Iriss.fm

Michael McEwan speaks to Steven Thomson, Creative Director and CEO of Outspoken Arts, an organisation interested in work which references cutting edge social issues such as creative learning for young and vulnerable people, stories of migration and asylum, issues affecting LGBT people, disability, ethnicity, creative ageing and social health and well-being.

Co-production week was held from the 19-25 of November and provided an opportunity to learn, discuss and celebrate how co-production puts people and communities at the heart of the support and services they're part of. Michelle from Iriss spoke to Sam Jordan from the Scottish Community Development Centre (SCDC) about what co-production week is and some of the activities that took place over the week. Kieran and Abbie from Young Movers or YoMo talk about the work they do to involve children and young people in co-production and the event they led for co-production week.

An interview with Lynn Williams, an unpaid carer and activist providing practical care and support to her husband Derek. Lynn is on the board of Engender, a national woman’s organisation and on the board of her local Carers Centre. She also works on a part time basis in health and social care policy with Glasgow Centre for Voluntary Services.

Michael McEwan interviews Kevin Ditcham, Project Manager for the Year of Young People 2018 and Cameron Smith, one of the Young Ambassadors involved in the year's activities.

On 24 October, Iriss attended Navigating Troubled Waters. Women in social work education in Scotland seminar, where we heard from Emeritus Professor Viv Cree and Dr Mary Mitchell about a study funded by the Carnegie UK Trust, which began with the realisation that women in the academy fare less well than men across all disciplines: they are less likely to be promoted, they earn less pay, and that are much less likely to become professors. What this means for the discipline of social work education is explored here.

An interview with Professor Jennifer Davidson, Executive Director of Inspiring Children’s Futures at the University of Strathclyde, which incorporates the Centre for Excellence for Looked After Children in Scotland (CELCIS). Jennifer’s range of leadership positions in child and youth care, social work and professional education spans Canada, the United States and the UK. She has served on national and international committees related to children’s services, and was a founding member of the US National Campaign for the Ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Talking Social Work was an event held on 13 September 2018 to mark the 50th Anniversary of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 - to celebrate, reflect on the journey so far and look to the future. There were a number of guest speakers. Claire Ferrier, social worker with Perth and Kinross Council within the Adult Care Team talks about the risk of not demonstrating care, the risk of not demonstrating trust, and the culture of social work and relationships with service users.

On 18 October 2018, Iriss hosted a discussion about Shared Lives, a community based model of social care, where adults that need support move in with, or regularly visit, an approved Shared Lives carer. This is with the aim of supporting the individual to share family and community life. It also reduces social isolation and loneliness in adults. In this discussion we hear what Shared Lives is, its outcomes and impact, and quality and sustainability. It involves Shared Lives carers, a user of the service, a family placement assessor and members of the development team.

Talking Social Work was an event held on 13 September 2018 to mark the 50th Anniversary of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 - to celebrate, reflect on the journey so far and look to the future. There were a number of guest speakers. Jane Martin, Chief Social Work Officer at Dundee City Council reflects on her social work journey, the changes she’s seen and her views of the future. Jane is a qualified social worker with over 35 years experience, mainly within children's services and community justice, having worked mostly in Fife and Dundee.

Michael McEwan speaks to Ethan Young, Civic participation Officer at Inclusion Scotland about Access to Politics, a project which aims to support disabled people into politics.

An interview with Mairi O'Keefe, who has been the Chief Executive of Leuchie House national respite centre, based near North Berwick since 2003. The only facility of its kind in Scotland, Leuchie has specialised in providing short respite breaks for people and their families living with MS, Parkinson’s and other long term conditions.

Sylvana Mahmic (CEO)and Dr Melanie Heyworth (Peer Worker) from Plumtree, tell the story of Now and Next, a project that has been successful at involving families as peer workers in early childhood intervention. Plumtree is an Australian not-for-profit organisation that provides support for young children from birth to 8 years old with a developmental delay or disability and their families.

Talking Social Work was an event held on 13 September 2018 to mark the 50th Anniversary of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 - to celebrate, reflect on the journey so far and look to the future. There were a number of guest speakers. Colin Turbett, qualified as a social worker in 1978 and spent the next 37 years in urban and rural front line fieldwork settings in the west of Scotland, finishing his career as a children and family team manager in North Ayrshire. He is the author of the recent publication ‘Community social work in Scotland: a critical history 50 years after the Social Work Scotland Act 1968. He reflects on social work work from the early 1960s to the present day.

Iriss attended the Social Pedagogy Professional Association’s conference - Growing up, growing old and staying well - in Edinburgh on 28 September 2018. We spoke to a number of academics and practitioners, including Mark Smith, Professor of Social Work at the University of Dundee; Lotte Harbo, Social Professor at VIA University College in Denmark; Gabriel Eichsteller from ThemPra Social Pedagogy; Gemma Campbell, practitioner at Kibble Education and Care Centre and Graham McPheat, Senior Teaching Fellow in social work at the University of Strathclyde.

Michael McEwan speaks to Jill Keegan, Community Development Adviser with Outside the Box, an equalities charity that focuses on community development support across Scotland and the UK.