Welcome to the January issue of the Voluntary Sector Social Services Workforce Unit's e-bulletin. You are receiving this because you subscribed to e-bulletins from the Workforce Unit. If you have problems viewing the e-bulletin, please go to our website.
This is the first publication of 2010, so why not help colleagues get off to a positive start by inviting them to receive this ebulletin directly? Just forward this link.
Our bulletins will keep you up to date with the latest voluntary sector social services workforce development issues. If you have a workforce development event or initiative you would like to publicise please let us know and we will include it in future editions.
Lisa Pattoni
Information and Communications Officer
lisa.pattoni@ccpscotland.org
Content
Our Winter Newsletter has a focus on Policy and is now available here. In this edition:
The next edition will be published in spring. If you would like to showcase good practice examples from your organisation, please get in touch. We would be delighted to interview you and present this information on our website/newsletter.
Protection of Vulnerable Groups Implementation: Consultation on Significant Draft Secondary Legislation, Guidance and Regulatory Impact Assessment
A consultation on the key elements of secondary legislation required to implement the Protecting Vulnerable Groups Scheme is currently underway.
Areas covered by the Scottish Statutory Instruments in this consultation include:
We have put together a summary of the Scottish Statutory Instruments under consultation, along with some issues to consider. The Workforce Unit would like to hear your views on this consultation - please contact caroline.sturgeon@ccpscotland.org or phone 01786 849 752 before Monday 25th January.
Consultation on the qualification requirements for registration with the Scottish Social Services Council for Managers of care at home services
(this also has implications for the managers of Housing Support services).
In collaboration with stakeholders, the Workforce Unit has put together a response to this consultation. We would like to thank everyone who contributed to this. The Workforce Unit would also like to encourage organisations to respond individually to this consultation. Please feel free to use or adapt information from the Workforce Unit response. The deadline for responses to the SSSC is Monday 18th January.
18 March 2010,
COSLA Conference Centre, Edinburgh
The Workforce Unit's host organisation, Community Care Providers Scotland (CCPS), is running an event in partnership with the Association of Directors of Social Work (ADSW). 'Commissioning for Personalisation' aims to provide participants with an opportunity to hear how the challenges associated with Commissioning for choice & control can be overcome from the perspective of the commissioner and the provider. There will be opportunity for discussion & advice from specialists.
Diane Easton, Head of Business Development for Personalisation, Manchester City Council, along with a senior manager from a Manchester provider organisation will jointly present on their commissioning challenges & solutions whilst implementing individual budgets for all since 2008 in Manchester as part of a comprehensive blue print to re-design services.
Please click here for more information and a booking form, and return to Karen Denoon at: Association of Directors of Social Work Limited (ADSW Ltd)
Floor 1 , Rosebery House, 9 Haymarket Terrace, Edinburgh, EH12 5EZ
19 February
SECC, Glasgow
The conference will explore workforce development and planning, as well as leadership for the sector. Through speakers, panel discussion and rotating workshops the conference will look at:
Don’t miss the SSSC conference this February for your opportunity to see and hear about the latest developments in the sector. Visit the SSSC website to be kept up to date: www.sssc.uk.com. To request an application form, email: linda@cosla.gov.uk or download a copy at: www.sssc.uk.com.
8th February
The Beardmore Hotel, Clydebank
This event will launch important recommendations on the design and delivery of effective services which prevent homelessness and address substance use.
The Homelessness and Substance Misuse Advisory Group was established to advise the Scottish Government on breaking the link between homelessness and alcohol and drug misuse so that homelessness was not caused by or a cause of substance misuse. In 2008 the Advisory Group commissioned the research publication Effective Services for Substance Misuse and Homelessness in Scotland: Evidence from an International Review.
This report forms the basis for the recommendations paper that will be launched at this event. The recommendations paper sets out the basis for addressing the complex relationship between homelessness and substance use.
Download the booking form and programme
The first delivery of the new Practice Learning Qualification (Social Services) (SCQF11) is due to begin in February 2010. This has been a partnership between the Learning Networks and Universities with Dundee University now delivering this award.
This is an exciting new award that will take workforce learning and development in the social services sector into a new era. We would encourage you to read more about this and to make contact with the University for further information. We hope to find at least twelve candidates from across the North, South East and Tayforth Learning network areas.
For further discussion and notes of interest please contact:
Kim McRae
Teaching Fellow
School of Education, Social Work & Community Education
University of Dundee
Nethergate
Dundee. DD1 4HN
Tel: 01382 381440
E; k.z.mcrae@dundee.ac.uk
26th February
TouchBase, Kinning Park, Glasgow (free)
This event provides an opportunity to look at good practice in relation to involving people who use services and their carers in Social Work Education and services. The event will cover the following topics:
A good practice guide was commissioned by the Scottish Social Services Learning Network West in collaboration with Learning Network South East. The Good Practice Guide has been developed by The Scottish Consortium for Learning Disability and members of the Training Sub-Group of the service user and Carer Group (SUCIG) in Glasgow. The guide provides an opportunity to share good practice and look further at effective engagement in all aspects of education and training for staff involved in planning and delivering learning opportunities for students
In 2008 a new Citizen Leadership training course –Preparing for Change – was developed and piloted in two local authority areas. With components for service users, frontline staff and management, this pioneering course had an impact on people’s lives and working practice that was sustained months after the end of the course.
Read the event flyer and book online today!
