Podcasts
Podcasts,
by 
089 Captain R M Niven Memories
Memories from World War 2
Welcome back to all. After six years non stop , I took a breather. Now it feels right to restart and expand and I hope you’ll be pleased with the result.
This is the first in the new series of podcasts that will be more of a magazine format than before.
As always , there will be room for social care and safeguarding. I can’t just leave some things that have been so much part of my life. However I want to broaden the scope and include history, culture and stories from some of the hundreds of people I’ve met along the way.
Poetry and literature will play a significant part.
This first one is personal and features stories from my uncle. my father’s youngest brother, who would have been 100 this month if he hadn’t sadly passed away last year aged 99. He was a good man and in his latter years decided to write down some memories from the second world war. As we’ve just remembered the 75th anniversary of VE Day, I thought it right to let you hear some of his experiences. True to the man, he must have seen great suffering and tragedy but he chose only to record, in his words, ” Some of the nicer things I experienced during the second world war “.
He was a Captain in the 2nd Highland Light Infantry ( Glasgow ) and served in the Middle East, Sicely, Italy and Greece.
During this time he met Winston Churchill, F D Roosevelt, Montgomery, Marshall Tito and Pope Pius XII among a host of others.
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by 088 Safeguarding Impact Conference
14th March 2019 Leeds Town Hall. Safeguarding Impact Conference.
Speakers include: Opposition Shadow Minister for Children and Families Emma Lewell-Buck MP
Police and Crime Commissioner for W Yorkshire Mark Burns Williamson OBE
Dean Coady OBE highly decorated former detective specialising in safeguarding.
Andy Woodward Football player and whistleblower of abuse in sport.
Colin Radcliffe founder of DEpressON mental health App.
Head of Development and Impact at the NSPCC Jon Brown
Senior spokesperson from the Internet Watch Foundation
Senior speakers from the Disclosure and Barring Service
Ann Marie Christian international Safeguarding Consultant
Christina Gabbitas Author and honourary member NSPCC Council
David Niven Member International Advisory Board Global Institute of Social Work. Independent Chair of Bradford Safeguarding Children’ s Board.
Book now eliziamevents.com Some free students’ places still!!!!
Thanks as usual to Alba Digital Media for their technical support.
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by 087 Claudia Megele Online Safety
The internet can be a dangerous place and protecting the vulnerable from those who prey on them is becoming more and more important.
Claudia is an expert on digital engagement and online safeguarding. She is co-chair of the Principal Social Workers’ national network. She is a fellow of National Institute of Health Research NIHR and Head of Service within a local authority.
She is the founder of “Social Work and Media” Network (@SWSCmedia) which was the first open access social work community offering weekly open debate about social work and social care topics. She is also the founder of “Mental Health Chat” @MHChat community and was the first social work lecturer to embed social media as a required part of academic curricula in a social work qualifying programmes.
Claudia has advised and led various boards including as: member of the advisory board of the National Children’s Bureau (NCB), Trustee of Mind, and the Chair and Vice-Chair of Tower Hamlets Police and Community Safety Board.
Over the past 14 years she has researched social media technologies and their impact and has published her work ranging from Theorizing Twitter Chat to studying the effect of social media on relationships, identity and empathy, to her book on Safeguarding Children and Young People Online.
Claudia was selected as one of the 50 most influential higher education (HE) professionals using social media by JISC and as one of the top 10 most engaged power women on LinkedIn UK by LinkedIn.
The combination of Claudia’s academic, research, practice, and leadership experience offer her a unique and in-depth expertise in social media technologies and their impact.
There’s another Reach Out Speak Out Safeguarding Conference in Leeds on 14th March. I’m very pleased to be a speaker again. Have a look… http://tinyurl.com/y99xqy5f
My thanks as always to Alba Digital Media for their technical support.
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by 086 Jenni Randall & her Looked After children project
A fantastic folk rock CD to raise funds for Looked After Children.
