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THE FRAMEWORK FOR CONTINUOUS LEARNINGIN SOCIAL SERVICES

THE FRAMEWORK FOR CONTINUOUS LEARNINGIN SOCIAL SERVICES

ii Produced for the Scottish Government by RR Donnelley B58362 11/08

CONTENTS Page

Ministerial foreword 2

Acknowledgements 3

Introduction 5

The purpose of the Continuous Learning Framework 6

The key elements of the Continuous Learning Framework 7

Using the Continuous Learning Framework 11

Appendix 1: Personal capabilities 19

Managing relationships: 21

» A focus on people who use services and their carers 21» Working in partnership 22» Motivating and leading others 23» Empathy 24» Dealing with conflict 25

Managing self: 26

» Professional autonomy 26» Lifelong learning 27» Flexibility 28» Confidence 29» Resilience 30» Accurate self assessment 31» Awareness of impact on others 32» Organisational awareness 33

Appendix 2: Organisational capabilities 34

» Creating a learning and performance culture 36» Planning for learning, development and improved practice 38» Promoting access to learning and development opportunities 40» Promoting access to feedback 42» Treating people with dignity and respect 44» Focusing on health and wellbeing 46

Appendix 3: Practice illustrations 48

Appendix 4: Bibliography 56

Appendix 5: Glossary 58

Appendix 6: Members of the Project Board 60

Appendix 7: Members of the reference pool 61

Appendix 8: Organisations participating in the trials 62

CONTINUOUS LEARNING FRAMEWORK

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Adam Ingram

The Scottish Government’s purpose is to createa more successful country, with opportunitiesfor all of Scotland to flourish through increasingsustainable economic growth. The Concordatbetween the national and local governmentsheralds an exciting and challenging time forScotland’s policy development andimplementation with a new focus on outcomes.

Transforming the outcomes of Scotland’schildren, families and users of social servicesis a key aim of this Government. To achieve thisthe Government is developing an ‘Early Years/Early Intervention Framework’ and remainscommitted to supporting the implementationof the vision set out in ‘Changing Lives: Reportof the 21st Century Social Work Review’.

The Continuous Learning Framework is the keyoutput from the workforce development changeprogramme under ‘Changing Lives’. It willmake a major contribution to ensuring that ourvision of a confident, competent and valuedworkforce committed to continuous learningand development and contributing fully to ourambitions for Scotland, becomes a reality at alllevels in social services. The Framework setsout what all people in the social serviceworkforce need in order to be able to do theirjob well now and in the future. It will improveapproaches to three key areas – learning anddevelopment, career pathways and improvedstandards of practice. In order to facilitate theuse of the Framework in practice tools andresources will be developed for social serviceworkers and their employers.

The Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC)and the Institute for Research and Innovationin Social Services (IRISS) have developed theContinuous Learning Framework in partnershipwith the sector. The response so far has beenoverwhelmingly positive. We now need to seeemployers and workers building on thisenthusiasm at a local level to take fulladvantage of the opportunities presented by the Framework.

The Scottish Government is committed tosupporting this activity. We are providingsignificant additional financial resources to theSSSC and IRISS to take forward a strategy topromote local ownership of the Framework.This will include supporting both employersand their workers to adopt the Framework.Employers may need support to decide how bestto use the Framework in their organisation;while both workers and employers may needsupport in using the Framework in practice.

The Scottish Government’s vision fortransformational change requires purposefulengagement by social service workers,managers and employers across the socialservice sector. Given the enthusiastic andconstructive approach already demonstratedby the sector during the development of theFramework and the Government’s ongoingcommitment to support this, I am confidentthat we will succeed.

Adam IngramMinister for Children and Early Years

MINISTERIAL FOREWORD

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The Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) andthe Institute for Research and Innovation inSocial Services (IRISS) wish to thank all thosewho have helped to develop the ContinuousLearning Framework. We are particularlygrateful to the members of our reference pooland the participants in the nine trials. Theirinsightful contributions have ensured that theFramework is both rigorous and grounded in

practice. We would especially like to thank allof the people who use services, carers andpractitioners’ groups who contributed soenthusiastically to the development of theFramework. Finally, we are grateful to everyonewho responded so constructively to theconsultation events and the on-linequestionnaire and to George Street Researchfor their analysis of the consultation responses.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS


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The Continuous Learning Framework sets out what people in thesocial service workforce need to be able to do their job well now andin the future and describes what employers need to do to supportthem. It has been developed by the Scottish Social Services Council(SSSC), the Institute for Research and Innovation in Social Services(IRISS) and a reference pool of people with a broad range of expertiseand experience across the social service sector. The ContinuousLearning Framework aims to enrich rather than replace the systemsand processes that many organisations have already developed.

This document is for individuals working in the social service sectorand for the organisations which employ them. It has three mainsections. The first outlines the purpose of the Continuous LearningFramework, the second describes the four key elements of theFramework and the third focuses on using the Framework in practice.This third section includes a number of examples of how the Frameworkhas already been used by organisations delivering social services.Appendix 1 sets out the personal capabilities in full, appendix 2 setsout the organisational capabilities in full and appendix 3 contains three fictional illustrations of how all of the elements of theFramework could be used in practice.

INTRODUCTION

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The Continuous Learning Framework aims tocontinuously improve the quality of outcomesfor people who use social services by supportingthe people who are delivering these services tobe the best they can be. This requires a sharedcommitment from both the worker and theiremployer. It is important that each individualsocial service worker takes responsibility fortheir own learning and development throughouttheir career and that employers provideopportunities for continuous learning andimprovements in practice. These responsibilitiesare already set out in the Codes of Practice forSocial Service Workers and Employers ofSocial Service Workers which can be foundon the SSSC’s website at www.sssc.uk.com.

THE CONTINUOUS LEARNING FRAMEWORKAIMS TO SUPPORT SOCIAL SERVICEWORKERS TO:

» identify their learning needs throughouttheir career

» get the most from induction, supervision,performance management and employeedevelopment processes

» improve their practice

» gain recognition for the progress andachievements they have made over time

» gain recognition of prior informal learning

» provide evidence of the impact on theirpractice of formal and informal learning,including post registration training andlearning (PRTL).

IT AIMS TO SUPPORT EMPLOYERS OF SOCIALSERVICE WORKERS TO:

» identify, analyse and meet the learningneeds of their workforce

» increase the capability of their workforce

» provide transparent, consistent and detailedperson specifications for job roles in theirorganisation

» create an organisational culture andconditions which support the recruitmentand retention of staff

» add value to existing systems for induction,supervision, performance management andemployee development

» provide evidence of the impact of learningand development on the quality of serviceprovision and continuous improvement.

THE CONTINUOUS LEARNING FRAMEWORKIS FOR EVERYONE WORKING IN SOCIALSERVICES IN SCOTLAND. IT IS FOR PEOPLE:

» working in all areas of social serviceprovision in the public, voluntary andprivate sectors

» involved in the delivery and management offrontline services

» in senior and middle management

» working in the education, training anddevelopment of the social serviceworkforce.

THE PURPOSE OF THE CONTINUOUSLEARNING FRAMEWORK


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THE KEY ELEMENTS OF THECONTINUOUS LEARNING FRAMEWORK

When you apply for a job in social services, youwill usually receive some information thatdescribes the kind of person the employer islooking for. It might describe the qualificationsand training and the personal qualitiesnecessary to do the job well. The first threeareas in the Continuous Learning Frameworkare very similar. We have included a fourth area

which recognises that you will need support todo your job well and to keep getting better at itno matter how long you decide to stay in thejob. The Continuous Learning Framework alsodescribes the type of support that youremployer can provide to help you to continue tolearn and improve your practice.


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ORGANISATIONAL CAPABILITIES

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, VALUES AND QUALIFICATIONS AND TRAININGUNDERSTANDING

PERSONAL CAPABILITIES

THE FOUR KEY AREAS OF THE CONTINUOUSLEARNING FRAMEWORK ARE:

1. Knowledge, skills, values and understanding

The knowledge, skills, values and understandingrequired for each role in social services areshaped in a number of ways. NationalOccupational Standards (NOS) describe bestpractice in particular areas of work across thesocial service sector. They bring together theknowledge, understanding, values and practicalskills required to do the work and present theseas statements of competence. Employersoften use NOS to help them to draw up jobdescriptions, person specifications and jobadvertisements. NOS are also used in thedevelopment of the standards underpinningspecific qualifications and awards relevant tothe social service workforce, for example theStandards in Social Work Education and theStandard for Childhood Practice.

The SSSC provides a common statement of thevalue base for the social service sector in itsCodes of Practice for Social Service Workersand Employers of Social Service Workers. TheCode of Practice for Social Service Workers is alist of statements that describe the standardsof professional conduct and practice requiredof social service workers as they go about theirdaily work. The Code of Practice for Employersof Social Service Workers requires them toadhere to the standards set out in their codeand to support social service workers in meetingthe requirements of their code. Furtherinformation about NOS and about the Codesof Practice is available on the SSSC’s websitewww.sssc.uk.com.

In addition to these national expectations,each employer is likely to have their ownrequirements for knowledge, skills, values andunderstanding. For example, they will expecttheir employees to understand and workaccording to the vision, values and aims of theorganisation and know about the organisation’spolicies and procedures.

2. Qualifications and trainingThe ‘qualifications and training’ and ‘knowledge,skills, values and understanding’ sections of theFramework are closely linked. For example,the NOS are set out in the form of units whichform the basis for qualifications such asScottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQs). Thequalifications and training a person requireswill vary depending upon the requirements ofthe job role they undertake. The necessaryqualification will largely be determined by theScottish Social Services Council’s registrationrequirements. Further details about registrationand qualification requirements are available onthe SSSC’s website at www.sssc.uk.com.

The Scottish Credit and QualificationsFramework (SCQF) brings together Scottishqualifications into a single framework andlevels and allocates credit to all assessed andquality assured learning. It supports thedevelopment of progression routes betweenqualifications, it clarifies relationships betweenqualifications, it helps maximise credit transferopportunities, and it clarifies entry and exitpoints and progression routes. The SCQFunderpins the Continuous Learning Frameworkand is an essential tool for enabling individualsto gain recognition, and where appropriateformal credit, for the learning that they


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undertake throughout their career. Furtherinformation about the SCQF is available atwww.scqf.org.uk.

In addition to the national qualificationrequirements, each employer is likely tohave requirements for training that arespecific to their particular organisation andto particular job roles within the organisation.For example, all organisations are likely torequire their employees to participate in aninduction programme and specific job roleswill require training on, for example, theprotection of children or vulnerable adults orhealth and safety.

3. Personal capabilitiesWhile the first two areas of the ContinuousLearning Framework are already wellestablished in Scotland, the second two areasare new additions and have been developedspecifically for this Framework. The new areasare the personal capabilities and theorganisational capabilities. These aim to outlinethe shared commitment required by both theindividual and the organisation.

The personal capabilities aim to describe theways in which people manage themselves andtheir relationships with others in the workplace.They focus on how people put their knowledge,skills, values, understanding, qualificationsand training into practice. There are 13personal capabilities1 in the Framework.Some relate to how people manage theirrelationships with others and the remainder tohow they manage themselves. The personalcapabilities are:

Managing relationships:» a focus on people who use services and

their carers» working in partnership» motivating and leading others» empathy» dealing with conflict.

Managing self:» professional autonomy» lifelong learning» flexibility» confidence» resilience» accurate self assessment» awareness of impact on others» organisational awareness.

The personal capabilities have been describedacross four stages of progression fromengaged through to established, accomplishedand exemplary. The full description of the 13personal capabilities across the four stages ofprogression is set out in appendix 1.

You will notice that there are a number ofindicators under each of the stages ofprogression. These indicators describe whateach personal capability looks like and provideways in which each stage could be evidenced.The stages of progression are cumulative. Forexample, for someone to be at an accomplishedstage they would need to demonstrate evidenceof the indicators under engaged, establishedand accomplished stages.


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1 Seal, C., Boyatzis, R. & Bailey, J. (2006) Fostering social and emotional intelligence in organisationsLinking Theory and Practice: EAM White Paper Series Vol. 3 No. 3 pp. 190 – 209

It is at the discretion of employers and socialservice workers to determine which of thepersonal capabilities individual workers aim todevelop at any particular time. They may chooseto develop all of the personal capabilities orjust some of them.

It is also important to note that the stages ofprogression at which an employee is currentlyable to evidence the personal capabilities donot necessarily relate to the length of time theyhave been in the social service workforce. Sosomeone entering the workforce and bringinga range of personal and work experience withthem may already be able to demonstrate someof the personal capabilities at established andaccomplished stages.

4. Organisational capabilitiesAn individual can be committed to doing a goodjob but unless they are part of an organisationthat supports them to learn it can be verydifficult to make the most of their capabilities.The organisational capabilities describe theculture and conditions in the workplace thatenable social service workers to be the best theycan be. There are six organisational capabilities:

» creating a learning and performanceculture

» planning for learning, development andimproved practice

» promoting access to learning anddevelopment opportunities

» promoting access to feedback

» treating people with dignity and respect

» focusing on health and wellbeing.

Each of the organisational capabilities is setout in two sections. The first section describeshow the organisation might demonstrate thecapability and the second section describeswhat the social service worker shouldexperience as a result of this.

The organisational capabilities have also beendescribed across four stages of progression,engaged, established, accomplished andexemplary, in a similar way to the personalcapabilities. There are a number of indicatorsunder each of the stages of progression. Theseindicators describe what each organisationalcapability looks like and provide ways in whicheach stage could be evidenced.

These stages are progressive, so for anorganisation to meet the requirements of anaccomplished stage they would need to addressthe indicators under engaged, established andaccomplished. The full description of theorganisational capabilities across the fourstages of progression is set out in appendix 2.

It is recommended that organisations considereach of the organisational capabilities whenlooking to improve the culture and conditionsin the workplace. They will then be able to usetheir discretion to decide which they willdevelop further at that point and how they will do this.


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Many organisations delivering social serviceshave undertaken a great deal of work inidentifying the qualifications, training,knowledge, skills, values and understandingrequired for different job roles. Indeed a numberof examples of good practice were used indeveloping this Framework. However, manyviews expressed during the consultationprocess suggested that organisations couldsee how the Framework could add value to thesystems and processes that they already have.Others are just beginning to establish theseprocesses and could see how the Frameworkcould support them.

The Continuous Learning Framework is notmandatory. It has been developed as a tool to:

» support learning, development andimproved practice

» promote continuous improvement instandards of practice and

» provide transparency of pathways forcareer progression.

The following section aims to describe thedifferent ways in which the Framework canbe used to achieve these outcomes. Theapproaches described are not intended to beexhaustive as it is expected that new andinnovative ways of using the Framework willcontinue to be developed as organisations andsocial service workers use it in practice. Thissection contains a number of examples of howthe Framework has already been used byorganisations delivering social services.

1. Supporting learning, development andimproved practice

All social service workers are required totake responsibility for their own learning anddevelopment whether they decide to stay inthe same job throughout their career or movebetween jobs. However, people have told usthat it can be hard to make decisions aboutwhere to focus their learning and development.

The Continuous Learning Framework supportsindividuals to recognise their currentachievements, identify their learning needs,target learning to meet these needs anddemonstrate continuous improvement in thestandard of their practice. The organisationalcapabilities support organisations to determinehow best to support their employees and toevaluate the impact of learning anddevelopment initiatives.

The Continuous Learning Framework hasalready been used by a number of organisationsto support learning, development and improvedpractice through induction, supervision,performance management and by recognisingprior learning.

