The Social Matters Podcast

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Three friends that happen to be social workers discuss current social issues from their front room/studio. Expect debate and hard hitting real talk with a sprinkle of top drawer humour to keep it moving.

Recent Episodes
  • Episode 15 (S7). Who Makes the Rules? The Fine Line Between Structure and Exclusion
    Apr 27, 2025 – 34:16
  • Episode 14 (S7). Grief Isn't linear: Navigating Grief and Loss (feat: Imogen)
    Apr 13, 2025 – 27:20
  • Episode 13 (S7). Navigating the Teenage Experience – Lessons from Netflix’s Adolescence
    Mar 30, 2025 – 37:14
  • Episode 12 (S7). Multidirectional Solidarity in Uncertain Times
    Mar 16, 2025 – 36:11
  • Episode 11 (S7). Unpacking Adultification (feat. Jahnine Davis)
    Mar 2, 2025 – 43:39
  • Episode 10 (S7). Navigating Resistance—Understanding Reluctance & Overcoming Challenges
    Feb 16, 2025 – 28:24
  • Episode 9 (S7). How the National Childbirth Trust (NCT) is Championing Diversity and Inclusion (feat. Louise Oliver)
    Feb 2, 2025 – 30:53
  • Episode 8 (S7). Breaking the Age Barrier: Confronting Ageism in the Workplace
    Jan 19, 2025 – 30:07
  • Episode 7 (S7). Anti-Racist Activism (feat. Lisa Zaranyika)
    Jan 5, 2025 – 33:13
  • Episode 6 (S7). Having Feedback Conversations
    Dec 22, 2024 – 31:54
  • Episode 5 (S7). Disability and Accessibility in the Workplace (feat. Amy Butterworth)
    Dec 8, 2024 – 38:31
  • Episode 4 (S7). The Power of Language
    Nov 24, 2024 – 28:43
  • Episode 3 (S7). Imposter Syndrome
    Nov 10, 2024 – 39:07
  • Episode 2 (S7). Race, Resilience, and Responsibility in Leading Change (feat. Ben Lindsay OBE).
    Oct 27, 2024 – 45:18
  • Episode 1 (S7). Creating Inclusive Environments
    Oct 13, 2024 – 28:17
  • Episode 17 (S6). Introducing Difference
    May 26, 2024 – 20:53
  • Episode 16 (S6). The Half Of It: Exploring the Mixed-Race Experience (ft Emma Slade Edmondson)
    May 12, 2024 – 39:41
  • Episode 15 (S6). Reframing Perspectives on Youth Violence (feat. Luke Billingham)
    Apr 28, 2024 – 53:36
  • Episode 14 (S6). What is Organisational Trauma?
    Apr 14, 2024 – 30:08
  • Episode 13 (S6). A Look Back At Some Pure Vibes & Laughter
    Mar 31, 2024 – 26:50
  • Episode 12 (S6). Let's Talk About International Women's Day
    Mar 17, 2024 – 33:25
  • Episode 11 (S6).Uplifting & Enriching Approaches to Youth Engagement (ft. Amani Simpson)
    Mar 3, 2024 – 43:49
  • Episode 10 (S6). Inclusive Leadership (feat. Has Khair)
    Feb 18, 2024 – 44:01
  • Episode 9 (S6). Let's Talk About Professionalism in the Workplace
    Feb 4, 2024 – 36:02
  • Episode 8 (S6). What is Unconscious Bias?
    Jan 21, 2024 – 36:27
  • Episode 7 (S6). Addressing Violence & Conflict with Young People (ft. Craig Pinkney)
    Jan 7, 2024 – 54:13
  • Episode 6 (S6). The Social Graces Revisited/Christmas Special
    Dec 24, 2023 – 37:06
  • Episode 5 (S6). The 'Illegal' Migration Act (feat. Lisa Matthews)
    Dec 10, 2023 – 45:31
  • Episode 4 (S6). Starting a Conversation About Gaza.
    Nov 26, 2023 – 33:36
  • Episode 3 (S6). Talking about Harmful Sexual Behaviour (feat. Anna Glinski)
    Nov 12, 2023 – 44:23
  • Episode 2 (S6). How Can We Feel Psychologically Safe?
    Oct 29, 2023 – 31:41
  • Episode 1 (S6). What does Belonging mean to you?
    Oct 15, 2023 – 39:32
  • Episode 17 (S5). End of Season Reflections and Chat :)
    May 21, 2023 – 35:42
  • Episode 16 (S5). Organisational Culture in Social Work
    May 7, 2023 – 32:01
  • Episode 15 (S5). Made by Mortals: Bringing People's Experiences to Life.
