We are hosting a conference to celebrate practice learning in Scotland and to consider how to strengthen its role in social work education in collaboration with the University of Dundee, the Open University and Robert Gordon University.

Who should attend?

We invite practice educators, link workers, learning and development leads and those with an interest in the development of practitioners in the workplace to join us to bridge the gap between theory and practice and to forge a strong and empowered future for practice learning in Scotland.

Keynote speakers

Dr Gillian Fergusson A powerful, passionate practice learning ecology for social work in Scotland: connecting people, places and spaces that inspire social workers’ learning.

Jim Greer Drawing on ten years’ research on resilience and supportive supervision in practice.

The conference includes workshops led by a range of professionals drawn from direct practice, the third sector and academia. You can select workshops to attend on the day.

Present an academic poster

Are you passionate about practice education? Do you want to collaborate and share good practice?

We’re keen to hear from practice educators working in social work practice across Scotland from rural and urban areas, new and experienced practice educators and those working in statutory, third sector and private settings.

Please register a note of interest by Friday 11 July 2025 if you want to showcase your academic poster at the conference. Please email quality.assurance@sssc.uk.com. Posters that are selected to be showcased will need to be received by Monday 25 August.

Poster design and content

We’re looking for you to tell us about:

· what works well and supports the practice learning experience for learners in social work placements

· what the barriers are

· what you think the future of Practice Education in Scotland could look like.

We also want you to share good ideas, tools and resources that you have found helpful to meet the SiSWE standards and as a Practice Educator.

· What do you think is useful you help you be the all-important ‘bridge’ between theory and practice?

Need help to you prepare your academic poster?

Sheila Erskine, Lecturer in Social Work, Robert Gordon University (RGU) is hosting an online tutorial.

Sheila will explain the role and purpose of an academic poster, provide handy hints and tips to compile the poster and have some examples to show you the key Do's and Don’ts of presenting a poster.

To register for the online tutorial please click on the link below:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bridging-the-gap-conference-conference-poster-online-tutorial-tickets-1421037364009?aff=oddtdtcreator

Practice Education in Scotland: Bridging the gap