USING THE CONTINUOUSLEARNING FRAMEWORK


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LEARNING THROUGH PERFORMANCEMANAGEMENTStaff from one local authority recently wonan award for the quality of their performanceappraisal and development system. Theywere keen to use the personal capabilitiesin the Continuous Learning Framework tocontribute to this innovative work and tostrengthen performance appraisal andsupervision in practice.

‘The personal capabilities promote a moveaway from a tick box approach toperformance discussion and appraisal ina way that is flexible and can be adaptedto individual team needs.’(Trial participant)

Staff highlighted the following benefits ofthe Continuous Learning Framework.

» It supported change across thedepartment as staff have a more realisticunderstanding of the contribution theymake to the workplace.

» The personal capabilities enabled themto focus on how people put theirknowledge, skills, values, understandingand their training/qualifications intopractice.

» Staff found it motivating andempowering.

» Staff have greater ownership of theprocess of supervision.

» Performance and appraisal discussionsbecame more meaningful and thequality of the discussions improved.

‘Although I have been very positive from theoutset about the Framework and how itcould improve the appraisal/supervisionset-up within Home Care I never expectedthe staff to respond in such a positivemanner and to put so much work into thetrial. I am very proud of them.’(Home Care Manager)


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The Continuous Learning Frameworkencourages creative approaches to meetingthe learning and development needs of socialservice workers. Learning can and willcontinue to be recognised through formal

provision, such as training courses,qualifications and awards. However, there aremany informal learning opportunities availablewithin and across workplaces.

USING FEEDBACK TO SUPPORTLEARNING AND DEVELOPMENTA Wraparound Care Service, which enablesparents to extend the time their child spendsin nursery each day, wanted to explore howthe personal and organisational capabilitiescould be used to support their team’slearning, development and improvedpractice. They used their existing teammeetings and six of the personalcapabilities as a focal point for sharingconstructive feedback about themselves and

each other. They developed a set of ‘rules’to ensure the conversations were respectfuland insightful. Initially, staff members wereapprehensive about rating themselves atanything other than established oraccomplished stages of progression. Asthe group’s discussions deepened, theywere able to make use of the indicators torefine their judgements and highlight areasof strength and areas they would like tofurther develop. This formed part of theirindividual learning plans.


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The Scottish Credit and QualificationFramework (SCQF) enables the use of theRecognition of Prior Informal Learning (RPL)for personal and career development and RPLfor credit. RPL is about recognising learningwhich has its source in experience. Thisincludes knowledge and skills gained outsideformal learning situations through life andwork experiences. RPL can help people whohave no formal qualifications to value and buildon the learning they have gained informallyand to use this recognition as a means ofmeeting their goals in terms of furtherlearning and development. RPL processesinvolve the learner reflecting on theirexperiences, identifying the learning withinthese experiences and providing evidence ofthe learning claimed. The personal capabilitiescan be used to support all three of theseprocesses. Further information about RPL isavailable on the SSSC website atwww.sssc.uk.com.

The SCQF has 12 levels. Each level has adescriptor which shows how demanding aqualification or programme of learning is bydescribing its learning outcomes, including thedepth of knowledge and its application topractice and the degree of autonomy exercisedby the learner. The SCQF level descriptorsprovide a national vocabulary for describinglearning opportunities. They enable people toreflect on their current level of learning andplan the future direction of their learning. Thepersonal capabilities can also be used tosupport these processes of reflection.

2. Promoting continuous improvement in standards of practice

The Continuous Learning Framework aims toimprove the quality of outcomes for peopleusing social services by supporting the peopledelivering these services to be the best theycan be. An important focus of the Frameworklies in continuously improving the standards ofpractice of organisations and social serviceworkers. The Framework can be used in twokey ways to achieve this.

First, individuals and organisations can use theFramework to monitor their progress andachievement over time. For example, supportworkers in a care centre for adults had alreadybegun to collect evidence of their qualificationsand training in learning portfolios. They usedthe Framework to help them to provide evidenceof how they were applying the knowledge, skills,values and understanding they had gained totheir own practice. They used the learningopportunities that occurred every day in theworkplace and recorded their reflections intheir portfolios. In a similar way, organisationscan gather evidence to determine their stagesof progression against the organisationalcapabilities, reflect on this information anddevelop action plans to improve standards ofpractice. They can then undertake this processagain at a later date to identify progress.


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RECOGNISING PRIOR LEARNINGOne private organisation used theFramework to support the induction of newstaff through recognition of their priorlearning. They did this by focusing on thepersonal capabilities in supervision. Thenew staff were helped to recognise thatthey brought with them a number ofcapabilities at different stages ofprogression. Together with their manager

they then identified a small number of the capabilities as a focus for their initiallearning and development. The decisionabout which capabilities to focus on wasinformed partly by the organisation, usingthe personal capabilities identified as mostimportant for the role, and partly by theindividual. One manager commented that‘it has changed supervision 100%’.


STRENGTHENING STANDARDS WITH THEORGANISATIONAL CAPABILITIESA voluntary sector organisation providingsupport to homeless or potentiallyhomeless people was interested inexploring ways in which staff could bebetter supported by the organisation tocontinuously improve the standards of theirpractice. Their ultimate aim was to improveoutcomes for people using their services.The Chief Executive asked each staff

member to rate the organisation againsteach of the organisational capabilities. Thisgave them a baseline against which theycould measure improvements to theirorganisational practice over time. Theyreflected on the collated feedback andwere able to put a number of action plansin place. They intend to use the sameprocess next year to determine theirprogress and achievements and to identifyfuture action plans.

A second approach to improving standards in practice involves organisations using theFramework to help them define the standardsof practice required for each particular job roleby describing:

» the qualifications and training required

» the knowledge, skills, values andunderstanding needed

» the personal capabilities which theorganisation considers are the mostimportant for that role and

» the stages of progression at which peoplewould need to demonstrate the requiredpersonal capabilities.

This will also require organisations to definethe stages of progression of the organisationalcapabilities which they will need to demonstratein order to support social service workers tomeet these standards and continually improvetheir practice.

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STRENGTHENING RECRUITMENTPROCESSESA private provider of a new housing supportservice for adults with complex needs usedthe Framework to support their recruitmentprocess. The project manager identified anumber of the personal capabilities whichshe saw as essential to ensuring the rightprofile of worker who would be able todeliver high standards of practice in thesedemanding posts. These personalcapabilities were then assessed at interviewthrough the use of scenarios which hadactually taken place in the project.

Staff and managers highlighted thefollowing benefits of the ContinuousLearning Framework.

» Using the personal capabilities in theperson specification and at interviewgave applicants a more realistic view ofwhat the job would entail.

» Using the personal capabilities toassess applicants at interview gave theorganisation a clearer view of their skills,values and attitudes.

» Staff recruited in this way were clearerabout the expectations the organisationhad of them and understood their rolebetter.

» The Framework offers the opportunityfor prevention of problems throughdevelopment rather than dealing withproblems when they come up later.

» The organisation could use the personalcapabilities to enhance their corporateperson specifications and theirsupervision pro-forma.

The organisation made a commitment atthe start of this process that they woulduse the learning gained from using theFramework to improve their ownperformance using the organisationalcapabilities.

3. Promoting transparency of career pathwaysThe Continuous Learning Framework can beused to help social service workers to makedecisions about their career pathways andprogression. Some may aspire to a job withmore responsibility while others may belooking for a move to another part of the sector.Some will be planning to stay in their currentrole but everyone in the sector will need to becommitted and able to learn in the job they aredoing in order to continue to do it well.

For those who do wish to develop their career,either by moving within the sector or throughseeking a promoted post, the Framework can

help to make possible career pathways moretransparent. The first three sections of theFramework are similar to a person specificationand organisations could use them for thispurpose. Social service workers will then beable to compare what they can alreadydemonstrate in their current role with whatthey will need to be able to demonstrate in therole they are interested in. They will be able todetermine what is transferable from one roleto the next as well as what areas they will need to learn and develop. This will help themto target their learning and development whilestill in their current role.


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SUPPORTING CAREER PROGRESSION INOUT OF SCHOOL CAREOne umbrella organisation with a focus onpromoting the quality of over one thousandout of school care clubs across Scotlandwas interested in using the ContinuousLearning Framework to describe job rolesacross out of school care services inScotland with a view to supporting careerprogression.

They used the Framework to define jobroles at support worker, practitioner andlead practitioner/manager levels. Theyused the National Occupational Standardsto describe the core and optional

knowledge, skills, values andunderstanding for each role. In developingthe values, they drew upon the Standardfor Childhood Practice, the National CareStandards and the SSSC Codes of Practice.They completed the process by using agroup discussion to determine the stagesof progression for each of the personalcapabilities for each job role.

The group felt that this work would not onlybe beneficial for career progression butalso for recruitment, induction,performance management and supportingstaff with SVQs as well as providing usefulevidence for Care Commission inspections.

CONCLUSIONThe Continuous Learning Framework has beendeveloped to continuously improve outcomes forpeople who use social services by supportingthe people delivering these services to be thebest they can be. A wide range of individualsand organisations have been involved in itsdevelopment and its use in practice. TheFramework is now being published so that itcan be used across the social service sector.

However, the ways in which it is used will grow and develop as more individuals andorganisations use it. A strategy has beendeveloped to make sure that these ideas andexperiences are shared across Scotland. Inthis way the impact of the Framework will beincreasingly evident in practice.

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The 13 personal capabilities2 describe theways in which people manage themselves and their relationships with others in theworkplace. Job roles across the social servicesector are diverse. Each will require somepersonal capabilities related to managing selfand some related to managing relationships.However, it is at the discretion of organisationsto decide which personal capabilities arerelevant for each job role. It will also be up to organisations to identify with individualworkers which of the personal capabilitiesthey aim to develop at any particular time. To make it more manageable, organisationsand individuals may choose to focus on some,rather than all, of the personal capabilities.

THE STAGES OF PROGRESSIONEach of the personal capabilities is describedacross four stages of progression which areengaged, established, accomplished andexemplary. There are a number of indicatorsunder each of the stages of progression.These indicators describe what each personalcapability looks like at the engaged, established,accomplished and exemplary stages andtherefore provide ways in which each stagecould be evidenced. The stages of progressionare cumulative. For example, for someone to

be at an accomplished stage they would need todemonstrate evidence of the indicators underengaged, established and accomplished stages.

Overarching descriptors have been used tomake sure that there is consistency in thestages of progression across all of thepersonal capabilities. The overarchingdescriptors are outlined below.

ENGAGEDSocial service workers at this stage will be ableto demonstrate awareness and understandingof the capability as well as a commitment todeveloping it. They will demonstrate theircapacity to continually improve. They will takeresponsibility for their own learning and beable to reflect on their practice but should beexpected to seek advice and support as required.

ESTABLISHEDSocial service workers at this stage will beable to consistently demonstrate the personalcapability in practice. They will be reflectivepractitioners who actively engage in their owncontinuous learning but continue to seekadvice and support as appropriate. They willbegin to demonstrate an ability to focus on thedevelopment of others as well as themselves.

APPENDIX 1: PERSONAL CAPABILITIES


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2 Seal, C., Boyatzis, R. & Bailey, J. (2006) Fostering social and emotional intelligence in organisationsLinking Theory and Practice: EAM White Paper Series Vol. 3 No. 3 pp. 190 – 209

ACCOMPLISHEDSocial service workers at this stage willexercise increasing autonomy and initiative intheir practice and begin to provide a model forothers. Their practice will be informed byresearch evidence and critical self-reflectionwill be an embedded feature of their practice.They will make an active and ongoingcontribution to the learning of others and tothe learning culture within their ownorganisation.

EXEMPLARYSocial service workers at this stage will berecognised within and beyond their organisationfor their outstanding practice. They willrecognise the talents of others and encouragethem to achieve their potential. They willenhance the learning and quality of practice intheir own organisation and beyond. They willexercise high levels of leadership, autonomyand initiative. They will use evidence informedpractice to continuously improve outcomes forpeople who use services and their carers.

The personal capabilities are listed below withthe page on which you will find the fulldescription of the capability.

Managing relationships: Page

» a focus on people who use services 21and their carers

» working in partnership 22

» motivating and leading others 23

» empathy 24

» dealing with conflict. 25

Managing self: Page

» professional autonomy 26

» lifelong learning 27

» flexibility 28

» confidence 29

» resilience 30

» accurate self assessment 31

» awareness of impact on others 32

» organisational awareness. 33


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denc

e an

dth

e vi

ews

of p

eopl

e w

ho u

sese

rvic

es a

nd th

eir

care

rs to

cont

inua

lly im

prov

e th

eir

own

prac

tice

and

that

of t

heor

gani

satio

n»

wor

ks c

olle

ctiv

ely

with

othe

rs to

mee

t and

, whe

reap

prop

riat

e, s

urpa

ss th

eex

pect

atio

ns o

f peo

ple

who

use

serv

ices

and

thei

r ca

rers

.

»is

rec

ogni

sed

for

thei

rsi

gnifi

cant

con

trib

utio

n to

auth

entic

par

tner

ship

s w

ithpe

ople

who

use

ser

vice

s an

dth

eir

care

rs.

MAN

AGIN

G R

ELAT

ION

SHIP

S


21


WO

RK

ING

IN P

ARTN

ERSH

IP –

BEI

NG

AB

LE T

O W

OR

K W

ITH

OTH

ERS

WIT

HIN

TH

E O

RG

ANIS

ATIO

N A

ND

BEY

ON

D

THE

SOC

IAL

SER

VIC

E W

OR

KER

…

ENG

AGED

ESTA

BLI

SHED

ACC

OM

PLI

SHED

EXEM

PLA

RY

»un

ders

tand

s th

e im

port

ance

of

rela

tions

hips

and

val

ues

the

dive

rse

pers

pect

ives

of o

ther

s»

resp

ects

and

rel

ates

wel

l to

peop

le w

ith v

arie

d ro

les

and

from

dive

rse

back

grou

nds

»ac

know

ledg

es th

e co

mpl

exity

invo

lved

in w

orki

ng w

ith o

ther

grou

ps a

nd o

rgan

isat

ions

but

stil

lch

oose

s to

wor

k co

llabo

rativ

ely.

»re

cogn

ises

the

valu

e of

div

ersi

tyan

d us

es it

to s

tren

gthe

n th

equ

ality

of i

nitia

tives

»ta

kes

activ

e st

eps

to b

uild

rela

tions

hips

, dev

elop

net

wor

ksan

d pr

omot

e pa

rtne

rshi

pw

orki

ng»

uses

wor

k ac

ross

gro

ups

and

orga

nisa

tions

as

an o

ppor

tuni

tyfo

r le

arni

ng a

nd d

evel

opm

ent.

»ac

tivel

y se

eks

oppo

rtun

ities

to w

ork

in p

artn

ersh

ip w

ithot

hers

with

in a

nd b

eyon

d th

eor

gani

satio

n»

wor

ks in

par

tner

ship

with

othe

rs o

n sh

ared

initi

ativ

es»

uses

res

earc

h an

d ev

iden

ceto

info

rm a

nd s

tren

gthe

nco

llabo

rativ

e ap

proa

ches

whi

ch w

ill b

enef

it th

e se

rvic

e»

supp

orts

oth

ers

to w

ork

acro

ss b

ound

arie

s w

ithin

the

orga

nisa

tion

and

beyo

nd.

