Talking Social Work was an event held on 13 September 2018 to mark the 50th Anniversary of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 - to celebrate, reflect on the journey so far and look to the future.

Colin Turbett, qualified as a social worker in 1978 and spent the next 37 years in urban and rural front line fieldwork settings in the west of Scotland, finishing his career as a children and family team manager in North Ayrshire.

He is the author of the recent publication, Community social work in Scotland: a critical history 50 years after the Social Work Scotland Act 1968. He reflects on social work work from the early 1960s to the present day.

Transcript of episode

Music Credit: Make your dream a reality by Scott Holmes

In this episode, Michelle Drumm speaks to Mairi O'Keefe, Chief Executive of Leuchie House national respite centre, based near North Berwick since 2003. The only facility of its kind in Scotland, Leuchie has specialised in providing short respite breaks for people and their families living with MS, Parkinson's and other long-term conditions.

In 2010, Mairi successfully led the Save Leuchie campaign, saving the centre from closure and setting it up as an independent charity in July 2011. In 2015, she received an MBE for services to people with disabilities.

Confirming that she will be leaving Leuchie House in November 2018 Mairi O'Keefe said:

Everyone who knows me knows how passionate I am about Leuchie House and the very special service we provide. It was always going to be difficult to step down, but I know I can do so feeling proud of everything we've achieved. I've been honoured to experience on a daily basis just how much of a difference Leuchie makes to all the hundreds of families we support every year.

Freshly Squeezed aims to 'squeeze' information and inspiration from key influencers in social services in Scotland.

Transcript of episode

Music Credit: Make your dream a reality by Scott Holmes

On 24 October, Iriss attended Navigating Troubled Waters: Women in social work education in Scotland seminar, where we heard from Emeritus Professor Viv Cree and Dr Mary Mitchell about a study funded by the Carnegie UK Trust, which began with the realisation that women in the academy fare less well than men across all disciplines: they are less likely to be promoted, they earn less pay, and they are much less likely to become professors.

What this means for the discipline of social work education is explored.

Transcript of episode

Music Credit: Make your dream a reality by Scott Holmes

Iriss.fm is delighted to broadcast an episode on the work of Plumtree, an Australian not-for-profit organisation that provides support for young children from birth to 8 years old with a developmental delay or disability and their families.

Sylvana Mahmic (CEO) and Dr Melanie Heyworth (Peer Worker) tell the story of Now and Next, a project that has been successful at involving families as peer workers in early childhood intervention.

Three key messages:

Peer workers offer unique benefit to families of young children with disabilities that are not available through existing services, but which are complementary to them. Benefits include feelings of leadership, agency and community. Learning from mental health practice could be applied to the disability sector, so there was no need to spend time reinventing the wheel. It made it cost effective, quick and provided maximum benefit. Implementation of peer work into any existing organisation will face challenges and barriers, but these can be mitigated by pre-emptive organisational action.

Transcript of episode

Music Credit: Make your dream a reality by Scott Holmes

Co-production Week (#CoProWeekScot) was held from the 19-25 November and provided an opportunity to learn, discuss and celebrate how co-production puts people and communities at the heart of the support and services they're part of.

Iriss.fm spoke to Sam Jordan from the Scottish Community Development Centre (SCDC) about what Co-production Week is and some of the activities that took place over the week.

Kieran and Abbie from Young Moversor Yo Mo talk about the work they do to involve children and young people in co-production and the event they led for co-production week.

Transcript of episode

Music Credit: Make your dream a reality by Scott Holmes

Michael McEwan speaks to Steven Thomson, Creative Director and CEO of Outspoken Arts, a professional and creative organisation interested in work which references cutting edge social issues such as creative learning for young and vulnerable people, stories of migration and asylum, issues affecting LGBT people, disability, ethnicity, creative ageing and social health and well-being.

The organisation represents diverse communities and recognises that equality, equal and human rights are now very much the focus of mainstream society, civic and organisational culture and its shifting sense of identity plays an increasingly influential role in this.

Transcript of episode

Music Credit: Make your dream a reality by Scott Holmes

For the launch of Learning Disability Week 2019, Michael McEwan spoke to Libby Clement from Scottish Commission for Learning Disability (SCLD); James Morton, Bake Off finalist; and Jonathan McKinstry, a nominee in the 2018 Learning Disability Awards.

This year's theme is 'community'. Communities are at their best when everyone is active in their community, connected to people within their community, and feels included by their community.

Transcript of episode

Music Credit: Make your dream a reality by Scott Holmes

On 8 February 2019, Michelle from Iriss had a conversation with Kate Samuels from Generations Working Together about the work it does to promote and support intergenerational practice.

