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.