Due to popular demand, Learning Network West are running a further 5 Facilitative Trainer Courses in the New Year, dates as follows:
1/2 February 2010
11/12 February 2010
18/19 February 2010
18/19 March 2010
25/26 March 2010
Interested organisations can request 2 places (maximum). Learning Network West would like to encourage organisations that have not yet had a place on this training to participate. However, they will continue to hold a reserve list for those organisations who require further places.
For more information about the 2 day course please click here. This course is free and lunch will be provided. You can reserve a place on the Learning Network West website, or contact caty.mccolgan@westlearn.org.uk on 0141 848 8574.
29th January, 10am-2pm
Venue to be confirmed, Aberdeen
The North Scotland Leadership Community is organising an event for people working in Social Services in the Aberdeen area, focusing on the challenges we all face around Leadership and Outcomes.
The North Leadership Community is one of 4 regional leadership communities led by local people working in social services in the north of Scotland that want to make a difference. The Scottish Government, the Changing Lives Leadership Group and the Social Services Learning Network North all actively support it. It is open to everyone involved in social services in the area – private, public and voluntary sector; frontline, middle and senior staff, as well as service users and carers.
This event is limited to 50 places, which will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. We want people to come along that are genuinely interested in making some new connections and getting involved with the community for the long term. So if that’s you, register your place with Linda Anne Smith at linda@smithsquared.co.uk
A new report has been published on young people not in education, employment or training and what the Government and the charity sector is doing to address the problem.
It observes that in 2008 almost 208,000 young people aged 16-18 struggled to make the transition from school to Further Education or the workplace. The wide range of backgrounds of this group of young people is noted and particular importance is placed on helping the 4 per cent of young people who have not been in education, employment or training for over a year by their eighteenth birthday.
Charities are described as offering a variety of approaches to helping young people, such as mentoring, motivational activities and basic skills training. It is suggested that some government-provided services fail the most at-risk young people. The report highlights the characteristics of successful charitable projects, including those that provide one-to-one support, incorporate fun, challenging activities, help young people work towards defined goals, and cultivate good relationships with families and schools.
Full details here (please note that in order to obtain the free full report, you must register on the website).
The Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000 (AWI) protects the welfare of adults in Scotland who are unable to take decisions for themselves. Part 4 of this Act enables managers of authorised establishments (such as care homes and hospitals) to manage the finances of residents incapable of managing them themselves.
The study examined users’ experience of Part 4 and explored its effectiveness, uptake and benefits for residents. By Nicola Burns and Nick Watson, Strathclyde centre for Disability Research, University of Glasgow. This research suggests that there are three major problems in the implementation of AWI Part 4:
The report recommends that the application procedure be re-examined and simplified and that new and/or additional guidance be provided to the management of accrued benefits and what money can be spent on.
Download full report here.
Download Research Findings summary here.
Research in Practice for Adults is a research utilisation organisation for adult social care, which promotes the use of evidence-informed policy and practice in adult social care. Research in Practice for Adults has recently launched a number of publications focusing on adult safeguarding. These include:
For more information and to request a copy of the reports, please visit here.
Skills for Care, together with Association for Real Change (ARC), has developed a toolkit to support people to employ their own personal assistants. The toolkit helps small employers deal with the basic issues and legalities of employing their own staff, such as:
Each section has a list of key questions and tasks, some 'essentials' and links to sources of help. There are also templates available for some of the bits of paperwork you will need, available within the main document and as word documents.
View or download a copy of the toolkit here.
Results of research into disability organisations across Scotland and their capacity to influence public bodies have been published . The whole project focused primarily upon the capacity of disability organisations to engage. That is to what extent organisations have the ability, skills, structure, opportunities, resources and authority to engage with public authorities.
One report identifies, categorises and maps disability organisations across Scotland. A second report looks at the capacity of disability organisations to engage with public authorities and what impacts on that capacity. And a third report provides a resource guide.
The main findings of the report were:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/294561/0091084.pdf
The Scottish Development Centre for Mental Health has launched its first ever national survey of service user and carer views of the Mental Welfare Commission. They are looking to gather the views of those service users and carers who have had contact with the Commission. This could be direct contact on a visit or at an event, or through use of the Commission's websites, leaflets or reports.
The survey is independent and responses are confidential. The results will be used in a report that will help the Commission to make improvements to its services. To take part please click here. You can also view and complete an easy read version of the survey.
A limited number of hard copies are available for anyone who would find it hard to complete the survey online. Please contact hannah@sdcmh.org.uk for hard copy requests or for any other questions to do with the survey.
Draft Guidance on Social Care Procurement in Scotland (SCPS) is now out for consultation, with the consultation period ending on 5 April 2010. A summary extract paper is also available, which includes the guidance material on service user and carer involvement in the procurement process. In addition, an easy read version has been prepared in report and presentation formats.
The draft Guidance and the other material supporting consultation can all be accessed online on the consultation web pages of the Scottish Government website. The supporting material (service user/carer involvement summary and easy reads) can also be accessed by clicking on the relevant contact info link on the consultation web page.
Responding to the consultation
The Workforce Unit will be producing a guide to workforce issues relating to procurement and organising consutlation events regarding this guidance. Further details to follow. The Joint Improvement Team and Scottish Procurement Directorate welcomes input by 5 April 2010. Comments can be submitted by e-mail to: socialcareprocurement@scotland.gsi.gov.uk or by post to:
Alex Bell
Scottish Government
Partnership Improvement and Outcomes Division
3ER, St Andrews House
Regent Road
Edinburgh
EH1 3DG
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