Blog – Big picture

two woodland paths seperated by trees

Identity beyond the labels

Thursday 30 October 2025

Identity beyond the labels The names we use to indicate identity have power - the power to heal and the power to harm, the power to unite and the power to divide, the power to uplift and

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a dynamic microphone on a stand on a sound stage

Creative (re)presentation for social work education and practice

Thursday 2 October 2025
I feel incredibly grateful to have worked with and co-written a play called Healing Pitch alongside four care-experienced young people as part of my P
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Write right about me

Write Right About Me

Thursday 5 June 2025
Iriss are so pleased to share this guest piece, written by Mim Smith from Aberdeen City Council and Theresa Lillis from the Open University; sharing their work in supporting professionals to write
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a historic bridge in verdant settings reflected in the rivers surface

Reflections on the MHO Conference 2025

Tuesday 4 March 2025
On February 25th, we had the opportunity to attend and present at the Mental Health Officer (MHO) Conference, Reigniting Our Resilience: Informing and Future-Proofing the MHO Workforce, held at The
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Image of a sparkler

Narratives, problem rehearsal and the implementation gap

Monday 25 November 2024
The social services and social care system is complex and we face enormous challenges including a lack of resources, squeezed budgets, burnt-out staff and moral distress.
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Young person in a hammock in the woods smiling into camera

People at the heart of positive change

Tuesday 18 June 2024
Introduction How can we mainstream the involvement of people with lived experience in social work and social care - to drive improvement, generate positive change, and d
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Close-up of hand holding a clock dandelion flower

Hidden issues

Tuesday 21 May 2024
Tina Laurie (University of the West of Scotland) reflects on the Rural Social Work Scotland Forum online conference that was held in early May 2024…
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Three lambs in a spring field

Wellbeing and the social work practitioner

Wednesday 3 April 2024
I’ve been reflecting on presentations from Drs Pearse McCusker and Emma Miller at the Rural Social Work Forum at a webinar we ran called Wellbeing and the rural practitioner…
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a wall mounted television with Scottish Social Services Awards

Reflecting on the The Scottish Social Services Awards 2023

Wednesday 13 December 2023
For the last 6 months (or more), a large portion of my working week has been spent thinking about the Scottish Social Services Awards. Iriss were delighted to be asked by Scottish Government…
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