Learning Link Scotland E-Bulletin

APRIL 2017

LLS News - Policy Focus - Members and Partners News and Events
- Consultations - Resources


Learning Link Scotland News

We are very much looking forward to our second year of Children, Young People and Families Early Intervention, Adult Learning Empowering Communities funding.
 

Policy Focus

Statement of Ambition for Adult Learning and Family Learning

Learning Link Scotland sit on the Strategic Forum for the Statement of Ambition for Adult Learning and Jackie Howie co-chairs the Professional Learning Working Group. This group is running an event in collaboration with the Family Learning Working Group and Dundee University:
 

Family Learning for Closing the Attainment Gap - Practitioner Voices

Friday 26 May 2017, 9.30 – 13.30, University of Dundee, Dalhousie 2G12
This event is for all Family Learning Practitioners in the different roles across the sector. The event is an opportunity to explore the current policy framework and creative practice approaches in Family Learning. Speakers will offer perspectives on policy and practice and you will be invited to debate what the sector can do to address the attainment gap, a current Scottish Government education priority and address the following questions:
  • What can Family Learning practitioners proactively do as individuals to address the attainment gap?
  • What collective actions are required by Family Learning Practitioners, at all levels, to gain recognition in the Scottish Education sector for the value of non-formal and informal learning provision to address the attainment gap?
Soup provided but bring your own sandwich.
For more information contact Ann Swinney a.z.swinney@dundee.ac.uk or Jackie Howie jhowie@learninglinkscotland.org.uk
 

Members and Partners News and Events

Crisis - Ending homelessness: working together to think differently

Monday 15 May 2017, Time: 9.30 – 4.30pm, Drinks reception: 4.30pm – 6.30pm
The Lighthouse, 11 Mitchell Lane, Glasgow G1 3NU, Book now £50
As Crisis celebrate the launch of their 50th year, join them for a conversation on how to end homelessness. This interactive event will be the start of an exciting programme of activity over the coming year to develop a plan to end homelessness once and for all.
Speakers include:
  • Mel Young, President, Homeless World Cup, and recognised as one of the world’s leading social entrepreneurs by the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship.
  • Roseanne Haggerty, founder, Community Solutions, USA -  a world leader in developing innovative community based solutions to tackling homelessness, including the 100,000 Homes Campaign.
  • Naomi Eisenstadt CB, the First Minister’s independent adviser on poverty and inequality, former director of the Social Exclusion Task Force.
The day will bring together homelessness and housing professionals from across the country, alongside international speakers, renowned thought leaders, policy and practice experts and people with expertise by experience to help shape the future agenda on ending homelessness.
For more information and to book your place, follow this link: Book now
 

COSLA Event

COSLA is hosting a series of free events across Scotland to share practice around delivering ESOL to adult resettled Syrians in Scotland. These events are funded through the UK Government’s Syrian Resettlement Scheme.
The events are for everyone involved in planning and delivering ESOL, including those making decisions at strategic level and those delivering ESOL directly. 
There will be an event in Edinburgh on Monday, 22 May (10:00 am to 1:00 pm) at COSLA, Verity House, 19 Haymarket Yards, Edinburgh, EH12 5BH.
You can book a place using this online form or call me on 0141 428 3972
For more information contact Ann Elliott at ann.elliott@researchscotland.org
 

Electronic Platform for Adult Learning in Europe

EPALE are currently in the process of looking for EPALE UK Ambassadors to join the growing network. This is a light touch role (voluntary), and involvement can be large or small, depending on how much time someone can give. We are looking for adult learning professionals across the UK and from a range of sectors to:
Please see the attached Information Sheet if you are interested.
Follow the links below to find out more about our current EPALE UK ambassadors:
https://ec.europa.eu/epale/en/blog/introducing-epale-uk-ambassadors
 

Community Development Alliance Scotland

CDAS has produced a new booklet 'How Community Development Happens: Why stronger communities matter and what it takes to develop them' which invites people to think about what it takes to develop and support stronger communities.

