Workforce Unit E-bulletin

Welcome to the June edition of the Voluntary Sector Social Services Workforce Unit's e-bulletin.

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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. If you think a colleague may be interested in the bulletin then please forward it. If they would like to sign up for the bulletin, they can sign up online.

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Lisa Pattoni
Information and Communications Officer
lisa.pattoni@ccpscotland.org

The Continuous Learning Framework(CLF) was developed by the Scottish Social Services Council in partnership with the Institute for Research and Innovation in Social Services. It sets out what people working in social services need in order to do their jobs well now and in the future, and what their employer needs to do to support them.

In 2009, the Workforce Unit assisted 6 small and medium sized organisations (SMEs) to undertake an "audit" against the organisational capabilities identified in the Continuous Learning Framework. The audit focused particularly on "planning for learning, development and improved practice" through which they were able to identify priorities for future development.

This self assessment audit tool will help your organisation identify a baseline for how it is performing in relation to "planning for learning, development and improved practice", which is one of the 6 organisational capabilities outlined in the Framework. We have chosen to focus on this capability as we think that it is a good place to start if you are looking for a route in to using the Continuous Learning Framework within your organisation.

Please visit the sharing practice section of our website for step-by-step instructions on how to use the tool. If you would like any further information, please do not hesitate to contact us.

View and listen to a general presentation about the Continuous Learning Framework here.

The Workforce Unit's guide 'Mapping the Social Services Organisational Landscape' is intended to map out the key organisations operating in the social services field in Scotland. It provides an indication of the range of intermediary and umbrella organisations with which voluntary sector providers of social care may need to link and engage. We have provided a brief description of each organisation and supplied links to the relevant web pages.

It has now been updated to include links to the variety of online sources that are available.

Thanks to everyone who took part in the Workforce Development Network Survey, where we asked for your views on the future of the Network. We were really pleased with the response to this survey, and look forward to using your suggestions to shape the future of the network.

Your views on events…
The majority of respondents (83%) felt that the network should continue to hold events; however within that number, 30% suggested that it might not be necessary to hold the events so frequently. Topic, relevance to your work and a focus on voluntary sector issues were all seen as ‘very important’ in your decision to attend an event.

Not surprisingly, the majority of respondents said that time and service pressures were significant barriers to attending events; with distance and travel costs also acting as a deterrent.

Your views on what you would like to see from the network in future…
Many respondents commented that they liked the current format and focus of the network, and that there was little need for any significant changes:
“why fix or change something that works?”

Our response…
We think the suggestion to hold events less frequently, but to extend the length of the events, is a good one. We will therefore plan to hold network events twice yearly, in the central belt and in the north, but these events will be whole day rather than half day events. These events will take place on:

This should help attendees cut down on travel costs, make the most of their time away from the office, and will ensure that topics can be covered in sufficient depth. Thanks to everyone who suggested topic ideas – we’ll hope to cover many of these areas either through events, or through our information service. So please watch out for more news in our E-bulletin.

2nd September - Edinburgh
3rd September - Glasgow

In collaboration with Maclay Murray & Spens (MMS), the Workforce Unit, Housing Support Enabling Unit, CCPS and GSCPF are pleased to announce two events with a unique focus on the legal implications of different models of collaborative working. Including:

Working collaboratively can carry risks as well as benefits. This event will help you to explore many of the issues involved when considering working in this way. Download a full programme and booking form for the event on our website.

The National Strategy for Self-Directed Support in Scotland has been developed to help take forward the personalisation of health and social care services in Scotland. The Scottish Government is currently consulting on the need for, and provisions of, a Self-Directed Support Bill, which would clarify rights and responsibilities and address some of the gaps in eligibility.

The Consultation document regarding the proposals for a Self-Directed Support (Scotland) Bill is available on the Scottish Government website here.

