Webwatch

Improvements to SSKS

Social Services Knowledge Scotland (SSKS) is a website and digital library dedicated to social care. Content relates to policy, practice and personal development within social services in Scotland. It was originally developed in partnership with Iriss and other sector organisations, and is built on NHS Education for Scotland 's long-established information technology, The Knowledge Network.

From November 2016, there will be improvements to the website. These include:

Trello - collaborative project management

Trello is a visual and easy to use project management tool that allows for collaboration. It’s free to set up so you can give it a go without investing a lot of time or any finance in it. If you think very visually it’s likely to appeal as it’s organised using images and coloured labels, rather than just plain text. 

Your Options Understood (Y.O.U.)

Your Options Understood (Y.O.U.) is a resource that offers independent advice to those living with a disability, as well as parents and carers. It was set-up by Dr Danielle Farrel to share her own experiences of life with a disability and to show that having a disability does not necessarily mean that individuals cannot live an independent life. Y.O.U. supports those living with a disability to have control over their daily support, and to get assistance to do the things they want to do, at times when they want to do them, supported by people they choose.

Post-Adoption Central Support

PACS is a small charitable organisation based in Stirling that comprises parents, social workers and other professionals involved in adoption and long-term foster care. It offers a range of post placement support and services to adoptive families and permanent foster carers. 

PACS receives a grant from Clackmannan, Falkirk and Stirling Councils to provide its services.

Services it offers include:

Visme - stylish presentations and infographics

If you would like to create visual presentations and infographics but haven’t formal training or skills in using tools like Photoshop or Indesign, Visme can help. Visme is a web tool that enables the easy creation of presentations and infographics - a way to translate and communicate ideas and messages in a very visual and engaging way; not limited to text.

Pilotlight - pathways to self-directed support

Pilotlight, an Iriss project, works with co-design teams of people who use and deliver services across Scotland to design pathways to self-directed support (SDS). Using a design approach, it aims to demonstrate how to design support for seldom heard groups, provide more personalised and appropriate services, and increase the marketplace of support providers.

ScOPTbox - practice learning library

ScOPTbox is a curated collection of resources for social workers and others involved in supporting learning in the workplace in Scotland. It has been developed by the Scottish Organisation for Practice Teaching (ScOPT), and was launched at the ScOPT conference in Glasgow on 12 November.