Iriss.fm

On 11 March, Stuart Muirhead from Iriss hosted a group discussion on the Duty of Candour with representatives from the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC), the Coalition of Care and Support Providers (CCPS), the Care Inspectorate and Care Concern Group. We hear more about the Duty of Candour provisions which set out what needs to happen when unexpected or unintended harm has occurred to a person, and the views of organisations that represent the health and social care workforce in Scotland. In partnership, the SSSC has produced an e-learning module on the Duty of Candour to support implementation. Transcript of episode Music Credit: Make your dream a reality by Scott Holmes

Driving Miss Daisy is a driving and companion service for anyone who requires transport on a one-off or regular basis. Melanie Harper started driving her aunt to appointments in Havelock North, New Zealand. In 2008, Melanie and her husband Jack started thinking about providing the service on a broader scale across New Zealand and developed a business which they named Driving Miss Daisy. This was later extended to the UK. Michael McEwan interviews Ann Overdijking and Christine McIntyre from Driving Miss Daisy in Scotland. Transcript of episode Music Credit: Make your dream a reality by Scott Holmes

Michelle Drumm interviews Ben Farrugia, Director of Social Work Scotland. Ben held a variety of policy roles down in London (with a particular interest in education and children's services). In 2009, he moved up to Scotland to work in the government’s Looked After Children team and in 2011 moved to the University of Strathclyde to join the team that would soon after become CELCIS. In his own words, he is 'now very proud to be leading Social Work Scotland’s small Edinburgh based team, which provides support to various committees and groups, and represents members in discussions with Parliament, Government and other partners'. Freshly Squeezed is an Iriss podcast which aims to 'squeeze' information and inspiration from key influencers in social services in Scotland. Transcript of episode Music Credit: Make your dream a reality by Scott Holmes

Social Security Scotland is an Executive Agency of the Scottish Government that is tasked with managing a number of devolved benefits to improve the lives of Scottish people. These benefits include pregnancy and baby payment, Carers' Allowance, disability benefit and housing and heating support. Michael McEwan spoke to Rachael McKechnie about Social Security Scotland's work to date and its ambitions for the future. Transcript of episode Music Credit: Make your dream a reality by Scott Holmes

Has self-directed support been the transformational and radical policy that it was set out to be? Dr Charlotte Pearson and Professor Nick Watson spoke to Stuart Muirhead from Iriss about their research on the policy - what the results reveal about the implementation of self-directed support in Scotland. Charlotte was one of the authors of our 2012 Iriss Insight, Self-directed support: preparing for delivery. We also produced a recent evidence summary titled, Self-directed support and workforce development, which explores how the social care workforce in Scotland can be further developed to deliver self-directed support. Transcript of episode Music Credit: Make your dream a reality by Scott Holmes

On 8 February 2019, Michelle from Iriss had a conversation with Kate Samuels from Generations Working Together about the work it does to promote and support intergenerational practice. She also chatted to Keith Mitchell and Natalie Stewart from Glasgow's Golden Generation; and Charlotte Craig from Impact Arts about their intergenerational work. Generations Working Together is holding its annual conference on 6 March in Glasgow. You can book a place on their website. Transcript of episode Music Credit: Make your dream a reality by Scott Holmes

The People-led Policy Panel is a group of people who are working together to reform adult social care support in Scotland. The initiative is supported by Scottish Government. Michelle from Iriss has a conversation with Deirdre Henderson, People-led Policy Officer at Inclusion Scotland about the set up, aims and ambitions of the panel. She also spoke to Denis Shovlin, a member of the People-led Policy Panel about how he got involved and his experiences of the panel to date. Transcript of episode Music Credit: Make your dream a reality by Scott Holmes

For the launch of Learning Disability Week 2019, Michael McEwan spoke to Libby Clement from Scottish Commission for Learning Disability (SCLD); James Morton, Bake Off finalist; and Jonathan McKinstry, a nominee in the 2018 Learning Disability Awards. This year's theme is 'community'. Communities are at their best when everyone is active in their community, connected to people within their community, and feels included by their community. Transcript of episode Music Credit: Make your dream a reality by Scott Holmes

