Learn on the go: the Community Care podcast

A manually transcribed transcript of the recording is available here.
Welcome to Learn on the go, the podcast from Community Care Inform, where we discuss the issues affecting social workers and social care practitioners.
Our guest for this episode is Destiny Nicholls and we’re talking about how the language and actions from social workers and foster carers can have ramifications well beyond a child’s time in care.
Destiny spent her childhood in and out of care and her experiences have led her to write a guide about caring for black hair and skin because she doesn’t want any other young black person to feel the way she was made to feel – different.
Questions were asked by Natalie Valios, senior content editor, Community Care Inform Adults.
00:01:06 - In and out of care
00:04:45 - Foster placement breakdown
00:07:48 - Repercussions
00:09:43 - Listen, don't judge
00:17:12 - Trust dented
00:21:44 - The importance of language
00:27:14 - Trauma not trouble
00:28:49 - The impact of racism
00:34:27 - Understanding black hair and skin
00:40:07 - Messages to take away


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A manually transcribed transcript of this podcast episode is available here.
Welcome to Learn on the go, the podcast from Community Care Inform, where we discuss the issues affecting social workers and social care practitioners.
In this episode of Learn on the go, Dr Alice Loving and Azariah Hope come together to share professional and personal reflections about how best to support children, parents and carers navigating the social care system.
Dr Alice Loving has worked in child protection for 15 years. She delivers training on ‘Applying Attachment, Trauma and Mentalization-based principles in social work practice' to social care practitioners within the UK and Ireland. She is passionate about improving the teaching and training of social workers to better prepare them for practice that facilitates more positive outcomes for families. In this episode, Alice shares insights from her work with parents and carers and how to work with families to support the best outcomes.
Azariah Hope is the founding director and CEO of Futures Rerooted CIC. In this episode, she shares her lived experience of being in care as a child and navigating the care system as a parent. She bravely explores topics such as family proceedings, mental health and trauma.
Learning points:
By the end of the episode, listeners should:
Understand why lived experience matters in shaping social care.
Hear directly from a parent about what social care interactions felt like.
Understand how trauma, attachment and relationships influence family experiences.
Leave with practical reflections they can apply in their own work.
Additional resources
Nurturing Nature CIC | Mentalization based video intervention
FUTURES REROOTED CIC | trauma informed
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A manually transcribed transcript of this podcast is available here.
Welcome to Learn on the go, the podcast from Community Care Inform, where we discuss the issues affecting social workers and social care practitioners.
This is a special, one-off edition of Learn on the go, discussing the seismic Supreme Court ruling on 2 June 2026 which overruled its own decision in P v Cheshire West and Chester Council & Anor [2014] UKSC 19 (Cheshire West) on the meaning of deprivation of liberty. In doing so, the Supreme Court held that:
There is no “acid test” when it comes to determining whether a person is deprived of their liberty, and instead a multifactorial assessment must be undertaken, and
A person who lacks capacity within the meaning of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 can still give valid consent to their confinement for the purposes of the subjective element of the Article 5 test.
Discussing this issue is Alex Ruck Keene, an experienced barrister, writer and educator. His practice at 39 Essex Chambers is focused on mental capacity, mental health and healthcare law, in which he has appeared in cases at all levels up to and including The Supreme Court and the European Court of Human Rights. And indeed, Alex was one of the barristers on the Attorney General for Northern Ireland's legal team in this Supreme Court case.
Questions were asked by Natalie Valios, senior content editor, Community Care Inform Adults.
0:01:30 - How the case came about
0:04:08 – Why judges have been uneasy about the acid test
0:08:03 – The parties involved and their arguments to the court
0:14:24 – Who did the Supreme Court rule in favour of?
0:15:38 – Clarifying the correct approach to identifying a deprivation of liberty
0:21:08 – The meaning of multifactorial
0:23:22 – Reassuring anyone worried about removal of safeguards for disabled people
0:26:24 – Can the case be challenged?
0:29:42 – Is a statutory definition needed?
0:32:14 – What happens next?
0:37:01 – What does this mean for Liberty Protection Safeguards?
References
The Supreme Court judgment
Supreme Court summary
Mental Capacity Law and Policy: Attorney General for Northern Ireland resources
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A manually transcribed transcript of this podcast is available here.
Welcome to Learn on the go, the podcast from Community Care Inform, where we discuss the issues affecting social workers and social care practitioners.
This episode looks at county lines and child criminal exploitation. Discussing this is Adam Elliott, founder of The Long Game, a youth-led intervention to reduce young people’s risk of exposure to these forms of modern slavery.
Adam uses his lived experience to highlight how children and young people are groomed, exploited and manipulated into county lines.
At about 1 hour and 20 minutes, this is an extended edition of Learn on the go but we feel it is justified. Adam’s story is hard-hitting and, at times, difficult to listen to but it is full of information and tangible red flags that have to be heard to be understood.
We realise that it’s a commitment on your part to sit with his story to the end but you will find learning points all the way through. If you’re finding it difficult to listen to, you may want to take a break and come back to it. We’d like to remind you to practise self-care and use supervision and peer support if you’ve been affected by this episode.
Questions were asked by Natalie Valios, senior content editor, Community Care Inform Adults.
00:01:45 – Life before county lines
00:03:44 – Stereotypes and vulnerabilities
00:06:52 – Being groomed
00:08:53 – Dropping off the first package
00:13:13 – Early warning signs
00:14:59 – How county lines operate
00:23:13 – A community problem
00:25:52 – Asking for help
00:27:52 – Trap houses
00:34:51 – Hope of escape
00:38:40 – Facing prison
00:42:57 – Knife and chemical attacks
00:48:53 – Victim of modern slavery
00:51:27 – Parents’ suspicions
00:54:39 – Arrest on 18th birthday
01:01:44 – Missing out on life
01:07:51 – Contextual safeguarding
01:10:07 – Family support
01:11:20 – Importance of knowing the slang
01:13:55 – Misconceptions
01:18:08 – Crime and Policing Bill
01:19:18 – Life now
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This episode focuses on welfare benefits and support in England and Wales.

The welfare benefits system is designed to provide financial support to individuals and families in need. However, according to a report published in 2025 by Policy in Practice, over 7 million households in the UK are missing out on benefits and support due to limited awareness, complexity in the benefits system and stigma around claiming. These barriers are found to often overlap and disproportionately affect people already facing other disadvantages, including carers, disabled adults, older people on low incomes, single parents and people without strong social networks.

Discussing this topic is Gary Vaux, the author of Community Care Inform's Benefits A-Z knowledge and practice hub. Gary has been involved in welfare rights for many years and until recently managed a team of local authority benefit and debt advice workers. His background includes training and writing on welfare benefit rules and policies, and he was also chair of the Social Security Advisers Group at the Local Government Association.

Questions are asked by Gemma Balmford, content editor at Community Care Inform Adults.

Subscribe to the Learn on the go series to stay up-to-date with new episodes. Look out for the final episode in Season 2, which will be released at the end of February 2026. 

Links to resources mentioned in this podcast
Advicenow
Age UK
Benefits and Work
CC Inform's benefits A-Z (free for CC Inform subscribers)
Child Poverty Action Group
Citizens Advice
Contact
Disability Rights UK
entitledto
Mencap
MIND
Motor Neurone Disease Association
Policy in Practice
Rightsnet
RNIB
RNID
Scope
Turn2Us
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