CCP Scotland

Scottish Social Services Council

The Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) is responsible for registering people who work in social services and regulating their education and training.

Set up as part of a drive to raise standards in social services, their role is to increase the protection of people who use social services, to raise standards of practice and to increase public confidence in the sector.

Information about the SSSC can be found here or by accessing their website.

Sector Skills Agreement

The Scottish Social Services Council, as part of the Sector Skills Council, Skills for Care and Development (SfCD), commissioned research during autumn and winter 2006 with employers and service users into current skill gaps and future skills needs in the social services sector's workforce. The SSSC has also been gathering data on current education and training provision for the social services sector in Scotland.

The research forms part of a five-stage process known as the Sector Skills Agreement (SSA).  SSAs are being drawn up in all employment sectors across the UK as part of the drive to improve workforce skills levels and improve services. The SSA will map out what skills employers need their workers to have and how publicly funded training can be better directed towards the sector's skills needs. The process of completing the SSA will take until December 2007. 

If you would like more information on the SSA please contact Daniel Stoddart or visit the SSSC website where you can also access the findings from the research.

Qualification of Housing Support Workers

At the Unit's recent regional events providers were asked to submit information on how many of their staff members currently hold qualification(s) that would meet the SSSC’s registration requirements.

31 providers with a total of 2230 staff members gave information and it showed that a considerable number of housing support workers will have to undertake qualification over the next few years.

Level of registration % of staff in survey currently meeting qualification for SSSC registration requirements % of staff in survey not currently meeting qualification for SSSC registration requirements
Manager 19% 81%
Supervisor 16% 84%
Worker 20% 80%

The cost of providing training varies around the country and many providers are unsure of the costs they may face. Providers have found that some training providers are reluctant to give an indication of fees as the cost of providing a course depends on a variety of factors including how many people are going to undertake the qualification at any one time. This uncertainty has made it difficult for housing support providers to estimates costs and plan for the future particularly given the uncertainty many face around Supporting People funding.

Skills Sets for staff working in housing support roles

Skills Sets for housing support workers have been developed by the SSSC in conjunction with employer representatives, the Scottish Centre for Excellence, SQA Care Scotland and City & Guilds Scotland.  The Skills Sets are available for SVQ level 2, 3 and 4.

There are a large number of SVQ units and sometimes it can be difficult to know which ones are most useful and relevant to people in their work. The Skills Sets group together the most useful units (for certain areas of work) which makes it easier to choose the ones to do.

You can request copies of the housing support skill sets or any of the above skill sets by contacting the SSSC on 0845 60 30 891 or at enquiries@sssc.uk.com

National Occupational Standards for Commissioning, Procurement & Contracting

Skills for Care and Development (SfCD)is developing National Occupational Standards for commissioning, procurement and contracting.

SfCD is the Sector Skills Council for social care, children’s and young people's workforces within the UK. It is an alliance of five organisations: Care Council for Wales, The Children’s Workforce Development Council, Northern Ireland Social Care Council, Scottish Social Services Council, Skills for Care.

The work on the National Occupational Standards for Commissioning, Procurement & Contracting is being carried out by New Directions Consulting Ltd. There are currently no National Occupational Standards (NOS) which focus specifically on this area of work. The decision to develop the standards reflects the key role of commissioning, procurement and contracting in delivering planned changes in services.

The draft standards are under consultation until Tuesday 31 July 2007. The standards must reflect the needs of the sector, so the views of everyone involved in the contracting, commissioning and procurement of social services are essential. You can view the consultation documents here.

