Increase in social work student bursary extended to all currently studying
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Published by Professional Social Work magazine, 17 October, 2022
The Welsh government has extended a recent increase in the social work bursary - announced following a long campaign by Cardiff students, BASW and the SWU - to students at all stages of study.
The adjustment comes after it was pointed out that the increased support initially only applied to new students.
Now returning students will also benefit.
Increased support of up to £3,750 for undergraduates and £12,851 for postgraduates was announced in July, including a 50 per cent increase in the Social Work Bursary, which for postgraduates used to be £6,640 a year, failing to cover course fees let alone living expenses.
Matthew Davies, one of the students who campaigned, and then graduated without seeing any personal benefit, said: “I was working a job, leaving at seven in the morning and coming home at 5.30pm then doing several hours on assignments.
"I had to borrow money, was working weekends to pay my bills, then there was Covid, and the cost of living crisis. There were times when I was close to dropping out.”
Rules attached to the old bursary also meant students who accepted it were not able to apply to Student Finance.
Matthew and his fellow students alerted Social Care Wales, BASW Cymru and the Social Workers Union, joining forces with fellow students from Bangor and Swansea universities. They wrote letters to politicians and finally launched a petition which gained more than 400 signatures and was considered at government level.
Allison Hulmes, national director of BASW Cymru, said: "‘We are relieved the Welsh government has extended the increased social work bursary - following our successful campaign in partnership with the Cardiff MA students and Social Workers Union – to all social work students this year, irrespective of whether they are part of the new cohort or returning students.
"It seemed irrational, when the bursary campaign students so clearly articulated their stories of hardship, that Welsh government should exclude returning students when financial hardship has been a direct cause of attrition and we are entering a cost of living crisis.
"Whilst this is a moment to celebrate and a step in the right direction, we are clear that this campaign will not end until we see parity between social work bursaries and the NHS (Wales) bursary."