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NATIONAL STRATEGY FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SOCIAL SERVICE WORKFORCE IN SCOTLAND 2005 - 2010: A PLAN FOR ACTION

Chapter 4: Supporting Workforce Development

4.1 The vision for the workforce can be realised by all those involved in the design, planning, delivery and evaluation of social services making more effective use of a range of existing structures and processes that support workforce development. Success also depends upon the support of the wider environment of education and training and development.

The Scottish Social Services Council: Workforce Regulator and Sector Skills Council for Social Services in Scotland

4.2 In addition to its role in the registration and regulation of the social services workforce, the SSSC is working in collaboration with its counterpart organisations to establish the Sector Skills Council for the social services sector (see box below).

4.3 Once established, the Sector Skills Council will focus resources on supporting the development of the workforce and working in partnership with employers and other key stakeholders (including the sector skills councils in related areas such as Playwork, Justice, Health and Lifelong Learning, develop award structures, credit transfer arrangements and other mechanisms that support the delivery of learning and development opportunities to meet the needs of social service workers across Scotland.

4.4 Alongside this, the SSSC will build on and extend the work already undertaken to develop qualification requirements for registration and Post-Registration Training and Learning and proposals for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for social workers. These arrangements will extend in time to other groups of staff in the sector and will take account of other regulatory bodies’ requirements for CPD. It will also look at how career pathways can be developed to meet the expectations of existing and future social services employees, enabling staff to fulfil their potential. These developments will in turn support improved workforce retention.

4.5 In addition to the Sector Skills Council arrangements, the learning and development function of the SSSC will actively support the implementation of this strategy. The SSSC is uniquely placed to do this through its overview of the whole workforce, as well as their functions associated with the education and training of the workforce.

The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework

4.6 One of the key enabling structures for workforce development is the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF - see box below). Developed in response to the 1998 green paper on lifelong learning, Opportunity Scotland, the SCQF is the key resource to enable the comparison of qualifications and the description of qualifications in terms of level and credit. The SSSC, in partnership with employers and training providers, will use the SCQF to develop an awards structure for the sector that supports flexible education, training and career pathways that fit with statutory and other requirements and expectations.

4.7 This coordinated activity will include the development of guidance and practical examples to assist employers to develop supports for informal workplace learning such as coaching, mentoring, job-shadowing.

4.8 However, the recognition of prior achievement in formal learning (i.e. learning which leads to recognised diplomas and qualifications; e.g. HNCs, SVQs, degree programmes) is only one part of the picture. There is a great deal of learning which takes place alongside the mainstream systems of education and training and does not typically lead to formal certification, e.g. learning and training activities undertaken in the workplace and through community-based learning. A SCQF Implementation Group project (ref. "Recognition of Prior Informal Learning (RPL) Project Summary" April 2004) is currently developing guidelines to support the implementation of the recognition of prior informal learning across all post-16 education and training sectors in Scotland.

4.9 The guidelines will cover all prior informal learning which has not been previously assessed or credit-rated. This will include prior learning achieved through life and work experiences as well as prior learning gained in less formal contexts in community-based learning, work-based learning, continuing professional development and voluntary work, both in and out of the UK. The guidelines will:

• provide guidance to learning providers across all post-16 education sectors in Scotland on managing the process of recognising informal learning within the context of the SCQF
• provide a core set of principles that will enable users of the SCQF to have confidence that there is a consistent approach to assessing and credit-rating prior informal learning
• support the more widespread practice of recognising prior learning as part of the lifelong learning agenda in Scotland

4.10 Alongside work to implement the SCQF in Scotland as a whole, specific work is being undertaken to maximise the opportunities it offers for the social services sector. This work is being undertaken by a specific project as part of the SSSC which commenced in 2004 and will run for 2 years.

The National Occupational Standards

4.11 Just as the National Care Standards help shape the services we provide, so the National Occupational Standards (NOS) in Health and Social Care can help us develop the qualifications and resources we will need to address the development needs of the workforce. This includes qualifications that are joined up and encourage movement between SVQs Level 2, 3, and 4.

4.12 In addition to having an environment which will support lifelong learning, it is essential that the design of key qualifications for the sector are flexible enough to accommodate the full range of employment needs and can adapt to future developments in service delivery including integrated service delivery. For example in the recently completed review of the NOS and Awards for Care, the design brief was to produce:

• smaller more accessible awards
• awards that allow transfer between sectors and specialisms
• awards which offer core qualifications and provide for continuous development and improvement, which can be at the same level, or progressing upwards, and which allow for the reskilling and redeployment of staff quickly and efficiently
• awards that are not "front loaded", i.e. awards that do not put all of the competences in one qualification that is difficult to achieve
• qualifications that are flexible and can adapt to rapid changes in service delivery
• awards with no overlap between levels
• reduce duplication/repetition between units within qualifications
• to link with and build upon other structures and qualifications that workers need to complete as part of their job role: e.g. National Care Standards

4.13 NOS in Early Years Care and Education and the NOS in Playwork are currently being reviewed and should be available in 2005. It is anticipated that the new awards for the early education and child care sector will, in future, better enable transfer between sectors and specialisms, so allowing for greater flexibility of the workforce.

