Principle 1
is my responsibility and will be supported by my employer
Overview
The SSSC approach to CPL is underpinned by the following principles.
My continuous professional learning (CPL):
Principle 2
improves the lives of, and protects, individuals and carers
Principle 3
improves the quality of care or support I provide
Principle 4
is relevant to my role and the outcomes of the individuals I support
Principle 5
supports my career, increases my confidence and improves my professional practice.
These principles reflect shared responsibilities for:
- you to recognise and demonstrate the effect of CPL on your practice
- your employer to actively invest in your opportunities for CPL and to support you to apply your learning in practice
- the wider system of the SSSC, the Care Inspectorate, Scottish Government and other agencies, to support the social work, social care and children and young people workforce and improve the safety and quality of services by investing in and developing that workforce.
Principle 1:
My CPL is my responsibility and will be supported by my employer
Me
I am accountable for the quality of my work and take responsibility for maintaining and improving my knowledge and skills. Where appropriate, I contribute to the learning and development of others.
My employer
My employer provides learning and development opportunities to enable me to strengthen and develop my skills, knowledge and practice.
My employer (where appropriate) ensures that all newly qualified social workers (NQSWs) are provided with the required level of professional learning and development during the supported year to fully meet their CPL requirements.
The wider system
The wider system provides me with relevant opportunities to learn across the sector.
Principle 2:
My CPL improves the lives of, and protects, individuals and carers
Me
My learning is relevant to the needs of the individuals who use my service, their families and carers and the organisation I work for.
My learning relates to my practice. Developing my knowledge and skills enhances my existing skills and supports good practice.
My learning promotes the wellbeing and independence of individuals who use services and carers while protecting them, as far as possible, from harm.
My employer
My employer is responsible for identifying the needs of the people I work with as a guide to making sure my learning is relevant.
My employer ensures CPL prioritises the care and safety of individuals who use services.
The wider system
The wider system is responsible for supporting and promoting quality CPL across the sector that benefits the individuals who use services.
Principle 3:
My CPL improves the quality of care or support I provide
Me
I can demonstrate how my learning has improved the quality of my practice through reflection.
My learning improves the quality of care I provide and enhances the safety of individuals I work with.
I identify opportunities to learn from and share learning with others.
My employer
My employer provides regular effective supervision that enables me to continuously develop and improve through reflective practice.
My employer responds appropriately to workers who need support because they do not feel able, or well enough prepared, to carry out their work.
The wider system
The wider system provides resources for quality learning through workforce and service delivery plans.
The wider system evaluates the quality of CPL and its effect on the quality of services.
Principle 4:
My CPL is relevant to my role and the outcomes of the individuals I support
Me
My learning is based on the core learning elements appropriate to my area of work.
I take part in a range of learning activities, both formal and informal. These are relevant to, challenge and develop my current or intended area of practice.
My learning meets relevant organisational, professional and regulatory standards.
My employer
My employer responds to my learning needs and provides a range of learning and development opportunities both formal and informal, including employees learning with and from each other.
The wider system
The wider system promotes the value of a range of learning activities and offers opportunities for sharing practice.
Principle 5:
My CPL supports my career, increases my confidence and improves my professional practice
Me
I am responsible for keeping a record of my learning that demonstrates my reflection on:
- What I learned
- How it adds to or develops my area of practice
- The effect on the individuals I work with or service delivery
- My confidence about my professional practice
My learning builds my confidence and supports me with opportunities for career progression.
My employer
My employer will provide time, resources and opportunities to allow me to record and think about the outcomes of learning and share them across organisations.
My employer has systems in place to monitor and audit fair access to CPL.
My employer provides support through supervision to reflect on practice.
The wider system
The wider system raises awareness of existing and new resources to support recording and thinking about the outcome of learning.
The wider system shares the outcomes of learning and professionalism of the workforce with policy makers and the public.