Home | Theory of change | View from 2025 | Outcomes | Touchpoints | Resources
People often talk about the need for the workforce to be digitally literate. However, more accurately, the workforce and people who use services need to develop a range of digital literacies. These include skills and a particular mindset. Being able to build relationships with audiences and collaborators, tailor communications for a purpose, share, collaborate and inspire, all become invaluable tools.
The Scottish Government and Partnerships routinely offer workshops with staff to develop understanding of digital literacies and to facilitate the use of technology in person-centred approaches to health and social services.
SSSC has undertaken work on this, developing eight core digital literacies required for the future.
Additionally, SSSC offers 23 Things Digital to support practice and learning in social services.
Watch, The essential elements of digital literacies: Doug Belshaw at TEDxWarwick.
Organisations, in their workforce planning activity, should be concerned in the shaping of their workers’ continuous professional development (CPD) to address current and future needs. In a climate of resource constraints, any investments in learning need to be aligned with organisational priorities. As such, increasing attention is being paid to workplace learning, and situational learning - using digital platforms and blended learning in bite-size pieces. In this arena, Open Badges are providing an accessible way of planning, achieving and recognising learning. Open Badges are digital records of achievements and skills that are tied to assessment and evidence. Unlike paper certificates, Open Badges are manageable online.
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.
In a digital world the expectations of social service employers, the workforce and people who use services are changing. It’s becoming more and more important that workers are suitably equipped by developing their digital capabilities. SSSC has developed the 23 Digital Capabilities online resource to help social service workers develop their digital capabilities to support learning and practice.
Iriss has developed a resource on Building your Personal Learning Network. People who can seek new information, make sense of it, and share it with their colleagues will be an asset to any work team.
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.