Website help and accessibility - video transcripts
Social Services and Healthcare
Social Services (Children and Young People)
Care Services Leadership and Management
Contracting, Procurement and Commissioning
Social Services and Healthcare
What is your experience of SVQs?
Interviewee one
I actually really enjoyed it; I have to say I wasn't looking forward to doing it because I haven't done any kind of studying or that since I have left school. I was thinking it would be daunting but I found my assessor really really helpful, Fiona was her name and she was absolutely great and I felt like she gave me a lot of confidence in doing my SVQ 3. It took a wee while to get into; the jargon, but really most of what you cover you will be doing it every day. I just used my everyday practice and that actually filled in most of my SVQ, just experiences you come across and everyday things that happen with clients, emergencies and different things and you will find that it actually fills up your SVQ and you have got it done before you know where you are.
Interviewee two
I found it good it made me look at my own practice a bit better, gave me a wider knowledge of understanding of policies and the law and different procedures that can help the individual that you are supporting
How have SVQs helped you and your Practice?
Interviewee three
Well the SVQ is a great way to reflect on your practice both positive and negative, looking at positives it is a great way of enhancing your practice nobody is perfect and looking at negatives is a good way of changing your work practice or improving it but looking at things that you did in the past things you are going to work towards to in the future which is about developing and I think through doing the SVQ got me thinking about the work practice and of course other peoples work practice as well because we are a team where people have not gone through the SVQ yet, there is a waiting list to do it, so it's good that I have done it and it enhances not just my work practice but others.
Interviewee one
I think it definitely benefits you, I always felt that I had good practice anyway, but I felt then that I was confident really confident in my practice and confident in challenging people because I knew that what I was saying is right, covered a bit of the law regarding people so if you came across something like to you, had concerns regarding somebody vulnerability or they were making an accusation then you knew exactly what to do because you done your SVQ and you could act on that.
What are the benefits to service users and the workplace of SVQs being in place?Interviewee two
I think it is a massive benefit to the service user the more staff that is trained in SVQ the better for them, because it lets us support them the way they need to be supported. And it just gives them a better outlook for life so that they are getting everything they require to let them lead as full a life as possible.
Interviewee three
I think, obviously having a qualified workforce who have got SVQs provide a better quality service that not taking in with anyone who does not have qualifications but as we said it helps you reflect on your work practice and develop an I think for the service users it provides them with a better quality of service knowing they have got a trained experience person working with them hoping to deliver opportunities for them and work in partnership with them so I think for the services users it is very important that people go for their SVQs and it is a very positive outcome for the service users as well because of the quality provided from having a SVQ.
Social Services (Children and Young People)
What is your experience of SVQs?
Interviewee one
I completed my SVQ 3 in children's care, learning and development.
Interviewee two
I fully qualified in June 2012 SVQ level 2 and 3 and I did this at Dundee College.
Interviewee three
I am a candidate; I was a candidate doing my SVQ3.
How have SVQs helped you and your practice?
Interviewee three
I found the SVQ3 very beneficial as I was working in practice with professional qualified staff and ensure that my development and confidence improved.
Interviewee one
I think that through doing the SVQ I have become a much more confident practitioner. I was working the job everyday getting to know staff the children the parents and then I was able to go home at night doing my SVQ work and was able to reflect on what I have been doing during the day and the nursery. So I think it did help a lot. I had a great assessor she came in every 2 weeks and she observed me and looked over my work and gave me some feedback. It was a very positive experience. I did start at college but decided I wanted to do it more practically and that's when I came to work at little steps and decided to do my SVQ3.
Interviewee two
I really enjoyed doing my training in the nursery rather than being in college as it meant I got to get to know the children and seeing them growing up and seeing different development of them and working with them and then being able to go home and do my college work at home and then come into the nursery and work with my colleagues and they would also always help me and plan activities which meant I was more confident when my assessor came.
What are the benefits to service users and the workplace of SVQs being in place?
Interviewee one
I think that is important that staff are qualified that they are going through their training for me personally working at little steps I was able to see the children's progress so when I did become qualified I was confident where the children were at I was confident with dealing with the parents and also working as part of a team I knew the staff I was working with very well. I think that it does make it a much more positive experience for the children they had a good relationship with myself because I was being here doing my studies.
Interviewee two
I find it benefits the children if the staff uses there methods and if the staff all using the same techniques.
