Best National Center on Restorative Justice Podcasts (2025)

1
Young Person Bench Marking Forum: In Their Own Words 1:11:24

9d ago1:11:24

1:11:24

Send us a text This episode was recorded in Leeds at National Leaving Care Bench Marking Forum with Harlie, Victoria, Dyllan and Mark from the Young Person Bench Marking Forum. This episode explores what Young Person Bench Marking Forum is, and key recommendations which have come out of the ‘In Their Own Words’ Report in relation to working with an…

1
Reunification: Putting hope and relationships at the heart of practice 54:12

16d ago54:12

54:12

Send us a text This episode focusses on reunification, with the main body of the episode recorded at the Reunification Conference in Coventry. The episode features Matt’s opening of the conference, followed by speakers from the day and the voices of families and practitioners from Coventry’s reunification service. Thank you for listening to The Rel…

1
Luke Rodgers: More than a story 1:12:42

23d ago1:12:42

1:12:42

Send us a text This week Matt and Hannah are joined by Luke Rodgers, a lived experienced leader, award winning social entrepreneur and the founder and CEO of Care Leaders. This episode explores the reasons behind why Luke made the decision to stop sharing his own story of being in care, his views on care experience as a protected characteristic, an…

1
Lemn Sissay: Gold from the Stone – care, poetry and Christmas dinners 54:21

1M ago54:21

54:21

Send us a text This week Hannah and Matt are joined by Lemn Sissay, poet, writer and founder and trustee of the Gold from the Stone Foundation. In this episode Lemn shares his experiences of being a young person in care and leaving care, and the importance of love and care in the care system. We discuss poetry, writing, the Gold from the Stone Foun…

1
Catherine Gladwell: Refugee Week – Community as a superpower 54:20

1M ago54:20

54:20

Send us a text This week Matt and Hannah are joined by Catherine Gladwell, Founder and Chief Executive of Refugee Actions UK to talk about the importance of education for refugee and asylum-seeking children. The episode explores some of the insights that Catherine has gained from working with children, young people and teachers through humanitarian…

1
Dr Lisa Cherry: Weaving a Web of Belonging 1:14:30

1M ago1:14:30

1:14:30

Send us a text This episode begins by Hannah and Matt discussing the tragic event which happened at the Liverpool Premier League celebrations, and the reaction to this in the media and online. Hannah and Matt are then joined by Dr Lisa Cherry, to talk about her new book, ‘Weaving a Web of Belonging’. The episode explores trauma informed practice, k…

1
Jo Williams: Supervision and the spaces in between 54:14

2M ago54:14

54:14

Send us a text In this episode Hannah and Matt are joined by Jo Williams, an independent social work consultant, author and research, with a particular interest in supervision and social work leadership. This episode explores the components of good quality supervision, and how supervision does not only take place within one-to-one and group setting…

1
Donald Forrester: From AI to difficult conversations – practice considerations for social work practice moving forwards 1:06:28

2M ago1:06:28

1:06:28

Send us a text In this episode Matt and Hannah are joined by Donald Forrester, Professor of Child and Family Social Work at Cardiff University, the Director of CASCADE the Children’s Social Care Research and Development Centre, and the Deputy Director SCALE the Centre Social Care and Artificial Intelligence Learning. The episode explores the use of…

1
Cllr Pat Seaman: The role of local politics in Children’s Services 49:11

2M ago49:11

49:11

Send us a text In this episode Matt and Hannah are joined by Cllr Pat Seaman, Lead Member for Children’s at Coventry City Council. Pat talks about the importance of relationships, community and help being available for families when they are in need. We discuss Pat’s journey into politics and the role that local politics plays in how Children’s Ser…

1
Isabelle Trowler: The future of social work according to the Chief Social Worker 57:27

2M ago57:27

57:27

Send us a text This episode starts by announcing which two of our newsletter subscribers are the first winners of a Madlug bag and some podcast merchandise. Hannah and Matt are then joined by Isabelle Trowler, Chief Social Worker for Children and Families. The episode explores Isabelle’s role as Chief Social Worker, and social work as a political p…

