Kathy Marriott

You’ll find me @marriottiw.bsky.social

Here’s a video produced by “Led by Donkeys” out of the U.K. that puts down the timeline of how Musk used X to get Donald Trump elected. I would save it because I don’t think it will be up for long.

Carolyn Fair, DCS East Sussex and the new co-chair of the ADCS SE regional group, blogs about Care Leavers Week for us adcs.org.uk/less-corporate…

Just 8 days to go and we still haven't found @edsheeran! Help us #GetEd, so we can invite him to our children's disability home reopening party 🥳. Please SHARE! In the meantime, has anyone found cartoon Ed in the image below? #GetEd #SocialWork #EdSheeran #EastSussexCC #FindEd

Unbelievable bravery from this young woman. Let’s hope Amnesty’s calls for her safe release don’t go unheeded. Iran arrests woman who stripped in protest at ‘abusive’ dress code policing theguardian.com/world/2024/nov…

Live from New York, it's Saturday night.

Warrior Woman ❤️ Rest in Love Janey @JaneyGodley ❤️

Budget Calculator

Lady in teal, "It's not just the water companies.. Railways.. We're subsiding other countries public transport" #BBCQT Man in gillet, "The money that was in these companies has been sucked out.. Paid to shareholders when it should have been earmarked for investment" "Why can't we go to water companies and say, you gave money to shareholders instead of investing in infrastructure, we want that money back"

@implausibleblog Water companies, residential children’s homes, Isle of Wight ferry companies all money sucked out by shareholders, exorbitant fees/fares paying the debt- needs regulating it is sucking the money out of public sector and customers

Friday Story is a once-a-week share of a human story from Connected Practice. Huge thanks to this week's story teller, Renata. #FridayStory #SocialWorkStories #EmpoweringChildren #BullyingPrevention #ChildProtection

Kin-First (thing) This podcast episode of Relational Activism in Social Work, hosted by @familygroupmeet and @RichardDevineSW discusses the significance of relational work in social care, with a focus on kinship care during Kinship Care Week. Recorded early (☕️😳) this morning Rich explores the dynamics of kinship care with guest Toni Mayo, a team manager with extensive experience in child protection and kinship support. Toni shares her journey into social work, emphasising the importance of placing children with relatives when safe, highlighting how this approach reduces trauma and promotes stability. They also discuss the practical and emotional challenges kinship carers face, such as financial pressures and the need for appropriate local authority support. The conversation covers the different types of kinship arrangements, including special guardianship orders and fostering, as well as the challenges in maintaining kinship care within social work practice. Toni reflects on the cultural shift within Bath and North East Somerset Council Council, where she works, to better support kinship carers by offering training, financial resources, and access to social services. The episode closes with reflections on international examples of kinship care, particularly in Los Angeles, where a kin-first system increased kinship placements to 80-85%, and explores the broader implications of family conferencing across social work settings. Spotify open.spotify.com/episode/6wnYiQ… Apple podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/rel…

Really keen to hear from others who are actively working on the role of private equity funds and broader financialisation of health and care services and trying to influence governments with the evidence against (anywhere in the world). Please message me. theguardian.com/society/2024/o…

Private Eye: putting things in perspective

@Kevin_Fong Thank you- you spoke for so many in health and social care across the country

Thank you to the many thousands of people across the whole of the NHS & social care who helped deliver the care during the pandemic. Has been a strange and difficult day. But felt it was important to give witness to some small part of the enormity of the challenge we all faced.

I am still obsessed with Stories— not just as narratives but as powerful methods for learning, sharing, and shaping cultures. Storysharing feels like an essential mindset, especially when it comes to creating and sustaining positive practice cultures in social work. As Rebecca Solnit reminds us, "Stories are our compasses and architecture." They guide us. Story at the Heart of Practice, Looking back at my journey with stories in recent years, I started the Friday Story Project in Camden four years ago. Each week, we shared a hopeful, human story about social work practice, distributing it far and wide over the local authority email channels. I also developed the Systemic Tree of Life with Karen Partridge, which embedded story at the heart of our practice model. (see image from Tree of Life Poster) This approach wasn’t just theoretical; it was visual and lived. Honouring experience and sharing allows us to connect with each other on a human level. As Brené Brown so powerfully says, "One day you will tell your story of how you overcame what you went through, and it will be somebody else's survival guide." This idea resonates with me, and the work we do in creating practices that draw on lived experiences to support others like family group conferences and peer advocacy. Relational Activism, has had the opportunity to support other local authorities, such as Telford, where story sharing took on a new depth through brilliant individuals parents & professionals, and talented illustrator Missing the Mark. “We all have stories of pain, or we wouldn’t think the world needs changing. We all have stories of hope, or we wouldn’t think we could change it.” (see image below) Now, in supporting participation and growing story practices with heart-full folks in Edinburgh. My Story, right now, I find myself in an exciting new position as Principal Social Worker in East Sussex—an experience rich with stories, especially since I’m also a resident of this county, with my own layered experiences here. I have used the story mindset to reflect on my story and how it connects with the Sussex story, while developing our story-sharing approach. Just last Friday, we shared the first story in what will once again be a weekly initiative. As someone new to this role, I’ve found that showing vulnerability helps build connections. What challenges shape my story? Perhaps it’s my struggles with dyslexia, my parents’ separation, or my experiences with parenting. Being open about these aspects of myself allows me to lead with authenticity and connect with others. I’m committed to being both a story sharer and a story listener—actively seeking out stories while also offering my ear and support through followership. In this way, I hope to create a practice culture that honors the lived experiences of those we serve and those we work with. Do you use stories in your work, do you want to focus on it more ? It would be good to share.

“You and I were in a Queue forever” #oasis #ticketmaster Retweet if you’re still in a queue 🤮

@flintoff11 Genuinely one of the best programmes I have seen- inspirational does not come close. Laughing, crying. Love these lads and you are a such an amazing mentor!

Thanks for watching #fieldofdreams

@yourdcsnotts @BBCSport @Paris2024 @RealDeniseLewis Whole heartedly agree- sad it’s over!!

Our thoughts and solidarity are with Muslim communities and people of colour affected by the recent racist violence across the UK. We stand against all forms of racism, and are committed to supporting those impacted and working towards a more inclusive and just society.