The regulator for the social work, social care and early years workforce in Scotland says it is ‘futureproofing’ its services to ensure it can support staff for another 20 years.

In an intelligence report published this week, the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) – which has more than 160,000 registered members – says a ‘major futureproofing programme’ is underway to ensure its processes of registration, Code of Practice and Register are fit for purpose.

The report comes amid discussions of the future of regulation in a National Care Service, for which primary legislation is expected by the end of spring.

People hoping to work in social care or early years must already hold, or agree to work towards, an appropriate qualification for their role to be added to the SSSC’s Register.

A Scottish government scheme to cover registration costs for new care workers has been extended until at least the 25^th of June.

Welcoming the report, SSSC Chief Executive Lorraine Gray said:

‘Over the last 20 years we’ve built up a wealth of knowledge on the social work, social care and early years workforce.

‘Our work as regulator puts us in a unique position to gain and develop insights into the workforce which helps us pinpoint challenges and opportunities for the wider sector.

‘We use that intelligence to help improve support for the workforce and we can share these insights with others, from policy makers to workforce planners to develop the workforce we need now and for the future.

‘I hope this gives you a snapshot of just some of the insight and information we can provide and we’re looking forward to working together with our partners as we develop the workforce for the future.’

The chief executive has previously raised concerns that government proposals to create a new national organisation to oversee social work and set qualification criteria would undermine the role played by the independent regulator.

The SSSC’s intelligence report says the body currently approves and quality assures 42 education programmes, including 18 social work programmes.

The NCS consultation proposes a new national social work agency – which would answer to ministers - to provide ‘national oversight and leadership over qualifications, workforce planning, improvement, training, continuous professional development and pay and grading within a national framework’.

The proposals would make the SSSC the only workforce regulator that did not set the qualifications and standards for the workforce they regulated.

Government plans also suggest that personal assistants, who are often employed by the person receiving care through self-directed support payments, could need to become formally registered.

Currently PAs do not need specific qualifications or formal registration to carry out their work.

In a blog originally posted on the ALLIANCE website, Donald Macleod, the Chief Executive of Self-Directed Support Scotland raised concerns that standardised regulation of PAs could risk their assimilation within the wider social care workforce which could see people’s homes ‘transformed into care settings’.

Mr Macleod later told healthandcare.scot that the development of an NCS was an opportunity to better involve those working in the sector in the design and delivery of training, including PAs if proposals go ahead.

In last week’s report, the SSSC says its services ensure public protection and allows those in Scotland to trust social services are being provided by a “skilled and confident workforce”.

The body is currently developing a Data and Intelligence Strategy, which it says will cement it as the centre of workforce intelligence expertise in Scotland.

Read more: Government to fund new carer fees; Watchdog: We must set skills requirements in NCS; SDS: still in the foothills, but tentatively hopeful

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