4.14 All of this will enable the development of flexible approaches to qualification attainment, increased options for continuing professional development and the development of career pathways for the social service workforce.

Centres for Excellence

4.15 The Scottish Executive sponsored Centres for Excellence

• Criminal Justice Development Centre (CJDC)
• Dementia Services Development Centre (DSDC)
• Scottish Consortium for Learning Disability (SCLD)
• Scottish Institute for Residential Child Care (SIRCC)
• Scottish Training on Drugs and Alcohol (STRADA)

also have an active role to play in supporting the implementation of this strategy. They all have remits which include developing and publicising best practice and contributing to learning and development in their respective fields. Given the cross section of the sector represented by these centres, their activities must be coordinated and focused to support the aims of the strategy within their specific areas of responsibility. They should enable organisations and social service employees to translate the generic aims of the strategy into actions best suited to their own specialised work environments.

The Scottish Institute for Excellence in Social Work Education

4.16 The Scottish Institute for Excellence in Social Work Education (SIESWE), established in August 2003, brings together all the Scottish universities teaching social work with agency partners, service users, informal carers and related professionals. The Institute will ensure the continued relevance of social work education through close collaboration with employers, the SSSC, policy makers and professional bodies. Its core-funded projects currently focus on strengthening learning within the new degree programmes, so that graduates are properly prepared for practice in the 21^st century. The Institute’s other national projects and collaborative development work aim to:

• improve specialist areas of training (e.g. child protection)
• enhance programme flexibility and accessibility (national fast-track graduate recruitment scheme)
• develop effective methods of knowledge management and transfer
• strengthen learning for practice (Scottish Practice Learning Project – jointly with SSSC)
• promote and support stakeholder involvement in all aspects of learning and teaching (core and national projects)
• improve the evidence base of both education and practice (evaluation initiatives with Social Care Institute for Excellence)
• improve assessment methods in the social work honours degree
• harness learning technology to enhance quality of social work education

4.17 Many of these projects have the potential for wider application: e.g. the materials and expertise in e-learning developed by Stòr Cùram can be opened up to those working in the college sector and in workplace learning and applied eventually to the whole of the social service workforce.

Learning Centres

4.18 The Scottish Executive is supporting the development of learning centres. These learning centres will support the continuing professional development of the whole workforce, help create and support a learning culture within agencies and enable a wider range of staff to contribute to the learning of others, both for and in practice. Such centres will engage other agencies and disciplines who work alongside social work including health, justice and education, to maximise opportunities for inter-professional learning and development.

4.19 Learning Centres will work with a range of training providers at all levels, and will also have strong links with the Centres for Excellence and the emerging work of the 21^st Century Social Work Review and Care 21. The centres will complement existing arrangements for the support and assessment of learning and will contribute to meeting the needs of this strategy. Work is currently being undertaken by the Scottish Practice Learning Project to determine how these will be taken forward and will be available early in 2005.

Further and Higher Education

4.20 Further and higher education have an essential role in supporting workforce development for the social services sector. Institutions providing further and higher education represent a unique resource to underpin workforce development in Scotland. Partnerships between providers of further and higher education, employers, the Centres for Excellence, SIESWE and the Scottish Social Services Council are best placed to enable the efficient use of resources to address specific workforce development needs and targets and to deliver the required range of education and training across Scotland. Once established, the Sector Skills Council for the social care sector will have a key role in bringing together employers with training providers. The planned merger of the Higher and Further Education Funding Councils will create the infrastructure for integrated tertiary education provision.

4.21 Universities, colleges and their funding bodies should continue to assess the feasibility of new opportunities that help meet the workforce needs of the sector and to address any current blocks to progress in respect of these. This should include identifying opportunities for interprofessional learning that are responsive to the policy direction of integrated services. Desirable developments also include:

• an expansion of the existing opportunities for evening/weekend study, distance learning and blended learning with local learning support networks.
• enhanced flexibility of provision - more flexible ways of delivering educational learning that brings the learning more readily to the learner rather than requiring them to seek this through formal programmes, often with consequent high staff-replacements costs. These approaches should apply to both initial (registration-level) qualifications and ongoing learning that supports the continuous professional development of a wide range of staff within the workforce.
• wider recognition of prior and current workplace learning – that contributes to, complements and supports, formal learning.
• maximising the appropriate use of information and communication technologies – making maximum use of high quality, shared digital learning materials, developing engaging e-learning activities and further developing virtual learning environments that provide effective alternatives to face-to-face teaching, together with peer-learner and tutor support networks.