Michael McEwan speaks to Ian Buchanan about Disability Equality Scotland, focusing more specifically on Disability Access Panels. As the umbrella body for Access Panels in Scotland, Disability Equality Scotland offers support and training opportunities to help Access Panels operate efficiently, link together as a network and learn from each other. Transcript of episode Music Credit: Make your dream a reality by Scott Holmes

Michael McEwan speaks to Steven Thomson, Creative Director and CEO of Outspoken Arts, a professional and creative 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. The organisation represents diverse communities and recognises that equality, equal and human rights are now very much the focus of mainstream society, civic and organisational culture and its shifting sense of identity plays an increasingly influential role in this. Transcript of episode Music Credit: Make your dream a reality by Scott Holmes

Co-production Week (#CoProWeekScot) was held from the 19-25 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. Iriss.fm 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 Moversor Yo Mo talk about the work they do to involve children and young people in co-production and the event they led for co-production week. Transcript of episode Music Credit: Make your dream a reality by Scott Holmes

Michelle Drumm interviews Lynn Williams, an unpaid carer and activist, providing practical care and support to her husband Derek. Derek has a high level spinal injury and other linked, complex needs. 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. Freshly Squeezed aims to 'squeeze' information and inspiration from key influencers in social services in Scotland. Transcript of episode Music Credit: Make your dream a reality by Scott Holmes

Michael McEwan interviews Kevin Ditcham, Project Manager for Year of Young People2018 and Cameron Smith, one of the Young Ambassadors involved in the year's activities. Year of Young People 2018 is an opportunity for generations to come together and celebrate Scotland's young people. It is a platform for young people (8 to 26). It will give them a stronger voice on issues which affect their lives, showcase their ideas and talents, and ultimately, aim to challenge status quo and create a more positive perception of them in society. Transcript of episode Music Credit: Make your dream a reality by Scott Holmes

Michelle Drumm interviews 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 is driven by a commitment to ensuring children's rights have an impact on children's day-to-day lived experiences, and on the reality of international rights improving local children's services throughout the world. Her 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. Freshly Squeezed aims to 'squeeze' information and inspiration from key influencers in social services in Scotland. Transcript of episode Music Credit: Make your dream a reality by Scott Holmes

Iriss.fm is delighted to broadcast an episode on the work of Plumtree, 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. Sylvana Mahmic (CEO) and Dr Melanie Heyworth (Peer Worker) tell the story of Now and Next, a project that has been successful at involving families as peer workers in early childhood intervention. Three key messages: Peer workers offer unique benefit to families of young children with disabilities that are not available through existing services, but which are complementary to them. Benefits include feelings of leadership, agency and community. Learning from mental health practice could be applied to the disability sector, so there was no need to spend time reinventing the wheel. It made it cost effective, quick and provided maximum benefit. Implementation of peer work into any existing organisation will face challenges and barriers, but these can be mitigated by pre-empti

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 they are much less likely to become professors. What this means for the discipline of social work education is explored. Transcript of episode Music Credit: Make your dream a reality by Scott Holmes

In this episode, Michelle Drumm speaks to Mairi O'Keefe, 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. In 2010, Mairi successfully led the Save Leuchie campaign, saving the centre from closure and setting it up as an independent charity in July 2011. In 2015, she received an MBE for services to people with disabilities. Confirming that she will be leaving Leuchie House in November 2018 Mairi O'Keefe said: Everyone who knows me knows how passionate I am about Leuchie House and the very special service we provide. It was always going to be difficult to step down, but I know I can do so feeling proud of everything we've achieved. I've been honoured to experience on a daily basis just how much of a difference Leuchie makes to all the hundreds of families we support every year.

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. Transcript of episode Music Credit: Make your dream a reality by Scott Holmes

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 about social pedagogy and the value it brings to practice. These included 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, a practitioner at Kibble Education and Care Centre; and Graham McPheat, Senior Teaching Fellow in Social Work at the University of Strathclyde. Transcript of episode Music Credit: Make your dream a reality by Scott Holmes

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. Transcript of episode Music Credit: Make your dream a reality by Scott Holmes