Decolonising Social Work Practicum

On 29 January 2026, 47 student colleagues from universities in Sweden, Finland, Germany, Switzerland and Austria came together at Malmö University for an EASSW-funded full-day workshop exploring how decolonising ideas can move from listening and reflection into dialogue and action.The workshop formed part of Malmö University’s international course Social Work: Social Policies and Welfare Studies. Participants collectively engaged with the Decolonising Social Work Practicum podcast series through listening, reflection, embodied activities and small-group dialogue.This episode brings together voices from that day. Participants reflect on whose knowledge and voices are heard, what happens when majority and less-heard perspectives meet, the discomfort and uncertainty involved in questioning familiar ways of thinking, and how learning might be carried forward into action.The Malmö dialogue subsequently informed the development of Unmuting Practice (UNMUTE), Henglien Lisa Chen’s synthesis of the co-created learning into a dialogic approach to decolonising practice education.UNMUTE brings together six interconnected elements: Uncover, Name, Make space, Unlearn, Turn and Enact. Rather than being a fixed sequence, the elements can be entered and revisited in different ways as context, relationships, knowledge and action change.The UNMUTE working paper is now available open access on our website: Decolonising Social Work Practicum.

Why should social work students care about the profession’s colonial history? In this episode, hosts Dr. Sharlotte Tusasiirwe and Dr. Abigail Joseph Magwood speak with Dr. Sonia Tascone to uncover how colonialism continues to shape social work education, practice, and knowledge today. Through global perspectives from Australia, Germany, Uganda, and the UK, they explore Eurocentric curricula, language dominance, racialized power dynamics, and the marginalisation of Indigenous ways of knowing. The conversation highlights the importance of discomfort, embodiment, and creative expression in decolonising practice.

What does ‘Wellbeing’ truly mean, and who gets to define it? In this episode, host Henglien Lisa Chen speaks with Dr. Wasiq Silan, an Indigenous scholar from Taiwan, to explore holistic, community-rooted understandings of care. They reflect on colonial legacies, power dynamics, and the risks of using neoliberal frameworks to achieve decolonisation. Drawing on Indigenous principles like Gaga and Malahan, the episode challenges dominant models and offers powerful lessons in cultural humility, relational care, and reflective practice.A thought-provoking listen for social work students, educators, and practitioners seeking to decolonise from the inside out.

In this episode, we go beyond England’s Professional Capabilities Framework (PCF) to explore its limitations in addressing global social justice and culturally diverse perspectives in social work field education. Hosted by Henglien Lisa Chen, our guests Phyllis Ngai and Shabnam Ahmed share insights on Indigenous rights, UNDRIP, and the need to challenge Western-centric frameworks. They offer practical strategies for educators and students to adopt more inclusive, critically reflective approaches to placement learning. The episode highlights specific ways UK social work education can engage with global and Indigenous knowledge systems.

What does a culturally relevant field placement look like in social work education? In this episode, host Ann Anka hosts a powerful dialogue with Dr. Carlene Cornish and student Zahra Farkane to explore how dominant placement models often overlook the lived realities of Black, Asian, and minority ethnic students. Drawing on the Sawubona model—an Afrocentric framework grounded in dignity, empathy, and seeing the whole person. The conversation offers tools to support inclusive learning and challenge racial bias. Whether educator, student, or practitioner, this episode invites reflection on power, identity, and transformative supervision.

What does it mean to practise social work rooted in culture, community, and collective care? In this episode, guest Thierry Kwizera, a social worker from Burundi, joins host Henglien Lisa Chen to explore how community-led models challenge dominant Western frameworks. From gender-based violence interventions to environmental social work, Thierry shares how culturally grounded, group-based approaches create space for empowerment and healing. Together, they reflect on the importance of centering local voices, respecting cultural norms, and resisting top-down international aid. A powerful conversation for anyone reimagining social work beyond individualism and towards sustainable, community-based change.

In this episode, we are joined by host Libby Hammond and guest Shirley Young, an Aboriginal social worker from South Australia. The conversation challenges Western frameworks that dominate social work education and practice. Shirley shares personal and professional insights on the long-standing colonial impacts on Aboriginal communities that highlight how assimilation policies, intergenerational trauma, and systemic distrust shape present-day interactions with social workers.She also introduces the richness and resilience of Aboriginal kinship structures, illustrating how expansive and supportive extended family systems differ from Western nuclear models. The episode calls on future social workers to deeply listen, understand Indigenous perspectives, and value culturally grounded ways of knowing, being, and doing. Through stories and reflective dialogue, this episode is a call to action and a guide for integrating Indigenous knowledge into social work education. A reminder to shift from theory to practice in meaningful and respectful ways.

How do immigration, trauma, and colonial legacies intersect in gender-based violence policy and practice? In this episode, host Professor Nishi Mitra Vom Berg speaks with Yvonne Tyree, a UK-based social worker with over 30 years’ experience supporting migrant survivors. Together, they explore honour-based abuse, trauma-informed care across cultures, and how power, privilege, and policy gaps shape frontline realities. With deeply reflective storytelling, Yvonne shares practical ways to decolonise field education, reframe advocacy, and work relationally with survivors. A powerful listen for social work students, educators, and practitioners committed to equity and systemic change.

What does it mean to embed justice at the heart of education, technology, and field practice? In this episode, we have our host Michael Wallengren Lynch and Dr. Taskeen Adam, a researcher and educator whose work spans digital education, decoloniality, and global justice. Drawing on her framework of justice as content, process, and pedagogy, which also formed a part of the scoping review on decolonising social work field education, we explore how colonial legacies persist in the technologies and pedagogies shaping social work education today.Dr. Adam challenges the field to look beyond superficial fixes and equity talk, inviting us into deeper conversations about structural inequalities, AI-driven marginalisation, and the need to centre power and relationality in our practices. We reflect on the limitations of current digital tools and the possibilities of decolonial approaches that value plural ways of knowing, being, and doing.Whether you're a social work educator, student, or someone reckoning with the intersections of justice and technology, this episode offers provocations, frameworks, and hope for meaningful transformation.

What does it mean to decolonise and rehumanise social work field education? In this episode, host Catherine Ellis speaks with Wayne Reid from the British Association of Social Workers. Together, they explore how colonial legacies persist in field placements and how tools like Woolly Racism and Shades of Bias can support reflection and change. The discussion highlights the need for psychological safety, critical reflection, and collective responsibility. Give it a listen and you will be reminded of your power to challenge injustice and reimagine social work practice grounded in equity, dignity, and transformative learning.