The project is Jenni’s brainchild and marries her lifelong love of social work with her passion for folk and folk-rock music. She is an award winning social worker who has retired to live in Cromer and has linked up with the Rees Care Leavers Foundation, a national charity that provides ongoing support for those who have previously been in care. Jenni Randall was awarded a Lifetime Achievement award for her work in social service. Since retirement she has cotinued to pursue projects dear to her heart and the situation of looked after children.
The money raised from the CD and the launch concert will be used to set up new projects in East Anglia and other parts of the country providing specialist counsellors and mentors to assist care experienced young adults with a range of issues including searching for and understanding their own personal story and family history. She realised that there was a need for continuing counselling and advice for those who were leaving care and adults who were care experienced. ‘Many of the issues that took them into care are not addressed and the care experience itself can be damaging emotionally and can be carried on long into adult life.’ Jenni explains; ‘Providing ongoing counselling and support targeted to the new issues and changing needs when they leave care will give them a better chance to succeed in the outside world. One major issue is that they frequently have no sense of belonging, of their place in the world and this might be helped by exploring and completing their own story and history.’
She presents the ‘Vintage Social Worker Blog’ and has gathered together some of the top folk musicians in the UK on the album.
www.kindershores.org. has all the details and how to buy the CD.
As always my thanks to AlbaDigitalMedia for their technical support with this Podcast.
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by 085 Global Institute Social Work (GISW)
Professor Ngoh Tiong Tan
Chair, Global Institute for Social Work ( GISW ) International Advisory Board —– President, Connexions International. —– Professor, Singapore University of Social Sciences.—– Treasurer, International Association of Schools of Social Work.
I’m very pleased to have been invited on to the International Advisory Board that Tiong Chairs and , in this interview, he lays out the vision and the opportunities for the GISW at its five year anniversary.
Following that I’ve included two UK radio interviews I did this week on cases of abuse in Wales and the closure of residential homes in Herefordshire.
As always my thanks to Alba Digital Media for their technical support.
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by 084 Chris Walters and various topics
A magazine edition today!
1 ) Chris Walters ( pictured) , a terrific stain glass artist who gives back to the community, talks about his work and his committment.
If you’re anywhere near the SW of England go and see his work. (Details below)
Chris has been creating glass art work for nearly 20 years. He is a member of the Somerset Guild of Craftsmen and Contemporary Glass Society. Over the years his glass has found it’s way to many countries and he’s taken part in numerous exhibitions and displays His next exploit is the Chew Valley Arts Trail taking place on 13th and 14th October when visitors will be able to see Chris’s work at his home:
https://www.chewvalleyartstrail.co.uk/
Alternatively take a look at his website (http://www.modaglass.co.uk) or contact Chris through email (chris@modaglass.co.uk).
Of particular interest is the commissioning process where Chris works with potential clients to create work which is particular and special to them. This can range from making fused glass objects such as jewellery or ornaments for that special gift to stained glass panels for doors or windows as part of one’s home.
A major motivator for Chris is helping others and he has been involved in a number of local and national charities through donating his work and fund raising. Particular causes where he has been involved are:
Children’s Hospice South West… . https://www.chsw.org.uk/
Send A Cow… https://sendacow.org/
2) The next item is a personal one as I’ve been asked to join the International Advisory Board of the Global Institute for Social Work ( GISW)
3) The easy access of non prescription analgesics in supermarkets and convenience stores needs addressing and I outline what I’ve done so far as I believe it is an avoidable risk to children and young people.
Thanks as always to www.albadigitalmedia.com for technical support.
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by 083 Jim Hopkinson. Safeguarding Bradford.
Welcome again to the podcast. Today it’s safeguarding and the perspective of a senior manager in a large local authority.
Jim Hopkinson qualified as a Social Worker at University of Oxford in 1992. In addition to working as a children’s front line social worker both in the UK and abroad he has worked as a Probation Officer, managed alternative education provision, Head of Youth Offending Services, Head of Targeted Early Help and became Deputy Director of Bradford Children’s Social Care in 2016.
