Scottish social work students celebrate funding victory
![Student with book](/sites/default/files/styles/3_2_s/public/2023-12/jasmine-coro-3NgnoYlNKdk-unsplash.jpg?h=2a71c125&itok=szvfrpen)
Postgraduate social work students in Scotland are celebrating reform to the “lottery” of funding which saw them relying on personal endorsements from lecturers for bursaries.
But they say further reform is needed to help third and fourth year undergraduate students as the pressures of working in placements alongside studying is leading many to drop out.
From the next academic year (2024-25), postgraduates not eligible for bursary support through the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) will be able to apply for funding from the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS). The move was announced at a recent SASW conference by Scottish cabinet secretary for justice and home affairs Angela Constance MSP.
Students have campaigned for the Scottish government, SAAS and the Scottish Social Services Council to reform funding to ensure objective assessment criteria are used to assess the need for bursaries.
Student campaigner David Grimm said: “This reform should mean that the lottery of students having to rely on recommendations and endorsements from their lecturers will no longer be such a huge problem.
“Without reform to student bursaries we risk not having enough social workers in the future to meet the statutory roles they play. This is a welcome first step towards wider reform of the system.
“We now need ministers to publish the review of the support available for social work students and agree to provide bursaries for all third and fourth year undergraduate social work students who work on the frontline alongside their studies.”
Students argue that third and fourth year undergraduate social work students in Scotland should have parity with other students who work in the public sector in frontline roles during their studies.
They have been backed by the Social Workers Union (SWU) and SASW. The union calculates that the total for nursing, midwifery and paramedic bursaries currently on offer is a non-repayable £37,500. But for social work students basic support is between £20,400 and £32,400, mostly in the form of a repayable loan and dependent on household income.
A review was announced after a cross-party committee of MSPs agreed to take action to support the need for social work university students to be provided with bursaries.
John McGowan, general secretary of SWU, said: “This represents a step towards ensuring that students who wish to become social workers are financially supported to do so. We have been proud to support the students in their campaign so far and will continue to do so until we see meaningful reform of social work bursaries in Scotland.”
Alison Bavidge, national director of SASW, added: “I'm so pleased that the Scottish government has taken this positive step to help some of our students.”