Under the Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001, the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) assumed responsibility for the role of TOPSS Scotland (the Training Organisation for the Personal Social Services). These responsibilities include:-

• identifying the numbers of social workers and social service workers required
• determining the education and training requirements of the workforce
• drawing up national occupational standards
• addressing the challenge of recruitment and retention of social service workers.

What is workforce development?

Workforce development provides a coherent education and training strategy to underpin the delivery and the development of social work, social care and related activities.

Our mission is to improve the confidence of:

• employers in the competence of their workforce
• employees in their own knowledge and skills
• users in the quality of service provided.

Workforce development is about improving standards in social care services and the creation of a better skilled workforce by improving the existing training for social workers and care staff and by predicting skills needed for future service demands.

Promoting workplace learning

The Scottish Social Services Council as part of Skills for Care and Development commissioned research the aim of which was to explore, highlight and promote the benefits of workplace learning in Scotland.  The research was undertaken in two organisations, one local authority and one voluntary.  It is a qualitative study that draws on social service workers' experience of learning in their workplace. View the report - Promoting Workforce Planning Report.

Core Minimum Data Set

The Core Minimum Data Set (CMDS) has been launched by the Scottish Government to help improve the quality of data available on the social services workforce in Scotland.  It was recognised in 2003 that the data available on the sector's workforce was quite limited, with data being gathered in parts of the sector while other parts were not covered at all.  In addition, those parts of the sector that were covered used different data standards from each other, which made comparisons between them difficult.

In view of this and the needs for employers, the Scottish Government and the SSSC to engage in workforce planning it was recognised that what was required was a data set that could be used in all parts of the sector and which would then allow comparisons to be made across the sector.  This work was taken forward by the Workforce Intelligence Group of the ministerial led National Workforce Group.  A consultation with employers and other stakeholders was part of the work and the CMDS is the final output.  It is being embedded in two key data gathering exercises, the first is the Scottish Government's annual census of the staff of local authority social work services and the second is the Care Commission's annual reports from registered providers.  The two data gathering processes cover almost all of the social services workforce.

In future, the quality and quantity of data on the sector's workforce will be significantly improved.  It will enhance our ability to understand trends within the sector and plan effectively.

Further details on the CMDS can be found on the Scottish Government website.