The Self-Directed Support Team welcomes responses to this consultation paper by Wednesday 23 June 2010. Please send your response with the completed Respondent Information Form to: selfdirectedsupport@scotland.gsi.gov.uk or Kenneth Pentland, Self Directed Support Team, Adult Care and Support Division, Scottish Government, Edinburgh, EH1 3DG

Developing Allied Health Professional (AHP) Practice Placement Opportunities in Care Homes for Older People
Friday 18th June 2010, Robert Gordon University Conference Centre
10 am - 12noon

Developing AHP practice placement opportunities is part of the work being taken forward through the Rehabilitation Consultant post in the Care Commission. This is taking place in collaboration with Glasgow Caledonian University, Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen and Queen Margaret University Edinburgh.

An initial scoping meeting took place with representatives from the HEIs, NES and Scottish Care in February this year which identified potential areas for development with opportunity to support the care homes in terms of training and building capacity as well as providing the student with an excellent learning experience.

Further to the initial scoping meeting a follow up event took place in Glasgow Caledonian University to which care homes and care at home services were invited to find out about the OT course and placement options. From that meeting 20 practice placement offers have been confirmed from a variety of services. It has now been agreed to progress developing OT practice placement opportunities in a similar way for RGU.

Providers from all sectors are invited to this information session which promises to be informative and interactive, in the hope that services will be keen to make practice placement offers. This is an excellent opportunity for services to be supported in a variety of ways through the students and to work together to provide excellent quality of care for residents and service users. For more information and to register you intention to attend, please contact Dawn Mitchell at: d.mitchell@rgu.ac.uk

The Scottish Charity Awards, now in their fourth year, uniquely honour excellence across the whole voluntary sector in Scotland. The guest speaker this year will be Jim Mather MSP, Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism and after dinner entertainment will be provided by Elaine C Smith. The awards recognise innovation and excellence in five categories, this years short listed include:

Community Action: Interest Link Borders, The Serenity Cafe Project, The Lighthouse Foundation, and Grandparents Parenting Again & Kinship Carers
Campaign of the Year: Action Scotland Against Stalking, British Red Cross Black and Minority Ethnic Capacity Building Project, Young Gypsy Travellers Lives and British Heart Foundations Out of Order Campaign
The Partnership Award: Barnardo's Scotland and Scottish Southern Energy, National Autistic Society Scotland and Harper Macleod LLP, The Anthony Nolan Trust and Strathclyde Fire and Rescue, Children's Hospice Association Scotland and Real Radio
Charity of the year: Hearts and Minds, Scottish Wildlife Trust, Crossroads (Harris) Care Attendant Scheme, Epilepsy Connections and Go Country.

If you would like to book a place at this event and celebrate with the shortlisted organisations and winners please contact, Helen Swatton on 0141 225 8019.

Speakers from Scotland and England will share the knowledge that is available to inform practice and improve outcomes for vulnerable adults. The knowledge base is derived from a number of sources, for example research, inspection and local good practice.

Speakers from ADSW, Scottish Government, SWIA, universities and local authorities and partnerships will discuss:
• Summary feedback on the SDS National Strategy Consultation:
• Messages from Inspection
• SDS Test Pilot in Scotland (Description and Evaluation Approach)
• Personalisation in England (Policy and Evaluation)
• SDS and Personalisation in Edinburgh and Salford

Download a flyer and booking form. Attendance at this event can be used as evidence of continuing professional development and 'certificates of attendance' will be provided (on request) for your CPD portfolio.

There are approximately 750,000 people in the UK who have some form of dementia. This course is designed for anyone who wishes to improve their knowledge and understanding of the condition and of how to apply the principles of ‘person-centred’ dementia care.

This is a distance learning/home study programme to complete in your own time, and the course can be completed in as little as 12 weeks. You will receive a national level 2 qualification upon completion. Please note - there are no course fees as it is fully funded by the college (funded places are subject to availability and are subject to the terms and conditions of the college delivering the course).