1
Rachael Wardell: Episode brought to you in affiliation with the Association of Directors of Children's Services 58:22

3M ago58:22

58:22

Send us a text In this episode Matt and Hannah speak with Rachael Wardell, Executive Director of Children, Families and Lifelong Learning (DCS) at Surrey County Council and President of The Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS). This episode explores the work of the ADCS and Rachael’s hopes for her presidency, including tackling ch…

1
Dave Linton: Make a difference luggage - can bags bring dignity to care leavers 54:38

3M ago54:38

54:38

Send us a text We are back after having a break over Easter with the first episode of Series 3! In this episode, Matt and Hannah chat with Dave Linton, founder and CEO at Madlug. This episode explores how Dave went from being a youth worker to a social entrepreneur, after hearing how many children in care have to move their belongings in bin bags, …

1
Laurie Kilby: Weekending - reimagining fostering through the lens of relationships 41:20

4M ago41:20

41:20

Send us a text It’s the final episode of Series 2! In this episode Hannah and Matt are joined by Laurie Kilby, Co-Founder and Practice Lead at the charity Now Foster. This episode explores Weekenders, an innovative approach to foster care, based on wrapping love and support around young people, building life long relationships and connection, and t…

1
The Relational Social Work Podcast Live: What role does Children’s Services have in a tumultuous world? 50:47

4M ago50:47

50:47

Send us a text This episode was recorded at Compass Jobs Fair in Birmingham with a live studio audience. First Matt and Hannah speak with Kellie Doubtfire (Publishing and Events Director at Compass) about Compass and Social Work Today, before speaking with a panel of guests: Beverley Barnett-Jones (Associate Director at Nuffield Family Justice Obse…

1
Diversity and Inclusion in the Family Justice System: A Family Justice Council Conference special 42:07

4M ago42:07

42:07

Send us a text This week’s episode was recorded at the Family Justice Council Conference in Birmingham. Hannah and Matt are joined first by Sir Andrew McFarlane, President of the Family Division, Head of Family Justice and Chair of the Family Justice Council, to discuss the role of the Family Justice Council before sharing some key messages for soc…

1
Ryan O'Donnell: A story fit for Hollywood - A foster carer and father fighting for reunification in a broken system 59:20

5M ago59:20

59:20

Send us a text In this episode Hannah and Matt chat with Ryan O’Donnell, Co-Founder and CEO of Sunlight and previous foster carer in America, about his experience of fostering a young boy who had “no family” and how a chance encounter found his father. This episode explores a journey of reunification which saw many injustices for a black father and…

1
Yvette Stanley: Ofsted’s next chapter - rethinking inspection and focusing on what matters 1:01:46

5M ago1:01:46

1:01:46

Send us a text In this episode, Matt and Hannah speak with Yvette Stanley, National Director of Social Care at Ofsted about inspection and regulation. The episode explores how Ofsted captures relationships, love and care in their reports, and how they have embraced relational practice. Yvette talks about the changes that are coming to the ILACS (In…

1
Sue and Chloe, The House Project: Moving on in community 51:38

5M ago51:38

51:38

Send us a text In this episode Matt and Hannah chat with Sue Hammersley, Director at National House Project, and Chloe, Care Leavers National Movement Champion, about the work of the National House Project and changing the narrative in relation to young people with care experience. The episode explores the importance of relationships, and how these…

1
Dez Holmes: What role does research play in practice? 1:01:30

5M ago1:01:30

1:01:30

Send us a text In this episode Dez Holmes, Director of Research in Practice and Strategic Director of the National Children’s Bureau, talks with Matt and Hannah about evidence informed practice, the complexities of relational practice and how practice is a by-product of systems, leadership and infrastructure. Thank you for listening to The Relation…

