Iriss is pleased to be a national partner in the Local Learning Partnerships initiative led by the Scottish Government.
You may have heard about the recent announcement of investment for Test of Change activities to support social work education partners to strengthen and develop partnership activities to support practice learning.
This was explored further in a Local Learning Partnerships (LLP) session on 10 February.
Here’s a summary of the key points and themes discussed. These materials are intended to support early thinking about what LLPs might look like locally.
Examples and reflections from the session
We heard from colleagues in Perth & Kinross, Dumfries & Galloway, and from a final year social work student. Their examples highlighted strengths such as partnership approaches to placement planning, rural models that support recruitment and readiness, mixed sector student pathways, and the value of peer support.
Alongside these strengths, participants also reflected openly on the challenges they face. These included:
- Pressure on practice educator capacity
- The fragility of third sector involvement due to limited resources
- Increasing placement complexity and competing demands
- Rural and remote barriers such as travel, accommodation and capacity
These reflections reinforced the need for space to try different approaches, learn from each other and build capacity over time - core aims of the LLP model.
Here are the slides from the session.
Test of Change Funding – Application Pack
Applications for test of change funding are now open, with a deadline of 12 noon, 25 March 2026. This funding supports small, locally driven tests of change that strengthen practice learning and widen what is possible within your local context.
Funding overview:
- Up to £200,000 available per site
- Three pilot sites in total
- One site ring‑fenced for a remote/rural partnership
- One site will be an existing informal partnership
- One site will be a newly formed partnership
Documents to support your application
Draft (watermarked) application form – for planning and discussion purposes only
Guidance materials
Supporting information to help with proposal development
If you wish to complete and submit an application, the lead partner from your LLP should contact (SocialWorkEducation@gov.scot) to request an editable application form.
Applicants should ensure that relevant partners are actively engaged in early discussions, as partnership working is central to the LLP approach.
Join us for application support sessions!
Social Work Scotland (SWS) and Iriss will be hosting a series of short online drop in sessions. These sessions provide space for:
- Early exploration and creative thinking
- Discussing ideas with partners
- Reflecting on local strengths
- Understanding outcomes
- Working through questions about the application form (within our facilitation remit)
You are welcome and encouraged to attend with your local partners.
Upcoming dates:
Thursday 19 February, 2:00–3:00pm
Thursday 26 February, 3:30–4:30pm
Monday 2 March, 11:00am–12:00pm
Thursday 12 March, 12:00 – 1:00pm
Thursday 19 March, 2:00–3:00pm
How to Sign Up
To join a drop in session, please contact SWS colleagues: rosie.megginson@socialworkscotland.org or melissa.bell@socialworkscotland.org.
A Teams invitation will then be sent to you.
Please feel free to share these documents and session dates with colleagues involved in practice learning, workforce development or wider partnership activity.
You can get in touch with Iriss by contacting Louise.Bowen@iriss.org.uk.
