in 8 markets.
By chart position
- 🇬🇧GB · Social Sciences#37100K to 300K
- 🇦🇺AU · Social Sciences#46100K to 300K
- 🇺🇸US · Social Sciences#7130K to 100K
- 🇳🇬NG · Social Sciences#5010K to 30K
- 🇸🇦SA · Social Sciences#114500 to 3K
- Per-Episode Audience
Est. listeners per new episode within ~30 days
121K to 371K🎙 ~2x weekly·100 episodes·Last published 5d ago - Monthly Reach
Unique listeners across all episodes (30 days)
242K to 742K🇬🇧40%🇦🇺40%🇺🇸13%+5 more - Active Followers
Loyal subscribers who consistently listen
97K to 297K
Market Insights
Platform Distribution
Reach across major podcast platforms, updated hourly
Total Followers
—
Total Plays
—
Total Reviews
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* Data sourced directly from platform APIs and aggregated hourly across all major podcast directories.
On the show
Recent episodes
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
Jun 19, 2026
1h 09m 36s
Rich and Tim get headlines form Mithran Samuel’s, and speak to social worker Ellen
Jun 12, 2026
1h 02m 51s
Rich and Tim speak to social worker Rose Byrne about her upbringing, caring for her sister and ADHD
Jun 5, 2026
54m 57s
Rich and Tim speak to Maddy McCormack (Social Worker) on the realities of Child Protection Social Work
May 22, 2026
56m 11s
Rich and Tim speak to Sharon Shoesmith about Baby P, blame and learning from tragedies
May 15, 2026
1h 10m 34s
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| Date | Episode | Description | Length | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6/19/26 | 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 reflections on the realities of foster care - the rewards, the challenges, and the emotional impact of supporting children who have experienced adversity. We talk about how trauma shows up in behaviour, how carers can make sense of what they’re seeing, and the imp... | 1h 09m 36s | ||||||
| 6/12/26 | 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: https://basw.co.uk/social-work-child-protection-professional-practice-programme Rich Devine's blog: https://richarddevinesocialwork.com/about/ Tim Fisher LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/timfisher101/ | 1h 02m 51s | ||||||
| 6/5/26 | 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: https://basw.co.uk/social-work-child-protection-professional-practice-programme Rich Devine's blog: https://richarddevinesocialwork.com/about/ Tim Fisher LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/timfisher101/ | 54m 57s | ||||||
| 5/22/26 | 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 looks like, and what she’s had to learn beyond training to be effective in her first year. We explore how she builds relationships with young people and their families, especially in contexts of risk, conflict, and uncertainty. She speaks candidly about the ... | 56m 11s | ||||||
| 5/15/26 | 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 it meant to become the focus of public anger—labelled, scrutinised, and ultimately removed from her role—despite leading a service that had been judged as “good” by Ofsted. We explore the personal toll of that experience and the powerful social and political... | 1h 10m 34s | ||||||
| 5/8/26 | 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 Practice. The discussion explores how systemic ideas can move beyond theory and into everyday practice, helping practitioners think relationally about families, organisations and the wider systems shaping people’s lives. A conversation about curiosity, context, relationships and what systemic practice looks like in the rea... | 1h 22m 09s | ||||||
| 5/6/26 | 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 conversation moves beyond individual productivity and into the ethical and emotional costs of working under sustained pressure. Drawing on Vikki Reynolds’ work, the episode explores burnout not as a personal failing, but as a response to spiritual pain, moral distress ... | 45m 23s | ||||||
| 5/1/26 | 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 deep and shallow work, while also being honest about how difficult these are to sustain in real practice. The conversation moves into presence, stress and pragmatism, recognising that social workers are often pulled between statutory timelines, emotional l... | 1h 00m 29s | ||||||
| 4/27/26 | 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. They begin with work and purpose, tracing how Rich’s journals reveal a constant back‑and‑forth: ambition and exhaustion, pride and resentment, meaning and burnout. They talk about the pressure to have impact, the cost of carrying work into every corner of life,... | 46m 05s | ||||||
| 4/24/26 | 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. First, Rich reflects on the long arc of his mental health — how early journal entries framed exhaustion, irritability and low mood as problems of discipline, productivity, or personal failure, and how long it took before he had the language to name depression honestly... | 59m 44s | ||||||
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| 4/16/26 | 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 asks of us when things don’t make sense—when distress can’t be easily named, understood, or fixed. Drawing on his own experience of the care system, his therapeutic work, and psychoanalytic ideas, we talk about what it means to be “seen” when what is being communicated is embo... | 59m 14s | ||||||
| 4/2/26 | 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 relatives' children. Based in Sheffield, she has cared for her grandson since he was 18 months old, advocating for better financial and practical support, and overcoming the "dump and run" lack of resources for caregivers. Key Aspects of Janet Kay's Work and Experience: Advocacy: She serves on the Independent Review of Children's Social Care's Expert... | 1h 16m 54s | ||||||
| 3/27/26 | 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 This one https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=6079816tests if participation quality (i.e., how well families said their voice was heard) was linked to outcomes and finds that yes it was, though not for all outcomes we measured. ... | 1h 15m 19s | ||||||
