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In this episode of The Social Work Pivot Podcast, I’m joined by Sarah Cairns, a trauma-informed social worker with over a decade of experience across child protection, fostering and adoption, court work, and residential care in Scotland and England. Now balancing independent social work alongside a statutory role, Sarah shares her journey, insights on making the transition, and how she stays up to date with legislation, policy, and evidence-based practice.

We discuss:

✅ Sarah’s journey into social work
✅ The realities of combining statutory and independent social work
✅ Key training and specialisms, including DDP, Theraplay, and AIM 3 risk assessment

🔗 Helpful Links:

• Practicing Social Work in Scotland – Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC)
• Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP) Training – DDP Network
• AIM3 Risk Assessment Framework – AIM Project UK
• Theraplay Training & Resources – The Theraplay Institute

🎧 Tune in for practical insights and advice on making the transition into independent practice while maintaining a statutory role!

👉 Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share this episode with fellow social workers.

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