"One of the main things I became aware of during my studies was that when people were given tools that enabled them to visualise their lives, conversations became quite reflective, emotional and philosophical",

according to Gayle Rice, Project Manager at Iriss, reflecting on the importance of communication in social work.

Community Catalysts is a Community Interest Company established in January 2010 by and working in close partnership with the charity Shared Lives Plus, an organisation that promotes the effective provision of accommodation, care and support for vulnerable adults within very small-scale family and community settings. Community Catalysts works to harness the talents of people and communities to provide imaginative solutions to social issues and care needs, giving them greater choice in the way they live their lives.

bespoken is a social media website dedicated to building a community that aims to include disabled people in the design of everyday household products from their own homes, and where they can share ideas and tips on how to overcome everyday challenges that are faced with appliances and technology.

Iriss has recently published Designs for the future: Iriss strategy 2012-15, which illustrates the organisation's activities - through examples of its work - from 2009-11, and sets out its planned strategy for 2012-15.

SWAPBox is a digital repository that brings together open educational resources - social work and social policy learning and teaching materials - that can be freely used and repurposed for use with students in the classroom or in working practice. Examples of some of these materials includes handouts, exercises, podcasts and videos.

Alison Petch, Director at Iriss, has authored a report commissioned by the Association of Directors of Social Work (ADSW) entitled, An evidence base for the delivery of adult services. It was commissioned to inform current debates on the future delivery of adult services, and reveals a strong body of evidence pointing to the importance of local partnerships, local leadership and outcomes-based commissioning in improving services for the people who need them.

Glasgow is one of the cities hosting Social Media Week (#socialmediaweek), which will take place from 19-23 September 2011. The week will focus on exploring how local and regional societies, cultures and economies are becoming more integrated and empowered through a global network of communication.

Most of us create documents (usually in Word) and circulate them by email to colleagues for comment. This generates many versions of the document on various computers along with a chaotic trail of email correspondence. Someone then has the cumbersome and time-consuming job of coordinating and synthesising all the comments.

An adopted person trying to establish contact with birth parents or other birth relatives may find it a daunting and potentially stressful process, which requires a sensitive and caring approach. Being able to easily access clear information about services is essential to making the experience as straightforward as possible.

Iriss has been involved in the development of a crime and justice research collection, which contains a mixture of podcasts and videos about recent research on crime and justice related topics.

The collection has been designed to improve access to, and awareness of, research findings and debate. It includes a combination of videos and audio, and has been supported by the Higher Education Academy: C-SAP Network, Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research (SCCJR) and Iriss.