1
Tony Stanley: Should UK social work be aspiring to follow the Land of the Long White Cloud? 56:42

5M ago56:42

56:42

Send us a text In this episode Hannah and Matt are joined from New Zealand by Tony Stanley, National Practice Advisor at Oranga Tamariki – Ministry for Children. The episode explores child protection practice in both New Zealand and the UK and the importance of practice frameworks as a scaffold for social work practice. Tony talks with Matt and Han…

1
Anna Glinski: Finding hope in dark places 53:28

6M ago53:28

53:28

Send us a text This episode starts with Matt and Hannah’s reflections on the discussion they with Josh MacAlister last week. Hannah and Matt are then joined by Anna Glinski, Deputy Director of the Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse. The episode explores some of the recommendations of The Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel’s report into…

1
Josh MacAlister: Disrupting and Reforming Children's Social Care 1:01:17

6M ago1:01:17

1:01:17

Send us a text In this episode Matt and Hannah chat with Josh MacAlister, Labour MP, former teacher, founder of Frontline and Chair of the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care. The episode explores the progress of social care reforms since the review was published, how it has informed the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill, and his hopes…

1
Emily Frith: Making adoption work in the 21st Century 48:07

6M ago48:07

48:07

Send us a text It’s Blue Monday, so this episode starts with Matt and Hannah sharing some of their own struggles with their mental health and wellbeing. They are then joined by Emily Frith, CEO of Adoption UK, exploring the importance of relationships and support in adoption, open adoption and what this means for children, birth families and adopti…

1
Katrin Bain and John Harris: Parents as citizens – ensuring they are not forgotten in child protection 52:09

6M ago52:09

52:09

Send us a text It’s the first episode of Series 2, and Hannah, Matt and Producer Arin are delighted to be back in the studio. In this episode Matt and Hannah chat with Katrin and John about their book, ‘Social Work, Parents and the Child Protection Process’. This episode includes an exploration of some of the representations of parents which Katrin…

1
Always Hope: Bringing innovative change to complex systems 57:27

7M ago57:27

57:27

Send us a text In the final episode of series 1, Hannah, Matt and Producer Arin talk about previous episodes, sharing their reflections of the series as a whole. Matt and Hannah then chat with Jessie Ben-Ami and Frances Flaxington from The Innovation Unit about the work they do, with a particular focus on Always Hope, a project which has brought pr…

1
Sukriti Sen: Fighting for fairness - from Bangladeshi school girl to Coventry’s DCS 47:20

8M ago47:20

47:20

Send us a text In this episode Matt and Hannah speak with Sukriti Sen, the Director of Coventry City Council’s Children’s and Education Services. Sukriti shares her experiences of growing up as a person of colour, her experiences of racism, her sense of fairness, and the importance of Children’s Services representing the communities that they serve…

1
Beth Vecchione: Changing lives through the arts 47:34

8M ago47:34

47:34

Send us a text In this episode Matt and Hannah chat with Beth Vecchione, founder and Director of Care to Dance, about the impact that dance can have on the lives of care experienced young people. The episode explores the importance of access to the arts, trauma informed approaches, and how social work can be brought into a creative space to support…

1
The Children and Families Truth Commission: Listening to voices which are hard to hear 51:23

8M ago51:23

51:23

Send us a text In this week’s episode Hannah and Matt speak with Michele Simmons, Simon Howarth and Natasha Phillips, authors of ‘Eroding the Right to Family Life: Human Rights violations in Britain’s child protection systems’. This episode explores the findings of this report, developed through the voices of over 600 parents and young people who h…

1
Stories from Childhood: A World Children’s Day Special 47:13

8M ago47:13

47:13

Send us a text To mark World Children’s Day which takes place on 20th November, in this episode Matt, Hannah and producer Arin, will share stories from their childhoods, reflect on how these experiences have shaped them, and reminisce about their favourite TV programmes and childhood foods. This episode explores identity, loss, shame, strength and …