She also chatted to Keith Mitchell and Natalie Stewart from Glasgow's Golden Generation; and Charlotte Craig from Impact Arts about their intergenerational work.

Generations Working Together is holding its annual conference on 6 March in Glasgow. You can book a place on their website.

Transcript of episode

Music Credit: Make your dream a reality by Scott Holmes

Michelle Drumm interviews Jackie Irvine, Chief Social Work Officer and Head of Safer and Stronger Communities in the City of Edinburgh Council. Jackie was appointed as the President of Social Work Scotland in May 2018 and her tenure as president comes to an end in May 2019. However, as Past President Jackie will stay on as a key member of the Executive Group at Social Work Scotland.

Jackie’s previous positions were predominantly in children’s services, but not exclusively, as she has been lead for criminal justice, community based health services, and adult hospital-based social work teams.

Freshly Squeezed is an Iriss podcast which aims to 'squeeze' information and inspiration from key influencers in social services in Scotland.

Transcript of episode

Music Credit: Make your dream a reality by Scott Holmes

Michelle Drumm interviews Kathryn Lindsay, who is the Director of Children, Families and Justice / Chief Social Work Officer for Angus Council. She is also the President of Social Work Scotland.

Since qualifying as a social worker in 2000, Kathryn worked as a practitioner across Angus and Dundee City Council justice services and in residential services at Rossie Young People’s Trust. She held senior posts in Dundee City and Angus Council in both Children’s and Justice Services before becoming Chief Social Work Officer in 2016. Kathryn has experience leading services that serve more than one local authority area and has an interest in collaborative service design.

She has a longstanding commitment to post qualifying learning, most recently achieving the Chief Social Work Officer Post Graduate Diploma at Glasgow Caledonian University. She has Masters in both practice and leadership based subjects and a particular interest in developing the workforce, promoting relationship-based practice and public protection.

Transcript of episode

Music Credit: Make your dream a reality by Scott Holmes.

On 16 September 2019, Iriss attended the launch of the SSSC's Careers in Care website which was created to highlight the wide variety of career opportunities available in the sector.

The resource demonstrates how people can build a career working with children and young people, in social services and healthcare settings, or as a social worker.

We spoke to social services practitioners who shared their career stories for use on the website. 

In this final episode of three, we hear from Rowena McIntosh, a social worker; John McVeigh, an academic; and John Stewart, an inspector with the Care Inspectorate, who talk about their journeys into the profession and the skills required to be a social worker.

Transcript of episode

Music Credit: Make your dream a reality by Scott Holmes.

KOR Records is an independent record label that creates music projects for young people with additional support needs and releases their output.

Michael McEwan interviews Geraldine Heaney about the work of the record company. 

Transcript of episode

Music Credit: Make your dream a reality by Scott Holmes.

Is use of language something you carefully consider as a social worker?

And is language important to social work practice?

Sara Hitchin, Senior Lecturer in Social Work at the University of Stirling certainly thinks so and has written an article about it for the Scottish Organisation for Practice Teaching or Scopt.

Michelle from Iriss went along to University of Stirling to have a conversation with her about the importance of language and its relationship to social work values.

Transcript of episode

Music Credit: Make your dream a reality by Scott Holmes.

You’ve heard the stories: engineers 3D printing face shields in their basements; do-it-yourself hobbyists sewing face masks; and fashion designers crafting personal protection gowns.  Globally, people are trying to help fill the medical supply gap caused by the COVID-19 pandemic through open-source medical hardware. It’s a heartwarming display of global ingenuity, innovation, and collaboration. In this … Read More "Open-Source Medical Hardware: What You Should Know and What You Can Do"

The post Open-Source Medical Hardware: What You Should Know and What You Can Do appeared first on Creative Commons.

New beginnings at WIPO  On March 4, Daren Tang was nominated director general of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the United Nations agency dealing with intellectual property matters. Tang is currently the chief executive of the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) and his six-year term as top WIPO official will start on October … Read More "Does WIPO’s New Leadership Have the Vision to Shake Up Global Copyright Policy-Making?"

The post Does WIPO’s New Leadership Have the Vision to Shake Up Global Copyright Policy-Making? appeared first on Creative Commons.

Since the founding of Creative Commons (CC) in 2001, we’ve been supported by like-minded organizations and individuals who value open access, the open community, and the global commons as much as we do. As we near our 20th anniversary, we are reflecting on the past and planning for the future. What better way to do … Read More "Open Access in Practice: A Conversation with President Larry Kramer of The Hewlett Foundation"

The post Open Access in Practice: A Conversation with President Larry Kramer of The Hewlett Foundation appeared first on Creative Commons.