Regional Events 2007

Questions and answers dealt with by Wendy Johnston from the Scottish Social Services Council at the Supporting People regional provider events in winter 2007

Inverness event January 2007

Does training meet the criteria for SP grant? SP grant cannot be used to fund training providers directly but it can be included in the costs of providing housing support services. Each LA can make its own policy on this. Things like education/ training time and travel time depends on the individual LA.
I find the SSSC registration confusing. Why so many qualifications? Qualifications need to reflect employees' functions and these are diverse in housing support. Qualifications also need to allow for movement between different groups, eg adult residential care. There are 3 levels of workers so three categories of qualifications.
Level 2 is too low for a housing support worker. Funders could say that they will only pay for level 2 as that is all that is needed for registration but workers need level 3. Level 2 is the absolute minimum. There is a huge range of roles in housing support and the SSSC had to recognise this when setting qualification. Not all services are acute and the registration system should reflect this. Level 2 will be remaining as the minimum requirement (however employers should support employee development)
Would a qualified Nurse have to do a whole new qualification? No. Their qualification must meet the registration requirements of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) or they could select the ones they are interested in as part of post registration development. Workers only have to register once so if they are already registered with the NMC there is no need to register with SSSC.
People often have more than one job. Would they have to register three times for their different jobs (in different sectors)? People only have to pay one registration fee but workers will need to register for their function when that part of the register opens, eg day care of children then adult residential care, followed by housing support. Social workers will only register once due to protection of title. It is worth checking this out at the time of registration in 2009. As we approach 2009 there will be a programme of SSSC events to provide further guidance on registration.
Providers are concerned at the amount of money that might be involved in SSSC registration and in maintaining registration status.
Some providers expressed concern that fees should be on a sliding scale ­ this could acknowledge part time workers, for example.
What will the cost of registration be?
The SSSC will consult on the registration fee.
Advice also appears in the FAQ section of the SSSC website: www.sssc.com
If your service is not funded by Supporting People do staff still have to register with the SSSC? Yes, if they are working in housing support roles.
What are skill sets for? Continuing development and to help choose units for SVQs
If a SVQ becomes stale (after 5 years) will it still be recognised by the SSSC? Yes
Is there a requirement for post registration development? Yes and the SSSC will consult on this before 2009.

Aberdeen event in February 2007

Once registration is in place will new staff have to have qualifications before taking up posts? No. They will have three years after taking on the job /and registering for that role, to gain qualification.
Should local authorities help with registration costs and fees? That is up to local authorities. The SSSC will consult with the sector about fees for registration.
Post registration practice and learning can be costly. Will it be pro-rata for part time staff? What about maternity or sick leave? The SSSC will consult with providers about post registration practice and learning. WJ advised that it does not have to be expensive because evidence of post registration and practice could include, for instance, making presentations to management teams about a new approach or doing some research about service user satisfaction or needs (ie tasks which are being undertaken as part of someone's job rather than something extra).

Dumfries event in February 2007

A provider expressed the fear that many low paid workers will not commit to achieving qualification and may prefer to work in another field. Other sectors have found that putting staff through SVQ 2 and 3 to be useful and actually helps staff retention. Staff peer pressure can help too.
A provider expressed concern about the poor quality of training provider available in the area. Yes, the quality of training provider greatly influences staffs' experience of undertaking qualification. It is essential to get a good training provider but can be difficult.
The Learning Networks will be able to work with providers to assist with these issues and SSSC will monitor the effectiveness of the Learning Networks.
Employers are coping with standstill SP funding. To pay for the entire workforce to undergo registration could buckle organisations. There is a willingness at the Scottish Executive to listen to providers concerns about funding but this must be backed up with evidence about how much training and registration will cost. The SP Enabling Unit is gathering information from providers via a questionnaire. This is one way of making sure concerns are recorded. The information is being collated and shared with the Scottish Executive in advance of the Comprehensive Spending Review.

Qualification and Registration of Workers in Housing Support Services - 25 September 2006 - Housing Support Qualification Advisory Group - brief note

Staff from the Unit participate in the SSSC's Housing Support Qualifications Advisory Group which meets to develop a housing support qualification for registration with the SSSC, which is both recognised within the sector and which equips staff to support and assist people to remain in their own home.

