Community Care's podcast

The latest UK social work vacancy rates and news that talks between the College of Social Work and the British Association of Social Workers have broken down are discussed in this programme.

A Parliamentary report on the performance of the Care Quality Commission, news that nursing homes are the least compliant with CQC standards and falling numbers of local authority children's homes are all discussed in this week's programme

The damaging effects of council cuts on home care users workers and the launch of Community Care's new You Care website for domiciliary and residential care workers feature in this week's podcast

A new child protection training video game, the pros and cons of social workers working from home and news that one in 10 council adult social care budgets may be illegal, all feature in this week's programme.

Social workers being pulled out of mental health teams, the closure of an online forum for disabled people and carers and how a workplace healthcheck improved working conditions in Surrey

Reflecting on the causes of the recent riots in England, their impact on social care and some of the responses from opinion formers in the national media. (Pic: Eddie Mulholland/Rex Features)

A special report from the picket line in Southampton as more than 450 social work staff staged a one-day strike over pay cuts. Hear from the social workers, union leaders and the Conservative council leader to find out more.

Intimidation in social work, should philosophy play more of a role in social care? And Castlebeck’s response to a damning Care Quality Commission report on its services post the abuse scandal at Winterbourne View

Is Community Care too political? The chief regulator Harry Cayton blasts single college of social work talks. And what exactly does the future hold for social care? We speak to public finance professionals at the annual CIPFA conference.

Why the Care Quality Commission wants to double inspections of adult care services, how child protection deadlines are to go by the end of the year, and the latest developments from Southern Cross and the college of social work.

The Dilnot review on adult care funding, Graham Allen's report on early intervention and a review of Isolation Week are all featured in this week's podcast

The forthcoming Dilnot review of adult social care funding, a government U-turn on social care, why you shouldn't opt out of local government pensions and a change in adoption policy come under the spotlight in this week's episode

How to prevent the abuse of people with learning disabilities and challenging behaviour in the wake of Winterbourne View.

Should all young offenders be classed as children in care?

And we catch up on how Pam Stopforth, the social worker taking part in Isolation Week has fared

We discuss measures to combat the sexual exploitation of children, carers week and the isolation of older people

Is the Sun’s apology to a social worker involved in the Baby P case a victory for the profession? And we talk to Alan Long, executive director of the Mears Group and Andy Chaplin, director of Foundations – the body for home improvement agencies – on how to enable individuals to make the right decision on their care needs.

Is there a crisis in adult social care? We examine the Winterbourne View abuse scandal and the financial crisis facing Southern Cross. And we explore how social workers can be good corporate parents

This week's podcast is a personalisation special, featuring interviews with Unison social care lead Helga Pile and social care academic Peter Beresford

We discuss last week's Community Care Live event in London, including issues such as the Munro report, the social work college and the use of social media.

It has been an important week for social care. The Law Commission has proposed the biggest legal reforms in 60 years to adult social care.

And Professor Eileen Munro has set out how child protection social work should be reformed.

Community Care is joined by three leading figures in social care - Andrew Cozens, strategic adviser at the Local Government Group, Julie Jones, chief executive of the Social Care Institute of Excellence and Peter Hay, president of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services - to discuss what these reforms mean.

Plus, live coverage of the #hardesthit protest against disability cuts.

Why social care professionals think outsourcing reduces quality. How the Care Quality Commission has seen a 70% drop in inspections. And should social workers head to Australia for a job?

Why social workers say the cuts are causing child abuse to be downgraded. Will adult social work practices reduce bureaucracy, or are they just privatisation by the back door? Reflective practice in social work explained. And the latest exploits of Cardigan, the UK's first social work dog.

Is personalisation a cover for social work job losses? Are social work directors doing enough to stand up to government cuts? How can child protection and mental health social workers work together more effectively? And what does social work's first dog think about the future of the profession?

The family justice review, powers of entry for social workers in adult abuse cases, how social workers deal with living in small communities and whether referrals should be handled by non-qualified staff are all featured in this week's episode

Changes to public sector pensions, hair-testing for drug and alcohol misuse, intimate relations between people with dementia and what to wear for an interview feature in this week's episode.