A summer of change at the SSSC

This year has been a time of change at the SSSC, with revised Codes of Practice, changes to registration, qualifications and skills and my appointment in July, after a time as Interim Chief Executive.

Codes

I had the pleasure of visiting an under twos service in Edinburgh in May with the Minister for Children, Young People and The Promise, Natalie Don-Innes MSP, to launch the new SSSC Codes of Practice.

It was fantastic to meet staff and the children, learn more about their service and chat to them about how they think the SSSC can best support and develop the workforce to deliver high quality care.

It’s important we hear from staff and employers about what’s important to them and it’s something I plan to focus on.

You’ll find lots of information and resources to help promote the Codes of Practice at www.sssc.uk.com/codes

Change

The changes to our Register and approach to qualifications and skills as part of our Future Proofing Programme came into effect shortly after, at the start of June.

I hope that you will see a much more straightforward registration process, and that you will find our new approach to continuous professional learning (CPL) better supports you in your role and stage of career.

We developed the new CPL in partnership with the sector and made sure the core learning elements can be mapped to the qualifications required for registration.

Another change was the new requirement that people joining the workforce must apply for registration within three months and be registered within six months. We’ve got resources and information on our website for employers to help them share this message as part of the SSSC registered campaign to get people registered in time.

Qualifications

I know your workforce is the most qualified part of the Register, with 74% of registrants holding their qualification for registration.

To help maintain and increase this figure we’ve taken a more flexible approach to qualifications for registration since June, to make it easier for people to move between different types of services without having to complete another qualification.

We now accept the standard qualifications, SVQ Social Services and Healthcare, and the SVQ Social Services (Children and Young People), for registrants working in both children’s and adult services.

Registrants moving to another type of service must complete additional, specific learning as part of their CPL to ensure they develop and evidence the necessary knowledge, skills and expertise in working with children or adults.

People who are new to the Register who don’t already hold the required qualification now have three years to complete it. This doesn’t affect people registered before 3 June 2024, who still have the same time as before.

Any new registrant who is registered as a supervisor, manager or residential childcare worker with no recognised qualification will still have five years.

Our role

There is a role for us as the professional regulator to highlight the importance and value of the work you do, the need for time for training and development that supports your professional growth and fair reward for the wonderful work you do.

I look forward to continuing our close work with Early Years Scotland and hearing from you about what the SSSC can do differently to improve our support for the workforce and help you work to the standards in the SSSC Codes of Practice.