As we head towards Bradford’s annual safeguarding week, 25th to 29th June, http://bradfordscb.org.uk we talk of the numerous areas of responsibility that Social Care and other agencies have to consider now to keep children and vulnerable adults safe, both the established areas and the emerging ones.
In a wide ranging interview that includes subject such as child sexual exploitation and the radicalisation of young people, Jim outlines his take on now and the future in safeguarding.
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by 082 Ann Marie Christian- Education Safeguarding
Safeguarding in education has always been a high priority as young peoplle sometimes spend more waking hours at school than at home. School staff of all disciplines, are part of the ‘front line’ when it comes to safeguarding.
Ann Marie is an Independent social worker. She qualified in 1996 as a social worker and worked in a generic children & families neighbourhood team. She took part in a pilot project in 1999 based in a school as a social worker for four years. Ann Marie completed her ‘practice teaching’ qualification and went on to manage a team of school based social workers for a local authority. This role evolved and included being the ‘safeguarding advisor’ for schools and providing child protection training and consultancy to colleagues in education. She set up half termly ‘safeguarding network meetings’ for schools and invited colleagues from children social care, health and the voluntary sector. In this role she was the bridge between children social care and education colleagues. This role expanded and Ann Marie supported schools with the ‘Common Assessment Framework’ in 2004 and delivered the training and support. She worked as a LSCB trainer and sub member and supported children & families social workers in working with schools and was the LADO (local authority designated officer) in the education department and supported the Local Authority Head of education and schools with allegations against staff. She took part in strategy meetings focusing on the safeguarding of the child.
In 2010 she became independent and continued social work locum roles in early years, education and youth justice over five years.
Ann Marie was invited to write a chapter in a book ‘Becoming a social worker’, Vivienne. E Cree, 2003, Routledge and wrote about her school based social worker role. She continues to write and contributes regular articles to various journals. Ann Marie is passionate about safeguarding and promoting the well being of children and speaks regularly at International and National conferences.
She delivers associate work for various organisations including NSPCC, COIS (Council of International Schools), ISI Consultancy (Independent School Inspectorate), Multi Academy Trusts, Church groups, Charities, sports organisations and performing arts.
Thanks as always to www.albadigitalmedia.com for technical support.
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by 081 Robert Goodwill MP
Robert Goodwill MP was appointed Minister of State at the Department for Education on 12 June 2017. He was elected Conservative MP for Scarborough and Whitby in 2005. He is Minister of State for Children and Families.
His responsibilities include:
- child protection (including protection from child sexual exploitation and safeguarding), local authority children’s social care and family law
- children in care, care leavers and adoption
- childcare policy including delivery of the 30 hours free childcare offer, inspection and regulation
- early years policy including inspection, regulation and literacy and numeracy
- funding for publicly funded schools in England to raise the attainment of disadvantaged pupils of all abilities (pupil premium and pupil premium plus)
- funding and policy on free school meals
- special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)
- school sports and healthy pupils
- cadets and military ethos in the education system
- improving social mobility in the 12 opportunity areas
We talk of the changes and new legislation affecting safeguarding boards as well as social work accreditation and assessment issues. The new ‘Working Together’ multi agency guidence document is still being consulted on and provokes several questions. +++++
Robert was elected as a Member of the European Parliament in 1999, serving in Brussels and Strasbourg until the 2004 European election. He was Deputy Leader of the Conservative MEPs during his term. He was elected to the House of Commons at the 2005 general election for Scarborough and Whitby.
After spending 18 months as a member of the transport select committee, he was appointed as a government whip in 2006 and promoted to the post of Shadow Roads Minister in the transport team in 2007. He was re-elected at the 2010 general election and appointed to the government as a whip with responsibility for HM Treasury and Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs business.
Robert Goodwill served as Minister of State at the Department for Transport from December 2015 until July 2016. Robert was previously Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Transport
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by 080 Obituary.Those we have lost.
