Podsocs - Social Work Podcasts

Asylum seekers, men, women and children, who have arrived in Australia by boat are detained indefinitely in inhumane and cruel conditions. Australian social workers, human services workers and other professionals who have worked at these detention centres risk imprisonment if they speak about. Alyssa Munoz speaks out about the eighteen months she spent on Nauru working with asylum seekers and refugees.

Older people and other groups are vulnerable during extreme weather events and with climate change. Karen Appleby talks about how well our governments and institutions are adapting and the implications for social workers.

This podcast will be challenging for many listeners and should generate a lot of discussion. DJ Williams addresses some of the personal and professional issues social workers and other professionals face when working with people who have alternative identities, in this case people who identify as vampires. Social workers work with many people defined by dominant discourses as deviant. When identities are so outside the norm, our own judgements can prevent people disclosing important aspects of themselves and the fear of being misunderstood can be a hindrance in our work with them. DJ’s research helps us understand how vampires view their world.

Islamophobia, a growing problem in Australia and around the world, has become a political football. Susie Latham talks about Voices against Bigotry and what we might do about this problem.

Foster families work the well-being of children in their care often with little recognition. In this podcast, Alyson Rees talks about her research with children and their foster families from a strengths perspective.

Everyday racism is alive and well in Australia. But do we know what it is, how it manifests and how it affects people in our community. Jessica Walton talks about everyday racism.

Troubled Families programs have been introduced in England for those most ‘troubled’ families.. Sue Bond-Taylor discusses an evaluation of one these programs and the differences between political and practice meanings of words like empowerment and troubled.

Grass roots community work, a challenging and rewarding field, is not always given the attention it deserves. Joel Izlar talks to Podsocs about his work as a social worker, activist and researcher with grassroots organisations.

In this podcast, Julie Selwyn talks about a study conducted with colleagues on UK adoption disruptions involving severely abused children adopted from care. She paints a picture of complex cases and the need for child participation and preparation, ongoing therapeutic support for children and adoptive parents, support and training for foster parents, and the importance of open communication about a child’s history and other ongoing issues.

Talking about sex. The question is - do we? Rosalyn Dischiavo throws some light on the subject in this podcast.