Social work - Practice Learning Support Grant: equality impact assessment
Equality impact assessment relating to the introduction of the Practice Learning Support Grant for eligible social work students with practice learning placements in-year. It assesses the impact of the proposed grant for groups with protected characteristics.
Footnotes
1 HESA data are published two years in arrears from start of the relevant academic year, to allow for verification.
2 Extending eligibility for the SAAS postgraduate support package to social work students unable to access the Scottish Social Services Council bursary from Academic Year 2024-2025
Also from Academic Year 2024-2025, increasing the earnings eligibility threshold for the SSSC postgraduate social work bursary, guaranteeing living costs support for all bursary recipients, and streamlining the bursary’s Discretionary Allowances making them easier for recipients to navigate.
3 The Scottish Parliament has been petitioned by social work students asking Scottish Government to increase support for students on placements (Petition PE1993)
4 Recent survey results on placement experience (‘Findings from the Student Placement Experience Survey’, Scottish Association of Social Work (SASW), 2024), found that 60% of student social worker respondents experienced negative impact on their mental wellbeing, with nearly two thirds linking this to financial pressures during the required assessed practice learning placements
5 Social Work Practice Learning Funding: Research and Evaluation, 2023 PL Res (swepscotland.org)
6 ‘Findings from the Student Placement Experience Survey’, SASW, 2024
7 National Union of Students Scotland, Fighting for Students: The Cost of Survival. https://www.nus-scotland.org.uk/cost_of_survival_report (2023)
8 Advance HE, Equality in higher education: statistical reports 2023 - https://advance-he.ac.uk/knowledge-hub/equality-higher-education-statistical-reports-2023
9 Undergrad Funding - SAAS - Higher Education - Student Loan - Bursary
10 Postgraduate funding - Full Time - SAAS
11 Defined as: low income; disabled; parent; students with caring responsibilities; care experienced students, estranged, mature.
12 Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA) - SAAS - Funding
13 Scottish Social Service Sector, Report on 2023 Workforce Data report (2024) - Scottish Social Service Sector: Report on 2023 Workforce Data | Scottish Social Services Workforce Data (sssc.uk.com)
14 National Union of Students Scotland. (2023) Fighting for Students: The Cost of Survival, https://www.nus-scotland.org.uk/cost_of_survival_report
17 Home | Social Work Education Partnership (swepscotland.org)
Contact
Email: OCSWA@gov.scot