Summers here, and if you’re wondering how to spend your time, and perhaps wanting to keep your critical mind ticking over, then we have ten book recommendations for you. (Synopsis are from Goodreads, brief thoughts are from Student Hub member Rosie).  Listen (Non-Fiction) – Kathryn Mannix ‘From the bestselling author of With the End in Mind, this is a book about the conversations that matter and how to have them better – more honestly, more confidently and without regret. A child coming out to their parent. A family losing someone to terminal illness. A friend noticing the first signs o ..read more

You’ve been busy studying, finishing your placements, etc. But now the term in winding down you have some time off, so what do you do with it? The answer could be family and friends (safely of course), walks (always encourage getting outside), Netflix, a mammoth jigsaw, although it could also be some of the great fictional titles that I and some of my bookish friends on Instagram have enjoyed this year, perfect to cosy down with over the winter break, or as a last-minute gift that slipped your mind. So here’s some great new and old titles, I have linked in Waterstones but these should be found ..read more

Quick book and chat thoughts… The Anti- Racist Social Work Edited by Tanya Moore and Glory Simango What an insightful read!!! As a first year I have sat in a few lesson now on diversity, representative voices, inclusion, equally, decolonisation of social work, and other relating topics. Though none of which have really clued me in on the direct changes the profession is making in the name of progress and social justice – own learning being heavily prompted. This book and it’s many contributors gave a newbie like me a great look into how ‘clumsy’ conversation can happen, and how willing and aut ..read more

By Florence Smith I am in my second year of practice as a social worker working with children and families. Over the past 5 years of studying and practicing social work I have found it difficult managing my diagnosis of dyslexia and have fiercely worked to overcome the challenges that it has entailed.  Having sat back and reflected on my journey with social work peers, it made me ask Is the Dyslexia workforce hidden? If not, where is the support and recognition? The answers to these questions I realise will differ for everyone, however I felt the dyslexic workforc ..read more

David M Clarke (Twitter: @dcSWer) Introduction I joined the academic workforce as a Lecturer in Social Work in September 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, straight from a busy children and families social work setting. I plan to write a more about this transition in another ‘story’. In the meantime, I thought I would reflect on my role as a Personal Tutor in providing pastoral support to university students during the global crisis. Specifically, this story will outline some of the ways I tend to structure what I term ‘supportive discussions’ with students in times of difficulty ..read more

By Beth Williams  For me, starting my MA in social work was all about the experiences I was going to get from my placements. A brief background about me – upon leaving school I always knew I wanted to go into a profession where I could make a valuable difference to people’s lives however, I didn’t feel mature enough to consider social work. I knew I wanted to go to University and therefore, decided psychology would provide me with a good basis for any future career path. Through my psychology degree I started volunteering and subsequently working for a charity supporting young ..read more

By Gemma Harvey This is what my university placement co-ordinator said to me when they rang, I knew getting a phone call would mean it would be something different.  Within the next few minutes, I was told it was at a Hospice.  My mind raced, thinking of the emotional impact it could have; with that in mind I found myself saying, “that sounds good” and organising to meet my practice educator (PE). Going to the hospice and meeting my PE immediately put me at ease. The hospice was calm and we talked through my previous placement, what skills and knowledge I thought ..read more

by David Grimm. Twitter @davethecarebear. Instagram @kingofthedomain  ..read more

Please note. Before you read my piece of writing I wish to inform you that the choice of words for describing the people who use the services on my placement and the terminology I use, reflects the language that is used on placement by the staff and others. I describe patients/men and ward/units. This does not reflect my own personal preference of language in these settings. So where to begin? I won’t start by telling you that I know what it is like to stay on a secure ward as a ‘patient’, because I have absolutely no idea and hopefully never will, but what I can give you ..read more

By Cliodhna Leeson  We are taught from day one in social work the importance of resilience – how this informs our practice and how we can empower others to overcome their challenges. Our own resilience as social workers is a reservoir of strength that we draw on to help others who use our services. We are taught that our focus in social work is supporting those in need – focusing on the service user.  However, there is increasingly a need to support those who care for the most vulnerable in our society – carers. To put this into perspective , there are now over 200,000 people in Nort ..read more