Social work student support boost welcome, but more needed, say campaigners in Scotland

Campaigners have welcomed a boost to social work student support in Scotland but say more is needed to prevent burnout and provide equity with those studying to become health professionals.

From this month, eligible undergraduate and postgraduate students will receive a £750 grant from the Scottish Government for each of their two placements, up from £350 per placement in 2023-24.

The practice learning support grant, administered by regulator the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC), is designed to cover the costs of travel, subsistence and other practical requirements to support students while on placement.

Student-led campaign

Its introduction follows a student campaign – backed by the Social Workers Union (SWU) and Scottish Association of Social Work (SASW) – to increase levels of financial support, particularly for undergraduates on placement.

The campaign called for annual bursaries of £7,500 for third- and fourth-year undergraduates, not only to support them to complete their placements, but also to tackle inequalities in the support they received compared with healthcare students.

Currently, undergraduate students in Scotland spend nine months working full-time on placement in their third and fourth years but, during their course, can only access means-tested support worth £33,600 to £45,600 (from 2023-24), mostly in the form of repayable loans.

By contrast, nursing, midwifery and paramedic students receive non-means tested bursaries of £37,500 during their four-year courses.

Extra money ‘welcome but enough’

Leading campaigner, David Grimm, who recently completed his course, said the practice learning support grant would “help ease some of the pressure on students who are working and managing case work as part of their degrees”.

However, he added: “It does not provide enough to help students to live while studying and working in placements. Many end up burning out due to the pressure, dropping out of courses or building up unsustainable debt.”

Fellow campaigner Lucy Challoner said: “While we welcome the steps forward, we need to see a pathway towards equality with other public-sector degree courses.”

Union vows to continue campaign

For the SWU, general secretary John McGowan said: “We understand the financial pressures the Scottish Government is facing, but the students’ campaign is about two basic principles, that people should be fairly compensated for doing frontline work in the public sector and that students on social work courses should be treated like their peers on nursing and paramedic degrees and receive bursaries while on placements.

“Until these principles are met, we will continue to back the students in their campaign.”

The news follows a Scottish Government pledge to introduce an apprenticeship scheme to provide a new route into the profession.