In this special miniseries tied to Community Care's 'Neurodiversity belongs in social work' campaign, Sharmeen Ziauddin interviews Dr Arlene Weekes, social work professor and academic.

Dr Weekes has over 35 years experience in the sector and was diagnosed with dyslexia later on in life, while writing her PhD.

She has recently completed research which will form part of a new book coming out this year called The Palgrave Handbook of Neuroinclusive Social Work - it's based on her own reflections of being dyslexic and the responses of five black female dyslexic social workers who she interviewed for this research.

Listen to this insightful interview with Dr Weekes where she talks about dyslexia and social work.

The Social Work Community podcast is where social workers come to discuss the key issues affecting their profession. Whether you are a student or an experienced social worker - whether you are frontline or management, this podcast is for you. You will hear direct from social workers in your community about their successes and their challenges.

Follow us on Instagram or on TikTok to keep up-to-date with the latest news and join the Social Work Community for all things social work. For all news stories and features visit Community Care.

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Welcome to the first episode of Season five of the Social Work Community Podcast!

This podcast episode, especially recorded for World Social Work month/week/day, features an interview with Nadine KL Boyne, an experienced social worker and author of the book Social Work is Not Self-Harm.

Trigger warning: in this episode there are references to self-harm when discussing Nadine’s book ‘Social work is not self-harm’. We'd encourage you to look after yourself while listening and use supervision and peer support if it brings up anything difficult for you.

During the conversation, hosted by Sharmeen Ziauddin from Community Care, Nadine reflects on the pressures of the profession, arguing that systemic issues like high case loads and productivity targets can often lead to burnout and emotional exhaustion.

She introduces her "SAVY" model, which stands for Self-aware, Authentic, Valuing, and Intentional, as a framework to help practitioners reclaim their well-being and personal identity.

The theme of 2026's World Social Work Day is, 'Co-Building Hope and Harmony: A Harambee Call to Unite a Divided Society'. The Kenyan concept of 'Harambee' is a Swahili word that means let's pull together or let's unite. Harambee highlights the importance of collective responsibility and community support.

Drawing from her own experience, Nadine encourages social workers to set healthy boundaries and navigate their careers on their own terms to ensure they can thrive, thus ensuring they are helping their families and children in the best way possible.

The Black and Asian Leadership Initiative (BALI) that Sharmeen and Nadine mention, focuses on fostering inclusive leadership and equity within the social care and education sector. It was designed and initiated by Patrick Scott, Rosemary Campbell-Stephens MBE and Meera Spillett.

The Social Work Community podcast is where social workers come to discuss the key issues affecting their profession. Whether you are a student or an experienced social worker - whether you are frontline or management, this podcast is for you. You will hear direct from social workers in your community about their successes and their challenges.

Follow us on Instagram to keep up-to-date with the latest news and join the Social Work Community for all things social work.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The foundations of trauma awareness are rooted in kindness and compassion and over the last two years, adult social care practitioners at Essex County Council have been on a journey to embed values like these into their direct work, supervision and in shaping Essex’s practice model.

Listen as practitioners Danni, Melanie Noel, Kayleigh Johnson and Claire McDermid, explain how trauma awareness is applied in practice, why showing kindness can be achieved in minutes, and why its benefits extend also to the workforce.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.