“The SSSC Codes of Practice for Social Service Workers say that all registered workers must undertake relevant learning to maintain and improve their knowledge and skills and contribute to the learning and development of others.”
You must keep a record of your own CPL. When you renew your registration with the SSSC, we will ask you to confirm you have completed the required amount of CPL and that you have kept a record of your learning.” – SSSC, Scotland’s regulatory body for Health and Social Care.
Working within Health and Social Care will mean contributing to your own continuous professional learning (CPL) to enable you to continually carry out best practices. The SSSC badges are a great example of how to carry out this learning, offering a multitude of ways to track and evidence your work. As a Health and Social Care worker, you must complete 10 days (or 60 hours) of CPL over your five-year registration period. However, you may end up completing more than this due to relevant interest or career progression.
There are a number of badges available on the SSSC open badges website including:
- Palliative and end-of-life care.
- Medication.
- Dementia.
- Risk enablement.
and more.
These badges can be showcased on your own personal digital portfolio and can be shared with managers, employers, peers, and for your own convenience. (Once claimed, the badges are unique to you and move with you from job to job.)
Process
Each badge has its own criteria. This may involve carrying out a task or watching a video and then writing a reflective account stating what you have learned and how you will apply the findings to your role.
You should start by choosing a badge in an area of interest to you and thoroughly reading the necessary criteria – this will outline the length of time required to claim your badge. Initially, you will be prompted to carry out a “Getting started with open badges” course; providing all of the necessary information for you to successfully complete badges.
Certification
As the SSSC is Scotland’s regulatory body for Health and Social Care, the ‘Open Badges’ are recognised nationally.
SSSC also offers a ‘Learning Zone’ on their main website, many of which offer open badges.
MyLearning App
The MyLearning app by SSSC allows you to log, collect and collate entries regarding your learning via your smartphone. Within the app, you can set reminders and targets to maintain a regular learning routine. The entries can include photos, videos, recordings and other external files and can also be tagged. This can help you easily search and find journal entries and the information you have collected here.
Registration
For care at home workers, it is mandatory to register with the SSSC within six months of being in post. For more information including a number of free resources please see: SSSC website .