Dr David Colvin and Bill McKitterick both have been lost to us this year.
David Colvin
David was my friend and mentor. He helped me through many difficult situations with a deep rooted wisdom and a compassionate outlook on life. He was a major figure throughout the Scottish social and care system and was appointed chief social work adviser for Scotland in 1991. He was instrumental in the implementation of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 and was in the forefront of modernising the profession, becoming senior adviser of the Social Work Services Group and from 1993 the head of the British Association of Social Workers of Scotland.
His work extended throughout Scotland – notably in such high-profile projects as the Snowdrop Campaign on the ownership of handguns after the Dunblane shooting. He also brought his experience and understanding of community life to organisations such as NCH Action for Children and the Scottish Disability Foundation. He was also a pioneering chairman of SACRO, the community justice organisation, from 1997-2002, St Columba’s Hospice, from 1998 to 2003, and the Church of Scotland’s Crossroads scheme which helps the disabled at the Eric Liddell Centre in Edinburgh.
Dr Colvin was also influential in developing and establishing the Social Work Research Centre at the University of Stirling which reformed the quality of research throughout the profession. Appropriately, in 1998, he was awarded an honorary doctorate at the university.
From his youth Dr Colvin showed a keen interest in the arts and throughout his life had a considerable influence on many aspects of the arts in Scotland. In 1991, when he was awarded the CBE for his work in the social services the citation also mentioned his contribution to the arts. Dr Colvin was chairman of the Exhibiting Societies of Scottish Artists who exhibit the work of young artists from the principal art colleges and those of more established Scottish painters.
I knew David for over 25 years. He worked closely with six Secretary of States and brought much incisive and clear thinking to the services in Scotland. What David said was important and incorporated the very best of new thinking. He was a great help to me when I started the social policy charity Action On Child Exploitation and, together, we lobbied government and institutions to change the law and combat sex tourism.
Uniquely, his daughter Iona Colvin has not only followed her father into social work but risen to a similar position to the one her father occupied as Chief Social Work Advisor to the Scottish Government. I’m delighted to say that she agreed to record an interview for this podcast.
Bill McKitterick
Another friend,Bill McKitterick,was also lost to us this year and his contribution to social work was significant and lasting as well. A man of great compassion and humanity, he never forgot his identity as a social worker. Strongly against privatisation and the erosion of professionalism, he wrote and spoke passionately in favour of his profession and the importance of continuing development and educational advances in social work. He was a committed member of the British Association of Social Workers, acting in various roles and as their Treasurer for many years. Bill was Director of Social Services for Bristol for ten years and , in my view, was responsible for giving the media one of the most significant opportunities to show the work of frontline practitioners. He allowed the BBC to make three one hour programmes following a team of social workers involved in child protection and the result was sensitive and well received.
Bill died far too early and his loss left a void . He will be remembered with affection and his writing will, I hope, continue to inspire future social workers.
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by 079 Safeguarding Boards. Prof Nick Frost
We talk of the future of Safeguarding Boards and what the new guidelines could mean following the Wood Review. These new arrangements will affect so many people and, now there is a defined consultation process,it’s important to consider the implications..
Nick Frost is Professor of Social Work (childhood, children and families), at the School of Health and Community, Leeds Beckett University. He took up this post in Feb., 2007.
Nick is a qualified and registered social worker, and practiced in local authority social work settings for 15 years before commencing his academic career.
Nick has published widely in the fields of child welfare and professional learning: most recently his publications include ‘Understanding Children’s Social Care’ (with Nigel Parton, Sage, 2009), ‘Rethinking Children and Families’ (Continuum, 2011) ‘Children and the Care Experience’ (with Julie Shaw, Routledge, 2013) and ‘Family Support’ (with Abbott and Race, Polity, 2015).
Nick’s primary research interests are in integrated professional working, family support and working with vulnerable children and young people. He has acted an advisor and referee for British government departments and the governments of the Republic of Ireland, Spain and Denmark.