DRINK, IT'S GOOD seems legit

BRING YOUR KID TO WORK DAY "but Dad, I wanted to be a rebel!"

IT LOOKS CUTE.. but, it's from Australia...it will kill you!

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As most of us know, states across the U.S. can no longer rely on a defined fire season. This sobering truth is especially evident in California where the fire season is 70 days longer than it was 40 years ago, and fire ignitions in the state have greatly

  During the session Promoting A Culture Of Safety And Fitness To Prevent Cancer, Heart Disease, and Injuries in Boston Firefighters at NFPA’s Conference & Expo (C&E), Dr. Michael Hamrock, a former firefighter and medical

In the mid 2000s, everyone from Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson to President George W. Bush touted hydrogen fuel cells, or HFCs, which combine oxygen from the air with hydrogen to create electricity, as the future of motoring. All these years later,

John Sullivan, deputy chief of the Worcester Fire Department/vice chair of the IAFC health and safety section, discusses why it's so important for firefighters to get physical exams each year.  The average age of a first heart attack for the general

The short answer: everyone.     Hot work is one of the leading causes of industrial fire. According to the NFPA report Structure Fires Started by Hot Work - September 2016, U.S. fire departments responded to an average of 4,440

The sky above the roofs of Zell am See and Kaprun is sure to wear its most colourful gown. At the 29th 'BP Gas Alpine Balloon Trophy' starting on 20th January 2008, about 40 international teams of balloonists will literally be up and away. Anyone who prefers to stay on the ground can look forward to enjoying a unique colour
spectacle! And there is even more: an exciting supporting programme with events about balloon travel and aviation makes sure that boredom doesn't stand a chance!

The first winter competition for hot-air balloonists took place as early as 1979. The pioneers of the aviation club 'Team Polar', Josef 'Joschi' Starkbaum and his partner Gert Scholz, didn't want to accept the unfounded assertion that 'hot-air balloons are just not made for travelling in the Alpine regions'. And now watch and learn: until today the event lures participants from all around the globe to Zell am See-Kaprun - and not even once has there been as much as a hitch. But nevertheless it is always a thrilling experience to mount the baskets. Since it is not possible to steer the balloons directly, your journey takes you into the unknown once you have lost touch with the ground. You can aim for your destination only by descending and rising and making use of the winds.

To judge who is best at this art, the BP Alpine Balloon Trophy has organized many adventurous competitions which are true challenges for the participants. But the visitors of the event don't have to limit themselves to watching either. And for small guests, the event has a special treat up its sleeve: On Monday 21st January, one day after the ceremonious opening on the old runway of the airfield of Zell am See, there is the start of the captive balloons. From 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. children can get into the baskets of the huge balloons which are tied to the ground. If the weather doesn't cooperate, the start will be postponed until Wednesday.

On Monday evening, the event 'Fire & Ice' promises to be an optical highlight: fire shows, hot-air balloons, and illuminated sculptures made of ice will light up the night. From 8 p.m. visitors can choose from a large variety of delicious drinks. Wednesday and Thursday, 23rd and 24th January, will definitely be as breathtaking as the preceding days have been. From 8 p.m. visitors are invited to come to the valley station of the cityXpress in Zell am See and to Lechnerberg in Kaprun where hot-air balloons are making the sky of the region their canvas. This colourful happening has always been a major event in the programme of the BP Gas Alpine Balloon Trophy. Fireworks and DJ music will make visitor marvel in amazement. And, of course, we mustn't forget to mention the show of the motocross and snowmobile drivers who perform daredevil acrobatics and breathtaking stunts!

For more information on the 29th Gas Alpine Balloon Trophy in Zell am See and Kaprun please visit us at www.zellamsee-kaprun.com.


Contact within the region
Guest Service Zell am See-Kaprun
Phone +43 (0)6542 - 770 0
welcome(at)zellamsee-kaprun.com
www.zellamsee-kaprun.com

Press contact
knoefler-journalist . media + communications GmbH
Mr. Benjamin Knöfler
Phone +49 (0)6028 - 80729 0
zellkaprun(at)kj-media.com
www.knoefler-journalist.com


Information summary
The holiday region Zell am See-Kaprun with its 14,000 beds and two million overnight stays every year is one of the most important holiday destinations in Austria. During the summer months you can enjoy a variety of outdoor activities like rafting, golf and hiking. And also in the cold season there is never a dull moment thanks to sleigh rides and hiking tours in snowshoes. Skiers can comfortably reach the 132 kilometres of slopes with powder snow with one of the 56 lifts. Snowboarders enjoy the perfect conditions of the Snowpark on the 2,600 metre high glacier plateau. Even in the summer you can swish down the slopes here. The renowned German publishing house of 'Falk Verlag' awarded Zell am See and Kaprun the decoration of the most family-friendly holiday region in Europe.

