Duty To Question

In this podcast, Sarah Phillimore explains her many concerns about the Bill and its impact on families, on local authorities and on the justice system - both in care proceedings and in the criminal courts. 

This is the first of a number of podcasts we plan to have on this draft Bill.  Members of EBSWA discuss fears that this Bill will make safe professional practice even more impossible than it is now.  Maggie, Emma and Jane share concerns about the Bill's criminal and civil measures which look set to create a culture of fear amongst families and across people working with children or vulnerable adults.  Have a listen and get your views into the Parliament Committee working on the Bill before the cut off date of 16 November.  Check out our website! www.ebswa.org  

This is an account of Mandy's experience applying to be a foster carer with a major Scottish charity and being rejected for expressing concerns about the consequences of trans ideologyfor vulnerable children and teens. Mandy discusses her  experience with Maggie and Emma of EBSWA, and what this might say about how badly care services  have been compromised. 

Guest speaker Jane Fenton Professor Emeritus talks about her research and teaching on the importance of open discussion and challenge  in social work teaching and practice. Jane is joined by Emma Darling and Nicki Benge both fairly recently qualified social workers in practice in England. 

How have the courts ruled on cases brought in the English family courts? Following the ethical approval of the Pathways Trial which could see children as young as 10 receive puberty blockers,Sarah Phillimore, barrister in the family courts, and staunch defender of free speech and children and families rights, and Charlies Plummer, formerly CAFCASS, now independent social worker, joined Maggie Mellon of EBSWA to discuss the current state of case law and the legality of CAFCASS's current guidance to its staff and to independent Guardians ad Litem reporting to the courts.  Following this discussion, with Sarah's support,  EBSWA will now be investigating ways to challenge the CAFCASS guidance. 

In this episode, we speak with professor Alice Sullivan. Alice is a professor of sociology at University College London and was recently commissioned by the government to lead a review into the collection of data pertaining to sex and gender. She has also edited the book Sex and Gender: A Contemporary Reader. Within the discussion, we cover the ways in which sex and gender data becomes unclear, why this is bad for everyone, how it can be improved, and some of the unexpected and shocking safeguarding concerns that were raised by the review.

EBSWA podcast, discussing how and why the best interests of the child principle has been forgotten by the  "affirmative" approach to gender identity in children. Robin Carling, Maggie Mellon and Miriam 

An Evidence Based Social Work Alliance Podcast, EBSWA's Robin Carling which George Fielding, disability rights campaigner, Sarah Philimore, barrister in the family courts, and Miriam a children's social worker discuss the impact of disability on development of sexuality and how embracing gender identity can offer distraction from realities of disability”.

Stephanie Davies Arai, founder and director of Transgender Trend in conversation with Robin Carling of EBSWA on the likely or hoped for impact of the recent Supreme Court ruling (FWS V Scottish Government) that S*x means biological s*x and is not changed by a Gender Recognition Certificate or by any process of gender reassignment. What should  this mean for children's services?