Social work - Practice Learning Support Grant: equality impact assessment

Desired outcomes of the Practice Learning Support Grant

Benefits for the sector of a flat-rate grant for placement support with streamlined disbursement, via SSSC, include:

• improved consistency and transparency of the distribution of financial practice learning support provided by the Scottish Government

• reduced uncertainty in financial planning for universities and students
• reduced administrative burden for officials, universities and students

Benefits for recipients of the grant include:

• increased grant award
• flexibility to use the grant for any costs related to undertaking their placement (rather than restricted to travel only)
• removal of the administrative burden of claiming expenses from their university

The targets against which progress to be monitored are:

• all eligible students are made aware of the option to apply for the PLSG
• PLSG grant payments are processed to the eligible student's bank account within 15 days of receipt of the relevant verification
• university practice learning contacts, practice learning providers and eligible students are surveyed on their experience of the PLSG grant process and their perception of the effectiveness of the grant value