Contact Information:
knoefler-journalist . media + communications GmbH

Newton Faulkner performed a selection of his hits way above the Swiss countryside

KENNETH Karlstrom is more used to piloting champagne balloon flights from a St Albans school than taking part in a radio sessions thousands of feet above the Swiss Alps.

As Virgin Balloon Flights'chief pilot, he flew the 100-foot-tall balloon in which singer-songwriter Newton Faulkner lived up to the title of his hit single Dream Catch Me while soaring near to the town of Greyere.

Kenneth normally pilots champagne flights from Nicholas Breakspear School in Colney Heath Lane but he found himself joining 13 lucky passengers to hear dreadlocked Newton play several tracks including his latest single Teardrop.

The performance was recorded for Virgin Radio and the gig was punctuated by the noise of father-of-two Kenneth firing the balloon's burners.

Kenneth and the singer enjoy an after-flight Champagne

The high altitude and cold temperatures meant Newton had to continually warm up his hands and retune his guitar in order to pull off his light-fingered guitar playing.

Unforgettable

It was the first time a radio session has ever been recorded in a hot-air balloon and Kenneth, who has flown balloons all over the world, said: "Every hot-air balloon flight is an unforgettable experience but this had to be in my top 10 and I've been flying for nearly 30 years."

After a 50-minute flight, a soft landing and a champagne toast, Newton continued the celebrations with an impromptu gig in a chalet among the mountains. He was then presented with a platinum gold disc marking half-a-million sales of his number one album Hand Built by Robots.

A video of the full Unplugged and Airborne session is available to watch online at www.virginradio. co.uk

Kenneth Karlstrom shows Newton Faulkner the way... sadly you have to click the link!!

'Unplugged and Airborne' by Newton Faulkner

For the second year in a row, the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta was marked by the tragic death of a person in a balloon. Now, Wells Fargo Bank is trying to help the families of those at the center of this year's accident.
Wells Fargo opened the account for the families of pilots Keith Sproul and Stephen Lachendro, who were in the "Wings Of Wind" balloon when it hit a power line last Friday morning.
The gondola caught fire and separated from the balloon envelope, crashing to the ground.

Thieves made off with radios, computers and other items.
Wells Fargo has already donated $1,000 into the account to help the families deal with expenses surrounding the funeral, medical care costs and the break-in .
Donors who want to give to the account can contact Wells Fargo and should ask about donating to the Debbie Sproul account.

THE Warrnambool husband and wife who were burnt in a freak hot air balloon accident yesterday are well-known community volunteers.
Stuart Prince, 65, and his wife, Heather Martin-Trigg, 51, were taking part in an early-morning joy flight when the terrifying incident occurred north of Bendigo.

It is believed the flight was a birthday present which had been postponed from earlier this year due to hazardous weather conditions.

Mr Prince, who suffered serious burns to his right arm and lower extremities, was in a stable condition in The Alfred hospital yesterday after being transported from the scene by helicopter.

Ms Martin-Trigg was taken by road ambulance to the Bendigo hospital and also transferred to The Alfred in a stable condition yesterday afternoon.

The couple are both life members of 3WAY-FM where Mr Prince is a founding member and presenter and Ms Martin-Trigg is the committee treasurer. She is also vice-president of the Friends of the Warrnambool Art Gallery.

They own and operate Henna Street Picture Framers and Ms Martin-Trigg also works with the Vision Radio Network.

The balloon, operated by the Goldrush Ballooning company, was on a regular flight from Bendigo with eight passengers ? two from Warrnambool, two from Rochester and four from Melbourne.

It was under the control of a Bendigo man who has 12 years experience as a pilot.

http://www.standard.net.au/news/local/news/general/wellknown-volunteers-recover-after-balloon-crash/1653659.aspx?storypage=1

This is a paper produced as part of the PROP2 (Practitioner Research: Outcomes and Partnership) programme, a partnership between the Centre for Research on Families and Relationships (CRFR) at the University of Edinburgh and IRISS that was about health and social care in Scotland. This paper was written by Elaine Monteith from ENABLE Scotland who participated in the PROP2 programme. What this research paper explores: All women are asked to go to the doctor every few years to get a check for cancer but women who have a learning disability don’t go for these checks as often as other women. The paper explore what barriers there are for women attending for checks and also looks at what could be done to encourage women them to attend.

