Podcast: locum v perm – what works for you?We ask two social workers from each side of the agency-permanent divide what has driven their career choices and if they would ever change their minds.

In this episode of the Social Work Community Podcast, senior careers editor Kirsty Ayakwah asks two social workers (Le'Siran Edwards and Kayleigh Rose Evans) from either side of the divide about what has driven their career choices.

Le’Siran has 25 years' experience working with children and families, and over a decade in children’s social work. She has spent the last 10 years building up her coaching service, Social Work Coaching Hub, and stepped away from locum work last year to focus on it full time. She also runs her own podcast, called Dear Social Worker Pod.

Kayleigh has spent her career working in permanent roles. Alongside her social work practice, Kayleigh works as an independent trainer and also shares reflections on social work through her YouTube channel, @KayleighRoseEvans.

Since this podcast was produced, there have been changes to rules curbing English councils’ use of agency social workers in children’s services. You can read more about the changes here. 

Read a transcript here

About the podcast

The Social Work Community Podcast explores the issues that matter to social work practitioners in their working lives.Kirsty and fellow host, careers editor Sharmeen Ziauddin, interview experienced and inspiring guests, including frontline social workers who speak from the heart about their jobs, the sector and society.Our first season went down a storm and was nominated in this year’s British Association of Social Workers (BASW) Social Work Journalism Awards.