Working in social services and healthcare in Scotland

A support worker’s role is to provide person-centred care and support.

They use their values, knowledge and skills to develop relationships and work with people to support them;

• - wash, dress and get ready for the day ahead
• - communicate their wishes or concerns
• - stay connected to family and friends
• - lead an interesting, fulfilling and healthy life.

Support workers follow agreed care plans. They share their knowledge about the person to help their senior colleagues keep everyone’s care plan up to date. Support workers demonstrate respect for individual rights, such as the right everyone living in the care home has to be in control of their own life.

They register with the SSSC as a support worker in a care home service.

The minimum qualification requirement is SVQ or Modern Apprenticeship at SCQF level 6 which is gained while working. There are college and university courses too.

Explore the social care qualification pathways or scroll down to Next steps to get started.

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Practitioners carry out similar tasks to support workers but have extra responsibilities too.

They use their values, knowledge and skills to:

• - help assess what kind of care people will need
• - share information appropriately with other health and care professionals
• - monitor health, safety and security in the home.

Practitioners need to create and maintain care plans in partnership with the people living in the care home and their families. They may take part in training to learn some healthcare tasks, like administering medication.

They register with the SSSC as a practitioner in a care home service.

The minimum qualification requirement is SVQ or Modern Apprenticeship at SCQF level 7, which is gained while working. There are college and university courses at this level too.

Explore the social care qualification pathways or scroll down to Next steps to get started.

Supervisors are leaders in the care home, they guide and support other staff to provide the best care possible by:

• - making sure all care plans are created in a person-centred way and reviewed regularly
• - promoting quality of care and identify improvements
• - helping staff stay up to date with policies, training courses and other learning opportunities.

Supervisors may also provide direct care and support. They usually have previous experience as a support worker or practitioner.

They register with the SSSC as a supervisor in a care home service. Some supervisors, like those qualified as nurses, will be registered with a different regulatory body.

The minimum SSSC qualification requirement is the same as a care home practitioner plus a supervisory award, like a PDA Health and Social Care Supervision at SCQF level 7. Some supervisors complete the SVQ Social Services and Healthcare at SCQF level 9 which meets full requirements and can support progression to a management role.

Explore the social care qualification pathways or scroll down to Next steps to get started.

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Managers have overall responsibility for how care and support is delivered in the care home. They also take the lead supporting all staff and making sure they get the right training to do their roles well.

They use their knowledge and skills to meet specific managerial responsibilities like:

• - managing budgets
• - contributing to the development of policies and procedures
• - preparing for inspections.

Managers are often the first point of contact for families, new employees and agencies like the NHS and social work services. They need to be friendly, approachable and professional.

They register with the SSSC as a manager in a care home service.

The minimum SSSC qualification requirement is an SVQ at SCQF level 9 or a social work, nursing or other suitable university degree plus a qualification for leading and managing care (which can be gained while working).

Some managers, like those qualified as nurses, will be registered with other regulatory bodies.

Explore the social care qualification pathways or scroll down to Next steps to get started.

Many care homes in Scotland provide care from qualified nurses. Over their career, care home nurses develop enhanced knowledge about the daily management of complex health conditions. They work together with social care colleagues to provide high quality, relationship based care which promotes wellbeing and protects people from pain and discomfort.

Nurses use their knowledge and skills to lead clinical care, by:

• - managing a person’s healthcare plan
• - educating others about healthcare practice, including infection prevention and control and the administration of medication
• - developing relationships with pharmacists, doctors and healthcare agencies.

Care from qualified nurses can make a big difference to quality of life in different circumstances. People can be supported to maintain independence, improve fitness or manage pain or illness. Care home nurses care for people at the end of their life and support them to die with dignity and comfort.

You can learn more about this career on the NHS careers website https://www.careers.nhs.scot/careers/explore-our-careers/nursing/adult-nurse/

Nursing is also recognised in our qualification pathways in the university courses at SCQF level 10.

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Becoming a personal assistant (PA) means taking on a unique role where you assist someone to live the life that they choose.

PAs are employed by a wide variety of people including older people, disabled people, people with mental health problems, people with learning disabilities and parents or carers of children. All will have been assessed as needing assistance to enable them to achieve life outcomes.

There are no formal training requirements for entry and employed PAs have the same rights, responsibilities and benefits of any other employee. The relationship between employer and employee is valued highly and often a PA brings their own experience to the role which can be valued by the employer.

It is such a varied role, distinct to every employer, key skills tend to be around communication and flexibility

Find out more about becoming a personal assistant from the PA Handbook

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The role of care inspectors working for the Care Inspectorate is to ensure care for everyone, everywhere in Scotland is as good as it can be. Care inspectors manage their own workload and lead on actions for the registered care services they work with such as:

• - Gathering and assessing intelligence, planning and carrying out scrutiny activities.
• - Providing feedback to people experiencing care and service providers on the findings of scrutiny activities.
• - Signposting good practice and providing professional advice to support continuous improvement and innovation.

Care inspectors work with a wide range of people and build effective networks with partners.

Adult inspectors work in inspection, complaints or registration teams, with services across the public, voluntary and private sectors

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SVQ assessors help and assess people who are working towards Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQs).

They have to meet the occupational competence requirements of the qualification that they are assessing and they will work for a Scottish Vocational Qualification (SVQ) assessment centre.

Lecturers in social care produce learning, teaching and assessment materials, and deliver teaching within the specialist subject area of health and social care.

They also develop new approaches to teaching, making use of learning technologies.

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