News

• Voluntary Sector Development Fund

• SSLN Tayforth Professional Development Award

• 'Skills for Scotland' - new briefing document

• Recruitment and retention research

• Research into the adult residential care workforce and turnover ratio

Voluntary Sector Development Fund  - applications for 2008-09

The Scottish Government has now published the application form, guidance and equality monitoring

form for organisations wishing to apply to the 2008-09 Voluntary Sector Development Fund (VSDF).

Applications must be returned to the Scottish Government by Friday 31 October 2008. 

If you have any queries on the VSDF, please contact:

Mrs M Gwen Smith

Children, Young People and Social Care – Workforce and Capacity

Area 2(C) North

Victoria Quay

Edinburgh

EH6 6QQ

Telephone: (0131) 244 3737

Email: Gwen.Smith@scotland.gsi.gov.uk

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SSLN Tayforth Professional Development Award

Tayforth Social Services Learning Network is about to pilot the new Professional Development Award (SS)

in Practice Learning (Stage 3).

The award is aimed at anyone helping to contribute to the learning of others within a social work

or social care setting.

There are places for voluntary sector organisations as part of the pilot.  If you are interested in applying

for a place, you can nominate a maximum of three applicants.  You also need to rank the order of these applicants so that, if one place is allocated to your organisation, you have indicated which applicant you would prefer this was offered to first.

Application forms should be returned by Friday 15th August to:

Gillian Lappin

Perth and Kinross Council

Blackfriars Development Centre

North Port

Perth PH1 5LU

email: glappin@pkc.gov.uk

If you would like to discuss the PDA further, please email Neil Henery or telephone 01382 504194.

These are the forms that you need to complete to apply for places on the pilot programme:

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'Skills for Scotland' - new briefing document

The Workforce Unit has developed a briefing document which outlines some of the key messages in the ‘Skills for Scotland’ strategy. The paper also highlights the workforce development implications for voluntary sector social service organisations. The summary of ‘Skills for Scotland: A lifelong skills strategy’ can be accessed from here.

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Recruitment and retention research

The Workforce Unit recently commissioned 'Rock Solid Social Research' and 'TL Works' to undertake a research project into possible recruitment and retention lessons from beyond the social services sector. The findings from this research (and an additional document containing case studies relating to each of the participating organisations) are here:

'Recruitment and Retention Lessons from beyond the social services sector'

'Recruitment and Retention Lessons - the Case Studies'

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Research into the adult residential care workforce and turnover ratio

The Workforce Unit recently commissioned GEN Consulting to undertake two major research

projects – one on the adult residential care workforce in urban / rural Scotland and another

on the turnover ratios. The Unit would welcome comments on the content of these reports.

Please e-mail your thoughts to Laura Weir at vswu.admin@ccpscotland.org   

1) The Voluntary Sector Adult Residential Care Workforce in Urban and Rural Scotland - This study aimed to develop a “picture of the size, nature and qualifications status of the voluntary sector adult residential care workforce in Glasgow and the Highlands and Islands.”

Key Findings

• 41% ‘qualifications gap’ at adult residential care support worker level
• Main barriers to registration were perceived to be ‘cost’ in the Highlands
  and ‘Arranging suitable cover’ in Glasgow
• Managers felt their organisations were “well placed” to meet registration
  requirements – 97% of organisations had a plan or strategy in place
• Approximately 3% of adult residential care organisations interviewed as
  part of this research felt staff turnover was a ‘significant issue’.

Read the full report.

2) Voluntary Sector Social Services Organisations Staff Turnover - This research aimed to examine the current rate of staff turnover within a sample of voluntary sector social service organisations. 

Key Findings

• Staff turnover rate for the voluntary sector social services sector was 17%
  (NB: This figure is broadly in line with results from comparable research
  in Scotland and the UK)
• Approximately 7% of voluntary sector social service organisations interviewed
  as part of this research felt that staff turnover was a significant issue, although
  64% had taken action to redress or reduce staff turnover in the past 12 months
• Approximately 70% of employees were recruited from within the social services sector.

Read the full report.

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