Messy Social Work – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode, we have a returning guest: social worker and team manager Toni Mayo. 

Rich's BASW Child Protection sessions: https://basw.co.uk/social-work-child-protection-professional-practice-programme

Rich Devine's blog: https://richarddevinesocialwork.com/about/

Tim Fisher LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/timfisher101/

Rich Devine LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-devine-181763177/

In this episode, we explore the tension between the fast-paced, task-driven nature of social work and the deeper need for presence, reflection, and meaning. 

Rhian Taylor shares insights from her recent blog on why it’s so hard for practitioners to stop—and how doing so can radically improve our wellbeing and the quality of our practice.

We talk about:

• The systemic pressures that reward constant “doing”
• The emotional and professional cost of never stopping
• How rest, reflection, and inner awareness can reconnect us with our values and vocation
• Practical ways social workers can integrate “being” into their everyday work

Rhian’s blog: Integrating doing and being in health and social care:  Why we find it so hard to stop and how it could radically help us

Retreat: 

Integrating Doing and Being | Othona West Dorset 

https://www.othonawestdorset.org.uk/

Rhian Taylor e-mail: rhian.c.taylor@outlook.com

Social Work England fee rise and increase in fitness to practise case numbers

https://www.communitycare.co.uk/2025/07/24/social-work-england-presses-ahead-with-33-fee-rise-despite-huge-practitioner-opposition/

https://www.communitycare.co.uk/2025/07/25/social-work-england-fee-hike-unjustifiable-and-based-on-tokenistic-consultation-warn-unison-and-basw/

https://www.communitycare.co.uk/2025/07/29/psw-networks-sound-alarm-over-social-work-england-fee-rise/

https://www.communitycare.co.uk/2025/08/14/huge-rise-in-fitness-to-practise-concerns-about-social-workers/

Improving performance in children’s services – according to Ofsted

 In this conversation, Rich and Tim explore how writing isn’t just for blogs or books—it’s a powerful tool for social workers to think more clearly, practice more effectively, and create new opportunities. 

Drawing on their own experiences, they discuss how the simple act of putting words on a page sharpens reflection, deepens analysis, and helps communicate ideas with confidence. 

Whether you’re looking to improve your day-to-day practice, strengthen your professional voice, or even open unexpected doors, this episode makes the case for why every social worker should write.

Relational Activism: https://www.relationalactivism.com/

Rich's BASW Child Protection sessions: https://basw.co.uk/social-work-child-protection-professional-practice-programme

Rich Devine's blog: https://richarddevinesocialwork.com/about/

Tim Fisher LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/timfisher101/

Rich Devine LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-devine-181763177/

In this episode of Messy Social Work, Rich and Tim debate (and disagree about): are social workers failing families by ignoring the system?

It’s just the two of us this time, diving into one of the biggest tensions in the profession. Should we focus our energy on helping individual families build safety and stability? Or is that just papering over the cracks of a system that keeps producing harm?

We’ve got strong opinions — and we don’t always agree

Relational Activism: https://www.relationalactivism.com/

Rich's BASW Child Protection sessions: https://basw.co.uk/social-work-child-protection-professional-practice-programme

Rich Devine's blog: https://richarddevinesocialwork.com/about/

Tim Fisher LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/timfisher101/

Rich Devine LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-devine-181763177/

Dr Lorna Stabler's research can be found here.

Relational Activism: https://www.relationalactivism.com/

Rich's BASW Child Protection sessions: https://basw.co.uk/social-work-child-protection-professional-practice-programme

Rich Devine's blog: https://richarddevinesocialwork.com/about/

Tim Fisher LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/timfisher101/

Rich Devine LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-devine-181763177/

Relational Activism: https://www.relationalactivism.com/

Rich's BASW Child Protection sessions: https://basw.co.uk/social-work-child-protection-professional-practice-programme

Rich Devine's blog: https://richarddevinesocialwork.com/about/

Tim Fisher LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/timfisher101/

Rich Devine LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-devine-181763177/

Connect with Cordie here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cordie-gwilym/

Mithran's CC articles: 

• A guide to the reforms: https://www.communitycare.co.uk/2025/07/10/the-dfes-child-protection-and-family-support-reforms-explained/
• An interview with Eileen Munro, in which she voiced significant criticisms of the changes: https://www.communitycare.co.uk/2025/07/03/munro-childrens-social-care-reforms-very-likely-to-fail-due-to-scale-of-change-and-lack-of-testing/
• A response to the Munro piece from a group of social workers, in which they shared similar views to hers: https://www.communitycare.co.uk/2025/07/17/over-ambitious-and-risk-laden-social-workers-share-concerns-about-childrens-social-care-reforms/

Relational Activism: https://www.relationalactivism.com/

Rich's BASW Child Protection sessions: https://basw.co.uk/social-work-child-protection-professional-practice-programme

Rich Devine's blog: https://richarddevinesocialwork.com/about/

Tim Fisher LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/timfisher101/

Rich Devine LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-devine-181763177/

In this conversation, Rasheed Nicholas John Pendry shares his journey into social work, highlighting the transformative impact of systemic ideas and personal experiences on his professional practice. 

He discusses the importance of relationships in social work, the need for cultural change within organisations, and innovative practices in family therapy. Rashid also reflects on the complexities of adoption and the significance of kinship care, emphasising the role of curiosity and emotional availability in effective social work practice.

Takeaways

• Rasheed Pendry chose social work to make a difference.
• Transformative ideas in social work can change practice.
• Personal experiences shape professional identities.
• Systemic approaches help navigate complex family dynamics.
• Cultural change in organisations starts with kindness.
• Family therapy can be creatively applied in practice.
• Understanding risk requires examining personal responses.
• Adoption systems need to be re-evaluated for effectiveness.
• Curiosity is essential for social workers.
• Social work is fundamentally a therapeutic profession.

Chapters

00:00 Rasheed's Journey into Social Work

14:22 The Impact of Systemic Ideas

18:16 Critique of Social Work Training

21:36 Personal Transformation through Systemic Ideas

25:36 Navigating Adoption and Its Long-term Effects

28:54 Understanding Relationships and Attachment

32:42 Systemic Interventions in Practice

34:47 Navigating Identities and Relationships

39:18 Transforming Institutions with Systemic Ideas

47:28 Reimagining Adoption Practices

49:57 Essential Systemic Ideas for Social Workers

53:09 Understanding Risk in Social Work

54:51 The Role of Lived Experience in Practice

57:03 Introduction to Relational Activism

58:31 The Poem of Compassion

Relational Activism: https://www.relationalactivism.com/

Rich's BASW Child Protection sessions: https://basw.co.uk/social-work-child-protection-professional-practice-programme

Rich Devine's blog: https://richarddevinesocialwork.com/about/

Tim Fisher LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/timfisher101/

Rich Devine LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-devine-181763177/

Relational Activism: https://www.relationalactivism.com/

Rich's BASW Child Protection sessions: https://basw.co.uk/social-work-child-protection-professional-practice-programme

Rich Devine's blog: https://richarddevinesocialwork.com/about/

Tim Fisher LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/timfisher101/

Rich Devine LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-devine-181763177/