The group met for the last time on 26 September 2006. At this meeting it was agreed that over the previous year the group had:

  1. Agreed additions to the qualifications criteria for phase two workers in Housing support services
  2. Created Skill Sets of SVQ units at levels 2, 3 and 4 for workers in Housing Support services
  3. Recommended the development of two new optional HN units relating to Housing Support and Homelessness for the Higher National Certificate in Social Care
  4. Agreed to pursue funding for the development of distance and e-learning resources for new housing support and homelessness HNC units

Future updates on the qualification and registration of the housing support workforce will be available from:

  • Article in next Care Scotland SQA Newsletter
  • SSSC e-bulletin and SSSC Newsletter
  • Skill Set leaflets from SSSC
  • Wendy Johnston, Project Officer ­ Housing, SSSC - Tel 01382 207186, Mob 07795 618348

Housing Support Qualification Advisory Group - Qualification and Registration of Workers in Housing Support Services - 29 August 2006

Staff from the Unit participate in the SSSC's Housing Support Qualifications Advisory Group which meets to develop a housing support qualification for registration with the SSSC, which is both recognised within the sector and which equips staff to support and assist people to remain in their own home. The group last met on 29 August 2006 and discussed a number of issues.

1. Consultation on modern apprenticeships

The Scottish Executive is currently considering the future of modern apprenticeships and is consulting with stakeholders about the way forward. It was suggested at the meeting that this consultation may be very important to providers of housing support as modern apprenticeships have been a key way for staff to access training and career progression.

More information can be found on the Scottish Executive's website at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2006/08/11114908/0

2. Skills sets for workers in housing support services (SVQ levels 2, 3 and 4)

Skills sets have been developed and they should be published by mid-November 2006. The SSSC will use the mailing list developed during the period of consultation to promote the leaflet as well as other networking agencies such as the Supporting People Enabling Unit and the Voluntary Sector Social Services Workforce unit.

3. Development of Housing Support HN Units

Prior to the meeting the advisory group had presented Care Scotland's qualification support group with their proposals for content of new HN Units for housing support. These would be optional units, available for selection by HNC Social Care candidates. It is hoped that that they will be ready by autumn 2007 and that the Scottish Executive will help with funding for consultation and development of distance/ e learning materials.

In the future it may be valuable to develop a unit on homelessness, which is something the advisory group would welcome.

4. The future of the advisory group

Those present looked over the advisory group's work plan and agreed that the work was largely completed. Therefore the next meeting should be the final meeting of the advisory group.

Housing Support Qualification Advisory Group - Qualification and Registration of Workers in Housing Support Services - 26 June 2006

Staff from the Unit participate in the SSSC's Housing Support Qualifications Advisory Group which meets to develop a housing support qualification for registration with the SSSC, which is both recognised within the sector and which equips staff to support and assist people to remain in their own home. The group last met on 26 June 2006 and discussed a number of issues.

1. Draft Skills Sets for workers in Housing Support Services

A sub committee of the Advisory group met earlier in the month to draft a housing support skills set for SVQs at level 2, 3 and 4. The advisory group looked over the suggestions and was happy to endorse the work of the sub-committee and Wendy Johnston will work with the SSSC communications team to get the information printed up into leaflets.

2. HNC in Social Care

Wendy Johnston has been working with local colleges to come up with ways that the current HNC in Social Care could be revised to incorporate the needs of the housing support workforce. The group agreed that the best solution was to develop a HN unit on housing support, which would be available before registration starts. This would allow the housing support workers to get the information they need without developing a new qualification. It was suggested that the HN unit should include information on Supporting People policy as well as information on the rights and responsibilities of tenants.