You will gain an understanding of the common types of dementia and develop an awareness of the support framework that exists for people with dementia. The programme will provide you with an appreciation of a person-centred approach, including the importance of effective communication, relationships, teamwork and life history work. For more detailed information, please view the course flyer.

University of Stirling, Iris Murdoch Building
14th June
9.30am - 4.00pm

‘Involving older people’ is a well rehearsed goal of policy makers, practitioners and gerontologists. Including senior citizens, in all aspects of life and in decisions about their own lives, is considered beneficial both to older people themselves and to their communities. The Scottish Government strategy, set out in All our Futures: Planning for a Scotland with an Ageing Population (2007) adopts this aim on a broad range of issues.

This one day conference aims to explore the meanings and methods of involving older people and to consider the implications for policy and practice. The conference will examine the involvement of older people from a range of different perspectives, recognising the diversity of the older generations, and drawing on the expertise of older people, academics and practitioners.

Information event
Room 2S12, Dalhousie Building, University of Dundee
Thursday 10th June
10am - 12noon (buffet lunch to follow)

The Professional Development Awards in Practice Learning (Social Services) is an exciting new award that will take workforce learning and development in the social services sector into a new era. It combines learning for practice with organisational development, strategic workforce planning, and leadership within workforce development. This unique range of perspectives will enable you to develop your knowledge, skills and understanding to achieve high quality ethical interventions and positive learning outcomes, and to the development of learning cultures. This will also assist development of a range of skills to support future career progression.

How Much does it Cost?
Costs are £495 per module, with the 2 modules costing £990 in total for the full post graduate certificate qualification.

When does it start?
The first cohort of students will begin September 2010 with an expected duration of the programme with an exit at certificate level being 10-12 months.

Entry requirements
For general admission to the programme you should normally have obtained an honours degree or other qualification recognised by us as equivalent. In addition to meeting the required entrance qualification criteria, your admission to the programme is subject to you providing evidence that you have a minimum period of two years experience working in an appropriate practice setting. An information session for potential candidates is being held in Room 2S12, Dalhousie Building at the University of Dundee on Thursday 10th June 2010 from 10 am to 12 noon with a buffet lunch to follow.

The Joint Improvement Team (JIT) and Scottish Government’s Procurement Directorate (SPD) are jointly leading the preparation of guidance and good practice materials on social care procurement. The latest newsletter provides follows the conclusion of the three-month consultation period on the draft guidance and provides updates on current work being carried out to provide practice information. Key points to note include:

- the majority of the responses to the consultation welcomed the guidance - many suggested changes and identified issues to be considered in greater depth
- many responses suggested that the guidance should include examples of good practice
- consideration will need to be given to a further programme of improvement work such as: development of benchmark costs against standards, evaluation toolkits and further consideration of service user/carer involvement.

The latest bulletin about the creation of the two new scrutiny bodies due to start in April 2011 has been published by the Scottish Government. These newsletters cover key updates and developments on work relating to the establishment of the Improvement and Scrutiny Bodies for Healthcare and for Social Work and Social Care. Latest information includes:

Following the recent announcement by the Chancellor regarding the ending of the Future Jobs Fund, SCVO has received further information from the DWP. While the Future Jobs Fund is finishing, the DWP will honour grant awards which have already been made. This means that existing jobs will continue to run for the full 6 months i.e. if you have already recruited someone they will remain in your employment for the 6 months. There will be no impact on the funding you receive from SCVO.

Please read here for a more in depth report on how the new government is going to affect the consortium jobs.

Employers and employment agencies have until 1 October 2011 to come to terms with what is expected to be a fundamental and costly change to the way in which many staff their business as the countdown to the implementation of the Agency Workers Regulations 2010 gets underway.