He was appointed as Chair of North Yorkshire Safeguarding Children Board in 2012, and of Calderdale Safeguarding Children Board in 2017.
My thanks as always to AlbaDigitalMedia for their technical support.
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by Social Work & the Media
All my working life I’ve watched my profession defend itself in the court of media opinion. When you’re starting out there is some strength gained from an excess of idealism and enthusiasm. There were more times when you felt able to dream that your work alone would demonstrate the truth. In helping the vulnerable in our communities we would illustrate inequality and public opinion would slowly change.
Within social work we all know people who are inspirational, who command respect and who can speak with clarity and understanding about what we do and why we are needed. However, over the years I’ve seen only a few who have been recognised outside of the profession on the national stage and given a balanced hearing.
Previously, during the years I was closely involved with the professional association, I saw the different levels of respect and engagement in the media with social work in other industrialised countries. I could never fully understand the reasons why this wasn’t the case in the UK. Was it that we were still in the death throes of having an empire and ruling half the world and so acknowledging mass poverty and deprivation at home was unthinkable? Could it be some residual Victorian construct, sweeping the troubled and vulnerable under the carpet and including those who support them, with vague murmuring about charities being better placed to do the work?
Was it that the evolution of media catered so much to the lowest common denominator, conditioning the public to accept simplistic explanations in comic style outlets? Or was it the seductive atmosphere of blame that sold newspapers? A public stoning was considered far more exciting than a little bit of well earned praise. In forty years I’ve still never seen a headline saying “social worker does good job”.
Communities tend to believe much of what they read in the media. With few outlets that offer true balance it’s understandable that the population, that gets most of its information from some type of media ( written, broadcast or social ), will form their opinions accordingly.
Why do we hear so few voices talking about the success stories emanating from the professionalism of the 100.000 social workers in the UK? All the good work in protecting the vulnerable seems to be hidden from the wider audience. Why so much anonymity about all the social work that’s not child protection? We have let the general media condense our profession to such a degree that the narrowest of material is what seems on display. I also believe that, for a variety of reasons, many employers confuse confidentiality with secrecy.
The voices are there. It’s just that they’re caged.
There is no reason why so much of our work cannot be talked about and explained. On a local level , perhaps the free newspapers, local commercial radio stations and a few journalists could be given interviews about success stories where people’s lives have been changed for the better.
On a national level we need to introduce the media to some of our many credible and well informed spokespeople, taking the stories to the outlets, managing the agenda more and not just playing constant defence. We need to be far more assertive.
How people communicate is changing at a rapid pace and social media has put so much more power in the hands of the people. We need to be strong participants in that changing landscape.
We’re always going to have detractors, whether driven by ideology, ignorance or superficial understanding of the world we work in. However, we also have to support the maintenance of a free press so the target we aim for is balance. This is where the work is needed.
Balance will not be awarded. It has to be earned. We need to offer more by way of education, information, planning for the year ahead and showcasing the wide variety of service that comprises social work.
Of course we have to be smart about this, offering content that will interest media outlets and their audience and challenging contemporary stories who haven’t got social work involvement correctly presented. We have to show social workers up and down the country that a more positive image in the media has a direct effect on how new families, referred to us tomorrow , can be just that bit more trusting because they’ve seen a fuller picture of social work.
It’s no good just complaining about unfairness and waiting to be given permission to be considered capable professional workers. It needs to show social workers making a difference and being proud to do so. The shop window that is represented by all forms of media needs to be full of education, examples of good practice, strong arguments and fewer apologies. There needs to be constant demonstration that the starvation of resources through austerity measures is counter productive to the health of the nation. We know the pressure points such as the rise in child poverty, the social complexities of an aging population and the gross under resourcing of mental health services to name a few. We have a workforce trained to support but with their hands tied, grossly inflated caseloads through lack of national investment and a blame culture that beggars belief there exists a paralysis of hope.
There are ways forward. We can demonstrate that skilled work brings change and improves the quality of life, which is no secret in my profession but still seems largely under some people’s carpets.