»pr

ovid

es a

n on

goin

g an

ddy

nam

ic li

nk b

etw

een

the

wor

kpla

ce, t

he o

rgan

isat

ion,

othe

r ag

enci

es a

nd w

ider

netw

orks

»is

ack

now

ledg

ed fo

r th

eir

sign

ifica

nt c

ontr

ibut

ions

thro

ugh

thei

r co

llabo

rativ

ew

ork

acro

ss g

roup

s an

dor

gani

satio

ns»

dem

onst

rate

s ho

wco

llabo

rativ

e w

ork

acro

ssbo

unda

ries

is le

adin

g to

impr

oved

out

com

es fo

r pe

ople

who

use

ser

vice

s an

d th

eir

care

rs.

MAN

AGIN

G R

ELAT

ION

SHIP

S

22


23

MO

TIVA

TIN

G A

ND

LEA

DIN

G O

THER

S –

INSP

IRIN

G A

ND

GU

IDIN

G IN

DIV

IDU

ALS

AN

D G

RO

UP

S

THE

SOC

IAL

SER

VIC

E W

OR

KER

…

ENG

AGED

ESTA

BLI

SHED

ACC

OM

PLI

SHED

EXEM

PLA

RY

»un

ders

tand

s th

at le

ader

ship

occu

rs a

t all

leve

ls o

f the

orga

nisa

tion

»ac

know

ledg

es th

e ca

paci

ty fo

rle

ader

ship

in c

olle

ague

s, p

eopl

ew

ho u

se s

ervi

ces

and

thei

rca

rers

»w

ill ta

ke r

oles

that

invo

lve

mot

ivat

ing

and

lead

ing

othe

rs.

»is

abl

e to

iden

tify

oppo

rtun

ities

,se

t goa

ls w

ith o

ther

s an

dde

mon

stra

tes

posi

tive

expe

ctat

ions

of s

ucce

ss»

is a

ble

to e

ffect

ivel

y le

adin

itiat

ives

whi

le b

ring

ing

othe

rsw

ith th

em»

refle

cts

on th

eir

lead

ersh

ipap

proa

ch a

nd s

eeks

adv

ice

and

supp

ort t

o im

prov

e»

enco

urag

es a

nd m

otiv

ates

othe

rs to

mak

e be

st u

se o

f the

irin

divi

dual

and

col

lect

ive

abili

ties.

»is

abl

e to

mot

ivat

e an

d le

adot

hers

to a

chie

ve id

entif

ied

goal

s»

uses

res

earc

h an

d ev

iden

ceto

info

rm a

nd c

ontin

ually

impr

ove

thei

r ap

proa

ch to

lead

ersh

ip»

activ

ely

seek

s fe

edba

ck fr

omot

hers

, inc

ludi

ng p

eopl

e w

hous

e se

rvic

es a

nd th

eir

care

rs, t

o im

prov

e th

eir

abili

ty to

lead

and

mot

ivat

eot

hers

»su

ppor

ts o

ther

s to

feel

valu

ed fo

r th

eir

cont

ribu

tions

.

»is

rec

ogni

sed

for

thei

r sk

illed

lead

ersh

ip a

nd th

e w

ay th

eyin

spir

e ot

hers

to c

ontin

ually

impr

ove

»is

rec

ogni

sed

for

thei

rsi

gnifi

cant

con

trib

utio

ns to

the

orga

nisa

tion

and

the

soci

al s

ervi

ce s

ecto

r.

MAN

AGIN

G R

ELAT

ION

SHIP

S


EMPA

THY

– SE

NSI

NG

OTH

ERS’

FEE

LIN

GS

AN

D P

ERSP

ECTI

VES

THE

SOC

IAL

SER

VIC

E W

OR

KER

…

ENG

AGED

ESTA

BLI

SHED

ACC

OM

PLI

SHED

EXEM

PLA

RY

»gi

ves

othe

rs ti

me

and

spac

e to

expr

ess

wha

t the

y th

ink,

feel

and

wan

t»

liste

ns a

tten

tivel

y w

ithou

tin

terr

uptin

g, m

akin

gas

sum

ptio

ns o

r st

ereo

typi

ng»

show

s se

nsiti

vity

and

see

ks to

unde

rsta

nd th

e pe

rspe

ctiv

e of

othe

rs»

is a

war

e of

issu

es o

fdi

scri

min

atio

n an

d op

pres

sion

whe

n in

tera

ctin

g w

ith o

ther

s.

»ac

cura

tely

inte

rpre

ts a

ndre

spon

ds to

con

cern

s, m

otiv

esan

d fe

elin

gs o

f oth

ers

espe

cial

lyth

ose

who

may

be

view

edne

gativ

ely

by o

ther

peo

ple

»re

cogn

ises

the

impo

rtan

ce o

fan

d di

fficu

lty

in e

xpre

ssin

g vi

ews

that

may

not

be

shar

ed b

y th

em

ajor

ity»

is a

war

e of

and

und

erst

ands

unsp

oken

thou

ghts

, con

cern

s or

feel

ings

and

is s

kille

d in

hel

ping

indi

vidu

als

to v

oice

thes

e sa

fely

»ac

know

ledg

es a

nd c

halle

nges

form

s of

dis

crim

inat

ion

and

oppr

essi

on.

»is

act

ive

in e

mbe

ddin

g a

cult

ure

of e

mpa

thy

in th

ew

orkp

lace

»m

akes

sur

e th

at o

ther

wor

kers

hav

e tim

e an

d ar

esu

ppor

ted

to e

xpre

ss a

ndde

al w

ith th

eir

own

feel

ings

whi

ch a

rise

from

wor

king

inch

alle

ngin

g si

tuat

ions

with

conf

lictin

g va

lues

and

nee

ds»

is r

ecog

nise

d fo

r th

eir

empa

thic

app

roac

hes

tope

ople

in a

ran

ge o

fsi

tuat

ions

»us

es r

esea

rch

and

evid

ence

to id

entif

y di

scri

min

atio

n an

dop

pres

sion

and

wor

ks w

ithot

hers

to d

eal w

ith it

effe

ctiv

ely.

»is

ski

lled

in u

nder

stan

ding

the

ofte

n co

nflic

ting

feel

ings

and

conc

erns

of t

hose

invo

lved

in c

ompl

ex s

ituat

ions

»us

es r

esea

rch

and

evid

ence

to g

ain

grea

ter

insi

ght i

nto

peop

le a

nd th

eir

circ

umst

ance

s an

d us

es th

isto

impr

ove

thei

r ow

nem

path

ic a

ppro

ache

s an

din

fluen

ce o

ther

s.

MAN

AGIN

G R

ELAT

ION

SHIP

S

24

DEA

LIN

G W

ITH

CO

NFL

ICT

– B

EIN

G A

BLE

TO

IDEN

TIFY

ISSU

ES A

ND

FIN

D S

OLU

TIO

NS

THE

SOC

IAL

SER

VIC

E W

OR

KER

…

ENG

AGED

ESTA

BLI

SHED

ACC

OM

PLI

SHED

EXEM

PLA

RY

»re

cogn

ises

and

rai

ses

issu

es o

fco

ncer

n an

d pa

rtic

ipat

es in

findi

ng s

olut

ions

with

in th

e lim

itsof

thei

r ow

n au

thor

ity»

is a

ble

to id

entif

y ar

eas

of c

onfli

ctbe

twee

n th

eir

own

valu

es, t

heir

role

and

the

dem

ands

of t

heor

gani

satio

n an

d ga

ins

requ

ired

supp

ort t

o m

anag

e th

is»

trea

ts o

ther

s w

ith d

igni

ty a

ndre

spec

t in

deal

ing

with

con

flict

.

»pr

oact

ivel

y id

entif

ies

pote

ntia

lpr

oble

ms

and

wor

ks to

war

dfin

ding

and

impl

emen

ting

crea

tive

solu

tions

»re

flect

s on

thei

r ow

n pr

actic

ean

d se

eks

feed

back

appr

opri

atel

y to

gai

n a

mor

eco

mpr

ehen

sive

und

erst

andi

ng o

fth

e si

tuat

ion

caus

ing

conf

lict

»re

cogn

ises

the

pote

ntia

l for

disc

rim

inat

ion

and

oppr

essi

onw

hils

t dea

ling

with

con

flict

and

wor

ks a

ctiv

ely

tow

ard

posi

tive

reso

lutio

n.

»us

es c

onfli

ct s

ituat

ions

as

anop

port

unity

to le

arn

and

cont

inua

lly im

prov

e»

seek

s to

und

erst

and

and

empa

this

e w

ith th

e di

vers

evi

ews

of o

ther

s an

d ca

n of

ten

find

crea

tive

solu

tions

that

are

acce

ptab

le to

all

conc

erne

d»

is a

ble

to m

anag

e un

popu

lar

deci

sion

s th

at m

ay a

rise

as

are

sult

of c

onfli

ct»

is a

ble

to c

ritic

ally

ana

lyse

conf

lict s

ituat

ions

and

use

rese

arch

and

evi

denc

e to

fin

d so

lutio

ns»

is a

ble

to w

ork

effe

ctiv

ely

with

oth

ers

to d

eal w

ithis

sues

of d

iscr

imin

atio

n an

d op

pres

sion

.

»ca

n de

al w

ith c

ompl

exet

hica

l and

wor

k re

late

dis

sues

and

can

iden

tify

and

effe

ctiv

ely

impl

emen

tso

lutio

ns h

avin

g co

nsid

ered

a ra

nge

of p

oten

tial

cons

eque

nces

»is

abl

e to

rec

ogni

se c

onfli

cts

aris

ing

acro

ss th

e so

cial

serv

ice

sect

or a

nd is

abl

e to

wor

k w

ith o

ther

s to

add

ress

them

.

MAN

AGIN

G R

ELAT

ION

SHIP

S


25


PR

OFE

SSIO

NA

L A

UTO

NO

MY

– EX

ERCI

SIN

G J

UD

GEM

ENT

AN

D IN

ITIA

TIVE

AN

D B

EIN

G A

CCO

UN

TAB

LE

THE

SOC

IAL

SER

VIC

E W

OR

KER

…

ENG

AGED

ESTA

BLI

SHED

ACC

OM

PLI

SHED

EXEM

PLA

RY

»is

aw

are

of d

ecis

ion

mak

ing

proc

esse

s an

d th

e le

vel o

fde

cisi

on m

akin

g ap

prop

riat

e fo

rth

eir

own

role

»is

aw

are

of th

e ne

ed to

bal

ance

the

safe

ty o

f the

mse

lves

and

othe

rs w

hen

mak

ing

info

rmed

deci

sion

s ab

out r

isks

»is

abl

e to

ref

lect

on

judg

emen

tsan

d de

cisi

ons

mad

e an

d th

eir

cons

eque

nces

»is

abl

e to

use

thei

r in

itiat

ive

and

act o

n op

port

uniti

es to

impr

ove

outc

omes

for

peop

le w

ho u

sese

rvic

es a

nd th

eir

care

rs»

is a

ble

to c

ritic

ally

ref

lect

on

how

thei

r ow

n ba

ckgr

ound

,as

sum

ptio

ns a

nd v

alue

s im

pact

on th

eir

judg

emen

ts.

»m

akes

info

rmed

judg

emen

tsba

sed

on a

n ev

alua

tion

of th

eev

iden

ce a

nd th

e ca

refu

lba

lanc

ing

of r

isks

, rig

hts

and

need

s w

ithin

the

orga

nisa

tion’

sfr

amew

ork

of a

ccou

ntab

ility

»is

pre

pare

d to

take

cal

cula

ted

risk

s, w

ithin

ow

n ar

ea o

fau

thor

ity, a

nd c

an s

ee th

epo

ssib

le c

onse

quen

ces

of th

ese

»is

abl

e to

bri

ng fr

esh

pers

pect

ives

and

thin

k cr

eativ

ely

abou

t the

optio

ns a

vaila

ble

in a

ny s

ituat

ion

»is

abl

e to

exp

lain

and

acc

ount

for

thei

r pr

actic

e an

d ex

pect

s to

have

thei

r th

inki

ng c

halle

nged

appr

opri

atel

y.

»co

ntri

bute

s to

ong

oing

eval

uatio

n of

dec

isio

ns m

ade

at te

am le

vel t

o m

ake

sure

thes

e ar

e ev

iden

ce b

ased

»is

abl

e to

mak

e un

popu

lar

deci

sion

s ba

sed

on c

ompl

exne

eds

and

man

age

the

acce

ptan

ce o

r no

n ac

cept

ance

of th

ose

deci

sion

s by

oth

ers

»us

es r

esea

rch

and

evid

ence

to fi

nd in

nova

tive

appr

oach

esw

hich

lead

to im

prov

edou

tcom

es fo

r pe

ople

who

use

serv

ices

and

thei

r ca

rers

»en

cour

ages

oth

ers

tode

mon

stra

te in

itiat

ive

thro

ugh

colla

bora

tive

wor

king

and

the

shar

ing

of g

ood

prac

tice.

»is

rec

ogni

sed

for

thei

rou

tsta

ndin

g ab

ility

to m

ake

evid

ence

-bas

ed ju

dgem

ents

and

supp

orts

the

deve

lopm

ent o

f thi

s in

oth

ers

»se

es th

e po

tent

ial f

orim

prov

emen

t in

a ra

nge

ofsi

tuat

ions

, is

read

y to

act

on

oppo

rtun

ities

whi

ch p

rese

ntth

emse

lves

and

to c

reat

eso

lutio

ns»

anal

yses

loca

l, or

gani

satio

nal,

natio

nal a

nd in

tern

atio

nal

tren

ds b

oth

with

in a

ndou

twith

the

soci

al s

ervi

cese

ctor

to c

reat

e in

nova

tive

appr

oach

es»

is r

ecog

nise

d as

an

inno

vato

rw

ithin

thei

r ow

n or

gani

satio

nan

d be

yond

.

MAN

AGIN

G SE

LF

26

LIFE

LON

G L

EAR

NIN

G –

EN

GAG

ING

IN T

HE

CON

TIN

UO

US

LEA

RN

ING

OF

SELF

AN

D O

THER

S

THE

SOC

IAL

SER

VIC

E W

OR

KER

…

ENG

AGED

ESTA

BLI

SHED

ACC

OM

PLI

SHED

EXEM

PLA

RY

»is

com

mitt

ed to

and

take

sre

spon

sibi

lity

for

thei

r ow

nle

arni

ng a

nd d

evel

opm

ent

»de

mon

stra

tes

com

mitm

ent t

oke

epin

g th

eir

know

ledg

e,un

ders

tand

ing

and

skill

s up

toda

te»

activ

ely

part

icip

ates

in le

arni

ngop

port

uniti

es»

part

icip

ates

in th

e pr

ovis

ion

ofle

arni

ng o

ppor

tuni

ties

to o

ther

s.

»ac

tivel

y id

entif

ies

ongo

ing

lear

ning

nee

ds a

nd s

eeks

ara

nge

of fo

rmal

and

info

rmal

lear

ning

opp

ortu

nitie

s to

mee

tth

em»

take

s re

spon

sibi

lity

for

a le

arni

ngpl

an w

hich

dem

onst

rate

s th

eim

pact

of t

heir

lear

ning

on

thei

rpr

actic

e an

d is

use

d to

cont

inua

lly im

prov

e»

activ

ely

prom

otes

the

lear

ning

and

deve

lopm

ent o

f oth

ers

thro

ugh

a ra

nge

of fo

rmal

and

info

rmal

app

roac

hes

»em

beds

cri

tical

ly r

efle

ctiv

epr

actic

e as

a r

outin

e ap

proa

chto

thei

r w

ork.