The group was informed that setting up a new HN unit can be done quite quickly. The key thing is to have:

  • A specialist in writing HN units
  • A specialist in the subject area (which for this topic means providers working in the field)

It costs about £500 to get someone to write an HN unit and the SSSC is currently investigating funding options. Wendy Johnston has taken advice and guidance on the technicalities of taking this forward and has found that the business development teams within local colleges are keen on this development. However, the frontline staff (who would actually be doing the work) are more reluctant as they already feel under pressure with their current workload. It was agreed that the sub-committee would met again to push this work forward as the group was confident that these issues are not far from being resolved.

3. Additional Qualification for registration

The following qualifications were considered by the group at the April meeting:

  • HNC Housing ­ plus 3 SVQ level 3 units from HNC in Social Care
  • NC Traveling People Site Management plus DK41 04/HSC 35
  • NC Caretaking and Concierge plus DK41 04/HSC 35
  • SVQ level 4 Advice and Guidance

After that meeting two further qualifications were put forward for inclusion:

  • HNC Supporting Learning Needs
  • HND Supporting and Managing Learning Needs

All these qualifications will be considered by the Chief Executive of SSSC, for inclusion in the list of qualifications required for registration of workers in housing support services, in August 2006.

4. Costs of qualifying the housing support workforce

The SSSC is keen to assess how much it will cost to qualify the housing support workforce as this information could highlight to Scottish Executive the need for funding for education. However, it is a major exercise which the SSSC will not be able to pursue until after the work on HN units and other qualifications has been completed.

Housing Support Qualification Advisory Group ­ brief note of meeting on 9 May 2006

Staff from the Unit participate in the SSSC's Housing Support Qualifications Advisory Group which meets to develop a housing support qualification for registration with the SSSC, which is both recognised within the sector and which equips staff to support and assist people to remain in their own home. The group last met on 9 May 2006 and discussed a number of issues.

1. Housing support training and qualification

The group discussed qualifications currently available in housing, health and social care. There was general agreement that there are aspects of housing support which are not covered by these courses. In particular issues to do with:

  • Tenancy rights and responsibilities
  • Tenant participation
  • Definitions of housing support and its distinction from housing management and care
  • Regulation and contract compliance

The group agreed that it is important that those working in housing support have a good grasp of these (and other) issues.

There was some discussion within the group about qualifications in Scotland. The group was informed that within the UK context, Scotland is a small community with a limited number of people interested in working in the social sector. The Scottish Executive is aware of this and is keen to promote a system that allows people to transfer amongst sectors and also encourages inter disciplinary working. Therefore specialised courses are becoming less attractive as people and employers prefer courses with a generic core with options to specialize when needed. The group noted this and agreed that it would be better to add to courses currently available rather than devising a new course on housing support.

2. HNC in Social Care

The group was advised that it would be possible to write a number of units on housing support which could be incorporated in the HNC.

The HNC would be suitable for those wishing to register at supervisor level. But is a higher qualification than is needed to register at worker level.

3. SVQ

The group was advised that SVQs are work based qualifications. Courses have a generic base which employers, staff and assessors can apply to their particular organisation. There may be enough flexibility within the current SVQ units to cover the needs of the housing support workforce. The group was informed that the time and cost implications (and the over specialisation) of creating a new SVQ for housing support were such that a new SVQ2 in housing support should not be considered unless there was absolutely no other option.

4. Skills Set

The group was informed that the diverse nature of service provision within the social sector means there are over 200 SVQ units in Health and Social Care. It can be intimidating and overwhelming for people when they first look at the lists of units available. To help navigate the SVQ systems there are skills set. These skills sets group together related SVQ units and makes it easier for people to find the type of unit they might be interested in. Wendy Johnston of the SSSC presented a group of SVQ units which she believed would be a good starting point for anybody interested in housing support. The group welcomed this draft skills set at Level 3.

5. Way forward

It was agreed that three providers with Wendy Johnston and Keith Quinn of the SSSC would form a sub group to review the current HNC in Social Care and identify any gaps related to housing support. Following that meeting (on 30 May 2006) local colleges could be approached to find out who would be interested in devising new housing support units.