4.22 Just as there are structures which can assist in the implementation of this strategy, there remain a number of practical barriers which need to be addressed in developing robust and effective approaches to workforce development. Some of the key issues are outlined below.

Recruitment and Retention

4.23 A study by Futureskills Scotland  (2003) into the Scottish labour market identified that in the future there will be fewer people in the workforce and more people requiring community care and health services: i.e. a growing demand for services at a time where those available to deliver these services is reducing (see "Scotland’s Social Care Labour Market" for more detail).

The individuals’ ability to engage with learning and development

4.30 Just as services are under increasing pressure to perform at an organisational level, there is increased pressure on individual workers to meet increased demands from both those who make use of services and those who monitor performance (both internal to the organisation and external regulatory bodies). Staff also face the challenge of delivering services in situations where workloads have increased. Additional difficulties can be experienced where organisations experience difficulty in recruiting to vacant posts. All of these factors can inhibit individuals’ ability to engage with learning and development.

Funding

4.31 A wide variety of sources of funding that support the learning and development agenda are already made available. This includes Scottish Executive funding of:

• Specific Grant Training Fund to local authorities - £16.5m over 2003-2006
• Annual commitment of £1.6m Section 9 funding to national voluntary organisations
• Voluntary Sector Development Fund of £3m over 3 years from 2003/04
• In 2005 ESF project aimed at SMEs in the private and voluntary sector of £1.5m (Scottish Executive match funding)
• £13m over 2005-2007 to support development of the early education and childcare workforce.

4.32 Other sources of funding also exist that can be used to support workforce development. These include:

• SSSC disbursements that support a range of learning and development including postgraduate bursaries and support for SVQ’s in Care
• European Social Fund (focuses on training and employment)
• Adult Literacy Funding of £10.4m in 2003/04 rising to £11.2m in 2005/06
• Scottish Union Learning Fund (SULF) of £2.4m over 2003/06 which supports the capacity of Unions to develop lifelong learning amongst their membership
• National Lottery Funding
• Charities

4.33 In addition to the examples above other sources of funding of significance for the sector include Business Learning Accounts (BLA’s) and Independent Learning Accounts (ILA’s). ILA’s will be aimed at those earning less than £15,000 per year and will provide up to £200 to support training. Initially, their focus will be on basic ICT skills and qualifications and will be rolled out from April 2005. BLA’s are currently being piloted with the intention of these being made available across the whole of Scotland. Their aim is to promote workforce development in SMEs with organisations providing match funding. Both of these have considerable potential for the social services sector and for the workforce to address the challenges faced by organisations, particularly SMEs, in achieving a competent and confident workforce.

4.34 Details of the available funding streams were published by the SSSC in a report Funding for Training in August 2004. This report also identified the need for:

• radical changes to many current funding mechanisms to ensure a more strategic and integrated approach to funding which is more closely aligned to the policy agenda
• more equitable arrangements between sectors
• greater integration of service development and employee development
• increased investment in more effective education and training
• more flexible FE and HE funding models to encourage and support flexible learning delivery
• development of greater strategic and collaborative approaches to learning and development to maximise existing resources

4.35 The size of the challenge in working toward a qualified workforce to meet SSSC registration requirements alone is considerable (see: Implementation of phase one qualification criteria). Substantial funding is available and in many cases being accessed by social services already in support of workforce development. Organisations also need to look to currently under used sources of funding (National Lottery Funding, SULF, Adult Literacy Funding) and new sources of funding as they become available such as BLA’s and ILA’s to support workforce development. Other issues include the need to look at whether existing diverse funding streams can be simplified and the need to ensure that the economic importance of the sector to Scotland’s economy is better understood.

4.36 However, employers must also look at their own budgets to identify the level of funding they currently make available for workforce development. Organisations need to understand the benefits of investing in developing their staff rather than seeing learning and development as a costly add on. Training costs are an integral part of high quality service delivery and need to be reflected in the balance sheet. Organisations that support workforce development can often point to a return on such investment through improved retention rates for staff and through improved service delivery. These messages need to be better understood across the social service sector as a whole and for employers to also see the benefits to the sector as a whole.

4.37 Much is already happening nationally and locally that supports workforce development. All those involved with, or who have an interest in, the social service workforce, need to ensure that best use is made of existing structures, processes and resources to meet the challenges identified. The additional actions identified to ensure that the workforce is able to respond positively to the demands being made of it now and for the future should be taken confidently forward.

4.38 People who use services and carers need to know that those delivering social services bring with them the necessary skills and knowledge to meet their needs. Also that organisations support their workforce in their day to day roles by providing an environment which supports their learning and development throughout their careers. Then we will be able to ensure we have a workforce that is fit for purpose in the 21st century.

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