 

Evaluation Support Scotland

The new Knowledge Translation Network (KTN) publication “Evidence from Elsewhere: Gathering, analysing and using other people’s evidence” was launched on 22 March at an event hosted by Big Lottery Fund Scotland in Glasgow.  You can download your copy from here.
Using other people’s evidence can be useful to fill gaps in your evidence or to help make a case for a new service or project.  The guide is packed with lots of tips and advice useful for anyone wanting to use secondary evidence, in other words… other people’s evidence.
The guide is part of a series of publications Evidence for Success and Collaborating with academics
 

Volunteer Glasgow 

The Smarter Volunteer Manager Training Programme
Next programme starts 1st Jun; then continues 15th Jun; 29th Jun; 13th Jul 2017
For Project Leaders, Volunteer Coordinators, Managers of volunteering programmes, Strategic lead officers, Members of governing bodies
Effective partnerships are the cornerstone of everything Volunteer Glasgow do.  In providing training over the last 12 years, they have worked with hundreds of organisations – refining their approach to meet your challenges, culminating in these learning sets.
Drawing on an Action Learning Set approach, this tried and tested programme runs over four, half-day sessions spaced two weeks apart. Offering a fusion of mentoring, inquisitorial discussion, small-group exercises and individual study, there will be opportunities created between sessions to explore how far the learning can be applied.
Further details are available here:
http://www.volunteerglasgow.org/organise/managing/help/smarter-volunteer-manager/
 

WEA Scotland

Legacies of Resistance to the First World War
The WEA Scotland project funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund seeks to empower learners to uncover the stories of Scotland’s conscientious objectors during the First World War, bringing to light their experiences and how objection shaped their lives and communities following the war.
What compelled people to say no and refuse to fight or take part in the First World War? What did this mean to communities across Scotland? How were conscientious objectors able to gain exemption? Who supported or opposed them?
This project will empower learners to uncover the stories that have shaped their communities and share them with others across the country.
LOCATIONS: Dundee, Edinburgh & Glasgow
DURATION: This is a 2-year project; the first course commences the last week of April 2017. Further details to follow.
FORMAT: The project will offer a number of 8 week courses, with one 2-hour session a week, alongside events and other learning opportunities
If you would like further information about the project (or the specific courses) please contact Nik Williams at n.williams@wea.org.uk
 

National Digital Learning Week

National Digital Learning Week will take place from the 15 – 19 May. This year the theme of the week will be ‘Digital Difference’. Further information on how you can participate is available here.
 

European News - LLLWeek2017

Lifelong Learning Week 2017 LLLWeek2017 will take place on 20-24 November in Brussels. This year the week will be organised in partnership with the European Commission and its Vocational Education and Training Week VET Week.
Along with the traditional debates and events in the European Parliament, the LLLWeek will also celebrate the LLLAwards2017, this year on the topic Education in a Digital World, submissions can be made by following the link.
 

CLD and the Scottish Attainment Challenge - Education Scotland  

The recent announcement of the Pupil Equity Fund for schools is an opportunity for the CLD sector to engage directly with head teachers and schools around developing interventions. The Interventions for Equity is a developing piece of work with examples from across Scotland of interventions that are also addressing the attainment gap.

 

Consultations

Scottish Government

Social Security
Social security in Scotland will be designed and built with and for the people of Scotland, and Experience Panels will turn that principle into a reality. The Scottish Government are seeking at least 2,000 people with direct personal experience of the current social security system to help shape Scotland’s new system.
Scottish Government will work with people who have direct and personal experience and knowledge of the current one to find out from them what works, what needs improved and what the new system can do to support them.
Invitations have been sent by post to 18,000 people who have recent or current experience of the social security system. People can also volunteer directly to join the Experience Panels by completing the registration form online or downloading it and posting it back to the Scottish Government by freepost.
Experience Panels resources - including posters etc – can be downloaded.
There’s also a freephone helpline 0800 029 4974 (which includes language translation and BSL interpretation) if people have questions about getting involved in the Panels, or if they need additional support to register. Registration is open until 12 May.
More information: www.gov.scot/socialsecurity
https://www.facebook.com/TheScottishGovernment
@scotgovfairer #scotsocialsecurity

