Social work students in Scotland remain in limbo as they await the results of a review into bursary provision in the final years of their courses.
Ministers unveiled their Programme for Government on 5th September, but there was no progress on ending the unfair nature of student support. Students have once again written to Ministers to ask for an update on progress and a meeting to discuss their proposals for reform.
The review was established by the Scottish Minister for Further & Higher Education, Graeme Dey MSP. It came after a powerful cross-party committee of MSPs agreed to take action to support the need for social work university students to be provided with bursaries.
SWU has backed campaigners who argue that bursaries for all third and fourth year undergraduate social work students in Scotland should have equality with other students who work in the public sector in front-line roles during their studies.
The Union has previously calculated that the total for nursing, midwifery, and paramedic bursaries currently on offer is a non-repayable £37,500, but for social work students the basic support available is between £20,400 and £32,400, mostly in the form of a repayable loan and depending on household income.
John McGowan, General Secretary of SWU and a strong supporter of the students’ campaign, commented: “The waiting game continues, while the recruitment crisis in social work grows. The profession, social work employers, the government and society cannot afford for students to be priced out of studying to become social workers.”
The students leading the campaign, Lucy Challoner and David Grimm were recently presented with the Common Good Award for Activism by Glasgow Caledonian University’s Department of Social Work, which is part of its School of Health and Life Sciences.