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What if professional learning could unlock the deeper thinking that changes people and their practice?

Between Autumn 2024 and Spring 2025, two cohorts of Barnardo's staff embarked on a pilot study of a new approach to social care learning and development. Drawing on philosophical education and delivered by Dr Rebekah Howes and Professor Nigel Tubbs, the course piloted to these two Barnardo's cohorts was conceived and constructed in response to a conundrum at the heart of practice: that while we know social care practitioners engage thoughtfully with complexity both in training and in their work, serious case reviews repeatedly cite a need for them to be more professionally curious and capable critical thinkers.

If we know that practitioners possess these skills, how can learning and development give them the kinds of educational experiences which enable them to practise these vital skills and bring them more self-consciously into a working environment shaped by risk, time pressure, and emotional complexity?

Our answer to this question — and the approach that underpinned this pilot — is what we call philosophical professional education. Far from being abstract, philosophy here means creating space to think, question assumptions, explore dilemmas, and find meaning in the pressures of daily work. 

This webinar brings you the story and the findings of the Barnardo's pilot study. You'll hear what the sessions looked like, what participants discovered, and how it helped them reconnect with the work they do. Watch or listen to explore how a different kind of learning experience can not only support professional development, but also nurture wellbeing and positive learning cultures.

The video and audio in this resource are replays of a CareKnowledge Live webinar first broadcast on 14 October 2025.

 

Video

 

Running time: 57.26

Timestamps:

  • 02:55 – Exploring philosophical learning within social care practice

  • 14:49 – Supporting professional development and wellbeing

  • 16:10 – What philosophical thinking means

  • 20:47 – How did the course work?

  • 29:23 – Importance of continuous learning to service delivery

  • 39:23 – Impact of the courses

  • 41:08 – Q&A

 

Audio version

 

Running time: 58:01

 

Speakers

Dr Rebekah Howes 

Director, Think Learning

Dr Rebekah Howes has 15 years’ experience teaching at undergraduate and postgraduate level in the university sector, and publishing and presenting papers internationally.

In 2010 she co-designed and led the first Liberal Arts degree in the UK, leading the revival of Liberal Arts study in the UK. She brings to Think Learning the strong belief that what and how we learn should matter to us as human beings, and she hopes to continue to develop this sense of humanity in her work with course participants.

Sarah Leon

Digital Publishing Director, CareKnowledge

Sarah's work at CareKnowledge combines her academic interest in philosophy and education with over 20 years' experience in B2B publishing, serving social care professionals.

She has considerable expertise in building online learning and development platforms for social workers and practitioners across the agency and voluntary partners having formerly been Digital Director for Reed Business Information’s social care market, where she was responsible for both Community Care and Community Care Inform.

Jodie Pritchard

Director of Learning & Development, Barnardo's

With a 20 year career working in L&D, Jodie brings a wealth of experience to her role at the UK’s largest children’s charity, Barnardo’s.  

Having both operational and strategic responsibility within her roles, she’s able to align theory and practice and share tangible examples of bringing products to life - especially when working within a small team or limited budget.  

Her focus on people experience and continual improvement drives her vision for L&D. She delivers this through understanding user needs, making data based decisions, focussing on sustainability and building an empowered culture within her team. This approach has led her to award winning success.

Professor Nigel Tubbs

Nigel Tubbs was Professor at the University of Winchester for 15 years after having been a school teacher in West Sussex and Brighton the 1980s and early 1990s. He lead two undergraduate programmes, in Education Studies, and more recently in Liberal Arts, which was the first such programme to be reintroduced into English universities for many decades (having begun life in Ancient Greece with Plato and Aristotle).

As a university researcher he wrote nine books, including Socrates On Trial, which was a New Statesman book of the year 2021. He is currently part of a new venture in higher education called Think Learning.

 

 

Looking for more CareKnowledge Live video and audio resources? You'll find resource sets from our previous webinars here.