»ac

tivel

y pa

rtic

ipat

es in

the

eval

uatio

n of

lear

ning

and

deve

lopm

ent i

n th

eor

gani

satio

n»

uses

evi

denc

e in

form

edpr

actic

e to

pro

mot

e a

lear

ning

and

perf

orm

ance

cul

ture

with

in th

e or

gani

satio

n»

is a

ble

to d

emon

stra

te h

owth

eir

lear

ning

and

deve

lopm

ent h

as c

ontr

ibut

edto

impr

oved

out

com

es fo

rpe

ople

who

use

ser

vice

san

dth

eir

care

rs.

»ac

tivel

y co

ntri

bute

s to

an

orga

nisa

tiona

l cul

ture

whi

chpr

omot

es le

arni

ng b

yfa

cilit

atin

g th

e sh

arin

g of

idea

s w

ithin

and

out

with

the

orga

nisa

tion

and

with

peo

ple

who

use

ser

vice

s an

d th

eir

care

rs»

prom

otes

the

use

of e

vide

nce

info

rmed

pra

ctic

e as

a to

olfo

r le

arni

ng in

the

wor

kpla

ce»

is r

ecog

nise

d fo

r th

eir

outs

tand

ing

com

mitm

ent t

oth

eir

own

and

othe

rs’ l

earn

ing

and

deve

lopm

ent.

MAN

AGIN

G SE

LF


27


FLEX

IBIL

ITY

– B

EIN

G A

DA

PTA

BLE

AN

D O

PEN

TO

CH

AN

GE

THE

SOC

IAL

SER

VIC

E W

OR

KER

…

ENG

AGED

ESTA

BLI

SHED

ACC

OM

PLI

SHED

EXEM

PLA

RY

»ac

know

ledg

es th

e im

port

ance

of

chan

ge in

con

tinua

lly im

prov

ing

prac

tice

»is

ope

n to

cha

nge

in th

eir

wor

kpla

ce»

adap

ts th

eir

own

appr

oach

to th

ede

man

ds o

f the

wor

ken

viro

nmen

t»

adju

sts

a st

rong

ly h

eld

opin

ion

inre

spon

se to

con

trad

icto

ryev

iden

ce.

»is

ope

n m

inde

d an

d fle

xibl

e in

deal

ing

with

cir

cum

stan

ces

asth

ey a

rise

and

can

man

age

ade

gree

of u

ncer

tain

ty»

adju

sts

thei

r jo

b fo

cus

and

appr

oach

es d

epen

ding

upo

n th

ene

eds

of d

iffer

ent s

ituat

ions

»en

gage

s in

ope

n an

d re

flect

ive

deba

te a

nd p

rovi

des

cons

truc

tive

com

men

ts a

bout

pro

pose

dch

ange

s.

»pr

omot

es a

cul

ture

whi

chem

brac

es c

hang

e w

hile

ackn

owle

dgin

g an

d lis

teni

ngto

diff

eren

t poi

nts

of v

iew

and

the

anxi

etie

s of

oth

ers

»is

abl

e to

ada

pt to

a v

arie

tyof

situ

atio

ns w

hile

unde

rsta

ndin

g an

dap

prec

iatin

g di

ffere

nt a

ndop

posi

ng p

ersp

ectiv

es»

activ

ely

supp

orts

oth

ers

tobe

com

e m

ore

flexi

ble

in th

ew

orkp

lace

and

to e

mbr

ace

chan

ge»

uses

res

earc

h an

d ev

iden

ceba

sed

prac

tice

to in

form

chan

ge.

»is

abl

e to

acc

omm

odat

eco

mpl

exity

, unc

erta

inty

and

ambi

guity

with

in th

eor

gani

satio

n»

uses

res

earc

h an

d ev

iden

ceto

wor

k w

ith o

ther

s to

find

way

s to

ada

pt to

a c

hang

ing

cont

ext.

MAN

AGIN

G SE

LF

28

CON

FID

ENCE

– K

NO

WIN

G Y

OU

AR

E A

BLE

TO

DO

YO

UR

JO

B W

ELL

THE

SOC

IAL

SER

VIC

E W

OR

KER

…

ENG

AGED

ESTA

BLI

SHED

ACC

OM

PLI

SHED

EXEM

PLA

RY

»is

con

fiden

t tha

t the

y ha

ve th

ekn

owle

dge,

ski

lls, v

alue

s an

dun

ders

tand

ing

to c

arry

out

thei

rro

le»

is c

onfid

ent t

hat t

hey

unde

rsta

ndth

eir

own

role

and

res

pons

ibili

ties

and

can

expl

ain

this

to o

ther

s»

is a

war

e th

at th

eir

leve

l of

conf

iden

ce in

thei

r ab

ility

to c

arry

out t

heir

rol

e w

ill h

ave

an im

pact

on th

eir

prac

tice

»is

cle

ar a

bout

the

cont

ribu

tion

they

can

mak

e to

out

com

es fo

rpe

ople

who

use

ser

vice

s an

dth

eir

care

rs.

»is

con

fiden

t tha

t the

y ca

n ap

ply

thei

r kn

owle

dge,

ski

lls, v

alue

san

d un

ders

tand

ing

in p

ract

ice

whi

le s

eeki

ng s

uppo

rtap

prop

riat

ely

»is

con

fiden

t to

rece

ive

cons

truc

tive

feed

back

pos

itive

lyan

d us

e it

to le

arn

and

impr

ove

»is

con

fiden

t to

chal

leng

ein

equa

lity

and

disc

rim

inat

ion

»re

flect

s up

on th

e im

pact

thei

rle

vel o

f con

fiden

ce is

hav

ing

onth

eir

prac

tice.

»is

con

fiden

t in

thei

r ab

ility

tope

rfor

m in

incr

easi

ngly

com

plex

situ

atio

ns w

hile

stil

lse

ekin

g su

ppor

t whe

rene

cess

ary

»is

abl

e to

nur

ture

the

conf

iden

ce o

f oth

ers

»is

con

fiden

t to

give

pos

itive

and

cons

truc

tive

feed

back

toco

lleag

ues

and

thei

r lin

em

anag

er»

is c

onfid

ent t

o co

ntri

bute

posi

tivel

y to

org

anis

atio

nal

chan

ge w

hile

cha

lleng

ing

appr

opri

atel

y»

is c

onfid

ent a

bout

thei

rdi

stin

ctiv

e co

ntri

butio

n as

aso

cial

ser

vice

wor

ker.

»is

con

fiden

t in

thei

r ab

ility

tope

rfor

m in

com

plex

and

dem

andi

ng s

ituat

ions

with

whi

ch th

ey a

re n

ot fa

mili

ar»

has

conf

iden

ce to

act

ivel

ypr

omot

e th

e ca

paci

ty o

fso

cial

ser

vice

s to

mak

e a

sign

ifica

nt d

iffer

ence

tope

ople

who

use

ser

vice

s an

dto

soc

iety

as

a w

hole

»is

rec

ogni

sed

by o

ther

s fo

rth

eir

conf

iden

t app

roac

h in

carr

ying

out

thei

r ro

le.

MAN

AGIN

G SE

LF


29


RES

ILIE

NCE

– P

ERSI

STIN

G IN

PU

RSU

ING

GO

ALS

DES

PIT

E O

BST

ACLE

S A

ND

SET

BAC

KS

THE

SOC

IAL

SER

VIC

E W

OR

KER

…

ENG

AGED

ESTA

BLI

SHED

ACC

OM

PLI

SHED

EXEM

PLA

RY

»is

aw

are

of th

e ne

ed fo

r a

rang

eof

sup

port

str

ateg

ies

to b

uild

resi

lienc

e»

belie

ves

in th

eir

abili

ty to

mov

epa

st o

bsta

cles

and

set

back

s»

pers

ever

es w

ith d

iffic

ult t

asks

over

an

exte

nded

per

iod

of ti

me

in o

rder

to a

chie

ve th

em.

»is

abl

e to

dea

l with

diff

icul

ties

byke

epin

g th

em in

per

spec

tive

»su

stai

ns e

ffort

s to

ove

rcom

eob

stac

les

and

feel

ings

of

frus

trat

ion

and

is a

ble

tom

aint

ain

a po

sitiv

e vi

ew»

deve

lops

str

ateg

ies

to b

uild

thei

row

n re

silie

nce

»pe

rsis

ts in

tryi

ng to

pos

itive

lyin

fluen

ce th

e ou

tcom

es o

fch

ange

in th

e w

orkp

lace

.

»de

mon

stra

tes

pers

iste

nce

inch

angi

ng th

ings

for

the

bett

er w

hils

t bei

ng r

ealis

ticab

out w

hat c

an b

e ac

hiev

ed»

activ

ely

cont

ribu

tes

to th

ebu

ildin

g of

str

ateg

ies

whi

chbu

ild r

esili

ence

in th

ew

orkp

lace

»ac

know

ledg

es c

ompl

exity

with

in s

ituat

ions

and

use

sm

ultip

le p

athw

ays

toov

erco

me

obst

acle

s.

»is

rec

ogni

sed

for

thei

rou

tsta

ndin

g ab

ility

toov

erco

me

adve

rsity

and

find

posi

tive

solu

tions

»is

per

sist

ent a

nd c

reat

ive

inth

eir

appr

oach

to a

chie

ving

succ

essf

ul o

utco

mes

at

indi

vidu

al a

nd o

rgan

isat

iona

lle

vels

»is

rec

ogni

sed

by o

ther

s as

bein

g re

silie

nt.

MAN

AGIN

G SE

LF

30

ACCU

RAT

E SE

LF A

SSES

SMEN

T –

KN

OW

ING

YO

UR

OW

N S

TREN

GTH

S A

ND

LIM

ITAT

ION

S

THE

SOC

IAL

SER

VIC

E W

OR

KER

…

ENG

AGED

ESTA

BLI

SHED

ACC

OM

PLI

SHED

EXEM

PLA

RY

»un

ders

tand

s th

e ne

ed to

be

awar

e of

thei

r st

reng

ths

and

the

limita

tions

of t

heir

ow

n ab

ility

»is

abl

e to

cri

tical

ly r

efle

ct o

n th

eir

own

prac

tice,

lear

n fr

om th

isre

flect

ion

and

appl

y th

eir

lear

ning

to im

prov

e th

eir

prac

tice

»is

ope

n to

pos

itive

and

cons

truc

tive

feed

back

from

othe

rs.

»is

abl

e to

des

crib

e th

eir

stre

ngth

san

d ar

eas

for

impr

ovem

ent

»ta

kes

pers

onal

res

pons

ibili

ty fo

row

n er

rors

or

shor

tcom

ings

and

lear

ns fr

om th

em»

dem

onst

rate

s on

goin

g cr

itica

lse

lf re

flect

ion

and

resu

ltin

gim

prov

emen

ts to

pra

ctic

e»

uses

feed

back

from

a r

ange

of

sour

ces

to m

ore

accu

rate

lyas

sess

thei

r ow

n ca

pabi

litie

s.

»m

odel

s an

d en

cour

ages

othe

rs to

ass

ess

thei

rst

reng

ths

and

area

s fo

rim

prov

emen

t»

uses

evi

denc

e an

d re

sear

chto

cri

tical

ly r

efle

ct a

nd g

uide

self

asse

ssm

ent o

f the

ir o

wn

prac

tice

»m

akes

bes

t use

of s

tren

gths

and

finds

way

s to

ove

rcom

elim

itatio

ns.

»pr

omot

es a

cul

ture

of

lear

ning

from

str

engt

hs a

ndac

hiev

emen

ts a

s w

ell a

slim

itatio

ns a

nd s

hort

com

ings

»is

abl

e to

use

aw

aren

ess

ofst

reng

ths

and

limita

tions

and

thos

e of

oth

ers

to fi

ndw

ays

to im

prov

e ou

tcom

esfo

r pe

ople

who

use

ser

vice

san

d th

eir

care

rs.

MAN

AGIN

G SE

LF


31


AWA

REN

ESS

OF

IMPA

CT O

N O

THER

S –

BEI

NG

AW

AR

E O

F H

OW

OTH

ERS

PER

CEIV

E YO

U A

ND

YO

UR

BEH

AVIO

UR

THE

SOC

IAL

SER

VIC

E W

OR

KER

…

ENG

AGED

ESTA

BLI

SHED

ACC

OM

PLI

SHED

EXEM

PLA

RY

»de

mon

stra

tes

awar

enes

s of

how

they

are

per

ceiv

ed b

y ot

hers

»is

ope

n to

usi

ng p

ositi

ve a

ndco

nstr

uctiv

e fe

edba

ck to

dete

rmin

e th

e im

pact

they

are

havi

ng o

n ot

hers

»is

aw

are

of h

ow th

eir

own

valu

es,

attit

udes

and

cul

tura

las

sum

ptio

ns im

pact

on

othe

rs.

»re

gula

rly

refle

cts

on th

e im

pact

thei

r be

havi

our,

act

ions

, wor

dsan

d de

mea

nour

hav

e on

oth

ers

and

activ

ely

seek

s to

impr

ove

thei

r pr

actic

e ac

cord

ingl

y»

refle

cts

on th

e im

pact

thei

rva

lues

and

cul

tura

l ass

umpt

ions

are

havi

ng o

n ot

hers

and

take

sac

tion

to s

tren

gthe

nre

latio

nshi

ps a

nd a

void

disc

rim

inat

ion.

»us

es m

ultip

le s

ourc

es o

ffe

edba

ck to

und

erst

and

the

impa

ct th

ey a

re h

avin

g on

othe

rs»

criti

cally

ana

lyse

s fe

edba

ckan

d us

es e

vide

nce

and

rese

arch

to r

efle

ct o

n an

dco

ntin

uous

ly im

prov

e th

eir

own

prac

tice.

»is

rec

ogni

sed

for

thei

rou

tsta

ndin

g ab

ility

to u

seth

eir

awar

enes

s of

thei

rim

pact

on

othe

rs to

stre

ngth

en r

elat

ions

hips

and

impr

ove

outc

omes

.

MAN

AGIN

G SE

LF

32

OR

GA

NIS

ATIO

NA

L AW

AR

ENES

S –

BEI

NG

AW

AR

E O

F TH

E P

UR

PO

SE O

F YO

UR

OR

GA

NIS

ATIO

N A

ND

TH

ECO

NTE

XT IN

WH

ICH

IT O

PER

ATES

THE

SOC

IAL

SER

VIC

E W

OR

KER

…

ENG

AGED

ESTA

BLI

SHED

ACC

OM

PLI

SHED

EXEM

PLA

RY

»de

mon

stra

tes

an u

nder

stan

ding

of h

ow th

eir

orga

nisa

tion

wor

ks,

thei

r ro

le w

ithin

it a

nd h

ow th

eir

wor

k co

ntri

bute

s to

the

purp

ose

of th

e or

gani

satio

n»

is a

war

e of

cha

nges

in th

eco

ntex

t in

whi

ch th

ey a

rew

orki

ng, e

.g. t

he la

w, p

olic

y, n

ewin

itiat

ives

, etc

.

»re

cogn

ises

and

val

ues

the

role

of

ever

yone

in th

e or

gani

satio

n in

the

deliv

ery

of h

igh

qual

ityse

rvic

es»

take

s re

spon

sibi

lity

for

keep

ing

up to

dat

e w

ith c

hang

es in

the

orga

nisa

tion,

e.g

. pol

icie

s an

dpr

oced

ures

, and

the

wid

erco

ntex

t in

whi

ch th

ey a

rew

orki

ng, a

nd u

nder

stan

ds th

era

tiona

le fo

r th

ese

chan

ges

»un

ders

tand

s th

e ch

alle

nges

and

oppo

rtun

ities

affe

ctin

g th

eor

gani

satio

n an

d is

abl

e to

see

thes

e fr

om a

ran

ge o

fpe

rspe

ctiv

es in

clud

ing

thos

e of

peop

le w

ho u

se s

ervi

ces

and

thei

r ca

rers

, col

leag

ues

and

man

ager

s.

