Ep 1: Welcome to SWS

The podcast "Social Work Squawk" explores social work themes and issues in Rotorua, New Zealand. It features conversations with social workers, community members, and experts on topics like mental health, child protection, and social policy. The podcast also shares personal journeys and reflections, aiming to educate and inspire listeners. Social workers face challenges such as staff shortages and limited resources, but they are passionate about making a difference in the community. The podcast aims to support social workers, provide information and education, and foster a sense of connection and collaboration. Welcome to Bell Bird's new podcast, Social Work Squawk. The podcast that explores social work themes and issues in Rotorua, New Zealand. This podcast will be hosted by a range of people, mostly social workers, but always people passionate about the community and the work that we do. In this podcast, we'll be talking to other social workers, community members, and experts about all sorts of topics, including mental health, child protection, cultural diversity, social policy, and so much more. We will also be sharing our own journeys of learning and reflection as we share conversations that we've had at our Bell Bird book club, ideas we're exploring, and reflections on our own practice. Whether you're a social worker yourself, a student, or just interested in learning more about the profession and the challenges we face, this podcast is for you. Collectively, we've been working in social work for decades, and we're passionate about sharing experiences and insights with others. Social work is a very rewarding, but also very challenging profession, and we wanted to create a platform where we could discuss the issues that matter to the people we work with. Social work is about relationships. It's about community. It's about robust conversations, challenging our thinking, learning from each other, and hopefully being able to have a laugh too. We also wanted to showcase the amazing work that social workers do in our community of Rotorua, and how they make a difference in the lives of whanau and the wider community. We hope that by listening to this podcast, you'll gain a better understanding of what social work is all about, and maybe even get inspired to support us and join us in our mission. Some of the challenges that social workers currently face in Rotorua and across the country. High demand for staff and shortages. According to a survey by the Social Work Registration Board, there is a nationwide shortage of social workers, with an average of three vacant positions per place of employment. Complex and diverse needs of whanau. Social workers in Rotorua work with whanau who may have various health, social, emotional, cultural, and financial issues. They provide services such as assessments, counselling, advocacy, referrals, education, and so much more. And yet we have a lack of resources and support. Social workers often face challenges such as limited funding, inadequate facilities, heavy workloads, a lack of supervision and training. And we often rely on community organisations and networks for assistance and collaboration. And this podcast is just another way in which we can connect and support each other. The purpose of this podcast is to support social workers and those interested in the topic of social work. We want to provide information and education covering various social work themes and issues. We want to be able to interview experts, researchers, share their knowledge, insights, and just talk about things. We want to promote reflection and learning, encouraging social workers and other listeners to reflect on their own practice, their values, their beliefs. Providing tips and resources for professional development and a lifelong conversation and passion about the impact that we can have on our community. And we want to create a community, create a network. This podcast will foster a sense of connection and belonging among social workers and listeners. It will create opportunities for feedback, discussion, and collaboration. We're really excited to be able to bring you our podcast, Social Work Squawk. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride.