Making & Breaking Social Policy

Dr Ben Lohmeyer

Featuring a range of guests involved in making and breaking social policy, this podcast is about how we all live together (social) and how we make that work (policy). This podcast was created as the central content for teaching social policy topics to Social Work students at Flinders University. It is hosted by Dr Ben Lohmeyer (www.flinders.edu.au/people/ben.lohmeyer).

  1. 08/26/2025

    Employment, Precarity and Workforce Australia with Tin Ablaza

    Tin drops in to tell us about her research on Workforce Australia and how it measures up as a way to tackle precarity and unemployment in Australia. We chat about Work for the Dole, Mutual Obligations and the casualisation of work. Honestly, it was a huge chat and we could have talked for ages. Thanks Tin! Follow: ⁠Tin's Flinders Profile Tin on Linked In Ben on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠ Ben at ⁠⁠Flinders ⁠

    42 min

  2. 05/06/2025

    The realities of borrowing from the bank of Mum and Dad to buy a home with Dr Julia Cook

    Julia drops in to tell us about her research on what it is really like when people borrow from the bank of Mum and Dad when they want to buy a home... or from their siblings! We then break down the pros and cons of the policies Labor, the Coalition, and the Greens took to the 2025 Federal election. Follow: Julia at University of Newcastle Julia on BlueSky Ben on ⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠ Ben at ⁠Flinders ⁠

    51 min

  3. 11/19/2024

    Listening to those who know with Shona Reid - SA Guardian for Children and Young People

    Shona chats about her approach to working with children and young people in Child Protection and Juvenile Justice to raise their voices and insights about legislation that impact their lives. Talking about recently proposed changes to the Children and Young People (Safety and Support) Bill 2024, Shona describes how this approach provided important insight into issues like Child Rights and Privacy. Follow: The Office of the Guardian for Children and Young People's Website OoGCYP LinkedIn OoGCYP Facebook Ben on ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn Ben at Flinders Other resources: The OOGCYP submission on the Children and Young People (Safety and Support) Bill 2024 ⁠

    35 min

  4. 10/22/2024

    Zapping Tinnitus and Self-Compassion: 3MT success with Tharin Sayed and Leah Smolarek

    Tharin and Leah share about their PhD projects and the challenges and rewards of competing in the Flinders Uni 3 Minute Thesis competition. Tharin is investigating a solution for Tinnits that involves zapping brains and Leah is investigating the impact on self-compassion in how we act to ourselves and others. Tharin on LinkedIn or email tharin.sayed@flinders.edu.au Leah on Instagram: @bumblebee_yoga Leah on LinkedIn Ben on twitter: ⁠⁠@⁠⁠lohmeyerben⁠⁠⁠ Ben on ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn

    47 min

  5. 05/30/2024

    Yarning and Indigenous Data Sovereignty with Luke Cantley

    Luke - now an official friend of the Pod ;) - chats about his new paper about Yarning as a culturally protected practice and how it can be used appropriately in social work research. Luke's Paper: Cantley, L. (2024). Indigenous Data Sovereignty: What Can Yarning Teach Us?. Australian Social Work, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1080/0312407X.2024.2328169 Luke on Linked in: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luke-cantley-99792a2a8 Luke @ Flinders: https://www.flinders.edu.au/people/luke.cantley Ben on twitter: ⁠@⁠⁠lohmeyerben⁠⁠ Ben on ⁠⁠LinkedIn

    39 min

  6. 05/02/2024

    Contextual Safeguarding and Family Group Conferencing with Dr Rachael Owens

    Dr Rachael Owens explains Contextual Safeguarding and how it complements Family Group conferencing in the UK. She also shares about her career in creative arts and how it informs her Social Work practice and scholarship. More about Rachael here - https://www.durham.ac.uk/staff/rachael-owens/ Find some of her work here: Lloyd, J., Hickle, K., Owens, R., & Peace, D. (2023). Relationship‐based practice and contextual safeguarding: Approaches to working with young people experiencing extra‐familial risk and harm. Children & Society, https://doi.org/10.1111/chso.12787 Contextual Safeguarding & Community Group Conferencing Resources here: https://www.contextualsafeguarding.org.uk/resources/toolkit-overview/community-group-conferences/ Ben on twitter: ⁠@⁠⁠lohmeyerben⁠⁠ Ben on ⁠⁠LinkedIn

    41 min

  7. 04/11/2024

    Youth loneliness and undesirable connections with A/Prof Keming Yang

    A/Prof Keming Yang chats about his research on loneliness among 14 year olds utilising the Millennium Cohort Study. He describes the need to rethink the way we conceptualise loneliness to account for the presence of undesirable connections and relationships (like bullying). More about Keming here - https://www.durham.ac.uk/staff/keming-yang/ Find some of his  work here: Yang, K., Petersen, K. J., & Qualter, P. (2022). Undesirable social relations as risk factors for loneliness among 14-year-olds in the UK: Findings from the Millennium Cohort Study. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 46(1), 3-9. Ben on twitter: @⁠⁠lohmeyerben⁠ Ben on ⁠LinkedIn

    47 min

  8. 04/04/2024

    Why youth mentoring makes good policy with Tiff and Jessie from Sammy D

    Tiff Downing and Jessie Bennie chat about the youth mentoring program at the Sammy D Foundation and why it makes for good policy (and good practice) with young people. Sammy D recently partnered with the Social Work Innovation Research Living Space at Flinders Uni to conduct an evaluation of this program. The evaluation used an innovative method called ‘friendship as method’ which leveraged the mentoring relationship between the mentor and mentee to gain rich insights into the mentoring experience. More about the Sammy D Foundation ⁠here⁠.   Ben on twitter: @⁠⁠⁠lohmeyerben⁠⁠ Ben on ⁠⁠LinkedIn

    30 min
See All (28)

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About

Featuring a range of guests involved in making and breaking social policy, this podcast is about how we all live together (social) and how we make that work (policy). This podcast was created as the central content for teaching social policy topics to Social Work students at Flinders University. It is hosted by Dr Ben Lohmeyer (www.flinders.edu.au/people/ben.lohmeyer).

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