»is

abl

e to

con

side

r th

eun

derl

ying

cha

lleng

es,

tens

ions

and

opp

ortu

nitie

saf

fect

ing

the

orga

nisa

tion

»se

eks

to in

fluen

ce th

eor

gani

satio

nal r

espo

nse

toch

ange

s in

the

law

, pol

icy

orot

her

aspe

cts

of th

e so

cial

serv

ice

sect

or»

shar

es th

eir

insi

ght

appr

opri

atel

y w

ith o

ther

sw

ithin

and

out

with

the

orga

nisa

tion

to c

halle

nge

view

s an

d br

ing

abou

tco

ntin

uous

impr

ovem

ent.

»is

rec

ogni

sed

for

the

sign

ifica

nt c

ontr

ibut

ions

they

mak

e to

the

orga

nisa

tion

»an

ticip

ates

how

eve

nts

orsi

tuat

ions

will

affe

ctin

divi

dual

s or

gro

ups

in th

ere

st o

f the

org

anis

atio

n an

dca

n sk

ilful

ly m

anoe

uvre

thes

e si

tuat

ions

»us

es th

eir

know

ledg

e of

the

orga

nisa

tion,

the

soci

alse

rvic

e se

ctor

and

oth

erag

enci

es to

iden

tify

shar

edpu

rpos

e an

d ac

hiev

e be

tter

outc

omes

for

peop

le w

ho u

sese

rvic

es a

nd th

eir

care

rs.

MAN

AGIN

G SE

LF


33

The six organisational capabilities have beendeveloped specifically for the ContinuousLearning Framework. Their purpose is tosupport organisations to create a culture andconditions that enable individual employees tobe the best they can be.

The organisational capabilities describe howthe organisation might demonstrate each of thestages of progression and, as a result, what thismight look like for the social service worker.

It is recommended that organisations considereach of the organisational capabilities whenusing the Continuous Learning Framework.They will then be able to use their discretion todecide which they will develop further and howthey will do this.

THE STAGES OF PROGRESSIONThe stages of progression are used to describewhat each organisational capability looks likeat engaged, established, accomplished andexemplary stages. There are a number ofindicators under each of the stages ofprogression. These indicators describe ways inwhich each stage could be evidenced. The stagesof progression are cumulative. For example,for an organisation to be at an accomplishedstage they would need to address engaged,established and accomplished stages.

Overarching descriptors have been used tomake sure that each of the organisationalcapabilities accurately describes each stage ofprogression. The overarching descriptors areoutlined below.

ENGAGEDThe organisation has an awareness of theorganisational capability and has made acommitment to develop it. There is someevidence that systems and processes havebeen developed to support the organisationalcapability. These take account of the needs andviews of employees and of people who useservices and their carers.

ESTABLISHEDEmployees, people who use services andcarers are involved in developing systems andprocesses to support the organisationalcapability. The systems and processes aretransparent, clearly documented, available toeveryone in the organisation, and regularlyevaluated. There is evidence of innovativeapproaches and the sharing of good practice.

ACCOMPLISHEDThe organisation uses evidence, research andthe needs and views of people who use services,their carers and employees to continuouslymonitor and improve the systems and processesfor the organisational capability. Innovativeapproaches and the sharing of ideas andresources are actively encouraged across theorganisation. Evaluation is determined by theimpact of learning on the practice of allemployees. The outcomes of this analysis areused to inform future developments.

APPENDIX 2: ORGANISATIONALCAPABILITIES


34

EXEMPLARYThe organisation is recognised for its expertiseand innovative approaches to the continuousimprovement of the organisational capability.The organisation learns from others andregularly shares what it has learnt with othersin other organisations. Evaluation data isanalysed and compared with other qualityassurance data to determine trends,effectiveness and areas for continuousimprovement. There is clear evidence of howthe organisational capability is impacting onthe performance of employees and outcomesfor those who use the service.

The organisational capabilities are listed belowwith the page on which each full description ofthe capability begins.

Page

» Creating a learning and performanceculture 36

» Planning for learning, development and 38improved practice

» Promoting access to learning anddevelopment opportunities 40

» Promoting access to feedback 42

» Treating people with dignity and respect 44

» Focusing on health and wellbeing 46


35


36

IF T

HE

OR

GA

NIS

ATIO

N...

ENG

AGED

ESTA

BLI

SHED

ACC

OM

PLI

SHED

EXEM

PLA

RY

»is

com

mitt

ed to

bui

ldin

g a

lear

ning

cul

ture

whi

ch w

ill le

adto

con

tinuo

usly

impr

oved

pra

ctic

ean

d pe

rfor

man

ce»

has

deve

lope

d a

rang

e of

syst

ems

and

proc

esse

s w

hich

lead

to le

arni

ng a

nd im

prov

emen

t»

enco

urag

es e

mpl

oyee

s at

all

leve

ls o

f the

org

anis

atio

n to

cont

ribu

te to

the

cont

inuo

usim

prov

emen

t of t

he s

ervi

ce»

dem

onst

rate

s co

mm

itmen

t to

usin

g fe

edba

ck fr

om p

eopl

e w

hous

e se

rvic

es a

nd th

eir

care

rs to

cont

inuo

usly

impr

ove

»m

akes

sur

e th

at e

mpl

oyee

s,pe

ople

who

use

ser

vice

s an

dth

eir

care

rs a

re m

ade

awar

e of

chan

ges

in th

e or

gani

satio

n an

dth

e ra

tiona

le fo

r th

ese

»le

arns

from

the

view

s an

d in

sigh

tof

em

ploy

ees,

peo

ple

who

use

serv

ices

and

thei

r ca

rers

toco

ntin

ually

impr

ove

prac

tice

»re

cogn

ises

and

rew

ards

the

cont

ribu

tions

of e

mpl

oyee

s in

the

cele

brat

ion

of o

rgan

isat

iona

lac

hiev

emen

ts»

build

s a

wor

kpla

ce w

hich

enco

urag

es a

nd s

uppo

rts

empl

oyee

s to

pra

ctis

epr

ofes

sion

al a

uton

omy

»pr

ovid

es o

ppor

tuni

ties

for

criti

cal

feed

back

on

the

lear

ning

and

perf

orm

ance

cul

ture

of t

heor

gani

satio

n»

activ

ely

iden

tifie

s an

d ad

dres

ses

any

orga

nisa

tiona

l pra

ctic

e th

atis

dis

crim

inat

ory

»bu

ilds

lead

ersh

ip a

cros

s al

lle

vels

of t

he o

rgan

isat

ion

whi

ch in

clud

es e

mpl

oyee

s,pe

ople

who

use

ser

vice

s an

dth

eir

care

rs»

dem

onst

rate

s th

at le

arni

ngis

con

sist

ently

use

d to

cont

inuo

usly

impr

ove

the

perf

orm

ance

of t

heor

gani

satio

n an

d ou

tcom

esfo

r pe

ople

who

use

ser

vice

san

d th

eir

care

rs»

uses

res

earc

h an

d ev

iden

ceto

iden

tify

and

over

com

eba

rrie

rs to

lear

ning

and

impr

oved

per

form

ance

»an

alys

es d

iver

se s

ourc

es o

fev

iden

ce to

eva

luat

e th

eor

gani

satio

n’s

perf

orm

ance

,cr

itica

lly r

efle

cts

on p

ract

ice

and

uses

this

to c

ontin

uous

lyim

prov

e»

is r

ecog

nise

d fo

r its

outs

tand

ing

lear

ning

and

perf

orm

ance

cul

ture

whi

chem

brac

es th

e le

ader

ship

and

lear

ning

of e

mpl

oyee

s,pe

ople

who

use

ser

vice

s an

dth

eir

care

rs

CREA

TIN

G A

LEAR

NIN

G AN

D P

ERFO

RM

ANCE

CU

LTU

RE

Soci

al s

ervi

ce w

orke

rs a

re p

art o

f an

orga

nisa

tiona

l env

iron

men

t whi

ch s

uppo

rts

them

to p

ract

ice

prof

essi

onal

aut

onom

y, c

ontin

uous

ly le

arn,

embe

d th

eir

lear

ning

in p

ract

ice

and

use

thei

r le

arni

ng to

impr

ove

outc

omes

for

peop

le w

ho u

se s

ervi

ces.


37

THEN

TH

E SO

CIA

L SE

RVI

CE W

OR

KER

SH

OU

LD...

»fe

el th

at th

ey a

re e

ncou

rage

d to

lear

n an

d re

flect

on

thei

r ow

nan

d th

e or

gani

satio

n’s

prac

tice

»fe

el e

ncou

rage

d to

pro

vide

sugg

estio

ns fo

r im

prov

emen

tsin

serv

ice

deliv

ery

»fe

el th

at th

e or

gani

satio

n va

lues

thei

r vi

ews,

insi

ght a

ndco

ntri

butio

ns.

»ha

ve o

ppor

tuni

ties

to r

egul

arly

refle

ct o

n th

eir

prac

tice

and

wor

kw

ith o

ther

s to

find

way

s to

lear

n,in

nova

te, a

nd c

ontin

ually

impr

ove

»fe

el a

ble

to e

xpre

ss th

eir

view

san

d kn

ow th

at th

ese

view

s w

illbe

list

ened

to w

ithou

tre

crim

inat

ion

»ha

ve o

ppor

tuni

ties

to a

ctau

tono

mou

sly

and

take

som

eof

thei

r id

eas

forw

ard

»w

ork

with

a li

ne m

anag

er w

hoen

cour

ages

the

shar

ing

ofle

ader

ship

, lea

rnin

g an

d id

eas

toim

prov

e pr

actic

e.

»be

enc

oura

ged

to b

ein

nova

tive

and

shar

e th

eir

idea

s an

d in

sigh

ts w

ithot

hers

»ha

ve a

cces

s to

res

earc

h,ev

iden

ce a

nd o

ppor

tuni

ties

tow

ork

with

oth

ers

to fo

ster

inno

vatio

n an

d cr

eativ

ity»

feel

that

they

hav

e be

enlis

tene

d to

eve

n th

ough

thei

rid

eas

may

not

be

adop

ted

inpr

actic

e»

feel

that

they

are

act

ivel

yen

cour

aged

and

sup

port

edto

take

a le

ader

ship

rol

e.

»be

lieve

that

they

are

par

t of

an o

rgan

isat

ion

whi

ch v

alue

sco

llabo

rativ

e le

arni

ng,

shar

ed le

ader

ship

, inn

ovat

ion,

and

the

shar

ing

of id

eas

»be

lieve

that

the

cont

ribu

tions

they

mak

e ar

e re

cogn

ised

and

valu

ed b

y th

eor

gani

satio

n»

belie

ve th

at th

e or

gani

satio

nis

hig

hly

effe

ctiv

e in

usi

ngle

arni

ng to

con

tinuo

usly

impr

ove

outc

omes

for

peop

leus

ing

the

serv

ice

and

thei

rca

rers

.

ENG

AGED

ESTA

BLI

SHED

ACC

OM

PLI

SHED

EXEM

PLA

RY


IF T

HE

OR

GA

NIS

ATIO

N...

ENG

AGED

ESTA

BLI

SHED

ACC

OM

PLI

SHED

EXEM

PLA

RY

»re

cogn

ises

that

eve

ryon

e in

the

orga

nisa

tion

is a

life

long

lear

ner

»en

cour

ages

em

ploy

ees

to ta

keap

prop

riat

e re

spon

sibi

lity

for

iden

tifyi

ng th

eir

own

lear

ning

need

s»

dem

onst

rate

s co

mm

itmen

t to

stra

tegi

cally

pla

nnin

g fo

rem

ploy

ees’

lear

ning

, dev

elop

men

tan

d im

prov

ed p

ract

ice

»de

mon

stra

tes

com

mitm

ent t

ous

ing

feed

back

from

peo

ple

who

use

serv

ices

and

thei

r ca

rers

toin

form

this

str

ateg

ic p

lann

ing

»w

orks

with

em

ploy

ees,

peo

ple

who

use

ser

vice

s an

d th

eir

care

rsto

dev

elop

a s

trat

egy

for

the

lear

ning

and

dev

elop

men

t of

empl

oyee

s»

base

s th

e st

rate

gy o

n th

esy

stem

atic

iden

tific

atio

n of

the

lear

ning

nee

ds o

f all

empl

oyee

san

d ta

kes

appr

opri

ate

acco

unt o

fth

eir

care

er a

spir

atio

ns»

supp

orts

line

man

ager

s to

mak

esu

re th

at a

ll em

ploy

ees

have

apl

an th

at c

ontr

ibut

es to

thei

rle

arni

ng, d

evel

opm

ent a

ndim

prov

ed p

ract

ice

»m

onito

rs th

e ef

fect

iven

ess

ofem

ploy

ee le

arni

ng a

ndde

velo

pmen

t

»ba

ses

thei

r st

rate

gy fo

rem

ploy

ee le

arni

ng a

ndde

velo

pmen

t on

the

lear

ning

need

s of

em

ploy

ees,

the

wor

kfor

ce p

lann

ing

need

s of

the

orga

nisa

tion

and

loca

lan

d na

tiona

l pri

oriti

es»

supp

orts

line

man

ager

s to

enga

ge in

mea

ning

ful

supe

rvis

ion

and

perf

orm

ance

man

agem

ent p

roce

sses

whi

ch im

prov

e ou

tcom

es fo

rpe

ople

who

use

ser

vice

s an

dth

eir

care

rs»

activ

ely

supp

orts

the

invo

lvem

ent o

f peo

ple

who

use

serv

ices

and

thei

r ca

rers

in p

lann

ing

orga

nisa

tiona

lle

arni

ng»

eval

uate

s th

e im

pact

of

lear

ning

on

prac

tice

and

uses

this

to in

form

pla

nnin

g

»is

rec

ogni

sed

for

thei

rou

tsta

ndin

g ab

ility

to s

uppo

rtem

ploy

ee le

arni

ng,

deve

lopm

ent a

nd im

prov

edpr

actic

e»

cont

inuo

usly

dev

elop

s th

eir

stra

tegy

for

empl

oyee

lear

ning

and

dev

elop

men

tba

sed

on a

ran

ge o

f rel

evan

tev

iden

ce»

dem

onst

rate

s th

at p

lann

edap

proa

ches

to le

arni

ng a

ndde

velo

pmen

t are

lead

ing

toim

prov

ed o

utco

mes

for

peop

le w

ho u

se s

ervi

ces

»is

rec

ogni

sed

for

thei

rou

tsta

ndin

g ab

ility

to in

volv

eem

ploy

ees,

peo

ple

who

use

serv

ices

and

thei

r ca

rers

inpl

anni

ng, d

evel

opin

g an

dev

alua

ting

orga

nisa

tiona

lle

arni

ng

PLAN

NIN

G FO

R L

EAR

NIN

G, D

EVEL

OPM

ENT

AND

IMPR

OVED

PR

ACTI

CESo

cial

ser

vice

wor

kers

are

par

t of a

n or

gani

satio

n th

at u

ses

plan

ned

and

stra

tegi

c ap

proa

ches

to le

arni

ng a

nd d

evel

opm

ent t

o su

ppor

t the

m to

cont

inua

lly im

prov

e th

eir

prac

tice.

38

THEN

TH

E SO

CIA

L SE

RVI

CE W

OR

KER

SH

OU

LD...