Some time ago I gave a lecture to post graduate journalists, at the end of their training, about what social workers can do and, perhaps more to the point, about what they can’t do. Some information and a starter for ten just to offer a little demystification of stories to come. Social work courses could offer reciprocal opportunities to journalists to talk of their world and chip away at some of the mythology.
The British Association of Social Workers ( BASW )is showing a commitment to look at ways of tackling the imbalance and recognises that the media is the arena where much policy and practice will be debated. I hope that they succeed in driving this forward and convincing more and more employers of the cost benefits of these initiatives.
I’ve been determined to pass on the twenty or so years of experience I’ve gained in working with the media which started with no training and almost overwhelming speed when I was elected Chair of BASW. The need for senior staff in the public sector to be prepared to manage the media in a crises is as constant as it is sad. Over the last year or so I’ve been training groups of social workers in working with the media I now plan to build on this as well. There seems no reason why some front line social workers couldn’t talk to local journalists about the thousands of good news stories that emerge from our work every week. Let the senior managers deal with the cases where practice is challenged.
There are many more good, honest journalists than not and the media has a voracious appetite for stories. With that in mind we should look at the vast amount of work we do that has no need to be confidential and let it see the light. If that happens then the court of media opinion will be better illuminated and I’ll cautiously move from hope to optimism.
This is the full version of my article in the Online Guardian 03.10.2017
Podcasts,
by Safeguarding primary children
Happy to share Rebecca Thomas’ article about the forthcoming conference. Excellent subject to showcase vital educational resources and explore how we add to safer childhoods.
Here’s a question: how do we teach young children about which secrets are good and which secrets are bad, give them the confidence to speak out about things that are troubling them, but not scare them? This is a question that has been pondered by many professionals involved with safeguarding and of course parents. Too often children are groomed in an attempt by the perpetrator of the abuse to stop them speaking out and award-winning children’s author Christina Gabbitas believes that we are still not bold enough in talking about this topic with children in an appropriate manner in order to protect them. Christina’s passion for improving things in this area led to a year of research, which showed that there were no books for four to seven year olds that addressed this issue in a manner appropriate to their understanding. Using public support from Kickstarter, a crowdfunding platform for creative projects, and her own money Christina wrote and published Share Some Secrets. Illustrator Ric Lumb provided the carefully crafted pictures which ensure the story is not at all graphic in tackling this sensitive subject. Christina worded the story to make it not only appropriate for the age range, but to allow those reading the book to the child to use everyday language that they themselves would also feel comfortable with. It is written in rhyme too, making it more engaging. The book received immediate recognition making it to the final of the 2016 People’s Book Prize in the children’s category.
To ensure that the book reached as wide an audience as possible and those that needed it most, Christina forged partnerships with both the NSPCC and Barnardo’s. The NSPCC endorsed the book and placed it in their library, sending out one hundred copies through their Schools Service. In a corporate partnership with Barnardo’s a special edition was produced for their 150thanniversary and a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the book went to the charity. Further endorsements followed from teachers, parents, children and safeguarding consultants, such as Ann Marie Christian. Christina also had the privilege of being invited to meet Dame Esther Rantzen when she visited The NSPCC’s Leeds base as part of Childline’s 30th anniversary celebrations.
Christina’s passion for getting the message across to as many children as possible hasn’t stopped since the initial publication and partnerships. The book has been translated into Spanish and is awaiting publication, but this isn’t the only ongoing development. In October last year Christina met students studying animation at Sheffield Hallam University, who have worked with Share Some Secrets, and a year after the initial meeting the animation of Share Some Secrets will be launched at the university on 19 October. This important resource will be freely available online after its launch.
