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‘We are not protecting jobs but what we will do, if we can think differently, is protect people and work with you to maintain your skills.’
That statement, from a participant in a recent workforce planning workshop, is very telling.
We know that the expectations and aspirations of those who use health and social services are ever increasing. We know too that with less staff and dwindling financial resources, people will be receiving and giving care in quite different ways in the future. Some current jobs and roles may no longer exist as new ways of working and caring become embedded. The voluntary and statutory sectors will need to be more fluid and work in meaningful partnership, not in competition, in the coming years.
All this adds to the importance of involving the current workforce and those using services in the design of job roles. They have to be fully involved with a strong say in the reshaping of local services, and to have access to new training and flexible career opportunities.
One of the best ways to help people rethink service provision and new roles is through the use of service design techniques. Service design starts with the person using the services, exploring their needs, perspective, experience and expectations. Through this, new provision can be imagined and new services designed. Service design is a great way to involve people and gain their insights. There are many service design tools, from ‘experience labs’ to ‘stakeholder mapping’ and ‘customer journey maps’ that can be used.
Iriss promotes positive outcomes for the people who use Scotland's social services, by enhancing the capacity and capability of the social services workforce, to access and make use of knowledge and research for service innovation and improvement.
Iriss has developed a range of projects using a service design approach.
The Iriss project Pilotlight has been working for several years with people who access support and has created an extensive range of free to use tools.
A number of useful templates, tools and formats for service design approaches, which could be adapted. You can access the resources by logging in for free.
The SSSC Appreciative Inquiry resource pack is for anyone who wishes to use an Appreciative Inquiry approach to support service improvement or redesign. It offers a programme structure and supporting materials for a cycle of Appreciative Inquiry.
The National Occupational Standards (NOS) in Social Services and Health Care form the basis of qualifications for the majority of social services workers, who are required to register with SSSC. The development and maintenance of common UK NOS for job roles plays a significant role in the mobility of the workforce across the UK. The NOS Navigator can also help you to:
The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) is Scotland’s national qualifications framework. The SCQF supports lifelong learning and can help:
The development and implementation of a personal outcomes approach in health and social care impacts on service design, workforce configuration and practice development. The Personal Outcomes Collaboration is a helpful source for information and insight.
The 2010-2020 Self-directed Support (SDS) strategy and supporting legislation calls for greater collaboration, flexibility choice and control for people who need support which requires a change to the way in which support is delivered.
Self-directed Support gives people who require support great opportunities to design and create support that fits in with the way they want to live their lives.
Social Services Knowledge Scotland (SSKS) is a website and digital library dedicated to the social services sector. It includes high-quality materials from leading UK and worldwide research and educational institutions, to help inform your research and practice.
The Development Impact and You (DIY) resource was developed by Nesta and the Rockefeller Foundation in partnership with the Open University. It provides a range of tools and methods to aid you in design and innovation.
In 2015, the Scottish Government produced Localities Guidance. This is for everyone who is involved in integration in local health and social care systems. The guidance covers what localities are for, the principles upon which they should be established, and the ethos under which they should operate.
Planning for the future by the Scottish Social Services Council is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Based on a work at http://learn.sssc.uk.com.