About standards ... |
National Occupational Standards (NOS) are benchmark statements of competence we can expect an individual to demonstrate at a given level of practice and for a specific activity. NOS describe what an individual should be able to do and what they need to know and understand to help carry out a specified activity. National Occupational Standards have been developed in most sectors. They:
- describe best practice
- bring together the skills, knowledge and values necessary to do the work as statements of competence
- provide managers with a tool for a wide variety of workforce management, quality control and specification tasks
- are the basis of training and qualifications
Initially, the standards were used as the basis for qualifications, but wider uses of the standards are now emerging, such as their use in human resource management.
Application for registration with Scottish Social Service Council (SSSC) is dependent on NOS based qualifications. Modern Apprenticeship Frameworks in social services in Scotland are also based upon NOS in the form of Scottish Vocational Qualifications.
Who develops them?
NOS are developed, maintained and updated by Sector Skills Councils relevant to the sector and occupations they represent. The SSSC is the sector skill council for social services in Scotland. We are partners within the UK wide sector skills council – Skills for Care and Development. Skills for Care and Development is a organisation which represents the SSSC and other UK partners including Northern Ireland Social Care Council, the Care Council for Wales and Skills for Care in England.
When developing NOS in social care and social work the SSSC and Skills for Care and Development work with employers and other stakeholders to ensure that the standards reflect the needs of the sector and changes to practice, legislation, policy and technology. The group of NOS which relate to health and social care are jointly reviewed with Skills for Care and Development and the health sector skills council – Skills for Health.
The SSSC develops standards in partnership with the care sector and focuses on all levels of work, with an expectation that the standards are used as much in human resource and operational management, as they are in the development of qualifications. The SSSC will continue to work with employers to contribute and promote the developing uses of the standards.
Structure of National Occupational Standards
National Occupational Standards are organised into units of competence. Each unit describes an area of practice, with the activities separated out into associated performance criteria and knowledge listed. The standards also highlight the values required to work in care.
These standards are separated into different levels of competence and used to benchmark the skills, knowledge/understanding and responsibilities associated with more complex roles within organisations. You can use NOS navigator to download relevant standards.
Skills Sets reflect the activities undertaken by workers in the social service sector in particular areas of practice. The Skills Sets provide guidance for individuals, assessors and employers on the most suitable units to meet workforce development and planning. They identify the Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQ) units and underpinning knowledge most relevant for particular areas of practice in social services in Scotland.
The SSSC reviews the Skills Sets using feedback from employers, practitioners, training providers and other relevant groups. Skills Sets include groups of NOS relating to a number of areas of practice. These are can found on NOS Navigator on the Workforce Solutions Portal.
The Skills Sets may also be used in identifying appropriate units for Continuous Professional Development purposes.
How can skill sets be used?
Skill sets are intended to guide employers, assessors, training providers and candidates in choosing units to work on which will extend the practice skills and/or knowledge and understanding of social service workers in specified service areas. It is also hoped they will provide guidance for staff when making choices regarding their continuing professional development (CPD).
Following the revision of the qualification structures for SVQs it is envisaged that Skills Sets can be used to assist flexibility for staff moving from one service area to another eg from residential childcare care to learning disability. Staff should be able to undertake additional units without the need to undertake a full SVQ again, in order to equip them for the new area of practice.
However, it should be noted that Skills Sets are not new awards but provide guidance notes.
In order to raise the level of care in Scotland and ensure that service users receive the same quality of care no matter where they live, Scottish Ministers have developed National Care Standards for a wide range of care services.
National Care Standards were established following the introduction of The Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001. Care Standards are developed and maintained by the Care Inspectorate.
The Care Inspectorate assesses applications from individuals and organisations that provide registered services. It inspects the services to ensure that they are meeting the regulations and in doing so takes account of the national care standards.
The National Care Standards have been created with service users and are designed to explain what can be expected from care services. They also support service users raise concerns or make a complaint.
National Care Standards describe what an individual can expect from a service provider. They specify the quality of service that the public can expect. The public are encouraged to refer to the standards to assist them when deciding which service to choose. If already receiving a service, individuals may use the standards when discussing the service they receive with:
- staff and managers;
- social worker or care manager, if they have one; or
- someone acting on their behalf e.g. lawyer or other independent representative.
Service providers should use the standards to find out what is expected of them when offering support and care services. The standards make it clear that everything about the service should support individuals to enjoy a good quality of life. They guide service providers on:
- building requirements;
- who to employ, and
- how the service should be managed.