However Christina is not content to rest in her mission to promote safeguarding up the agenda. Through her company Eliziam Events she will be hosting a conference on 1 February next year at the Royal Armouries, Leeds entitled Creative Resources Safeguarding Primary Children. It is set to highlight the importance and effectiveness of utilising resources that are currently available in the field of safeguarding. When conducting her research before writing Share Some Secrets, it became apparent to Christina that there are more resources available to help ‘pick up the pieces’, but not enough preventative measures available and in place. The conference aims to help highlight, educate and inform public sector organisations, charities and private organisations, where resources can be found. Whilst Christina will talk about her book, she has also assembled an excellent group of speakers from a broad range of professional backgrounds including charities, legal, social work, the arts and health, and more speakers and panellists are being added to the event. Each will seek to highlight the range of resources and their effectiveness in trying to prevent abuse of the youngest in our society. David Niven, Chair of Bradford and Tameside Safeguarding Children’s Boards is advising Christina for this event. Bookings are now open via the Eliziam Events website http://eliziamevents.com/ , with early bird tickets available until 10 October. There are no other events currently focussing on resources and it is hoped that a successful event will allow Eliziam to bring it to other areas of the country perhaps later in 2018.
With arrests and trials still happening in high-profile child exploitation scandals such as Rotherham, it is important that we do not rest in the mission to ensure that children, as well as parents, carers, teachers and other professionals, have the tools they need to prevent child abuse happening or stop it early. We have a long way to go to achieve this, but each step is vital to improving outcomes for all children and preserving childhood as the special time it should be.
Article written by Rebecca Thomas, RM Language Services
Podcasts,by 078 Media training & Beverley Williams
This programme is about the image of social work and social care. It describes an exiting new initiative in media training and has an interview with the founder of the Social Worker of the Year Awards.
Beverly Williams MBE
Beverley had worked in the social housing sector for 23 years when, the age of forty, she became a foster carer and first came in touch with social workers.
A mother of three, she qualified with a Diploma in Social Work in 2004. She works as an independent social worker and from 2006 she launched the Social Worker of the Year Awards in her spare time. Beverley continues to work as an experienced qualified social worker and has practiced in various local authorities.
She enjoys the diversity and challenges that she faces during her time spent at any local authority. She has no plans of giving up her full-time career, but is ecstatically happy and proud that the Social Work Awards has taken her dream and made it a reality. She gives special thanks to Sanctuary Social Care for their commitment and contribution since 2010. The awards have definitely put social work on the map and have given social workers the lift that they needed to make them feel valued for the challenging tasks that we take on every day. Beverley was awarded with an MBE for setting up the awards in the Queens New Year’s Honours List in 2014
This year there are over 300 nominations in many different categories, illustrating the growth in recognition that these awards generate.
Contact us for more informaton on media training!
My thanks , as always, to AlbaDigitalMedia for their technical support.
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by 077 Christina Gabbitas safeguarding author
An interview with Christina Gabbitas about her book for 5 to 8 year olds on keeping themselves safe and how she is committed to safeguarding children..
Christina is a children’s award winning author, poet and voiceover artist. Christina’s first publications, The Felicity Fly series of books teach childreabout the world around them with fun. Christina is passionate about encouraging children to read and write, winning a national Dame Beryl Bainbridge Award for encouraging children to writeand read. Christina spoke live nationally on Sky News about her project which gained support from the then Education Secretary. The initiative has encouraged over 17,000 children to ‘have a go’ at writing poetry. One of Christina’s most recent project www.sharesomesecrets.com is a safeguarding children’s book, recently endorsed by children’s charities NSPCC and Barnardo’s. 
I was impressed by her committment and energy. She has also put a considerable amount of her own funds into this project which , not being from the super wealthy, illustrates her passion for the subject.
We have also talked about putting a conference together looking at the range of practical teaching resources for children and young people to do with safeguarding. So, watch this space!
Her main website is www.poemsandpictures.co.uk
My thanks as always to Alba Digital Media for their technical help with this podcast.