| 3/21/26 | 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 recommended residential rehabilitation. Juliette went on to take that step. In this conversation, Rich and Tim speak with Juliette about what was happening in her life at the time, why previous support hadn’t led to lasting change, and what was different abo... | 56m 22s | ||||||
| 3/13/26 | 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: https://basw.co.uk/social-work-child-protection-professional-practice-programme Rich Devine's blog: https://richarddevinesocialwork.com/about/ Tim Fisher LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/timfisher101/ | 1h 15m 21s | ||||||
| 3/6/26 | 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://www.relationalactivism.com/ Rich's BASW Child Protection sessions: https://basw.co.uk/social-work-child-protection-professional-practice-programme Rich Devine's blog: https://richarddevinesocialwork.com/about/ Tim Fisher LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/timfisher101/ | 1h 05m 34s | ||||||
| 2/27/26 | 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: https://www.relationalactivism.com/ Rich's BASW Child Protection sessions: https://basw.co.uk/social-work-child-protection-professional-practice-programme Rich Devine's blog: https://richarddevinesocialwork.com/about/ Tim Fisher LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/timfisher101/ | 1h 05m 36s | ||||||
| 2/20/26 | 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 care, and the training required to develop relational skills. Mark emphasizes the significance of peer support and the challenges faced in implementing Open Dialogue in various settings. The conversation also touches on the role of evidence in validating O... | 1h 02m 42s | ||||||
| 2/11/26 | Connecting Research: Why young people don't access mental health support | In this episode, we speak with Dr Mina Fazel, a British psychiatrist who is Professor and Chair of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Oxford. Her research considers the mental health of children and young people, and how to design effective mental health interventions. We talk to her about a recent paper: Adolescent consent and Generation Alpha: bridging policy, practice and empirical evidence in healthcare, you can download it here: h... | 33m 10s | ||||||
| 1/30/26 | BONUS Episode: Rich and Tim reflect on what its like to be silent for 6 days | Relational Activism: https://www.relationalactivism.com/ Rich's BASW Child Protection sessions: https://basw.co.uk/social-work-child-protection-professional-practice-programme Rich Devine's blog: https://richarddevinesocialwork.com/about/ Tim Fisher LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/timfisher101/ | 52m 31s | ||||||
| 1/30/26 | Rich and Tim talk to Seana McDermott (Social Worker for Children in Care) about relational practice, moral injury and making a difference | This week, we speak to Seana, a social worker in a Child in Care Team. We explore what her role involves, how she builds relationships with young people, carers, and families, and the challenges she faces—as well as what helps her keep going. We’re really grateful to Seana for taking the time to talk with us, especially given how busy the role is. We hope you enjoy her passion, child‑centred practice, and commitment to the work as much as we did. Relational Activism: https://www.r... | 47m 22s | ||||||
| 1/23/26 | Rich and Tim hear about handstands, breakdance battles, and the unconscious: Dr Anna Harvey on what shapes social work | In this two-part episode of Messy Social Work, hosts Richard Devine and Tim Fisher speak with Dr Anna Harvey about the realities of child protection practice, reflective supervision, and the emotional weight of decision-making. Using a selection of Anna’s vivid LinkedIn posts and readings as a jumping-off point, the conversation moves from psychoanalytic ideas like organisational mindlessness, fear, guilt, and compassion, into leadership and workplace culture, challenging the “hero narrative”... | 51m 21s | ||||||
| 1/16/26 | Rich and Tim speak to Dr Anna Harvey about fear loneliness and joy in social work | In this two-part episode of Messy Social Work, hosts Richard Devine and Tim Fisher speak with Dr Anna Harvey about the realities of child protection practice, reflective supervision, and the emotional weight of decision-making. Using a selection of Anna’s vivid LinkedIn posts and readings as a jumping-off point, the conversation moves from psychoanalytic ideas like organisational mindlessness, fear, guilt, and compassion, into leadership and workplace culture, challenging the “hero narrative”... | 59m 36s | ||||||
| 1/9/26 | Rich and Tim return to talk boundaries, creating space and big changes ahead | Rich and Tim are back in the studio of the Messy Social Work Podcast, shaking off the holiday cobwebs and diving straight into the age-old tradition of New Year’s resolutions. Tim’s on a mission to set some firm boundaries, while Rich is dreaming of carving out a little breathing space—because who doesn’t need that in social work? But that’s not all. We’ve got our roving news correspondent and Community Care editor, Mithran Samuels, joining us to give the lowdown on what’s changing across chi... | 45m 40s | ||||||
| 12/19/25 | Rich and Tim wrap up the year in conversation with Andrew Turnell | Rich and Tim are joined by Andrew Turnell to reflect on 2025. Relational Activism: https://www.relationalactivism.com/ Rich's BASW Child Protection sessions: https://basw.co.uk/social-work-child-protection-professional-practice-programme Rich Devine's blog: https://richarddevinesocialwork.com/about/ Tim Fisher LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/timfisher101/ | 1h 14m 26s | ||||||
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Chart Positions
8 placements across 8 markets.
Chart Positions
8 placements across 8 markets.