Explores how the Institute for Research and Innovation in Social Services (IRISS) promotes the delivery of cost effective social services in Scotland that will support the achievement of positive outcomes for people accessing support. It identifies a number of principles that underpin the work of IRISS and suggests how these facilitate innovative evidence-informed practice. The approach to evidence-informed practice comprises four pillars of activity. The first pillar focuses on improving awareness and access to evidence and is exemplified by the Learning Exchange, the IRISS Insights series, and audio and video recording. The second pillar refers to strengthening the evidence base and is discussed in the context of work on self-directed support. Improving skills and confidence to use evidence forms the third pillar and is represented by work on data visualisation and peer support for self-evaluation. The final pillar is embedding evidence in organisations, through co-production, creating spaces to test and challenge evidence, and through the development of evidence-based products. Supporting people to share knowledge, learn from each other and to collectively produce new knowledge and solutions is an innovative approach but also one which should be cost-effective. Pre-print. Published in Evidence and Policy, 2014 (10)4 as Embedding research into practice through innovation and creativity: a case study from social services

Short breaks are among the most fundamental services for supporting families with disabled children. By providing breaks from caring and positive experiences for children and young people, they allow parent carers to focus on relationships with other children, or to have time to themselves or with their partner, leading to lower levels of psychological distress, higher levels of life satisfaction and better health. As a result, fewer parent carers reach ‘breaking point’ and fewer children require access to emergency provision or enter the looked after system. This report, commissioned by Every Disabled Child Matters, looks at the current provision of short breaks to families of disabled children in England.

The Better Breaks funding programme is focused on improving the range and availability of short break opportunities for disabled children and young people, particularly those with multiple support needs, including short break opportunities that families can enjoy together, or which allow parents and siblings to have time away from their caring responsibilities. This is the summary report.

This is a paper produced as part of the PROP2 (Practitioner Research: Outcomes and Partnership) programme, a partnership between the Centre for Research on Families and Relationships (CRFR) at the University of Edinburgh and IRISS that was about health and social care in Scotland. This paper was written by iain Houston from Alzeimer Scotland who participated in the PROP2 programme. What this research paper explores: An explorative case study investigating how completing a life story project affected a person with dementia.

BASW is the largest professional association for social work in the UK, with offices in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. BASW promote the best possible social work services for all people who may need them, while also securing the well being of social workers.

Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland aims to improve the quality of life for people in Scotland affected by chest, heart and stroke illness, through medical research, influencing public policy, advice and information and support in the community.

As part of the implementation of the Equal Partners in Care (EPiC) Highland Carer’s Strategy 2014-2017 it was agreed to undertake a review of respite for Adult Carers of Adults (aged 16+). Independent consultants were commissioned by NHS Highland through Connecting Carers to undertake this work. There are four groups of people – totalling an estimated 200 people - with whom conversations have taken place during the review: Carers and staff from carer support organisations – more than 75 carers have given their views; Health and social care workforce – we have met with just over 50 people who have given their views and shared our initial findings with more than 60 others; Respite providers – we have met with staff from 15 organisations that are providers of respite Those staff responsible for overseeing the commissioning, planning and administration of respite.

The Short Breaks Fund helping to make breaks better and brighter for unpaid carers and cared-for people in Scotland. Launched in 2010 for one year, the fund has now been running for five years and has proved to be a lifeline for many carers. During the past five years the Scottish Government, through Shared Cared Scotland has distributed 12,547,409 to 697 projects to deliver innovative, tailor made breaks to groups and individuals.

In 2006 Mencap produced a comprehensive review of short break provision. Now, 10 years on, they are revisiting the support available for family carers to see whether recent policy initiatives and investment have delivered the much-needed change. A total of 264 family carers responded to their survey on short breaks provision and experiences of caring. They also sent Freedom of Information requests to all 152 local authorities in England that provide social care services. This report looks at short breaks provision in a climate of cuts to central and local government budgets. It examines the extent to which these cuts have impacted on the lives of people with a learning disability and their family carers. It also looks at the state of affairs for family carers of children and young people across the full spectrum of learning disability; from people with mild and moderate learning disabilities, to people with severe and profound disabilities.

The 10th international short break conference took place in Edinburgh from 13 to 15 September 2016. This conference report explores the barriers experienced in accessing short breaks and how these have been overcome.