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by 076 Bradford VCS Dave Benn
Dave is a Barnardo’s Children’s Service Manager in Bradford and is Young Lives Bradford VCS representative on Bradford Safeguarding Children Board. The VCS has played a central role in the business of BSCB since the Board was launched in 2006 (and included as a signatory of the ‘Statement of Intent’). The VCS are well represented within the BSCB structure and it is important for the sector and for the welfare of children and young people across the district that the sector maintains this coordinated presence . Dave is presently chair of the VCS Safeguarding Group and has in the past chaired BSCB sub group and specific task and finish work streams. Dave is committed to work with strategic partners to make Bradford a place where children and young people from all communities feel safe and develop skills and opportunities which will support them into adulthood.
The episode starts with an interview I gave on a new report about the impact on children who have been’missing’ and had their details all over social media.
Then the main interview with Dave Benn. Lots more to come and the Spring has sprung!
Thanks as always to AlbaDigitalMedia for technical help with the podcast.
Please use speakpipe or other contact methods to let me know your views.
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by 075 Interviews and Inquiries-Social Care & Sexual Abuse
This time I’m looking at a magazine format with two radio interviews and an introduction to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse chaired by Professor Alexis Jay on the day it commences its hearings.
The interviews are on the real problems of social care funding where the Government is allowing some ringfenced council tax increase to be introduced and, secondly, what are the issues in dealing with inappropriate staff behaviour that is not enough to prosecute but enough to worry.
Contact details for the Inquiry are :- www.iicsa.org.uk contact@iicsa.org.uk tel 0800 917 1000
As always my thanks to AlbaDigitalMedia for technical support.
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by 074 Bradford Interviews Supt Damien Miller
Damien Miller is a Superintendent within Bradford District who leads on Safeguarding Partnerships. Within his portfolio he has responsibility for the Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH), Child & Adult Safeguarding, Domestic Violence, Safer Schools, Missing People, Mental Health and Families First. He started in this role in September 2016, but is no stranger to Bradford, having worked in the District for the last five years. He had responsibility in his previous role for Operational Policing as well as being Project Manager for the Operational Delivery Review Team, which saw the District meet its budget reductions following the Comprehensive Spending Review. As well as doing his day job, he is also an Advanced Public Order Commander and regularly spends his weekends commanding Bradford City’s matches. With him entering his 20th year of policing in 2017, he is still committed to why he initially joined West Yorkshire Police and that is keeping people safe and delivering the best possible service to the communities of West Yorkshire.
Thanks as always to Alba Digital Media for technical support.
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by 073 Bradford interviews Chair of Adult Safeguarding
Jonathan Phillips is a qualified social worker. For many years he worked in social services in a number of frontline, training and management roles. He then moved to the voluntary sector as a Director with National Deaf Children’s Society. An interest in Deaf people comes from his daughter who is Deaf ( and now so is her partner and one of her children). He then worked for the social services inspectorate and moved to the Commission for Social Care Inspection when it was set up as a National Director. His final job before retirement was director of Adult Social Services at Calderdale. Since retiring 5 years ago he has chaired 2 safeguarding adults boards and provided other consultancy services. Jonathan is very interested in disability rights and is a strong believer in people’s rights to choose their own lifestyle and social workers responsibility to support them when ever possible.
Thanks as always to www.albadigitalmedia.com for technical support.
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by 072 Bradford interviews CDOP Shirley Briarly
This is the second podcast from the Bradford series.
Shirley is a Consultant in Public Health for the City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council and Chairs the Child Death Overview Panel for the Safeguarding Board.
She was a hospital doctor and GP across West Yorkshire for 10 years & also worked in Mozambique for 3 years. She was a GP partner in Bradford district in the inner city for 5 years until 1997. She then re-trained in Public Health from 1999 onwards and worked across Bradford and Calderdale in a range of roles. Shirley have been Consultant in Public Health in Bradford district for the last 8 years and have had a key strategic role in Maternal Child Health over many years. She have chaired the Child Death Overview Panel sub group of Bradford Safeguarding Childrens Board for several years.
Thanks as always to Alba Digital Media for all technical assistance.
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