1
Professor Richard Rose: Ghosts and Monsters - how our stories impact our today 47:25

8M ago47:25

47:25

Send us a text In this episode Professor Richard Rose speaks with Matt and Hannah about therapeutic life story work and the importance of helping children and young people make sense of their stories, and how this can support healing from trauma. Thank you for listening to The Relational Social Work Podcast. We are always interested to learn what y…

1
Tim Fisher & Rich Devine: What is relational activism? 58:08

9M ago58:08

58:08

Send us a text In this episode Matt and Hannah chat with Tim and Rich about the meaning of relational activism, what this looks like in the context of child protection practice, and how family group conferences, connecting with the community, and parents participation and peer advocacy are key to relational practice. Thank you for listening to The …

1
Hannah McCowen: What does our response to care leavers say about us as a nation? 46:55

9M ago46:55

46:55

Send us a text To mark National Care Leavers Week 2024, in this episode Matt and Hannah chat with Hannah McCowen, National Leaving Care Benchmarking Forum Manager at Catch 22 about some of the challenges that care leavers face in the UK, some amazing work which is happening with care leavers across the country, and how as a society we need to do mo…

1
Sian Williams: Tackling realities of financial exclusion 54:11

9M ago54:11

54:11

Send us a text In this episode Sian Williams, CEO at Switchback, talks about the the importance of financial inclusion to build a fairer and more just society. The power of co-production in designing services is explored, as well as the importance of trusting relationships in supporting young men leaving custody to move towards their future aspirat…

1
Pam Ledward: Putting families and kinship carers at the heart of the care system 54:07

10M ago54:07

54:07

Send us a text To mark Kinship Week 2024, in this episode Pam Ledward, Principal Social Work Adviser at Family Rights Group talks with Matt and Hannah about working ‘with’ families, in their widest sense, including how Family Rights Group champions kinship carers, and changes that the organisation would like to see in how kinship carers are support…

1
Ian Thomas: Healing through connection 54:11

10M ago54:11

54:11

Send us a text "With relational trauma we need relational healing, and relational healing happens when we make a legitimate connection". Episode 2 features Ian Thomas, a social worker with a master’s degree in criminology, who brings a wealth of both lived and professional experience in trauma, addiction, criminal justice, and the children in care …

1
Dr. Beverley Barnett-Jones: Bringing hope into social work 57:17

10M ago57:17

57:17

Send us a text Episode 1 featuring Dr. Beverley Barnett-Jones, Associate Director for System and Impact at the Nuffield Justice Observatory. This episode will introduce you to the podcast hosts, Matt Clayton and Hannah Bedford, and explore how to create hope and support change with families, recognising the struggles which families face, balancing …

1
S2, Episode 7: Policy & Advocacy in Trying Times w/Dr. Teiahsha Bankhead & Ames Stenson 55:07

1+ y ago55:07

55:07

Most states now have legislation that endorses restorative justice. This episode explores questions such as: How important is legislation for restorative justice implementation? What can legislation provide? How does it limit or ensure best practice? What advocacy is needed to promote policy change? How can restorative justice practitioners and pro…

1
S2, Episode 6: From Cultural Competency to Cultural Humility w/Ish Orkar 40:38

1+ y ago40:38

40:38

In Colorizing Restorative Justice, practitioners of color relate their experiences in the field, examining the inherent contradiction of using these practices within Western, white dominant, settler societies. This episode will explore questions around how cultural competency can be prioritized in equitable systems design, including: How do we acco…

1
S2, Episode 5: Bias, Decision-Making, & Risk w/Seth Lennon Nguyen-Weiner & Richard Cruz 48:40

1+ y ago48:40

48:40

Around the United States, restorative justice programs establish different criteria for eligibility for restorative justice including the age of the responsible party, the willingness of the harmed party for the case to go through restorative justice, the type of offense, prior record, and more. There is also an extensive range of subjective measur…