    Apr 23, 2023 – 45:44
  • Episode 14 (S5). The Illegal Immigration Bill Aftermath
    Apr 9, 2023 – 31:18
  • Episode 13 (S5). World Social Work Day Episode
    Mar 26, 2023 – 38:41
  • Episode 12 (S5). For Black Boys... (feat. Sarah Jordan Verghese & Jasmyn Fisher-Ryner)
    Mar 12, 2023 – 51:08
  • Episode 11 (S5). Allyship.
    Feb 26, 2023 – 31:03
  • Episode 10 (S5). LGBT History Month
    Feb 12, 2023 – 44:25
  • Episode 9 (S5). A New Idea of Resilience (feat. Josh Connolly)
    Jan 29, 2023 – 54:53
  • Episode 8 (S5). Journey of an Anti-Racist Social Worker. (feat. Shantel Thomas)
    Jan 15, 2023 – 47:34
  • Episode 7 (S5). New Year, New Focus?
    Jan 1, 2023 – 31:39
  • Episode 6 (S5). A Conversation about Class (feat. Sereena Abbassi)
    Dec 18, 2022 – 53:00
  • Episode 5 (S5). The Impact of Childhood Sexual Violence (feat. Patrick Sandford)
    Dec 4, 2022 – 52:19
  • Episode 4 (S5). Trafficking: A Reflection on Mo Farah's Documentary.
    Nov 20, 2022 – 28:31
  • Episode 3 (S5). The Impact of Food Banks (feat. John and Amy from the Trussell Trust)
    Nov 6, 2022 – 40:25
  • Episode 2 (S5). Virtual Reality (VR) in Social Work (feat. Shalene Lemmie)
    Oct 23, 2022 – 45:16
  • Episode 1 (S5). What is Happening in Our Society?
    Oct 9, 2022 – 33:31
  • Episode 18 (S4). Review and Reflections (season finale!!!!)
    May 29, 2022 – 39:04
Recent Reviews
  • By Rebecca C. Kessler
    On episode 16 (S4)
    Nadia, Fran, and Eugene are all social workers in the UK who host The Social Matters Podcast. All three have extensive backgrounds with impressive graduate degrees and together they represent diversity with Nadia of mixed heritage, Fran among the LGBTQ community, and Eugene of Nigerian descent. They launched Social Matters around their shared passion for DEIB, diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. In this episode, they interview Professor Claudia Bernard about her recent book, “Intersectionality in Social Work: A Practical Introduction to Theory and Practice.” Bernard talks about ‘invisible experience’ or how we all feel uniquely and according to different social contexts. Prompted by hosts, Professor Bernard defines Intersectionality to start the conversation, “Intersectionality is a lens for understanding how gender, how race, how class, disability, age sexual orientation, how all those dimensions of our identity, our social identity, how they intersect to influence our lived experiences.” She expounds on the importance of appreciation for these intersections, to better understand power dynamics and social inequalities. She also provides some history dating back a century to African American Feminist activism, with an intersectional emphasis on gender and race. The hosts and Bernard echo expressions of homage to African American civil rights advocate and scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw who conceived the term Intersectionality to name the concept. Listeners are invited to reflect on the inspiration that led to an admission of Intersectionality, from the oppression endured by Black women. Bernard enlightens us to use an Intersectional perspective to discover the humanity in people, especially those marginalized by systemic racism and structural violence. Inequalities persist by our history of pathologizing people for their circumstances, and for their intergenerational trauma. Only certain sectors of the population undergo severe psychological scrutiny in their daily routines. Bernard points out the ‘legacy of colonialization’ prevalent like a cancer within societal norms. Application of Intersectionality in practice enables social workers to see cases from multiple angles and shape a more accurate view. It might be interesting to consider that Intersectionality is another form of diversity, specific within an individual. Bernard speaks on her own contradictory experience as a Black woman who undergoes gender and race oppression, but also benefits from ‘power and agency’ with privileges from a good salary in academia. By her own example, she shows that anyone, regardless of social classifications, can develop practical skills for clearer seeing. I believe that in this way, Bernard’s insights will help people overcome the ignorance of superficial stereotyping assumptions. She intrigues listeners to find out how this concept will help us understand ourselves and then be curious about others. The discussion reminds me of friction, an innovative tool to prevent police brutality on African American men. At the end, she critically exposes a patriarchal hierarchy, steadfast even in the field of social work. For the sake of honesty, the only criticism I have for this episode is the length of the introductory pin and bin sharing at the beginning. This section takes us about 13 minutes in before we get to the interview content. I’d prefer it a bit shorter or moved toward the end, however, I should add that I was under time constraints for an assignment so this might just be a problem of impatience on my end.
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