Blog – Project updates

Blog

Colourful illustration of path winding across rolling hills

Bridging distance

Tuesday 8 July 2025

Disabilities – Pathways and Perspectives is a resource. The hope is that it becomes a prompt for reflection, in and out of work, whatever each reader’s responsibilities, beliefs, uncertainties, stage…

Standalone projects

A squirrel looking curious from behind a tree

Curiouser and curiouser

Tuesday 24 June 2025
Iriss is embarking on a new project to find out all about professional curiosity across the public protection agenda - and we’re looking for interested folk to help us out.
Projects
picture of person writing with a pen

Writing with, not about

Thursday 19 June 2025
A group of practitioners from the Transitions Team in Scottish Borders Council asked us if we could support them with a shift in writing culture.
Projects
This must be the place in neon writing

Call for Learning Partners

Tuesday 17 June 2025
We’re looking for third sector learning partners in using a new Iriss resource developed to supp
Voices and visions: collaborating for improved third sector social work student placements
Illustration of head made up of household items

Effects of Clutter or Hoarding on people affected by it

Thursday 15 May 2025
One current estimate is that 2-5% of the population has issues with clutter/hoarding, but this is hard to estimate as there is so much shame for someone admitting they have a clutter or hoarding is
Supporting people who hoard
Groups of people discussing the resource for TSOs

This Must Be The Place(ment)

Thursday 8 May 2025
After working on it for a year, our resource to support social work placements in third sector organisations is here!
Voices and visions: collaborating for improved third sector social work student placements
Light up sign reading 'FOCUS'

Finding a Focus

Monday 14 April 2025
Project planning is full of decisions to make. What partners do you need? What will success look like? How responsive can your plan be to new information?
Voices and visions: collaborating for improved third sector social work student placements
a leaf at the end of a branch in the sun

Practitioner Research with NQSWs: Inspiration from practice

Wednesday 2 April 2025
Recently we were invited back to North Ayrshire to meet some Newly Qualified Social Workers (NQSWs) and talk about practitioner research. This was a follow up to a session we ran in 2023 where we…
Reimagining social work practice
Lighbulb on a post-it note

Professional curiosity in the Scottish Borders

Thursday 27 March 2025
What are we doing about Professional Curiosity in the Scottish Borders?
ASPire hub
an ampitheatre audience

Launching a new resource for third sector social work student placements

Tuesday 18 March 2025
We’ve been quiet on the Voices & Visions blog updates recently while we’ve been working away on developing our new resource to support social work student placements in third sector organisations…
Voices and visions: collaborating for improved third sector social work student placements
Seven minute briefing logo

Seven minutes of your time?

Monday 10 March 2025
Seven minutes might not feel like much, but it’s long enough to learn something new. That’s the thinking behind seven-minute briefings, several of which now sit on the ASPire Hub.
ASPire hub
an external view ofedinburgh flats

An update from the Hoarding Taskforce

Monday 17 February 2025
2025 has started at a fast pace with Hoarding Taskforce activities.
Supporting people who hoard
danelion head

Ethical Commissioning Support for Commissioners Group

Wednesday 27 November 2024
Following the recommendations by the Independent Review of Adult Social Care, the Scottish Government
Ethical commissioning programme 2025–26
from acorns to trees

Developing peer support: from acorns to trees

Thursday 21 November 2024
Last year we worked with Future Pathways, Voices for a Better Future and the Scottish Recovery Network to look at how we might co-design peer support for care survivors supported by Future Pathways
Co-designing peer support: future pathways
plastic pyramids

Developing national guidance for Large Scale Investigations

Tuesday 19 November 2024
Large Scale Investigations – or LSIs – can be a knotty issue for all involved. LSIs are a specific type of Adult Support and Protection intervention that is triggered when there’s more than one adult…
Projects
Sunlight shining into a woodland. Person with long hair in a ponytail facing the light and lifting their arms up towards it.

Great expectations: social work student perspectives on placements

Monday 18 November 2024
“I wanted that first placement to be something that I would be like ‘okay is social work the right career for me, is this the right job for me?"  - Reflection from an early career social w
Voices and visions: collaborating for improved third sector social work student placements
picture of a bell

Ringing Bells

Thursday 14 November 2024
Earlier this month, as part of a project we are working on in the ethical commissioning space, we met with a team of care home managers.
Foundations for change
Hand reaching for lightbulb

The National ASP Learning and Development Framework (and more)

Tuesday 12 November 2024
I have now been in post for a little over two years as the National Adult Support and Protection Coordinator – which I find very hard to believe, it has completely flown by!
ASPire hub
a seedling sprouting from moss

Integrating tools from Deep Democracy in Adult Social Work: Reflections on Safety and Connection

Wednesday 6 November 2024
Since my colleague and I started working with a local authority adult social work team, it’s been inspiring to see the team’s dedication and thoughtful approach to making a difference in their serv
Foundations for change
Cover of QIF

Launching the multi-agency quality improvement framework for Adult Support and Protection

Thursday 17 October 2024
We published the quality improvement framework (QIF) on 15 October 2024.
ASPire hub
Paper with plan written at the top

Ready, prep, go!

Monday 14 October 2024
There’s a lot of work that goes into preparing to host a social work student on placement in a third sector organisation, from communicating with universities, meeting with students and their tutor
Voices and visions: collaborating for improved third sector social work student placements

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