 

Resources

Dyslexia Scotland

Addressing Dyslexia Toolkit
The Toolkit is a free online resource designed for teachers and local authority staff to provide information and guidance on supporting learners with dyslexia and literacy difficulties.                          
The new toolkit was re-launched on the 8 March by the Deputy First Minister. The toolkit provides easier navigation, new sections and free resources for teachers, schools and local authorities to support and improve practice, knowledge and understanding of dyslexia and inclusive practice.
 
Introduction to Dyslexia and Inclusive Practice
Dyslexia and Inclusive Practice is the first of three free online modules developed in response to Recommendations 1 and 2 of the 2014 Education Scotland Review Making Sense of Dyslexia: Education for Children and Young People with Dyslexia in Scotland.
This short module has been developed with the Open University and the Making Sense Working Group and is designed to provide an introduction for teachers, community educators and anyone with an interest in developing positive approaches to supporting dyslexia in their inclusive practice.
 

Family Learning

Education Scotland has published its new Family Learning Review - the first of its kind in Scotland. The review provides illustrations of international and national good practice around family learning and provides guidance on how to develop family learning models that work for both families, adults and children.
The review emphasises the important contribution that community learning and development makes to family learning. For many adults a family learning programme can be the first step to taking up further adult learning and training opportunities, gaining a job or developing new skills. For children, this can have a positive impact on their individual attainment and learning journey. This review will help practitioners develop programmes of family learning that are recognised and make a real difference.

 

Funding

Scottish Book Trust Live Literature School Residencies 2017-18

The programme will offer 10 schools, early years or nurseries in Scotland a fully-funded author-in-residence. Each residency will contain 12 sessions carried out by one author from our database. Our database includes over 700 professional writers, poets, playwrights, spoken word artists, illustrators, graphic novelists, screenwriters and storytellers. Residencies should inspire a love of creative writing and reading.
Next Deadline: 17 May 2017
 

Jobs

Education Scotland

Please see the updated secondment advert on the Education Scotland website which may be of interest:
https://education.gov.scot/who-we-are/Current%20vacancies

Reports

Carnegie UK - What Do Citizens Want?

How do people experience public services in their everyday lives? How can professional help and support enable us to do the things that are important to us and support networks of friends, family and community? When does it get in the way?
These are questions that the What Do Citizens Want project in partnership with the University of Edinburgh, What Works Scotland, Loretto Housing, Link and Blackwood Homes and Care are exploring. The project will provide new insights from a citizen perspective about how to deliver more enabling services.


Education Scotland - Community Learning and Development

Education Scotland has recently published a new report, Community Learning and Development (CLD) Planning: An aspect review of progress made in implementing the CLD Regulations. This sits alongside and complements the previously published Community Learning and Development Plans 2015-18: Planning for change in Scotland's communities. This review of CLD planning focuses on strategic level planning and arrangements within local authorities and community planning partnerships to implement the CLD Regulations.
 

News

Launch of the Mental Health Strategy March 2017

This 10 year plan includes a number of actions including:
  • Roll out improved mental health training for those who support young people in educational settings.
  • Commission the development of a Matrix of evidence-based interventions to improve the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people.
Seminar

The Centre for Research in Education Inclusion and Diversity

CREID Seminar - HE, Funding & Access: Scotland & the UK in International Perspective The Centre for Research in Education Inclusion and Diversity (CREID) is pleased to extend a warm invitation to you and your colleagues to join our seminar Higher Education, Funding & Access: Scotland & the UK in International Perspective, to be held at the University of Edinburgh on the 31st August between 9:30am and 3:30pm.