In addition this group will review the current SVQs to make sure that they do cover the housing support workforce's needs. The group will also draft the skills sets available for SVQ 2 and 4. The sub group will report back to the full group at its next meeting on 26 June 2006.

Housing Support Qualification Advisory Group ­ brief note of meeting on 25 April 2006

Staff from the Unit participate in the SSSC's Housing Support Qualifications Advisory Group which meets to develop a housing support qualification for registration with the SSSC, which is both recognised within the sector and which equips staff to support and assist people to remain in their own home. The group last met on 25 April 2006 and discussed a number of issues.

1. Group membership

The group was pleased to welcome a representative from the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations who has knowledge of current practice in sheltered housing.

2. Qualifications

A number of qualifications were submitted to the group for review (to see if they meet the SSSC's criteria for registration purposes). The group agreed that some of the qualifications be recommended to go on the SSSC's list of qualifications required for registration while others would need to be augmented with some SVQ units to comply with the SSSC's need for all qualifications to include an element of observed practice.

The group noted that some qualifications undertaken by housing support staff are very specialised and held only by a few people. For example, one qualification in the management of travelling people sites is held by 6 people. However, if these qualifications meet the SSSC criteria they can go on the list of qualifications suitable for registration. Providers should be confident that the SSSC expects a number of specialised qualifications to be submitted and the SSSC reviews each qualification in accordance with its criteria (not on how widely the qualification is held) and the needs of the sector.

There was some discussion within the group about the availability of individual modules with SVQ qualifications. Some providers have found that while their staff member need only complete 3 modules to augment their qualification (and meet SSSC requirements for registration) some colleges insist that people register for the full SVQ as this is more cost effective for the college.

The group was also informed that funding for modern apprenticeships is under review. There is some concern amongst providers that this may affect the availability of subsidised places for SVQs.

The group was clear that it is not in a position to influence college fees but considered it important to be aware of the current climate in training for housing support staff.

3. Recommendations

The group agreed to meet on 9 May 2006 to resolve the issues and questions around qualification for housing support staff and produce recommendations for the SSSC to consider.

Report on the housing support seminars which investigated the registration and qualification of the workforce in Scotland

Introduction

Currently positions in housing support are unregulated. However, over the next five years all staff working within housing support will have to register with the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) and to be accepted onto the register will have to hold appropriate qualifications.

The Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) announced the qualification framework that housing support staff will be subject to in order to register and maintain registration with the SSSC in 2005.The SSSC Council met in March 2006 and confirmed that the housing support register will open towards the end of 2009. It is anticipated that managers and supervisors will be registered first with support workers being invited to register from the end of 2010.

The prospect of the SSSC registration requirements is causing employers/providers some concern. Issues highlighted include:

  • Cost of providing qualification for all staff
  • Ability to put large volume of staff through training in a short period of time
  • Quality of qualifications currently available
  • Willingness of all staff members to complete qualification requirements
  • Planning staff development five or six years in advance (when things have changed so quickly over the past two or three years).

In response to these concerns the Supporting People Enabling Unit (SPEU), Voluntary Sector Social Services Workforce Unit and the Scottish Social Services Council jointly hosted and organised a series of seminars which encouraged providers of housing support to come together and discuss the issues.

The Objectives of the seminars were to:

  • to impart information and to make the list of qualifications on the SSSC’s website come alive for people
  • to help people think about the implications for their services and employees
  • to help employers and individuals recognize their responsibilities (reference Codes of Practice)
  • to help people identify what tools / resources they need to meet with the registration requirements

Summary of events

Venue Date Number attending Evaluation: event fulfilled expectations
Glasgow 22 February 2006 55 88%
Dundee 24 February 2006 65 68%
Glasgow 9 March 2006 30 93%

Each event included:

  • Update from the SSSC on registration matters
  • Information from Care Scotland about qualification and training
  • A presentation from a provider who had gone through the process of qualifying staff.
  • Opportunity for questions
  • Opportunity to discuss matters within small groups

