The 2025 ‘Care to chat?’ podcast concludes with a very special story. One area of social work practice we don’t often hear about is community development.  

We hear in the news about ethnic minorities, people seeking asylum and migrants in our communities – but there are real people behind these stories and it’s important to hear and really listen to what they have to say. 

Host Dr Wendy Austin MBE is joined by Megan who from Iran and seeking asylum in Northern Ireland whose named has been anonymised to protect her identify, supported by interpreter Mehdi Hooshmand, Clare McGrath, Principal Practitioner for Ethnic Minorities and New Entrants, Northern Health and Social Care Trust, and Christine Dunlop, a community volunteer from the Presbyterian church, who helped to welcome Megan to Northern Ireland. 

In this emotional final episode, our panel together explain how we need to greet people seeking asylum with compassion rather than fear, and the real people who together support people seeking safety, whilst challenging the misinformation and perceptions of people seeking asylum in our community – and instead see the talents and diversity they bring. 

An episode not to be missed! 

An end to another great season of Care to chat! 

 A big thank you to all the Social Care Council ‘Care to chat?’ podcast listeners for your continued support We will return with lots more important conversations in social care and social work in 2026. Have an idea for a future episode? Contact us on comms@niscc.hscni.net with your suggestions.  

Download, subscribe and listen to this episode and previous Episodes today here, or by searching ‘Care to chat’ in your podcast player.