What is the main purpose of the Regulations?
The Regulations are designed to ensure that agency workers are given the same basic terms and conditions as permanent staff, based on an underlying principle of a right to equal treatment. However, significantly, the Regulations will not mean that agency workers automatically have employment status. An agency worker will still have no right to claim unfair dismissal, minimum notice or statutory redundancy pay unless they can establish they are an employee.

Who is covered by the term "agency worker"?
In practical terms, anyone whose services are supplied through a temporary work agency is covered. The individual must be employed by the agency or an intermediary, or be self-employed but performing services personally for the agency.

When does the right to equal treatment apply?
The Regulations will apply to all agency workers who have worked in the same role, with the same hirer, for 12 continuous weeks. To prevent avoidance by employers, detailed provision is included in the Regulations. For example, any week during which an agency worker works will count as a full week and any break of up to 6 weeks in the same role will be permitted, meaning weeks previously accrued are carried forward and the clock starts ticking where it left off.

Breaks between periods of work of up to 28 weeks for sickness or injury will also be permitted and previously accrued time carried forward but, where there is a break for maternity, paternity and adoption leave the clock for calculating the 12 week period will continue ticking during the leave period for as long as the agency worker's assignment was intended to last.

What additional rights will agency workers receive?
Once the 12 week qualifying period has been completed, the agency worker will be entitled to equality of basic terms and conditions as if they had been recruited direct by the hirer for as long as they remain in the same role.

Please note that the information contained in this briefing was taken from Maclay Murray and Spens (MMS) Knowledge library. It has been written as a general guide only. It is not intended to contain definitive legal advice which should be sought as appropriate in relation to any particular matter. For more information, and to sign up for regular updates, please visit the MMS website.

The SSSC Codes of Practice set out clear standards for workers and how they should behave towards the people they care for. It is vital that people who use services know about the standards and what to do if they have concerns about a social service worker. People who use services and their families need to be aware:

The SSSC have produced posters and a pocket size leaflet as part of their campaign to raise awareness of the SSSC Code of Practice.

Please support the campaign by displaying the posters in a place where people who use the service can see them and handing the credit card sized leaflets to parents, carers and people who use your services.

By registering with the site you will be able to access forum discussions and will automatically become a member of the Principles into Practice Network. Being a member of the Network means that you can communicate with other network members through our e-mail newsgroup.

The underlying principle of the website is for you to share what you know, what you have experienced and what works in delivering principles based mental health care and treatment - so visit, and explore the website today!

Scottish Ministers are seeking to appoint 3 new members to the Board of the Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration (SCRA). A committed and enthusiastic individual, you will be expected to contribute actively in setting SCRA’s strategic direction and supporting the organisation to achieve its agreed objectives and outcomes. SCRA plays a key role at the heart of the Children’s Hearings system. As the Scottish Government is currently taking forward reforms to strengthen and modernise the Children’s Hearings system, this is a particularly challenging and exciting time to be involved in the SCRA.

For an application pack and full details of this and other public appointment rounds please see the dedicated public appointments website at: www.appointed-for-scotland.org.

Alternatively application packs can be obtained by
E-mail:paapplicationsmailbox@scotland.gsi.gov.uk,
Post: Scottish Government, HR Public Appointments, Saughton House (E1 Spur), Broomhouse Drive, Edinburgh, EH11 3XD, freephone: 0800 015 8449 and fax: 0131 244 3833. You should provide your name, address and the appointment that you are interested in.

Has the manager or lead practitioner in your day care of children service registered with the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC)? If not, and they aren't already registered with another regulator such as the General Teaching Council for Scotland they need to take action and apply today.

Managers must apply to register with the SSSC by 31 May 2010 so that they can meet the Scottish Government deadline of 30 November 2010 when required registration comes into force. There may be disruption to services if managers are unable to achieve registration by this date.

A special edition newsletter was sent to all day care of children services to give more information on required registration and how you go about registering along with posters and postcards to provide you with the information you need. You can download these documents by visiting the SSSC website or by contacting the SSSC by telephone: 0845 60 30 891

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