»kn

ow h

ow th

eir

ongo

ing

lear

ning

and

deve

lopm

ent w

ill b

esu

ppor

ted

»ha

ve r

egul

ar ti

me

with

thei

r lin

em

anag

er (o

r ap

prop

riat

e ot

her

pers

on) t

o di

scus

s th

eir

prac

tice,

lear

ning

and

dev

elop

men

t»

feel

that

thei

r vi

ews

abou

t the

irle

arni

ng n

eeds

are

list

ened

to.

»m

eet r

egul

arly

with

thei

r lin

em

anag

er (o

r ap

prop

riat

e ot

her

pers

on) t

o id

entif

y th

eir

prog

ress

,ac

hiev

emen

ts a

nd fu

ture

lear

ning

and

dev

elop

men

t nee

ds»

have

a le

arni

ng a

nd d

evel

opm

ent

plan

whi

ch is

link

ed to

thei

r jo

bro

le, h

as b

een

draw

n up

inpa

rtne

rshi

p w

ith th

eir

line

man

ager

and

take

s ac

coun

t of

thei

r ca

reer

asp

irat

ions

»fe

el s

uppo

rted

to p

lan,

impl

emen

t and

ref

lect

on

thei

rpr

actic

e on

an

ongo

ing

basi

s.

»ha

ve a

cces

s to

a r

ange

of

reso

urce

s to

sup

port

them

topl

an fo

r le

arni

ng,

deve

lopm

ent a

nd im

prov

edpr

actic

e»

wor

k w

ith a

line

man

ager

who

is c

onfid

ent,

know

ledg

eabl

e an

d ca

pabl

eof

eng

agin

g in

sup

ervi

sion

and

perf

orm

ance

man

agem

ent p

roce

sses

whi

ch le

ad to

con

tinuo

usle

arni

ng a

nd im

prov

edpr

actic

e»

feel

invo

lved

in th

e pl

anni

ngan

d ev

alua

tion

of le

arni

ngan

d de

velo

pmen

t in

the

orga

nisa

tion.

»fe

el c

onfid

ent t

hat t

hepl

anni

ng p

roce

sses

use

d by

the

orga

nisa

tion

will

sign

ifica

ntly

con

trib

ute

toth

eir

lear

ning

, dev

elop

men

tan

d th

e co

ntin

uous

impr

ovem

ent o

f the

ir p

ract

ice

»be

act

ivel

y in

volv

ed in

the

eval

uatio

n an

d co

ntin

uous

impr

ovem

ent o

f the

orga

nisa

tiona

l lea

rnin

g an

dde

velo

pmen

t str

ateg

y.


39

ENG

AGED

ESTA

BLI

SHED

ACC

OM

PLI

SHED

EXEM

PLA

RY


IF T

HE

OR

GA

NIS

ATIO

N...

ENG

AGED

ESTA

BLI

SHED

ACC

OM

PLI

SHED

EXEM

PLA

RY

»ha

s de

velo

ped

syst

ems

and

proc

esse

s to

sup

port

acc

ess

tofo

rmal

and

info

rmal

lear

ning

for

all e

mpl

oyee

s»

allo

cate

s re

sour

ces

to s

uppo

rtem

ploy

ees’

lear

ning

and

deve

lopm

ent a

t all

leve

ls o

f the

orga

nisa

tion

»de

mon

stra

tes

a co

mm

itmen

t to

invo

lvin

g pe

ople

who

use

ser

vice

san

d th

eir

care

rs in

em

ploy

eele

arni

ng a

nd d

evel

opm

ent

»ha

s de

velo

ped

tran

spar

ent

syst

ems

and

proc

esse

s to

mak

esu

re th

at a

ll em

ploy

ees

have

acce

ss to

form

al a

nd in

form

alle

arni

ng o

ppor

tuni

ties

whi

chm

eet t

heir

iden

tifie

d ne

eds

»en

cour

ages

a r

ange

of

oppo

rtun

ities

for

lear

ning

with

inth

e w

orkp

lace

and

with

oth

erag

enci

es a

nd d

isci

plin

es»

prov

ides

opp

ortu

nitie

s fo

rem

ploy

ees

to s

hare

initi

ativ

es,

good

pra

ctic

e an

d re

sour

ces

»in

volv

es p

eopl

e w

ho u

se s

ervi

ces

and

thei

r ca

rers

in fo

rmal

and

info

rmal

lear

ning

and

deve

lopm

ent o

ppor

tuni

ties

for

empl

oyee

s an

d pr

omot

esre

cogn

ition

of t

heir

invo

lvem

ent

»w

orks

cre

ativ

ely

to d

evel

opop

port

uniti

es fo

r in

form

alle

arni

ng in

the

wor

kpla

ce»

crea

tes

oppo

rtun

ities

for

empl

oyee

s to

sha

re le

arni

ngw

ith o

ther

age

ncie

s an

ddi

scip

lines

»su

ppor

ts e

mpl

oyee

s, p

eopl

ew

ho u

se s

ervi

ces

and

thei

rca

rers

to d

evel

op th

ene

cess

ary

know

ledg

e, s

kills

,va

lues

, und

erst

andi

ng,

pers

onal

cap

abili

ties,

and

,w

here

app

ropr

iate

,qu

alifi

catio

ns to

sup

port

the

deve

lopm

ent o

f oth

ers

»us

es r

esea

rch

and

evid

ence

to id

entif

y ba

rrie

rs to

lear

ning

and

dev

elop

men

tan

d fin

d w

ays

to o

verc

ome

them

»is

reco

gnis

ed fo

r its

inno

vativ

ean

d ef

fect

ive

appr

oach

es to

crea

ting

acce

ssib

le le

arni

ngan

d de

velo

pmen

top

port

uniti

es th

roug

hout

the

orga

nisa

tion

»de

mon

stra

tes

outs

tand

ing

prac

tice

in c

reat

ivel

y in

volv

ing

peop

le w

ho u

se s

ervi

ces

and

thei

r ca

rers

in e

mpl

oyee

lear

ning

and

dev

elop

men

tan

d in

act

ivel

y su

ppor

ting

and

reco

gnis

ing

thei

rin

volv

emen

t.»

is r

ecog

nise

d fo

r its

initi

ativ

ein

pro

mot

ing

crea

tive

appr

oach

es to

mul

ti-ag

ency

and

mul

ti-di

scip

linar

yle

arni

ng a

nd d

evel

opm

ent

PROM

OTIN

G AC

CESS

TO

LEAR

NIN

G AN

D D

EVEL

OPM

ENT

OPPO

RTU

NIT

IES

Soci

al s

ervi

ce w

orke

rs w

ill h

ave

acce

ss to

a w

ide

rang

e of

info

rmal

and

form

al le

arni

ng a

nd d

evel

opm

ent o

ppor

tuni

ties

whi

ch m

eet t

heir

iden

tifie

dne

eds.

40

THEN

TH

E SO

CIA

L SE

RVI

CE W

OR

KER

SH

OU

LD...

»ha

ve a

cces

s to

info

rmal

and

form

al le

arni

ng a

nd d

evel

opm

ent

oppo

rtun

ities

»be

abl

e to

acc

ess

the

tool

s th

eyne

ed to

sup

port

thei

r le

arni

ng(e

.g. i

nter

net,

rele

vant

rea

ding

mat

eria

l, di

scus

sion

s w

ithco

lleag

ues

and

trai

ning

).

»ha

ve a

cces

s to

cle

arly

docu

men

ted

and

tran

spar

ent

info

rmat

ion

abou

t how

the

orga

nisa

tion

will

sup

port

them

toac

cess

lear

ning

and

deve

lopm

ent o

ppor

tuni

ties

»ha

ve a

cces

s to

a r

ange

of f

orm

alan

d in

form

al le

arni

ngop

port

uniti

es w

hich

mee

t the

irid

entif

ied

need

s, ta

ke a

ppro

pria

teac

coun

t of t

heir

car

eer

aspi

ratio

nsan

d in

volv

e pe

ople

who

use

serv

ices

and

thei

r ca

rers

»be

abl

e to

sha

re in

itiat

ives

, goo

dpr

actic

e an

d re

sour

ces

and

have

acce

ss to

mul

ti-ag

ency

and

mul

ti-di

scip

linar

y le

arni

ngop

port

uniti

es.

»be

abl

e to

eng

age

in le

arni

ngop

port

uniti

es w

hich

are

evid

ence

-bas

ed, i

nvol

vepe

ople

who

use

ser

vice

s an

dth

eir

care

rs a

nd a

re fu

llyin

tegr

ated

into

org

anis

atio

nal

cult

ure

»be

enc

oura

ged

and

enab

led

to s

uppo

rt th

e de

velo

pmen

tof

oth

ers

»be

act

ivel

y in

volv

ed in

sha

ring

good

pra

ctic

e an

d le

arni

ngw

ithin

the

orga

nisa

tion

and

with

oth

er a

genc

ies

and

disc

iplin

es.

»ha

ve a

cces

s to

a r

ange

of

high

qua

lity

lear

ning

and

deve

lopm

ent o

ppor

tuni

ties

whi

ch ta

ke a

ccou

nt o

f the

irle

arni

ng s

tyle

s»

reco

gnis

e th

e va

lue

of th

ehi

gh q

ualit

y op

port

uniti

es th

eor

gani

satio

n of

fers

to s

uppo

rtth

eir

lear

ning

, dev

elop

men

tan

d im

prov

ed p

ract

ice

»re

cogn

ise

the

valu

e of

invo

lvin

g pe

ople

who

use

serv

ices

and

thei

r ca

rers

as

an in

tegr

al p

art o

f the

irle

arni

ng a

nd d

evel

opm

ent.


41

ENG

AGED

ESTA

BLI

SHED

ACC

OM

PLI

SHED

EXEM

PLA

RY


IF T

HE

OR

GA

NIS

ATIO

N...

ENG

AGED

ESTA

BLI

SHED

ACC

OM

PLI

SHED

EXEM

PLA

RY

»pr

omot

es th

e us

e of

feed

back

as

a w

ay o

f sup

port

ing

lear

ning

thro

ugh

refle

ctio

n on

indi

vidu

alpr

actic

e»

has

esta

blis

hed

syst

ems

and

proc

esse

s w

hich

sup

port

the

givi

ng, r

ecei

ving

and

use

of

feed

back

in a

way

that

is fa

ir a

ndtr

eats

peo

ple

with

dig

nity

and

resp

ect

»is

aw

are

that

inap

prop

riat

efe

edba

ck p

roce

sses

can

res

ult i

ndi

scri

min

atio

n an

d op

pres

sion

»su

ppor

ts li

ne m

anag

ers

toco

ntin

uous

ly im

prov

e th

e w

ays

they

giv

e, r

ecei

ve a

nd u

sefe

edba

ck p

ayin

g pa

rtic

ular

atte

ntio

n to

ens

urin

g th

atpr

oces

ses

are

fair

and

trea

t all

empl

oyee

s w

ith d

igni

ty a

ndre

spec

t»

deve

lops

pro

cess

es w

hich

res

ult

in m

ultip

le s

ourc

es o

f fee

dbac

kin

clud

ing

that

gai

ned

from

colle

ague

s, li

ne m

anag

ers,

peop

le w

ho u

se s

ervi

ces

and

thei

r ca

rers

as

wel

l as

self

asse

ssm

ent

»en

sure

s th

at s

yste

ms

and

proc

esse

s ar

e cl

ear,

eva

luat

edan

d av

aila

ble

to e

very

one

in th

eor

gani

satio

n

»in

volv

es s

taff

in d

evel

opin

g,im

plem

entin

g an

d ev

alua

ting

syst

ems

and

proc

esse

s th

atus

e fe

edba

ck to

sup

port

cont

inuo

us le

arni

ng,

refle

ctio

n an

d im

prov

edpr

actic

e»

uses

evi

denc

e, r

esea

rch

and

the

view

s of

peo

ple

who

use

serv

ices

and

thei

r ca

rers

tost

reng

then

the

way

feed

back

is u

sed

to s

uppo

rt le

arni

ngan

d im

prov

ed p

ract

ice

»is

rec

ogni

sed

for

thei

rou

tsta

ndin

g ab

ility

to u

sefe

edba

ck to

sup

port

lear

ning

,im

prov

e in

divi

dual

and

orga

nisa

tiona

l pra

ctic

e an

dim

prov

e ou

tcom

es fo

r pe

ople

who

use

ser

vice

s an

d th

eir

care

rs»

is a

ble

to p

rovi

de e

vide

nce

ofth

e im

pact

feed

back

isha

ving

on

the

prac

tice

ofst

aff a

nd th

e ou

tcom

es fo

rpe

ople

who

use

the

serv

ice

and

thei

r ca

rers

PROM

OTIN

G AC

CESS

TO

FEED

BAC

KSo

cial

ser

vice

wor

kers

gai

n ac

cess

to h

igh

qual

ity, f

air

and

hone

st fe

edba

ck in

a w

ay th

at e

nabl

es th

em to

co

ntin

ually

lear

n, d

evel

op a

nd im

prov

e th

eir

prac

tice.

42

THEN

TH

E SO

CIA

L SE

RVI

CE W

OR

KER

SH

OU

LD...

»fe

el th

at th

e or

gani

satio

n va

lues

feed

back

as

a to

ol fo

r le

arni

ng,

deve

lopm

ent a

nd c

ontin

uous

impr

ovem

ent

»be

giv

en fe

edba

ck b

y th

eir

line

man

ager

or

appr

opri

ate

othe

rpe

rson

fair

ly a

nd c

onst

ruct

ivel

y»

have

the

oppo

rtun

ity to

pro

vide

fair

and

con

stru

ctiv

e fe

edba

ckto

thei

r lin

e m

anag

er o

rap

prop

riat

e ot

her

pers

on»

be a

war

e of

the

actio

n th

ey c

anta

ke s

houl

d th

ey fe

el fe

edba

ckpr

oces

ses

are

unfa

ir o

rdi

scri

min

ator

y.

»ga

in fe

edba

ck th

at is

link

ed to

the

requ

irem

ents

of t

heir

job

role

s»

feel

that

they

are

trea

ted

with

dign

ity a

nd r

espe

ct w

hen

gain

ing,

rece

ivin

g an

d gi

ving

feed

back

»ha

ve a

cces

s to

feed

back

from

ara

nge

of s

ourc

es in

clud

ing

line

man

ager

s, c

olle

ague

s, p

eopl

ew

ho u

se s

ervi

ces

and

thro

ugh

self

refle

ctio

n»

wor

k w

ith a

line

man

ager

who

isco

ntin

ually

impr

ovin

g th

e w

ays

inw

hich

they

gai

n an

d us

e fe

edba

ck.

»w

ork

with

a li

ne m

anag

erw

ho fe

els

conf

iden

t in

thei

rab

ility

to g

ain,

giv

e an

dre

ceiv

e fe

edba

ck in

a w

ayth

at s

uppo

rts

lear

ning

,de

velo

pmen

t and

impr

oved

prac

tice

of a

ll em

ploy

ees

»ha

ve a

cces

s to

res

ourc

esth

at e

nabl

es th

em to

gai

n,gi

ve a

nd r

ecei

ve fe

edba

ckfa

irly

and

with

dig

nity

and

resp

ect.

»fe

el c

onfid

ent t

hat t

hefe

edba

ck p

roce

sses

sign

ifica

ntly

enh

ance

prac

tice,

the

qual

ity o

f the

serv

ice

and

outc

omes

for

peop

le w

ho u

se s

ervi

ces

and

thei

r ca

rers

.


ENG

AGED

ESTA

BLI

SHED

ACC

OM

PLI

SHED

EXEM

PLA

RY

43


IF T

HE

OR

GA

NIS

ATIO

N...

