Introduction
We have a role in quality assuring and approving courses provided in Scotland.
Our role includes quality assuring, approving and enhancing the awards in social work, childhood practice awards and specialist awards for practice learning qualifications, mental health officers, chief social work officers, residential childcare and the scrutiny and improvement award.
We advise course providers who want to deliver a course and provide support during the development process to enable positive outcomes. Once approved, we monitor courses annually to make sure they continue to meet the rules and requirements.
As the workforce regulator we must make sure high standards of education and training are maintained. To do this we have rules and requirements that qualifications must adhere to.
There are three sets of rules and requirements, each apply to a different kind of course:
SSSC Handbook for Quality Assurance and Enhancement
The SSSC Handbook for Quality Assurance and Enhancement outlines the procedures that we, course providers and other stakeholders should follow and forms our quality assurance and enhancement responsibilities. In this context quality enhancement refers to the continuous process of improvement that demonstrates a responsive and reflective approach to course development.
Please remember the handbook guidance cannot act as a substitute for the Rules. We recommend you refer to the appropriate set of Rules depending on the type of course you provide, or propose, when using the handbook.
While the Rules set out what is to be done, the handbook provides guidance on who is involved and advises on the best approach.
For more information about the handbook, get in touch using the form on our Contact us page.
Are you a student who wants to complain about a course provider?
We can only investigate complaints about issues which seem to constitute a breach of the Rules under which we approved the course provider to deliver a course. Course providers need to tell students about the SSSC’s procedure for complaints as outlined in the Rules under criteria for the approval of courses.
Complaints must first follow the course provider’s internal complaints procedure. You should find guidance on how to complain in your course or student handbook. If you’re not satisfied with the outcome of our complaint, students and other stakeholders have the right to lodge a complaint with us.
More information and the process for making a complaint about a course provider are in section 10 of the SSSC Handbook for Quality Assurance and Enhancement.
Qualification standards
Find out more about qualification standards here.