Care to chat? A podcast from the Northern Ireland Social Care Council

This is a podcast of conversations about social work and social care practice, registration and regulation in Northern Ireland.

Hosted by the Northern Ireland Social Care Council (the Social Care Council), and presented by broadcaster Dr Wendy Austin, this podcast series showcases conversations and interviews with people in the social work and social care community, as well as from across the health and social care system. We discuss things that matter to social workers and social care practitioners, inform their learning and development, address common questions, and talk about what we can do to best support the safe delivery of quality health and social care in Northern Ireland.

If you have any comments or feedback on our podcast, please contact us by emailing: comms@niscc.hscni.net.

Listening and subscribing

You can listen to the podcast episodes directly in your browser by selecting the podcast title from the list below and then clicking the triangle ‘Play’ icon. Read more about each episode by clicking the ‘[…]’ icon.

Tune in on Wednesday 27 May 2026 for the launch of the fourth season of our popular Social Care Council ‘Care to chat’ podcast with Dr Wendy Austin MBE returning as host to help tell stories important to the social work and social care workforce.

We start with a special episode focused on what it means to be a trauma-informed organisation with participants who have had different trauma-informed approach journeys, some with a lifetime of experience to share, others involved in supporting this key change across Northern Ireland and from social workers who are bringing a trauma-informed approach to life within their own organisations.

For those new to the term, it may sound jargonistic or too aspirational for the realities of daily practice but the opposite is true, it is an approach that seeks in an intentional way to understand, recognise and respond to the impact of trauma, to create safe and enabling environments for those we work with. There are lots of small steps that can be taken to work in a trauma informed way, this episode of 'Care to chat' will break it all down for you.