ENG

AGED

ESTA

BLI

SHED

ACC

OM

PLI

SHED

EXEM

PLA

RY

»pr

omot

es a

war

enes

s an

dun

ders

tand

ing

of d

iffer

ence

and

valu

es d

iver

sity

in it

s w

orkf

orce

»de

mon

stra

tes

awar

enes

s of

the

impa

ct o

f dis

crim

inat

ion

onem

ploy

ees

and

is c

omm

itted

toch

alle

ngin

g it

»ha

s de

velo

ped

syst

ems

and

proc

esse

s to

sup

port

em

ploy

eele

arni

ng a

nd d

evel

opm

ent w

hich

reco

gnis

e th

e di

vers

e ne

eds

ofem

ploy

ees

»ha

s de

velo

ped

syst

ems

and

proc

esse

s w

hich

pro

vide

tran

spar

ent r

oute

s fo

r em

ploy

ees

to c

halle

nge

ineq

ualit

y an

ddi

scri

min

atio

n

»ac

tivel

y pr

omot

es th

e di

vers

ity o

fits

wor

kfor

ce a

nd in

clus

ion

in th

ew

orkp

lace

»re

cogn

ises

diff

eren

ces

in p

ower

in li

ne m

anag

emen

tar

rang

emen

ts a

nd is

com

mitt

edto

pre

vent

ing

abus

e of

pow

erw

ithin

wor

kpla

ce r

elat

ions

hips

»ac

tivel

y su

ppor

ts th

e di

vers

ele

arni

ng n

eeds

of e

mpl

oyee

s»

supp

orts

em

ploy

ees

and

man

ager

s to

cri

tical

ly r

efle

cton

how

thei

r ow

n ba

ckgr

ound

,as

sum

ptio

ns a

nd v

alue

s im

pact

on w

orkp

lace

rel

atio

nshi

ps,

incl

udin

g th

eir

asse

ssm

ent o

fem

ploy

ees’

lear

ning

, dev

elop

men

tan

d pr

actic

e

»su

ppor

ts li

ne m

anag

ers

toro

utin

ely

cons

ider

the

poss

ible

impa

ct o

f ind

ivid

ual

and

orga

nisa

tiona

ldi

scri

min

atio

n w

here

empl

oyee

s’ v

alue

s co

nflic

tw

ith th

ose

of th

eor

gani

satio

n»

uses

evi

denc

e an

d re

sear

chto

info

rm a

ppro

ache

s to

anti-

disc

rim

inat

ory

and

anti-

oppr

essi

ve p

ract

ice

»is

reco

gnis

ed fo

r its

inno

vativ

ean

d ef

fect

ive

appr

oach

es to

anti-

disc

rim

inat

ory

and

anti-

oppr

essi

ve p

ract

ice

with

in th

e or

gani

satio

n an

dac

ross

org

anis

atio

nal

boun

dari

es»

dem

onst

rate

s cr

eativ

e an

din

nova

tive

appr

oach

es to

invo

lvin

g em

ploy

ees,

peo

ple

who

use

ser

vice

s an

d th

eir

care

rs w

ho a

re m

embe

rs o

fm

inor

ity a

nd d

isad

vant

aged

grou

ps in

org

anis

atio

nal

lear

ning

TREA

TIN

G PE

OPLE

WIT

H D

IGN

ITY

AND

RES

PECT

Soci

al s

ervi

ce w

orke

rs a

re p

art o

f an

orga

nisa

tion

that

val

ues

the

dive

rsity

of i

ts w

orkf

orce

and

ch

alle

nges

dis

crim

inat

ion

at a

ll le

vels

.

44

THEN

TH

E SO

CIA

L SE

RVI

CE W

OR

KER

SH

OU

LD...

»fe

el v

alue

d by

the

orga

nisa

tion

wha

teve

r th

eir

cult

ure,

back

grou

nd, d

isab

ility

, gen

der,

age

or s

exua

l ori

enta

tion

»kn

ow h

ow to

rec

ogni

se a

ndch

alle

nge

disc

rim

inat

ion

inth

ew

orkp

lace

.

»fe

el th

eir

own

part

icul

ar le

arni

ngne

eds

are

reco

gnis

ed a

nd m

et»

feel

abl

e to

cha

lleng

edi

scri

min

atio

n an

d in

equa

lity

inth

e or

gani

satio

n w

ithou

t fea

r of

recr

imin

atio

n.

»fe

el th

at d

iver

se le

arni

ngne

eds

are

activ

ely

supp

orte

d»

feel

con

fiden

t to

chal

leng

edi

scri

min

atio

n in

the

orga

nisa

tion

know

ing

that

this

will

be

acte

d on

with

out

recr

imin

atio

n»

wor

k w

ith a

line

man

ager

who

is a

war

e of

the

rela

tions

hips

betw

een

indi

vidu

al,

orga

nisa

tiona

l and

str

uctu

ral

disc

rim

inat

ion

and

how

thes

e ca

n im

pact

on

empl

oyee

s.

»re

cogn

ise

the

valu

e of

the

pro-

activ

e an

d in

nova

tive

appr

oach

es th

e or

gani

satio

nta

kes

to c

halle

nge

disc

rim

inat

ion

and

oppr

essi

on»

feel

that

they

and

oth

ers

are

trea

ted

with

dig

nity

and

resp

ect a

t all

times

.


ENG

AGED

ESTA

BLI

SHED

ACC

OM

PLI

SHED

EXEM

PLA

RY

45


IF T

HE

OR

GA

NIS

ATIO

N...

ENG

AGED

ESTA

BLI

SHED

ACC

OM

PLI

SHED

EXEM

PLA

RY

»ac

know

ledg

es th

at th

e he

alth

and

wel

lbei

ng o

f em

ploy

ees

isim

port

ant t

o th

eir

abili

ty to

lear

nan

d to

del

iver

hig

h qu

ality

ser

vice

s»

has

deve

lope

d a

rang

e of

sys

tem

san

d pr

oces

ses

that

sup

port

the

phys

ical

, men

tal a

nd e

mot

iona

lhe

alth

and

wel

lbei

ng o

f em

ploy

ees

»ha

s de

velo

ped

syst

ems

to m

ake

sure

that

em

ploy

ees

have

man

agea

ble

wor

kloa

ds

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46

THEN

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47

ENG

AGED

ESTA

BLI

SHED

ACC

OM

PLI

SHED

EXEM

PLA

RY

The characters and circumstances in all of thepractice illustrations are entirely fictional.

1. MARY’S STORYMary is a support worker in a residential carehome for older people. She has worked in thesame job role and in the same care home for20 years. Many of the residents in the carehome have complex physical needs and somehave dementia. Mary enjoys her job but saysshe is not ambitious and wants to stay in hercurrent role. However, she knows she willneed to become qualified and is very worriedabout this. Mary’s line manager John wouldlike to support her as she prepares toundertake her qualification. He thinks she is a committed worker who is sensitive to theneeds of the residents but she has difficultymanaging change in the workplace. Johnwould also like to support Mary to develop inthis area but finds it difficult to discuss withher. He decides to explore whether theContinuous Learning Framework could help.

Knowledge, skills, values and understandingMary has a job description which sets out theknowledge, skills, values and understandingwhich she needs to do her job. These arebased on the National Occupational Standardsfor Health and Social Care which are relevantto her role as a support worker. For example,the four core units of competence are:» Communicate with, and keep records for,

individuals» Support the health and safety of yourself

and individuals

» Develop your knowledge and practice» Ensure your own actions support the care,

protection and wellbeing of individuals.

As a social service worker, Mary is expected towork according to the Codes of Practice forSocial Service Workers published by the SSSCand this is also set out in her job description.

Mary also needs to have knowledge about theresidential care home which employs her,including their vision, values and aims andtheir policies and procedures. She gainedmuch of this knowledge through her inductionwhen she first joined the organisation butneeds to keep up to date with changes andnew developments.

During a shift one day Mary tells John that sheis finding it challenging at the moment workingwith one of the residents, Kate, who hasdementia and has begun to demonstrateaggressive behaviour at times. Mary has alwaysgot on well with Kate and is finding this changein her behaviour difficult. John suggests that ifMary learns more about dementia, it will helpher to understand these changes. John hasaccess to the internet where he finds a rangeof resources. He purchases some and makesthese available in the staff room. He alsoencourages staff to share what they have read at staff meetings.

APPENDIX 3: PRACTICE ILLUSTRATIONS


48

Qualifications and trainingMary’s employer expects her to register withthe Scottish Social Services Council when theregister for support workers in care homeservices for adults opens in April 2009. Shewill then be expected to achieve an appropriatequalification, which in Mary’s case will be anSVQ Level 2 in Health and Social Care as shecan be assessed for this in the workplace. AsSVQs are made up of National OccupationalStandards relevant to the particular job, Maryhas already developed much of the knowledgeand many of the skills, values andunderstanding required. The SVQ will give heran opportunity for these to be recognised butshe will need to be able to provide evidence.She is however worried about the prospect ofundertaking a qualification as she hasn’t doneany formal learning for over 30 years.

The residential care home which employs Maryalso requires support workers to undertake anumber of training courses and to keep themup to date. These include moving and handling,health and hygiene, case recording and workingwith vulnerable adults. Mary has a personallearning plan which sets out what trainingcourses she needs to undertake and when thesewill need updating and a learning portfoliowhere she records her learning. Followingtheir discussion about Kate, John and Maryhave noted a need for Mary to have trainingabout dementia.

Personal capabilitiesBoth John and Mary recognise that she isworried about undertaking her SVQ and theylook together at the personal capabilities whichwill help to support her in this process. Theyagree to focus on ‘accurate self assessment’and particularly on Mary’s ability to reflect onher own practice. They go on to look at learningopportunities to help Mary develop thiscapability. They agree that Mary will do somestructured observations of Kate, making a noteof what seems to trigger Kate’s aggressivebehaviour and the ways in which she and otherstaff manage the situation. They will thendiscuss these observations one to one. Johnwill help Mary to use the knowledge she hasgained about dementia with Mary takingincreasing responsibility for making the linksbetween this and what she is observing,working towards doing reflective accounts.The aim is for Mary to feel confident that she isable to demonstrate this personal capability atthe engaged stage of progression before shebegins her SVQ. John points out that she hasalready demonstrated that she understandsthe need to be aware of her own limitations inrecognising she needed support in her workwith Kate.

Later, during her annual performance reviewmeeting, John is able to give Mary feedbackabout many areas where she has progressed.However he feels that she has difficultymanaging change in the workplace. Mary’s jobrole requires her to demonstrate the personalcapability of ‘flexibility’ at engaged stage butJohn feels she is not yet able to do this. When


49

they are discussing Mary’s learning needs forthe coming year, John uses the descriptor for‘flexibility’ at engaged stage to raise this issue.He gives some examples where he feels Maryhas not been as open to change in theworkplace as she might be. Mary is able torecognise this but feels that change is imposedwith little or no explanation. John accepts thatthe organisation could be more transparentabout the reasons for change. A new work rotais about to be implemented and John takes thetime to explain the ways in which the new rotawill improve the service for the residents. Hesuggests that Mary write down all the pros andcons of the changes from her perspective.Mary feels more open to this change now thatshe understands the thinking behind it andbecause her views are being listened to.

Organisational capabilitiesJohn finds that this conversation causes him toreflect on the organisational capability about‘creating a learning and performance culture’.The organisation is aspiring to be at theestablished stage. However, John realises thatit is probably not yet operating at the engagedstage. Mary is not the only member of staffwho is unclear about the reasons for proposedchanges to the work rota and John believesthere is much more to be done to make surethat the views of staff are encouraged andvalued. As a result he decides to work withsome of his colleagues to try to strengthen thisorganisational capability. He is also aware thatsupporting employees to manage change is animportant part of the organisational capability‘focusing on health and wellbeing’.

However, John thinks that the organisation isbeginning to demonstrate the organisationalcapability of ‘planning for learning, developmentand improved practice’ at the established stageas they have moved from a commitment tostrategically planning for employees’ learningto a system for identifying the learning needsof all employees. For example, John foundsome interesting courses on dementia throughthe internet but there was no money left in thebudget for external training courses in thecurrent financial year. He was however able torecord this as a priority need for the comingyear as he has identified this as a learningneed for other members of staff as well. In themeantime he contacts the Learning Networkin his area as he thinks it is likely that otheremployers have identified a need for stafftraining in dementia and they may be able tofind a shared solution.

2. MICHAEL’S STORYMichael has been working as a social workerin a local authority children and families teamsince he qualified 10 years ago and has alwaysbeen committed to his own learning anddevelopment. He wants to remain as a frontline practitioner rather than seek to become amanager as he enjoys working directly withvulnerable children and their families.However, he is increasingly frustrated by whathe sees as limited opportunities for him todevelop in his current role. Michael’s linemanager Sarah has recognised his frustrationand is worried about losing him. They agree touse the four key areas of the ContinuousLearning Framework at Michael’s annual


50

performance review to look at his learningand development.

Knowledge, skills, values and understandingMichael has a person specification which setsout the knowledge, skills, values andunderstanding which he needs to do his jobbased on the National Occupational Standardsfor Social Work and including the Codes ofPractice for Social Service Workers. As aqualified and experienced social workercommitted to his continuous learning anddevelopment, Michael has already demonstratedthe knowledge, skills, values and understandingrequired by his employer for him to becompetent in his role. However, he needs tocontinue to keep these up to date and to makesure he is aware of changes in the organisationhe works for such as the vision, context,policies and procedures.

Michael has also developed expertise in workingwith children affected by parental substancemisuse but he feels that the organisation doesnot make use of this. He would like to developthis further and has undertaken self-directedreading and internet research as part of hispost registration training and learning (PRTL).Sarah suggests to Michael that he might beinterested in undertaking a piece of practitionerresearch on the ability of the key agencies inthe local authority area to work in partnershipto support these children. Michael agrees tocontact the Institute for Research and Innovationin Social Services (IRISS) for advice on how totake this forward and what support might beavailable to him.

Qualifications and trainingMichael has a Diploma in Social Work and isregistered with the Scottish Social ServicesCouncil. He completed the foundation levelchild protection training required by hisemployer in his first year in post and has sincesuccessfully completed the Graduate Certificatein Child Care and Protection and training inJoint Investigative Interviewing of ChildWitnesses. He therefore already has thequalifications and training his employerrequires him to have for his job role.

Michael’s post registration training andlearning (PRTL) has included attendingseminars and training events which he andSarah felt were relevant to his role but bothagree the process for identifying these learningopportunities has been rather ad hoc. Michaelwould like to undertake further formal trainingbut is unsure what opportunities there mightbe. Although Michael is clear that he wants toremain as a practitioner, it is also evident toSarah that he is seen by others in the team assomething of a role model. He is often soughtout by less experienced members for adviceand support. Michael is happy to provide thisbut admits he doesn’t think this role isrecognised by the organisation. Sarah is awarethat the Scottish Social Services Council hasdeveloped a new framework of qualificationsfor people working in social services who aresupporting learning for practice in theworkplace. These are the Practice LearningQualifications (Social Services), known asPLQ(SS) and they are available at four SCQFlevels. Michael agrees to contact the localLearning Network for further information.


51

Personal capabilitiesAs Michael already has the knowledge, skills,values and understanding and the qualificationsand training the organisation requires him tohave to practice in his job role, he and Sarahdecide to focus most of their discussion on thepersonal capabilities. They agree that Michael isable to demonstrate the personal capabilitiesat appropriate stages of progression for his role.The challenge for him is to develop further,particularly to demonstrate that he isincreasingly able to exercise initiative and lookbeyond his own learning and development tothat of others and the organisation. However,Michael and Sarah acknowledge that it would beunrealistic for Michael to try to further developall of the capabilities at once. After discussionthey agree to focus in the coming year on‘working in partnership’ and ‘lifelong learning’.

