Iriss.fm

At the Social Work Scotland AGM 2018, John Devaney, Centenary Chair of Social Work, spoke about social work in Scotland today. He focused on three key themes: the nature of modern social work and contribution of social workers to civil society; the role of leadership in social work; and how to raise or sustain profile of what social work does and its value to wider society.

An interview with Iona Colvin, Chief Social Work Adviser for Scotland. She tells us how and why she journeyed into social services, and the people, books and music that inspire her.

Learning Disability Week will take place from 14 to 20 May 2018. Michael McEwan speaks to Linda Mitchell from the Scottish Consortium for Learning Disability about the week's activities.

Michael McEwan speaks to Debbie Campbell and Megan Milligan from I Am Me, a community charity, which is focused on raising awareness of disability hate crime in Scotland.

Geetha Marcus is a sociologist, feminist and teacher activist whose research and teaching interests focus on social inequalities within public education systems. In 2012, she was awarded a jointly funded Scottish Government/ESRC doctoral research into the educational experiences of Gypsy/Traveller girls in Scotland. In the course of this research, she conducted an extensive range of in-depth interviews with young Traveller women about their racialised and gendered experiences within public spaces of school and private spaces of home. This research attempts to address a gap in the literature where Gypsy/Traveller girls’ experiences are mis-recognised and erased through non-recognition. The girls’ stories are highlighted and juxtaposed alongside the general problems encountered by Gypsy/Travellers in Scotland to reveal a complex narrative. Geetha shared her experiences of working as a researcher on this project and insights from the girls she worked with. It was followed by a lively and interesting discussion. https://www.iriss.org.uk/news/news/2018/03/20/working-gypsy-traveller-and-roma-communities

See Me is Scotland's Programme to tackle mental health stigma and discrimination. It is funded by Scottish Government and Comic Relief and is managed by SAMH and The Mental Health Foundation. Michael McEwan speaks to Nick Jedrzejewski, Communications Manager about the various campaigns the Programme leads on. Maeve Grindall tells us what the Social Movement Team is and what it's involved in.

The Paisley Disability Resource Centre actively promotes independent living through various leisure, social, educational and employment activities and services. It aims to be a welcoming, supportive and inclusive place, where people come to socialise and network, as well as taking part in activities. In this second episode, Michael McEwan speaks to Jim Thompson, the web design and movie makers co-ordinator, as well as Duncan Tomlinson, a participant in the activities.

The Paisley Disability Resource Centre actively promotes independent living through various leisure, social, educational and employment activities and services. It aims to be a welcoming, supportive and inclusive place, where people come to socialise and network as well as taking part in activities. Michael McEwan speaks to Kevin Cantwell, the arts group facilitator at the Centre, as well as a number of people who take part in the activities which include painting, photography and dancing.

Michael McEwan speaks to Evan Rae about his experiences as a support worker with Sense Scotland. He talks about what motivated him to get into care, the challenging and rewarding parts of the job, issues that need to be addressed and the importance of self-directed support.

The Dundee Early Intervention Team (DEIT) provides early intervention support to families. In this extended conversation, practitioners Natalie, Harriet, Jade, Bianca and Brian share their experiences of working with families using a social pedagogy model. https://www.iriss.org.uk/resources/case-studies/conversations-dundee-early-intervention-team

Michael McEwan has a conversation with Greg Campbell, a support worker who works with vulnerable adults. Greg tells us about his motivations for pursuing a career in care, the transition from education to practice and shares both positive and challenging experiences. It's an inspiring message for others, and particularly men, who may be considering a career in care.

Coverage of the launch of PAssport to Independent Living, a published collection of stories written by Personal Assistants (PA) about their experiences of what it’s like to work as a Personal Assistant in Scotland. It took place on 31 October 2017 in Glasgow. The project was supported by Glasgow Centre for Inclusive Living (GCIL), the Workers Education Association (WEA) and Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC). It includes interviews with Personal Assistants, Mandy, Lizzie and Susan, as well as conversations with Lilian Smith, SDS Development Coordinator at Glasgow Centre for Inclusive Living; and Sharon Ledger, Education Co-ordinator at Worker’s Educational Association, who give us some background on the project, information about the PA Network and the intentions of the publication. The Scottish Social Services Council offered support through Open Badges. We heard from Yvonne and Alison from SSSC who told us about the work of the SSSC, and what Open Badges are and how they can be acquired.

Michael McEwan speaks to Jodie Wilkinson, the Public Engagement Coordinator of Access Film Club which is hosted at Glasgow Film Theatre. She speaks about the purpose and aims of the club and the types of films screened.

Restorative Justice is a process of dialogue between two parties; in the context of criminal justice social work this will be a victim (or person harmed) and an offender (one who has caused harm). Statutory criminal justice social work in Edinburgh is a service aimed at reducing reoffending and protecting the public through evidence based interventions. The development of a restorative justice service for those on statutory orders is a new and progressive approach to tackling reoffending. In this episode Iriss.fm speaks to Ciara Webb, who is a practitioner involved the service and who has recently completed research on the topic of restorative justice in partnership with University of Edinburgh. She tells us more about the research and plans for practice.

Michael McEwan speaks to Richard Warden, the film lead of the Scottish Mental Health and Arts Film Festival, which runs from 10-29 October 2017.