Group Discussions

The time spent in group discussion gave providers a valuable opportunity to share concerns and also items of good practice/solutions. In total 11 groups met and were asked to focus on the following questions:

  1. How are you using resources at the moment to promote staff development?
  2. In the light of what you have heard today, is there a gap between what you are doing now and what needs to be done?
  3. How could this be addressed within existing resources?
  4. What work still needs to be done and at what additional cost?
  5. What support and assistance do you need from any or all of the organisations here today i.e. SSSC, SPEU, WFU, Care Scotland, each other?

What follows is a summary of the key issues raised and debated:

Resources

When discussing organisational resources the groups identified three main factors:

  • Finance – all expressed concern about the financial impact of registration and qualification. Concern was expressed that Supporting People (a major funding mechanism for housing support) is being cut back in many areas and funding beyond 2007/8 is uncertain. Relief was expressed that the date for the opening of the housing support register had been put back until the end of 2009 and that it was likely that managers and supervisors will be registered first
  • Staff – all agreed that it was current management’s responsibility to approach registration with a positive attitude and encourage their staff to do the same. One delegate said that she had held an event where all the housekeepers in her organisation came together to discuss things. This had been very positive and had helped staff come to terms with the registration process.
  • Training centres – the quality of training available differs from centre to centre. It can be difficult to get accurate information on items such as cost of modules and start dates (particularly from FE Colleges). The standard of assessment can greatly affect an individual’s experience of completing SVQs and there was concern from some providers that the training provision in their area was of poor quality. Some providers do not have a choice in training centre as there is only one in their area.

How resources are being used at the moment

  • A number of providers are currently carrying out (or about to carry out) a qualifications audit of staff and a training needs analysis
  • In addition providers are exploring the possibility of becoming a Learning Centre and developing  their own Assessors
  • Some providers were keen to develop joint initiatives with other small providers and  colleges with the hope of producing a tailor made course and spreading costs between the group

Gaps in what is being done and what needs to be done

  • There was some uncertainty still as to what qualifications to promote – there are a few reasons for this:
    • not always clear what qualifications are required in organisations with collective management structures (subsequently confirmed by the SSSC that only the registered manager need hold SVQ4 or equivalent plus a management qualification)
    • some uncertainty as to the extent the list of qualifications already announced by the SSSC will be added to
    • a desire to fully acknowledge previous experience (by Recognition of Prior Learning) rather than insist on staff undertaking new qualifications
    • a desire to acknowledge previous and future uncertificated day courses but no means to do it at present
  • role of affiliated /membership bodies in becoming Learning Centres or at least ensuring that the training they provide is formally recognised as being a step towards a qualification
  • little incentive for staff at the moment to go through qualifications – pay not likely to increase as a result (though with adverts for new staff stating different rates of pay for qualified and unqualified staff this may have to change). Employers concerned that they may not reap the benefits of funding and facilitating staff going through qualifications when they may then leave (the option of committing staff to remain in their employment for a set time or pay back fees does not always seem a feasible approach as it would be a disincentive to undertake the training in the first place).

How existing resources might be used to assist with these gaps and what needs to be done at an additional cost?

  • a lot of interest was expressed in the idea of a new housing support qualification and the work of the SSSC’s Advisory Group – a feeling that employers might gain some comfort from knowing they are helping staff gain a qualification specifically designed around housing support
  • currently employers are not too sure how much it would cost them to take staff through necessary steps for registration – though general agreement that it will be important to assess the costs to inform national decision makers (e.g. at the Scottish Executive) as well as use in negotiating contract values
  • it was the noted that the national strategy for the development of the social service workforce is that employers should be allocating 3% of costs to training*

Further support and assistance needed from the organisations represented today?