Interviewee threeThe staff are very much part of the workplace when they are working towards their SVQ they are very much part of the team, the children develop relationships with the staff the staff can see children's development and their progress in the centre.
When staff are qualified the service definitely improves because the standards that SVQ3 have, it is not only performance but knowledge that the staff gain.
Care Services Leadership and Management
What is your experience of SVQs?
With my SVQ4 I done two profession modules with that it was a bit different because it was inter-management rather than dealing with individual people. A different level documentation etc once you got the hang of it, it was easy and you could understand why they did it that way. Now doing SVQ4 in management, very exciting again different tact and again it is away from individual people that you work with on the floor you now are dealing more with business etc it makes you thing gives you an insight you still examine your practice at all times and it gives you the confidence and skills to back up why you are doing a certain thing. So it's been very good very interesting at times hard work but worth it in the end.
How have SVQs helped you and your practice?
The way I think SVQ has benefited myself is to give me more confidence and giving me the skills and knowledge to question to have the reasons behind why certain practice is done or to examine other peoples practice and to question why ok it was done this way 10 years ago, why are we still doing it this way when there might be better things to do. So just looking at yourself looking at practice within Gleneagles dale opportunities looking at staff especially the management one at the moment is looking at your six hat thinking looking at all the theories ok morale is low what we can do to improve that ok practice can we do anything to improve practice. In the end of the day we are here to support individuals with learning disabilities, complex needs they are relying on us for safety for privacy, dignity to help them get through the day to stimulate them and we need to put new things into practice. Doing the SVQ equipped me with the skills with the knowledge to be able to put theory based things into practice. And the evidence is increased staff morale and increased support for individuals.
What are the benefits to service users and the workplace of SVQs being in place?
The staff within Gleneagles Day are very fortunate we have care systems that are now doing SVQ 3 and SVQ2 giving those greater skills, greater confidence to support individuals that they are working with.
A lot of care assistance as well as our community facilitators have done the medication module, standalone medication module to help support as we have a lot of individuals that are peg fed, they have medication while attending day services and also Tracheotomy and so the only facilitate in the area to do Tracheotomy care.
The SVQ has giving all individuals at work here the confidence the skills and knowledge equipped to be able to support individuals, not only with physical support but also with mental stimulation to make sure the creative and choice of activities that we are offering to service users.
The SVQ give a structure approach to work in so that groups are organised they structures there is a purpose behind them there is aims and objectives. So the SVQ gives staff that confidence and stimulates the staff as well to increase their knowledge to increase the activities that are available for the service users thus increasing the opportunities for the service users, practice ensures that all practice is questioned staff have the confidence to question other colleagues about practice so standard of practice is high the skills that they got is high and the confidence leading to fully equipped staff force which leads to well cared for well supported individuals
Contracting, Procurement and Commissioning
What is your role in Midlothian Council?
My role in Midlothian council is a contractor in terms of what I do as a contract officer I liaise with planning officers and resource managers to put in place contracts with provider, between the council and providers
How are you using the National Occupational Standards?
In terms of the national occupational standards for commissioning procurement and contracting, it serves as a platform for us to know what responsibilities we are supposed to carry out as commissioners and contract officers. It makes it easier for the councillors across the board and local authorities across Scotland. In terms of use of it as an individual it benefits me in times of my professional development aspirations. We have as part of the ASWU, go to the extent of developing a qualification linked in with a SQA to come up with a PDA and commissioning procurement and contracting a level 8 to support the workforce within social care commissioning in Scotland.
What are the benefits to you and Midlothian Council in working with NOS?
In terms of the organisation the Midlothian Council it helps with workforce planning and development and also helps with training. As I already indicated based on the National Occupational standards we have as part of the ADSW developed a PDA which is going to be delivered very soon. The PDA was validated on 8 March 2013 so in actual fact it's going to help the council to get the right qualified staff to carry out their duties. In terms of myself it will help my professional development career as well. By acquiring a qualification I will have the recognition and also have the accreditation and the confidence to carry out my work.
Do you or Midlothian Council have any plans to extend how you might use NOS?
I think the standards are more or less for the whole Local Authorities in Scotland, we were part of the consultation. I think during 2009 when I was implemented through Cosla and yourselves, SSSC we have already bought into the use of standards. There is a lot more to do in terms of making four years of it and the qualification that we developed, will go a long way to compliment what has already been done.