Sarah has already acknowledged thecontribution Michael makes to developingothers in the team. Michael also feels hecontributes to the learning and development ofother colleagues with whom he works closely.These include colleagues from other parts ofthe council which employs him, such assubstance misuse, education and criminaljustice staff, and colleagues from otheragencies, including health. Like him, they arekeen to keep up to date with research,evidence and policy issues and seek creativelocal solutions to improve outcomes forchildren affected by substance misuse andtheir families as the procedures of the differentagencies involved can sometimes be a barrierto this. Michael suggests to Sarah that

inter-agency learning communities would be a good way to take this forward and that hewould like to lead this initiative. It would linkwell with the possible practitioner researchthey discussed earlier. Sarah agrees to seeksupport for this from the relevant seniormanagers.

By negotiating this workplace learningopportunity Michael has already begun todemonstrate the capability of ‘working inpartnership’ at accomplished level. Consideringthe range of learning opportunities which heand Sarah have identified in their discussion,Michael feels he should be able to develop thepersonal capabilities of ‘working in partnership’and ‘lifelong learning’ to accomplished andexemplary stages. Clearly he will not be able totake advantage of all of the identified learningopportunities at once and he agrees with Sarahthat he would like to make the development ofthe inter-agency learning communities hispriority. Nonetheless he decides he will lookinto the practitioner research and the PLQ(SS)so that he can make informed decisions inthe future.

Organisational capabilitiesAt the end of the meeting Michael feels he hasa clear plan for his learning and developmentin the coming year and beyond. He begins tofeel valued again by his employer and to feelhe has a future in the organisation. Sarah usesthe organisational capabilities to help herreflect on their conversations. She recognisesthat looking with Michael at his overall learningneeds using the key areas of the Continuous


52

Learning Framework helped them to identifylearning opportunities which were clearlylinked to his individual learning needs. Thelocal authority aims to demonstrate theorganisational capability of ‘creating a learningand performance culture’ at established stageso Sarah knows it will be important thatsenior managers agree to support Michael’sinter-agency initiative and enable him topractise professional autonomy.

The local authority also aims to demonstratethe organisational capability of ‘planning forlearning, development and improved practice’at established stage. However Sarah feels theorganisation’s commitment to strategicallyplanning for employees’ learning anddevelopment is not always evident in practiceand that this needs to be more systematic andconsistent across all employees. Sarah decidesto talk to other team managers and to theLearning and Development Team about theprocess she has gone through with Michaelusing the Continuous Learning Frameworkand discuss ways of raising this with seniormanagers.

3. SUNITA’S STORYSunita has been working as a practitioner in aprivate day nursery since leaving college withan HNC in Early Education and Child Care fiveyears ago. The nursery offers childcare andeducation to children aged three months to fiveyears and is open all day. Sunita loves hercurrent job but aspires to become a managerof a nursery one day. She takes advantage ofas many opportunities for learning and

development as she can. However, she wantsto increasingly target her learning in wayswhich will support her career plans. Sunitaraises this with the nursery manager Rayduring one of their regular one to onemeetings and they decide to use theContinuous Learning Framework in a series ofdiscussions to explore ways of achieving this.

Knowledge, skills, values and understandingWhen Sunita did her training she undertook anaward that was based on the NationalOccupational Standards in Children’s Care,Learning and Development. She has thereforealready demonstrated the knowledge, skills,values and understanding which she needs tobe competent in her job. She is aware that toprogress her career as a manager she needsto show how she can demonstrate knowledgeand understanding, skills and abilities andprofessional values and personal commitmentin Childhood Practice. She is also aware that asa practitioner in a day care of children centreshe needs to be aware of the requirements ofthe National Care Standards for EarlyEducation and Childcare.

Qualifications and trainingSunita has an HNC in Early Education andChild Care and is registered with the SSSC as apractitioner in a day care of children service. Tobecome a manager she needs to demonstrateways she can meet the Standard for ChildhoodPractice. As a first step Ray thinks Sunita shouldbe given more responsibility and this wouldallow her competence to be assessed againstsome key units in the SVQ level 4 in Children’s


53

Care, Learning and Development. By doing thisSunita will be gaining credit towards the BAChildhood Practice, the new manager award atSCQF level 9. As an alternative Ray suggestsshe could explore the possibility of doing theProfessional Development Award (PDA) EarlyEducation and Childcare (at SCQF level 8)which would also count towards the level 9award. Sunita agrees to explore this.

Personal capabilitiesSunita has played a key role in supportingsome of the nursery’s priorities. These includethe better involvement of parents and carers tohelp the nursery meet the requirements of thenew Care Commission/HM Inspectorate ofEducation self-assessment inspections. Sunita has taken responsibility for researchingexamples of good practice the nursery can useto evidence quality improvement. She has alsosupported her less confident colleagues towork effectively with parents. As a model ofgood practice, Sunita’s nursery has recentlybeen asked by the local Childcare Partnershipto give a presentation to others on how theyachieved this. Ray tells Sunita that heconsiders she is demonstrating the personalcapability of ‘a focus on people who use services and their carers’ at exemplary level.This acknowledgement boosts Sunita’sconfidence as she considers her career pathway.

The nursery has used the Continuous LearningFramework to draw up person specificationswhich describe the qualifications, training,knowledge, skills, values, understanding andpersonal capabilities required in each of thejob roles in the nursery. They have also set outthe stages of progression at which peopleshould be able to demonstrate the personalcapabilities required for their job role. Sunitalooks at the person specifications for hercurrent role and for the role of manager which she aspires to. She acknowledges manycapabilities that she can transfer but alsosees that one of the most important personalcapabilities for managers is ‘motivating andleading others’. Her organisation expectsmanagers to develop this personal capabilityto the accomplished stage of progression.

Sunita and Ray discuss the learningopportunities in the workplace that wouldsupport the development of this personalcapability. They agree that she will lead aspecific project planned for her playroom. This will involve motivating, leading, andvaluing contributions from the staff team. Ray will help Sunita to access research andinformation on leadership to help her in thisrole and Sunita plans to gain feedback fromcolleagues, families and children to help her to reflect on her leadership both during andafter completion of the project.


54

Organisational capabilitiesRay uses the Continuous Learning Frameworkto reflect on his discussions with Sunita. It hashighlighted the need to build leadershipcapacity in the nursery. His view is that if hecan sustain supporting staff in the same wayhe has been able to respond to Sunita, there isthe potential to demonstrate the organisationalcapabilities of ‘creating a learning andperformance culture’ and ‘promoting accessto learning and development opportunities’ atthe accomplished stage of progression.

Ray also thinks about Sunita’s plans to obtaina range of sources of feedback to help herreflect on her leadership. Ray is committedto providing staff with feedback which isconstructive and fair and which recognises goodpractice as well as areas for development.However, he reflects that his reliance on his ownobservations could result in processes whichare unfair. He realises that the organisationneeds to develop the organisational capability‘promoting access to feedback’. In particular,it needs to support line managers like himselfto improve the ways in which they give and usefeedback. Ray sees that he can develop hisown practice. He also decides to suggest to hismanager the need for the organisation todevelop processes which result in all staffreceiving multiple sources of feedback. Thiswould include feedback from colleagues, linemanagers, people who use services and theircarers and critical self-reflection.


55

BOOKS AND ARTICLES

Beattie, Rona S. (2006) ‘Line Managers andWorkplace Learning: Learning from theVoluntary Sector’, Human ResourceDevelopment International, 9(1), pp. 99-119

Clarke, N. (2006) ‘Emotional IntelligenceTraining: A Case of Caveat Emptor’, HumanResource Development Review, 5(4), pp. 422-441

Hodson, R. and Cooke, E. (2004) ‘Leading thedrive for evidence-informed practice’, Journalof Integrated Care, 12(1), pp. 12-18

Howe, David (2008) The Emotionally IntelligentSocial Worker, Palgrave Macmillan

Morrison, Tony (2007) ‘Emotional Intelligence,Emotion and Social Work: Context,Characteristics, Complications andContribution’, British Journal of Social Work,37, pp. 245-263

Seal, C., Boyatzis, R. & Bailey, J. (2006)‘Fostering Emotional and Social Intelligencein Organizations’, Organization ManagementJournal, Linking Theory & Practice: EAM WhitePapers Series, 3(3), pp. 190-209

Scottish Executive (2003) Framework forSocial Work Education in Scotland: Standardsin Social work Education, Edinburgh: Astron

Scottish Executive (2004) Confidence inPractice Learning, Edinburgh: Social WorkServices Inspectorate

Scottish Executive (2005a) National Strategyfor the Development of the Social ServiceWorkforce in Scotland: A plan for action2005-2010, Edinburgh: Astron

Scottish Executive (2005b) Improving FrontLine Services: A Framework for SupportingFront Line Staff, Edinburgh: Astron

Scottish Executive (2006a) Changing Lives:Report of the 21st Century Social WorkReview, Edinburgh: Astron

Scottish Executive (2006b), Changing LivesImplementation Plan, Edinburgh: Astron

Scottish Executive (2006c) Key Capabilities inChild Care and Protection, Edinburgh: Astron

Scottish Recruitment and SelectionConsortium (2001) Safer Recruitment andSelection for Staff Working in Child Care –A Toolkit, Edinburgh: Astron

Scottish Social Services Council (2003) Codesof Practice for Social Service Workers andEmployers of Social Service Workers, Dundee

The Standard for Childhood Practice 2007,Scottish subject benchmark statement,The Quality Assurance Agency for HigherEducation, 2007

APPENDIX 4: BIBLIOGRAPHY


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WEBSITES

Social Care Institute for Excellence, Learningorganisations: A self-assessment resourcepack (2004) [Online] [Accessed 4 June 2008]Available from World Wide Web:http://www.scie.org.uk/publications/learningorgs/index.asp

The Consortium for Research on EmotionalIntelligence in Organizations, EmotionalCompetence Framework (1998) [Accessed10/10/2007] Available from World Wide Web:http://www.eiconsortium.org/reports/emotional_competence_framework.html

CD ROMS

Scottish Social Services Council (2007),NOS Navigator

Scottish Social Services Council (2007),Preparing for Practice


57

‘Employee’ means a person who works in thesocial service sector who is employed by anorganisation or an individual.

‘Employer’ means an individual, organisationor service which employs one or more socialservice workers.

‘Evidence’ is the information that supports orsubstantiates research findings.

‘Evidence informed practice’ means makingdecisions about how to meet the needs ofpeople who use services and their carersinformed by an understanding of the bestavailable evidence on what is effective, practicewisdom and the views and expectations ofpeople who use services and their carers.

‘Formal learning’ is learning which has beenassessed and given credit against recognisedlearning outcomes, e.g. qualifications such asan SVQ, an HNC or a degree and awards suchas the Practice Learning Qualifications.

‘Informal learning’ is learning gained throughlife and work experiences and from workplacetraining or other learning which has not beenformally credit-rated.

‘Organisation’ in this Framework refers to anyagency which is providing a social service so itmight include a local authority, private orvoluntary body providing several services or anindividual service, such as a single owner carehome or an out of school care club.

‘Research’ is a process of investigating,exploring, studying, examining or looking intosomething in a systematic way.

‘Recognition of Prior Learning’ (RPL) describesthe process by which ‘informal learning’ (seeabove) can be recognised. This can include theformal recognition of the learning, a processknown as credit-rating, which can only bedone by the Scottish Qualifications Authority,colleges or universities. If prior informallearning has been credit-rated, it can counttowards a qualification.

APPENDIX 5: DEFINITION OF KEY WORDS AND PHRASES WHICH APPEAR IN THIS FRAMEWORK


58

‘Scottish Credit and QualificationsFramework’ (SCQF) identifies how the manydifferent Scottish qualifications relate to eachother. It has 12 levels and the level descriptorsdescribe the general outcomes of learning ateach level. This allows comparisons to bemade between different qualifications, formalprogrammes of learning and other learningopportunities.

‘Social services’ includes social work, socialcare, housing support, residential child careand early education and childcare.

‘Social service worker’ means any person whoworks in a ‘social service’ as defined above.Some social service workers can also beemployed in services which are delivered byanother sector, e.g. health or education, or inintegrated services which have workers from arange of disciplines. The Framework is relevantfor these social service workers.

‘Supervision’ or ‘one to one’ in this Frameworkrefers to any occasion where a social serviceworker and their line manager or otherappropriate person discuss and reflect on their practice and learning.

‘Systems and processes’ in this Frameworkmean organisational procedures which arerecorded (either written or on-line) so that theyare accessible to everyone in the organisation,e.g. performance review systems, guidance.

‘Team’ in this Framework can be a group ofpeople working together for a particularpurpose, whether or not the organisation they work for calls them a ‘team’.


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Carole Wilkinson Chief Executive, ScottishSocial Services Council(SSSC)

Bryan Williams Executive Director,Institute for Research andInnovation in SocialServices (IRISS)

Edith Wellwood Workforce DevelopmentManager, SSSC

Kate Skinner Institute Lead (Research,Development andApplication), IRISS

Pam Linton Training and StaffingManager, Angus CouncilSocial Work and Health

Fiona Clark Learning andDevelopment Adviser,SSSC (Joint ProjectManager)

Jayne Dunn Institute Lead (WorkplaceLearning andDevelopment), IRISS (Joint Project Manager)

APPENDIX 6: MEMBERS OF THE PROJECT BOARD


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Maureen Anderson Scottish Institute for Residential Child Care

Rona Beattie Glasgow Caledonian University

Ann Brady Care and Learning Alliance

Valerie Cramb Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care

Gail Crawford Dundee City Council Practitioners’ Forum

Janet Davidson Adam Smith College

Phil Ford Skills Active

Marc Hendrikson Social Work Inspection Agency

Brenda Hutchinson South Lanarkshire Council

Yvonne Leathley Learning Network North

Pam Linton Angus Council Social Work and Health

Joyce Lishman The Robert Gordon University

Cathy Macnaughton Multi-Cultural Family Base

Maureen McKissock Scottish Out of School Care Network

Tony Mackie Glasgow City Council

Janet Miller Voluntary Sector Social Services Workforce Unit

Wendy Paterson Learning Network South East

David Rennie Scottish Care

Elizabeth Ritchie South Lanarkshire Council

Anne Rooney Midlothian Council

Celia Rothero Learning Network West

Adrian Snowball Aberlour Child Care Trust

Anne Tavendale Learning Network Tayforth

Jenny Thomson South Ayrshire Council

Joan Watson University of Strathclyde

Keith Wilson West Lothian Council

APPENDIX 7: MEMBERS OF THE REFERENCE POOL


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For reasons of confidentiality we have listed only the organisations that tested out the Framework for us but our thanks go to all of the staff involved.

Aberdeen City Council South Children and Families

Angus Council Social Work and Health

Choices Care

Orkney Islands Council Kalisgarth Care Centre

Leamington Care Home

Midlothian Council

Rowan Alba

Scottish Out of School Care Network

South Ayrshire Council Children and Families Services

APPENDIX 8: ORGANISATIONSPARTICIPATING IN THE TRIALS


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Scottish Social Services CouncilCompass House11 Riverside DriveDundeeDD1 4NY

Lo-call 0845 60 30 891Fax: 01382 207215Email: [email protected]

If you would like this document in another format or language, please contact the SSSC on 0845 60 30 891

© Scottish Social Services Council / IRISS 2008

RR Donnelley B58362 11/08

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