  • setting up some way of accrediting prior learning and experience
  • provide information about funding available for education specifically directed at housing support
  • Advisory Group to work quickly to determine whether a new housing support qualification is needed
  • provide further networking opportunities for providers
  • collate information about the costs of registration and secure additional funding nationally.

* National Strategy for the Development of the Social Service Workforce in Scotland: A Plan for Action 2005 – 2010 Scottish Executive
(page 15 ‘commissioning agencies and service providers should work towards identifying 3% of service costs as a commitment to training and development ;’)

Future development

The events highlighted how much providers want information about registration as well as the need for further discussion about implementation. It was hoped that future events would be organised so that providers could make a meaningful contribution to the effort to register all housing support staff.

Housing Support Qualification Advisory Group – Qualification and Registration of Workers in Housing Support Services – 28 February 2006

Staff from the Unit participate in the SSSC's Housing Support Qualifications Advisory Group which meets to develop a housing support qualification for registration with the SSSC, which is both recognised within the sector and which equips staff to support and assist people to remain in their own home. The group last met on 28 February 2006 and discussed a number of issues.

1. Date for opening the housing support staff register

It is expected that the date for opening the register for workers in housing support services will be announced after the SSSC full council meeting in March 2006.
The SSSC is aware that employers, staff members, training centres and the SSSC registrar all need time to prepare for the opening of the register and is keen to make sure that robust systems are in place to cope with the volume of people registering before the register opens.
The group was interested to hear about recent seminars on the registration and qualification of the housing support workforce that had been jointly run by the SPEU, the Voluntary Sector Social Services Workforce Unit the SSSC and involving Care Scotland. Further discussion within the meeting highlighted that some employers had concerns about planning staff development five or six years in advance (when things have changed so quickly over the past two or three years).

2. Information retained on people not on the SSSC register

The group discussed the type of information that the SSSC would retain before the register opens.
The SSSC will retain information on people who have been designated as unsuitable for registration before the register opens. The policy is that the SSSC would write to the worker asking them to comment on the information. The information would then be retained and referred to when the worker applies for registration.
Section 32 of the Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Act 2005 adds a new Section 57 A and Section 57 B to the Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001. These require that:

  • The employer of a social service worker, including workers in housing support services, will let the Council know when they dismiss the worker on the grounds of misconduct or would have done so or considered doing so had the worker not resigned or abandoned their position. At the same time the employer will give the Council an account of the circumstances.
  • The employer of a social service worker will, when asked to do so, provide the SSSC with information on the worker, which the Council requires in undertaking its regulatory functions.

3. National Occupational Standards

The SSSC supplied the group with information explaining the purpose of National Occupational Standards. National Occupational Standards have been developed in most industries. They:

  • describe best practice in particular areas of work
  • bring together the skills, knowledge and values necessary to do the work as statements of competence
  • provide managers with a tool for a wide variety of workforce management, quality control and specification tasks
  • are the basis of training and qualifications

Initially, the standards were used as the basis for qualifications, but wider uses of the standards are now emerging, such as their use in human resource management.

Full information on the National Occupational Standards for Housing are available on http://www.assetskills.org/site/AssetSkillsHome/HousingHome/OccupationalStandards/tabid/166/Default.aspx
Full information on the National Occupational Standards for Health and Social Care are available on http://www.sssc.uk.com/social+service+workforce+planning/qualification+framework+%28scqf%29/care+national+occupational+standards.htm

4. Skill set exercise

The SSSC is aware that the qualification and registration of the housing support workforce is a complex task as workers are already in post. There will be a variety of pathways to gaining qualification sufficient for registration:

  • Mixing a number of approved qualifications which are currently available
  • Undertaking a specific housing support qualification which is currently being developed

To begin this work each group member agreed to review a job description for a supervisor in a homeless hostel and suggest 4 optional modules that would complement the duties carried out with in that role.

