News

About a year ago we received an invitation from Varna Business Agency(VBA) in Bulgaria to collaborate in the development and implementation of a programme to introduce innovative methods for exchange of knowledge, skills and approaches to social inclusion. VBA had found us on the web and been impressed by our range of services.

Claire Lightowler, Programme Manager (EIP) at Iriss has co-authored a report entitled, Incentivising knowledge exchange: A comparison of vision, strategies, policy and practice in English and Scottish Higher Education (PDF), which considers the 'incentivisation' and 'institutionalisation' of knowledge exchange activities within the higher education policy in the UK.

The first screening of 'The Road from Crime' film was shown at the University of Glasgow yesterday evening, Monday 18th June, and was very well received by the 250+ people who attended. It was introduced by Kenny MacAskill, Cabinet Secretary for Justice who stayed to watch the film, tweeting afterwards that he thought it was both powerful and insightful.

A partnership project of IRISS and SSSC, Workforce of the Future aims to bring key people from across social services organisations to work up and implement a number of creative ideas for shaping the future social services workforce.

Alison Petch, Director at Iriss, has authored a final evaluation of the Talking Points programme, an approach that focuses on assessing the outcomes important to the individual, planning how they will be achieved, and reviewing the extent to which they have been attained.

As it's Depression Awareness Week (22-28th April), we thought it would be a good opportunity to flag up Mindreel, a joint initiative led by Iriss in partnership with the Scottish Mental Health Arts & Film Festival and the University of Strathclyde.

Currently in pilot phase, the intention of Mindreel is to unlock the educational potential of the hundreds of films that have been submitted to the Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival since its inception in 2007. It includes a diverse range of films, including a number on the subject of depression and recovery.

"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.

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.

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.

Social media is used by an increasing number of people to communicate: from rating purchases on Amazon to sharing news, views and opinion through Twitter, to sharing photographs and video on Flickr and Youtube.

We commissioned Shirley Ayres of Aspire Knowledge to look at how social media is being used by service users and carers and to consider the current state of online marketplaces specialising in goods and services for services users and carers.