1
S2, Episode 4: From Procedural Fairness to Procedural Justice w/Rami El Gharib & Jasmyn Story 54:48

1+ y ago54:48

54:48

Procedural justice concerns the fairness and transparency of the processes by which decisions are made, and may be contrasted with retributive justice (fairness in the punishment of wrongs). Allowing all parties to be heard before a decision is made is one step which may lead to a process being characterized and perceived as procedurally fair. Some…

1
S2, Episode 3: Making Research & Evaluation Real w/Dr. Anne Hobbs & Monica Miles-Steffens 49:06

1+ y ago49:06

49:06

Restorative justice researchers Heather Strang and Larry Sherman (2015) argue, “In the past two decades, restorative justice has been the subject of more rigorous criminological research than perhaps any other strategy for crime prevention and victim support.” But this growing empirical evidence does not always inform program design and implementat…

1
S2, Episode 2: Scaling Restorative Justice & Ensuring Program Fidelity w/Francisco Carbajal & Judge Michael Begert 44:50

1+ y ago44:50

44:50

Many restorative justice programs have been launched by people who are passionate and experienced restorative justice practitioners. They were careful to build their programs with great attention to detail and fidelity to best practices. But when they have tried to expand their programs to handle greater caseloads or across jurisdictions, they have…

1
S2, Episode 1: Defining Equitable Systems w/Jonathan Scharrer 43:52

1+ y ago43:52

43:52

Restorative justice processes and practices in the United States associated with all stages of the criminal legal system have grown exponentially over the last three decades. From community-based pilot programs to national technical assistance and training, the interest in restorative approaches has generated challenges and opportunities for system…

1
Season 1, Episode 5: Who's In and Who's Out? Problematizing Peacemaking Circles in Diverse Classrooms w/Christina Parker 36:11

3+ y ago36:11

36:11

In this episode, hosts LTomay Douglas and Alanna Ojibway speak with Christina Parker, who is one author of the chapter “Who’s In and Who’s Out: Problematizing Peacemaking Circles in Diverse Classrooms” in Colorizing Restorative Justice. Christina’s work provides a critical lens of the way peacemaking circles in classrooms do not always provide a sa…

1
Season 1, Episode 4: Creating Safety for Ourselves w/Johonna McCants-Turner 44:29

4y ago44:29

44:29

In this episode, hosts LTomay Douglas and Alanna Ojibway speak with Dr. Johonna McCants-Turner about her journey from youth organizing to transformative justice and how listening to the lived experiences and wisdom of youth can provide some of the most valuable insight into the ways safety/justice are defined and approached. Johonna offers a critic…

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Season 1, Episode 3: Undoing the First Harm: Settlers in Restorative Justice w/Edward Valandra 43:03

4y ago43:03

43:03

In this episode, hosts LTomay Douglas and Alanna Ojibway speak with Edward Valandra, Waŋbli Wapȟáha Hokšíla, who is both an author and editor for Colorizing Restorative Justice. His chapter, “Undoing the First Harm: Settlers in Restorative Justice,” gives voice to the need for settlers to recognize the ways that restorative justice too often fails …

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Season 1, Episode 2: Co-opting Restorative Justice in Higher Education w/Dr. Desiree Anderson 32:04

4y ago32:04

32:04

In this episode, hosts LTomay Douglas and Alanna Ojibway speak with Dr. Desiree Anderson, who authored the chapter in Colorizing Restorative Justice titled “Co-opting Restorative Justice in Higher Education.” Desiree earned her Ph.D. from the University of New Orleans (UNO) and focused her research on the use of campus-based restorative justice app…

1
Season 1, Episode 1: Women Colorizing Restorative Justice in White-Led Institutions w/Rochelle Arms Almengor 40:50

4y ago40:50

40:50

In this episode, hosts LTomay Douglas and Alanna Ojibway speak with Rochelle Arms Almengor about her chapter in Colorizing Restorative Justice: "Women Colorizing Restorative Justice in White-Led Institutions." Rochelle’s research is rooted both in her own experience as an RJ coordinator working in predominantly White-led institutions, as well as ye…

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