Youth Work WA Podcast Ep 1 — Dr John Sutcliffe: Wellbeing, Words & the Future of Youth Work

Welcome to the first episode of the Youth Work WA Podcast — conversations with the people shaping youth work in Western Australia. Our first guest is Dr John Sutcliffe, Lecturer and Course Coordinator of Youth Work at Edith Cowan University. John's PhD research explored what sustains long youth work careers — including practitioners with close to 50 years in the field — and his findings challenge the burnout-and-leave narrative that's dominated the literature. In this episode, we cover: -Why the sector's code of ethics shifted from "self-care" to "youth worker wellbeing" — and why the language matters -The three pillars that sustain careers: individual, organisational, and personal support -Work-life integration vs work-life balance -Youth work as a niche profession — and why it shouldn't copy social work or psychology -The social media ban, harm minimisation, and what the overdose statistics actually tell us about young people -How media language misrepresents young people ("teenager" started as a marketing term) -Inside the restructured ECU Youth Work degree: pathways, placements, and new units in youth justice and mental health -Where youth work in WA is heading CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro 0:33 Youth worker wellbeing, not self-care 6:05 What sustains a 50-year career in youth work 8:15 Youth work as a niche profession 12:51 The social media ban, harm minimisation, and the real stats 19:59 The power of language and how media portrays young people 26:29 Inside the ECU Youth Work degree 31:45 Career diversity and working from strengths 37:27 Final reflections: the future of youth work in WA ABOUT OUR GUEST Dr John Sutcliffe is the Course Coordinator for Youth Work and a Lecturer in the School of Arts and Humanities at Edith Cowan University. PhD (ECU, 2024), Master of Social Science (2021), Bachelor of Social Science majoring in Youth Work (2006). Learn more about the ECU Youth Work degree: [link] CONNECT WITH YOUTH WORK WA Website: [link] Facebook: [link] Instagram: [link] Become a member: [link] Youth Work WA is the professional association for youth workers in Western Australia. #YouthWork #YouthWorkWA #CommunityServices #WesternAustralia #Podcast