5. Post registration training and learning

After an individual has gained a qualification sufficient to be accepted onto a register they will be expected to demonstrate that they have undertaken some post registration training and learning (PRTL ) if they are to remain on the register. Consultation on this will be carried out by the SSSC over the coming years.

Housing Support Qualification Advisory Group brief note of meeting on 31 January 2006

Staff from the Unit participate in the Housing Support Qualifications Advisory Group which last met on 31 January 2006 and discussed a number of issues.

The date for opening the register for workers in housing support services is yet to be announced. The group meets to develop a housing support qualification for registration with the SSSC, which is both recognised within the sector and which equips staff to support and assist people to remain in their own home.

1. Access to qualification

  • Open learning. The Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) in Scotland are keen to develop open learning approaches for Housing SVQ qualifications at levels 2, 3 and 4. This will assist many Scottish workers, in rural or island communities, who do not have access to FE Colleges for day release.
    Colleges have been reluctant to take this forward but the CIH have had some success in working with commercial training organisations that seem keen to take on this work.
  • Language needs of workers. The group considered the education needs, including literacy skills, of black and minority ethnic (BME) workers for whom English is not their first language. Communication skill is a core unit of SVQs, and there are a number of courses available which assist learners to get their language skills up to the required level as well as boosting learner confidence for basic qualifications.

2. Qualification of housing support managers

The group recognised that research undertaken in 2005 by the SSSC into the housing support workforce showed that the group with least qualifications were managers.

Further research into SVQs has shown the biggest factor affecting participants' experience of completing a qualification is their line manager's attitude towards it.

The group recognised that managers in housing support will be expected to gain fairly high level qualifications for registration purposes and some may find this difficult to complete. Members identified that managers should receive support when undertaking qualifications, and that managers have responsibility to ensure the support needs of supervisors and workers are met in the course of their studies.

3. Addition of Qualifications to list

The SSSC has agreed to extend the list of qualifications suitable for registration. Details are available on the SSSC's website: www.sssc.uk.com, select Registration, other workers category.

It was noted that some workers with the predecessor HNC in Social Care had been disappointed that their qualification was not recognised for registration. However, the group and consultation respondents had agreed with SSSC's principles, that all qualifications for the register include observed, assessed practice. By accepting 3 additional SVQ units to augment the predecessor HNC qualification, the SSSC hoped to send out a clear signal that it is listening and is willing to work with people to come up with practical ways of moving towards registration.

4. Breadth of housing support workforce

Registration of the housing support workforce may be the widest registration exercise so far and the group are working to allay concerns that it could be possible to miss the needs of whole categories of workers because their specialisms had not been thought of.

Roles and responsibilities of people working within housing support had been highlighted through job descriptions made available by Scottish Federation of Housing Associations. This useful exercise gave an indication of the breadth of jobs within housing support, and also highlighted some concerns of providers.

5. Communication Strategy

The group noted that there was considerable interest amongst providers of housing support in the development of qualifications for the sector. It was agreed that the group discussions would proceed on the presumption of openness and collaboration, and group members were encouraged to feedback to colleagues in the sector. Further information on the work of the group is also available from Wendy Johnston, Email wendy.johnston@sssc.uk.com . Further to the meeting the Sector Skills Council announced a series of events called Achieving employer engagement in the sector skills council which will consult with employers and partners on the role of the sector skills council, Skills for Care and Development and the shape of the networks which will support workforce planning and development. Contact 0845 6030891 for more information.

EVENT DATES AND VENUES

  • 13 MARCH, ABERDEEN - Aberdeen Arts Centre, 12.30pm-4.00pm
  • 17 MARCH, INVERNESS - Inverness Town Hall, 12.30pm-4.00pm
  • 21 MARCH, EDINBURGH - COSLA, 9.00am-12.30pm
  • 28 MARCH, DUNDEE - Discovery Point, 9.00am-12.30pm
  • 29 MARCH, GLASGOW - Metropolitan College, 9.00am-12.30pm

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Page updated on Monday 26th November 2007